Shark Caught in the Net 1

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

The snow-white waves gently caressed the shore, while occasional seagull cries echoed in the sky. Under the sunlight, the ocean resembled a pristine blue mirror, reflecting the azure sky above. It should have been a perfect day for setting sail, but the Frand harbor area was unusually quiet at this time. The fishermen who usually worked there and the merchants engaged in transportation business were nowhere to be seen, as nobody wanted to get involved in trouble.

"Row faster!" Not far from the shore, a dozen pirates exerted themselves to row the oars with all their might. Among them was Shark, the leader of the pirate gang. They had abandoned their other pirate brothers who were still guarding the city gates and quietly returned to the church. There, they gathered the gold, silver, and jewels they had collected over the past few days and stealthily transported them to the dock area. They prepared a sailing boat to slip away quietly, but just as they were about to untie the mooring ropes, Schroder led soldiers in a surprise attack on the dock area.

The pirates were taken aback, ignoring their brothers who hadn't arrived yet. They cut the mooring ropes and raised the sails to escape. Schroder ordered pursuit and personally led the soldiers to board two ships still docked at the pier, chasing after the pirates' ship.

Although the sea was calm at the moment, Shark felt like he was in the midst of a storm. He cursed continuously, from Grayman to the lackeys beside him (in his opinion). However, the soldiers operating the ships were getting closer and closer to them. On one hand, the pirates didn't have enough manpower; there were only twenty-some of them. On the other hand, the gold and silver treasures they carried were too heavy. But asking Shark to abandon these treasures was basically impossible.

"I suggest you surrender obediently. I can plead with the local lord for mercy on your behalf and have your death sentence pardoned."

A weak voice sounded, coming from a young man whose hands were tied behind his back.

"Shut up!" Shark lunged forward and slapped the young man hard across the face. "You better keep quiet. If you utter another word, I'll chop off your hand and feed it to the fish."

After receiving the slap, the young man remained silent.

This young man, named Quiller Foster, had arrived here from the south three months ago, boldly claiming to challenge the great pirate, Edward Howard. Goodness, didn't he know that anyone who had done this before had been thrown into the sea to feed the sharks? However, the wealthy regions of the south always had no shortage of such adventurous fools, especially those pampered young gentlemen who, after drinking enough wine and growing tired of women, sought some different kind of excitement.

Well, consider yourself lucky that Edward isn't here. He didn't let you be fed to real sharks, but I, as a shark, will entertain you properly. Seeing the young man's appearance, he must come from a wealthy background. After a few moves, he dug out his background; it turned out he was from the Foster Family of the Angle Bay Alliance, a prominent family in the Angle Bay area.

In that case, let the young man write a letter to his family, telling them to obediently bring money to redeem him. Even if the navy of the Angle Bay Alliance is formidable, it's impossible for them to send a fleet over two thousand miles to rescue a playboy in the Northwest Bay. With a substantial sum of wealth about to be received, occupying Frand would become a fait accompli. Spend some money to settle the surrounding lords, and maybe he could even become a noble.

But this beautiful future was ruined by that kid from the Grayman family. Hmph! After I get the money from the Foster family, I'll recruit soldiers and horses, and sooner or later, I'll come back and let that kid meet his father.

...

The two soldiers-operated sailing boats trailed the pirate ship, one on each side. If seen from high above, the distance between the two sides was visibly shrinking at a rapid pace, and it was only a matter of time before the pirates were caught up with.

"Prepare for close combat!"

Shark drew his sword and ordered his men.

"I've been roaming the seas for over twenty years. I've seen all sorts of storms. I refuse to believe that I'll fall here today."

The other pirates echoed, drawing their own weapons.

...

Markalov shouted loudly, "We're about to collide with the pirates' ship! Are the muskets ready?"

His comrades indicated that they were ready.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure they regret it."

"Alright, I'll count to three, and we'll all exert force together."

"Okay, with this wave of attack, there probably won't be many of them left."

"Make sure to aim properly, don't hit our own people on the other ship. Lord Schroder is up there."

"At such a close range, there shouldn't be a problem!"

...

With two consecutive massive shocks, the two ships collided with the pirate ship. Both sides were shaken, and after stabilizing somewhat, the muskets from the Alden army on the ships began to rattle. Three pirates were killed instantly by the gunfire. Fighting at sea was somewhat bumpy, and although the distance was close, not all of the musket shots hit their targets. However, this was enough to establish an advantage, and the pirates' morale was clearly suppressed.

"Attack!" Schroder led the charge onto the pirate ship, and Shark swung his weapon to meet the old knight's sword. It was a hefty broadsword that looked very heavy, making Schroder's knight sword seem somewhat slender in comparison.

With eyes reddened and veins bulging on his neck, Shark roared, "Old man, come on! Let's see how my blade, which has tasted the blood of countless souls, fares against your old bones."

"Hmph! All bark and no bite." Schroder, experienced in battle, could tell that this guy was just trying to bolster his own courage.

The two stopped wasting words and engaged in combat on the deck. The old knight was somewhat unaccustomed to fighting on a rocking ship, initially only parrying the attacks of his opponent. However, his defense was impeccable, and Shark couldn't gain any advantage.

Others also found their respective opponents, and the clash of weapons and the sounds of fighting echoed across the sea.

"You thieves! You won't steal my money!"

Shark swung his weapon furiously, with various moves, he was so excited that he even confused the identities of both sides.

But with the Alden army outnumbering the pirates by several times, the massive advantage eventually crushed the pirates' desperate resistance.

Schroder also gradually adapted to the current battle and gradually turned from defense to offense. Finally, Shark was stabbed in the thigh by Schroder's sword and fell to the deck, unable to stand up again.

"Surrender! I surrender!" he despaired, throwing his weapon aside and resigning himself to fate.

Seeing their leader surrender, the other pirates who had not yet been subdued also threw down their weapons and surrendered.

"Tie them up, and return to the port!"

Schroder glanced coldly at Shark, who was lying on the deck, and ordered the return to the port.

At this moment, a voice came from a corner of the deck: "You're the army of Lord of Alden, right? Sir, please save me!"

The voice was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. Schroder turned his head and saw a young man with his hands tied behind his back, tears in his eyes, squatting in the corner of the deck. The battle just now was so intense that he hadn't noticed him until now.

Can't be careless, need to first ascertain his identity, "Who are you? Why were you tied up by the pirates on the ship?"

"I'm from the Foster family of the Southern Angle Bay Alliance. I was kidnapped by pirates a few months ago. You saved me, and my family will definitely reward you generously!"

The young man hurriedly clarified his identity.

(End of the chapter)