Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Cannonfire
On board the Don Quixote Family's ship,
"I think we're still missing something."
Doflamingo, seated on a barrel, pushed his square-shaped sunglasses up and looked serious.
"That's right, it's an urgent matter."
On the opposite side, Vergo, with a piece of bread on his cheek, nodded.
...
Sitting next to them, the straightforward Pica scratched his head and ultimately decided not to comment on this matter.
"What are you discussing?"
Rosinante, covered in sweat after just finishing sword practice with Diamante, walked over.
"Now that our Don Quixote Family has been established, it's only natural that we need a symbol, a crest—"
"That's right, it's a serious matter."
...
"Got it,"
Although they weren't setting sail as pirates, everyone still wanted a unique emblem.
But... Rosinante rubbed his chin, he remembered that the emblem of the "Don Quixote Family" in his previous life was a clown-like skull?
"Let's do it this way then. Everyone can draw their desired emblem, and then we'll vote to decide."
"Good, let's decide that way."
Doflamingo thought this proposal was good, and even Torao Boru and Diamante came over.
Although in Rosinante's eyes, Torao Boru, who was drenched in sweat and almost turning into "sticky slime," probably just wanted an excuse to slack off.
"Let me do it!"
Diamante had a face of mysterious confidence. "Hehehe, I almost got into an art school once."
Torao Boru wasn't about to be outdone, and their appearances stunned Doflamingo. However, Vergo and Pica, who had known them for a longer time, had already turned their heads.
Half an hour later:
"I'm really silly, really..."
Doflamingo was already in self-imposed isolation, and Rosinante picked up the emblems drawn by Torao Boru and Diamante, his brow furrowing.
"Diamante, your drawing is really 'devastating' indeed..."
"Wu hahaha, don't make it sound like I'm a genius."
No, no, no. I'm afraid that if I hang this emblem up, the enemy will die laughing before anything else.
Diamante's drawing... I don't even know what kind of indigenous art that is. It looks like a sunflower, and also like a chrysanthemum. Only upon closer inspection can one barely make out a face.
Although it's clear that Diamante put a lot of effort into trying to convey a 'menacing' expression in the image, unfortunately, his kindergarten-level drawing skills couldn't quite meet the challenge.
As for the other one:
"Torao, if you didn't get into art school, it's definitely their loss."
Of course, this avant-garde art style has already made Rosinante unable to discern what's on the emblem.
"This is... a toilet?"
"This is a mountain, a peak!!!"
Torao Boru pressed his entire face against Rosinante, fuming with anger.
"The mist-shrouded mountaintop pierces through the clouds. At the summit, the abode of the gods basks in sunlight. This is a line from a poem depicting a sacred place! Also, you got it backwards!"
"Oh, sorry, sorry."
With a monotone voice, Rosinante turned the drawing in his hand around, as if it might, perhaps, somewhat resemble...
A little bit of the Red Earth Continent?
"Doflamingo, take a look—"
Finding it hard to comment on these "dragon and phoenix" emblems, Rosinante handed the two drawings to Doflamingo. Even the usually composed Doflamingo looked uncertain.
With emblems like these, how could they have any face to sail the seas?
Clap, clap, clap,
Darting their gazes left and right, Doflamingo's eyes lit up, and he stood up and clapped his hands.
"At six o'clock direction, there's a pirate ship approaching us!"
"Prepare for battle—"
???
Like this, the issue of the emblem was quickly brushed aside by Doflamingo, leaving the disgruntled Torao Boru and Diamante to vent their frustrations on the pursuing pirate ships.
...
On board the Shark Tooth ship,
"Boss, it's a fat fish!"
"Oh, oh, oh, after we're done here, how long do you think we can relax—"
On the pursuing pirate ship, a group of ragged pirates opened their chests wide, hanging on ropes or leaning against the ship's railing, excitedly howling.
"Hmph,"
As the captain of this pirate ship, Clifford, who was dressed neatly in his captain's coat, glanced disdainfully at his crew, who only knew how to squander their Berries on alcohol and women.
All they did was eat and drink, wasting all their Berries on cheap booze and women!
They wouldn't even dress decently; it was as if they had "cannon fodder" written all over their faces.
The reason this ship could so accurately chase down the massive merchant ship ahead on the open sea wasn't because of that eccentric navigator or what the other pirates believed to be "gifts from the sea."
It was because someone had given him intelligence!
