Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 418 The Roar of the God of War
That's too fast. He's seen all kinds of merchant ships and warships. The speed of the ship in front of him isn't unprecedented, but it's one thing for a small, fast sailing ship to reach this speed with the wind and current, but for a merchant ship of this size to reach this speed under these weather and hydrological conditions is astonishing.

Unheard of!

The thought that his Straw Hat Pirates would soon have a new weapon, possessing mobility unmatched by other ships, giving them a significant advantage in both pursuit and escape, allowing him to lead his crew to a life of luxury and become a leader among the small pirate crews along the northern coast of Sword Coast—in short, the Pirate King—brought a bright smile to Luffy's face, his mouth almost reaching his cheeks.

What he didn't expect was that what he saw was not the favor of Lady Luck, but death grinning and spreading its wings!
Before long, the nimble Auerbach completed its turn and took the T-shaped position. The tinker left the control panel and, together with the newly summoned Old Wind-Up, walked out of the cabin and entered the mobile gun turrets located at the bow and stern, respectively.

By turning the cannon muzzle and adjusting the gun's elevation, the two master craftsmen quickly corrected the firing parameters. The propellers had been shut off, and the ship, now in a stable drifting state, made aiming slightly easier.

With a grab, a shove, and a push, the 105mm alchemical incendiary bomb was easily loaded and chambered by the master of the iron hand. The two master craftsmen, who had been authorized by the mage beforehand, did not hesitate at all and pulled the trigger to fire!
Fireworks spewed from the cannons, and the enormous roar was like thunder ripped through the sky, announcing the arrival of the god of war. The shells soared across the sky like falcons, and their mournful cries that tore through the air even drowned out the howling of the north wind.

Captain Luffy, still lost in his dream, was suddenly awakened by a strange howl he had never heard before. The sharp sound was like the weeping of a ghost, and the ominous premonition gripped his heart.

"Be careful, it seems the other side doesn't intend to..."

Before Luffy could finish speaking, thinking the enemy was trying to put up a stubborn resistance with shipboard weapons like catapults, he saw two high sprays of water erupt from his own ship not far away. Then...
Bang!Bang!
With two muffled thunderous sounds, the two unidentified projectiles bulged out at their landing points, then exploded, sending icy seawater bursting up like a fountain, forming a giant umbrella of water. The splashing raindrops even blew onto the faces of some pirates.

What is this ghost?

Upon witnessing this scene, Luffy suddenly felt his limbs become somewhat unresponsive, and his clothes seemed to tighten, making it difficult for him to breathe.

With such damn power, did the enemy install a counterweight catapult used for sieges on the ship?
That's unrealistic. Given the size of that device, how could it possibly be installed on a ship? And two of them at once?
If not, what else could it be? It can't be the legendary magic ship that mages ride, can it?

Wait, a magic ship?

The sudden thought pierced through the clouds like a thunderbolt, exploding in Luffy's mind: unparalleled speed and terrifying power—this was the standard a merchant ship should have.

But if it's the legendary magical ship that can sail the oceans without hindrance, then everything makes sense.

This terrible and outrageous idea jumped into Luffy's heart like a little devil, pounding away at his precious heart like a broken drum.

While he was thinking, two more shells landed, this time at a closer distance. The impact points, one after the other, exploded into two fountains, splashing even Luffy with a few drops of water. A cold wind blew, and his face felt a chill.

My heart is even colder!

"Turn quickly, turn quickly, full starboard and turn around, hurry!" Having confirmed the enemy's firepower once again, Luffy did not hesitate and urgently ordered the ship to turn and escape. In his haste, he did not forget to go in the opposite direction from the enemy, which can be considered as careful.

This seemingly decisive decision also cost the pirates their last chance.

They still didn't understand what it meant to be straddled by the enemy in a naval artillery battle, and how the slowdown and increased cross-section caused by the ship turning around made their situation under the gun barrels even more vulnerable.

The third round of bombardment came quickly. A cannonball grazed the mast, pierced the sail and fell into the sea, splashing water all over the pirates. Another cannonball was fired from the stern gun operated by the old wind-up man, and hit the port side of the pirate ship. Boom!

The high-temperature shockwave from the explosion, mixed with flying shrapnel, swept across the side of the ship, almost instantly wiping out all life in the area. The remaining scorching flames ignited the broken wooden hull, setting it ablaze and illuminating the terrified faces of the surviving pirates nearby in a crimson glow.

The shell that just exploded upon entering the water only revealed the tip of the iceberg of its power. Only when one truly faces this deadly weapon can one truly feel the breath of death rushing towards them as if it were a tangible reality.

The heavily damaged ship became increasingly sluggish in its turning and movement, and disaster struck relentlessly.

Soon, the second, third, and fourth shots followed, and the two subsequent rounds of bombardment achieved a score of three out of four hits. At this moment, the pirate ship had become a living hell.

In the era of large ships and powerful guns, a 105mm naval gun was just a matchstick. It was considered outdated to scare merchant ships, because an armed merchant ship might pull out a gun that was even bigger than yours.

But it depends on who you compare it to. The 105mm rounds equipped with alchemical explosive bombs are a complete weapon of mass destruction when placed among Faerûn's sailing wooden ships. It's like bombarding a goblin nest with a meteor bomb, which is both too extravagant and too cruel.

Besides the damage to the hull, the truly fatal part of the pirate ship was the breach near the waterline on the port side and the flames burning all over the deck. From a distance, the entire ship looked like a slowly tilting torch.

A sense of desperation rose in the hearts of every surviving pirate, but before they could even feel sorrow, the lucky ones among these unfortunate men jumped into the sea, escaping this floating crematorium and plunging into the icy, bone-chilling ocean currents of early spring.

After the five rounds of bombardment ended, the master craftsmen reluctantly stopped their work at the mage's command. After all, alchemical shells cost money, and they had to be used sparingly after being tested in actual combat and achieving results.

Lars and his crew, who were watching from the sidelines, were dumbfounded, their mouths agape.

Although the alchemical device called a cannon looked extraordinary, imagination and reality are ultimately different. When it fully revealed its hideous nature, they were astonished to find that with each burst of flame from the long tube, each deafening roar, and each tremor that shook the deck, the legendary magical power that was said to exist only in the hands of a spellcaster was being displayed and inflicted upon the unfortunate enemy ship.

However, it seems that this was originally created by the mages, so there's nothing wrong with that.

Thank you to Hell Princess, Wanliu Tongyuan, Brother A-Yi, and Eric Jin for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)