Roger also held a telescope, looking at the distant port that had already descended into a chaotic mess.
"Oh, quite lively."
He let out a whistle.
"This display is much grander than Port Royal."
"Captain, it seems the enemy has spotted us," Hector said in a deep voice.
"Nonsense, with something this big sailing over, if they still can't see us, they're not just blind, they have no eyes at all."
Roger put down the telescope, his face showing unconcealed excitement.
"Pass on my order!" He picked up the tin megaphone.
"All master gunners, prepare for battle!"
"Open all gunports!"
"Screech—"
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding mechanical sound, nearly a hundred gunports on both sides of the explorer's hull opened simultaneously.
One hundred and eighty-two reinforced cannons, gleaming with cold metallic light, slowly extended their barrels from the gunports.
The sight was enough to make anyone with trypophobia instantly perish.
"Gibbs!"
"Aye, Captain!"
"Hoist the flag! Tell them, our Maritime City Management is here for enforcement!"
"Right away!"
A pirate flag depicting an albatross clutching a compass slowly rose up the main mast.
And another, larger flag was unfurled by several pirates working together, bearing a line of crooked Chinese characters:
"Protecting maritime trade, combating illegal fees, everyone's responsibility!"
On the ballista tower of Hirado Port, Mao Haifeng clearly saw those words through his telescope.
He was stunned at first, then trembled with rage.
Protecting trade?
Combating fees?
Isn't that just cursing us?!
"This is too much!" Mao Haifeng roared.
"Pass on my order! All ships, sortie and engage!"
"Blast that black ship into pieces for me!"
"Whoo—whoo—"
The desolate sound of a horn echoed.
Inside Hirado Port, dozens of warships, like a disturbed hornet's nest, rushed out of the port vying for position.
They formed a loose encirclement, charging menacingly towards the explorer.
Roger looked at the vast, dark expanse of "moving coffins" opposite him, a benevolent smile appearing on his face.
"Good, they're all here."
"Hector, turn the ship broadside."
"Aye, Captain!"
Hector spun the helm, and the massive explorer cut a graceful arc on the sea, turning its gunport-lined broadside fully towards the enemy fleet charging at the forefront.
"Brothers!" Roger raised his saber.
"Watch closely!"
"Today, I'm going to give you a practical lesson on what a saturation strike is!"
"Port side gun crew! Target, enemy vanguard!"
Roger's saber swung down heavily!
"Fire!!!"
Hector roared, his voice hoarse, signaling the start of the battle!
"Fire!"
The next second.
The world went silent.
No, it wasn't silent; everyone's ears were instantly deafened by the terrifying roar!
"Boom—boom-boom-boom-boom!!!"
Over fifty heavy cannons, at the same moment, spewed forth furious flames!
Solid cannonballs tore through the air, screaming, instantly crossing nearly a hundred meters and slamming into the dense enemy ship formation!
That wasn't just shelling.
That was a natural disaster!
A large chinese cargo ship charging at the very front had no time to react, its side instantly blasted with a dozen huge holes!
Wood splinters flew, and screams were drowned out by the roar of explosions.
The entire ship let out a wail, breaking in half directly and slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.
And the ships behind it met an even more tragic end.
Cannonballs rained down like hail.
Some ships were directly hit in their ammunition depots, exploding into a brilliant fireworks display on the spot.
The main mast of some ships was blasted clean off, and the huge sails collapsed, crushing a ship full of sailors.
Even more unlucky ships were hit by three or four cannonballs simultaneously, their entire hulls shattering into pieces, leaving not even a single intact plank of wood.
Just one volley.
Only one volley.
Mao Haifeng's proud vanguard fleet, over five warships, was cleanly wiped from the surface of the sea before everyone's eyes.
On the sea, only a stretch of burning wreckage remained, and countless struggling, crying survivors in the water.
On the shore defenses of Hirado Port, all the gunners stood with wide-open mouths, staring blankly at the scene before them, like a divine punishment.
Mao Haifeng's telescope fell to the ground with a "clatter."
His mind was blank.
"This... what... is this..."
"Is this a cannon?"
On the explorer.
Roger sniffed the scent of gunpowder lingering in the air and nodded with satisfaction.
"Range, power, accuracy, all pretty good."
"It's just a bit loud, a bit noisy."
"Don't you understand what an upgraded super-cannon is!"
Roger turned his head, looking at the pirates who were equally stunned, and cleared his throat.
"What are you all standing around for?"
"Turn the ship around!"
"Port side gun crew, reload!"
"Starboard gun crew, prepare!"
"It's your turn now."
"Clean up the rest of them for me!"
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