Just as Rosinante had said before, as long as they were present, the managers of Spadamarooz's factories and the managers of the taverns and estates wouldn't dare to defy them.
"But the premise is that 'we exist.'"
Rosinante turned around to explain to the others, pointing towards the pursuing ships behind them.
"I can guarantee that these pirates have received information from Spadamarooz, and they even know the exact quantity of goods and personnel on our ship."
If the upper echelons of the Don Quixote Family were lost at sea, then wouldn't their amassed wealth...
So, on the Don Quixote ship, Rosinante wasn't surprised by the two pirate ships that were chasing them from behind.
That's right, apart from the Shark Tooth ship, another pirate ship emerged from the nearby horizon and was rapidly closing in on the Don Quixote ship.
For a normal merchant ship, this would be a disaster, but for Rosinante, who had prepared well in advance, it was just another opportunity for training.
...
"Opponents are pirate scoundrels who kill and loot. We have no complaints about them as rivals."
"Next is target practice. Man the cannons—"
One after another, the long-barreled cannons were pushed onto the deck. The weapons themselves were superior to those of the enemy. Plus, with low-quality explosive rocks mixed into the gunpowder:
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
While the two pursuing pirate ships were still racing forward, the merchant ship they targeted suddenly spewed out a white cloud of smoke.
"Haha, what are they doing?!"
"Hey, hey, hey, haven't these guys been out to sea before?"
The sailors on the two pirate ships chasing from behind were first stunned, then burst into laughter.
At this distance, their cannon's maximum range was still hundreds of meters away, yet the enemy was already firing. Were they trying to fish?
Splash!
A jet of pure white water suddenly exploded ten meters in front of the Shark Tooth ship, drenching the excited sailors with seawater. The splash of water silenced their cheers and forced Captain Clifford to narrow his eyes.
Their range is so far!
"Full speed ahead, close the distance!"
For pirates, naval battles weren't exactly their forte:
On one hand, they couldn't obtain powerful cannons and explosives like regular armies and merchants could; on the other hand, their aim was to plunder, not to blow their opponents to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.
Close quarters combat is their specialty!
Upon realizing how potent the merchant ship's cannons were, both pirate ships chose to accelerate their charge simultaneously.
"Tsk, it seems that mastering artillery isn't something achievable in a short time."
Despite having advanced cannons and explosives, the two trailing ships were stubbornly enduring the bombardment to close in. On one hand, it was due to the limited power of this world's cannons, and on the other, it was because none of them were skilled in artillery.
"No worries, take your time."
Rosinante hadn't really expected anyone here to suddenly awaken a "sniper" talent.
When it came to artillery, practice makes perfect.
As time passed, the pursuing pirate ships drew nearer. Soon, they could even observe the impatient pirates on the enemy's deck. Some pirates even raised flintlock pistols and fired shots in their direction.
Of course, hitting the target was entirely up to fate.
"Hey, hey, at this range—"
Seeing the two ships closing the distance between them, Torao Boru was itching to leap into action.
Rosinante's advice on the development of his sticky fruit ability was to use it for mid to long-range attacks.
"Sticky Mucus Meteor Hammer!"
Creating a mass of sticky mucus, Torao Boru spun it like a meteor hammer, accumulating kinetic energy before abruptly severing the connection of the mucus.
Swoosh—
A large clump of mucus soared in a long arc, leaping the distance between the two ships and landing on the enemy's deck with a splat.
"Damn!!"
"What in the world is this?"
"Quick, pull me out—"
Initially, the mass of mucus startled the sailors on the deck, but upon realizing it wasn't corrosive or toxic, just extremely "sticky," a group of pirates cursed as they pulled their stuck comrades free.
"3, 2, 1..."
Within this mucus, an inconspicuous metal cylinder suddenly expanded, and a terrifying heat surged out from within.
Boom—
In an instant, flames shot up into the air!
The roaring flames spread along the mucus, forming a fiery storm that swept across the deck. Those who had been stuck by the mucus and even the comrades who helped pull them free were immediately engulfed by the flames.
"Ahhhh—"
"Help, save me—"
"Don't panic, stay calm!"
Pirates were set ablaze one after another, their survival instincts causing them to wildly scramble across the deck. They inadvertently ignited other things, turning the deck into a sea of fire.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm the Don Quixote Family's first gunner!"
Facing Torao Boru's declaration, Rosinante shrugged.
As long as you're happy.
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.....
(End of this chapter)
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