"Roger, hold the helm steady. I'll go see if there's any weapon we can use," Du Hang said.
"Look for weapons?" Roger was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on. "Are we being chased?"
He didn't doubt Du Hang's vigilance. Their last run-in at the restaurant had taught him that Du Hang must have some special ability to detect enemies early—maybe a high-level Observation Haki. Given Du Hang's habit of hiding his skills, it wouldn't be surprising if he was concealing his Haki as well.
"Yeah, three ships. One three-masted, two two-masted. They're not too far behind us."
In this era before steam engines were widespread, the speed of sailing ships depended mainly on the wind. When the wind was weak or absent, manpower became king.
Although Du Hang and Roger had set sail well before the Navy, it was only the two of them. Keeping the ship sailing normally was already a testament to Roger's skill; maintaining high speed was out of the question—their ship wasn't the Sunny after all.
Meanwhile, the Navy was quickly closing the distance with their numbers advantage.
From afar, Major Dalle finally breathed a sigh of relief upon spotting Roger and Du Hang's ship. Drawing his command dagger from his waist, he pointed forward.
"Surround them! Sink their ship!"
"Yes, sir!"
Just as the order was given, the Navy was surprised to see that the ship ahead didn't speed up to escape, but slowly turned its side.
In naval combat, a ship turning broadside needed no explanation—
"It's a cannon barrage! Everyone, duck down!" shouted a lookout. At that moment, a roar came from the patrol ship ahead!
Boom!!!
A cannonball shot out fiercely, splashing into the water not far from the three-masted ship, causing many Navy men unaccustomed to sea battles to break into a cold sweat.
Inside the opposing ship's cabin, Du Hang withdrew his smoking pipe used for ignition, clicking his tongue. "As expected, this Caribbean-style naval artillery is all about luck. Once you're tens of meters apart, the hit rate is pitiful at best."
While he spoke, his hands moved swiftly. The glowing tip of the pipe ignited cannon after cannon along the ship's side. Two lucky shots hit one of the two-masted ships, throwing the Navy crew there into chaos.
The AI in his brain spoke, "Host, you can use AI analysis to assess wave conditions and adjust your firing angles for better accuracy."
"You should've said that sooner," Du Hang's eyes lit up. He'd forgotten about this feature until now. Linking the AI's analysis engine, the method to use wave data to adjust cannon fire became clear in his mind. Within a minute, the hit rate on the chasing three-masted ship surged—Du Hang landed four direct hits!
On deck, Roger chuckled. He hadn't expected Du Hang's artillery to be so impressive—his gunnery skill far surpassed Roger's own.
Suddenly, a sharp noise pierced the air. Roger paused.
Chain shot!
Chain shot meant two smaller cannonballs linked by a chain. When fired, one ball would drag the other in a spinning arc, tearing large holes in sails, ripping rigging, or if lucky, breaking masts and crippling the enemy ship.
Although this was Roger's first direct naval confrontation, he wasn't nervous. His hands were steady. Hearing the chain shot, he immediately let go of the helm, drew his sailor's knife, and leapt into the air to meet the incoming projectile.
Bang!!!!
Midair, Roger slashed hard, cutting the two spinning cannonballs in half. Using their momentum, he flipped back onto the deck and grabbed the helm again.
A black energy quickly faded from his blade.
Du Hang was climbing out of the cabin just in time to see this and almost spat blood.
Damn, Roger's Armament Haki was already able to coat his weapon! No wonder he was so strong without a Devil Fruit—it was like a Haki domain talent. If Du Hang had this ability, he could dominate the East Blue.
"Strong move detected. According to host cognition, automatically named Armament Haki. Analysis started, currently at 1%. Please encounter more similar abilities to improve system analysis. Once a threshold is met, the AI will organize usage protocols for the host."
Hearing this, Du Hang was stunned and almost laughed aloud. He'd thought the AI analysis only organized physical combat moves, increased fighting experience, and provided reconnaissance—never imagined it could also copy others' abilities!
Maybe someday the AI could analyze Devil Fruit powers too, turning him into a super-powered hybrid!
Just as he was daydreaming, a cannonball smashed into the side of their ship, jolting him.
"Du Hang, looks like our ship won't last much longer. What now?" Roger asked.
"Relax. From the start, I planned to wreck this ship. See... I haven't even bothered attacking the other two-masted ship behind us. That's going to be our new ride!"
Major Dalle laughed heartily, "Good! These pirates are strong, but they're no match for me, Dalle. They're done for. Prepare to board! Capture them alive if possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
With a heavy thud, the three-masted ship rammed into Du Hang's vessel's side. A group of Navy men brandishing knives jumped onto the deck, searching for Du Hang and Roger.
No one was found, but the intruders felt something odd underfoot.
"Hey, do you guys feel that? There's something on the deck…"
"Looks like... this is—"
"It's oil! It's oil! Run!!!"
Not far off, Du Hang and Roger had effortlessly taken out everyone aboard the Navy's two-masted ship, completing their ship swap tactic. Looking at their own ship now occupied by the Navy, Du Hang smiled and took a drag from his pipe.
"Goodbye, my first opponent."
As the words fell, a burst of flame soared into the sky!