Chapter 154: Who Wants to Try?!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Though Anne did not mind sleeping with others, Zhang Heng insisted that she sleep in a separate room. The room initially belonged to the quartermaster of this ship and was around six square meters, a space that was more than ample for a person to sleep in it.
Anne unbuttoned her shirt and lay on the bed, allowing Zhang Heng to change the bandages on her back. As of now, there were no doctors on the Jackdaw, and there was nothing the captain could do about the situation. The truth was, all the pirate ships in Nassau lacked doctors on board. Many who were not even in the medical profession were forced on pirate boats just because they had a slightly better common sense than the regular peasant. Out of desperation, some pirate crews would travel to other places to kidnap doctors.
Still, at least half of the pirate fleet did not have a doctor on board. To make matters worse, the doctors in this era were not equipped with proper medical knowledge. Though surgeons were one too many in this era, they had no idea about the concept of disinfection, which was why Zhang Heng preferred to carry out the procedure himself. Anne sat up after Zhang Heng helped her to change into a new set of bandages. Unsurprisingly, she was unabashed of undressing in front of Zhang Heng.
“You’ve done well!”
Zhang Heng was referring to what happened on the Happiness earlier. Worried that the enemies would find out that they outnumbered them, Zhang Heng brought those who were still battle-worthy to board the Happiness. He even went as far as arming his cook and carpenter and asked them to stand guard on the Jackdaw’s deck.
When he led 30 pirates aboard the Happiness, he could somehow feel their hesitation and unwillingness. When they were asked to hand over their weapons, every single one of them attempted to stall for time. They had a feeling that the captain was up to something no good.
Once the pirates disarmed their enemies, Anne volunteered to bring some people with her to check out the goods inside the hold. Unfortunately, there was an ambush awaiting them over there. The young navy officers on board were extremely unhappy that pirates attacked them and had exchanged their clothes with the sailors on board. They hid inside the cargo hold.
Anne led a total of six pirates. Naturally, they did not expect an ambush, and that they would have to fight for their lives. Thanks to her lightning-quick reflexes, Anne quickly ducked to the ground the moment she realized that they were about to be ambushed. The pirate that was right behind her was not as lucky. The navy sailor pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger! In a blink of an eye, Anne swiftly sprung up and slashed her sword to slice one of the men standing in front of her. At the same time, she pulled out her dagger and stabbed another the chest of another one.
Still, that did not mean she was out of danger. They were outnumbered, and the ambush had caused the pirates to panic. Anne was now in a death trap. Though she managed to eliminate two navies in the shortest time possible, the rest of them quickly regrouped and started to attack her. Seeing someone aiming at her, Anne promptly lowered her head, managing to dodge the speeding bullet by the skin of her teeth. Unfortunately, she felt a bright hot pain on her back. Somebody had slashed her from behind. The sneak attack did not bring her down, though. Instead, it angered her further, causing her to turn around, and with a shriek, she killed her attacker with no mercy.
Within half a minute, she managed to wipe out another two navy officers and injured another without so much as batting an eyelid. The young navy cadets who were still in training had never seen someone as ferocious as Anne. After witnessing her raw brutality, none of them dared to attack her anymore. It was then that the five pirates who came with Anne charged into the cargo hold. Though they still outnumbered the pirates, the navies were was left with no option but to surrender all weapons. Anne had completely annihilated their morale.
1The sailors on the deck heard gunshots ringing from the cargo hold. As everyone here wanted to make use of whatever opportunity they had to fight for their lives, Zhang Heng knew that this was not the time to talk about the intricacies of humanity. Worried over Anne’s safety, he immediately drew his gun, ran to the captain of the Happiness, and pulled the trigger on him. Zhang Heng’s quick decision managed to silence every captured sailor.
Initially, they thought that Zhang Heng was too young to make the tough decisions, expecting him to panic during a critical moment like this. When they saw Zhang Heng killing the captain without any hesitation, they immediately gave up any thoughts of fighting back.
Right after Zhang Heng gained control of the deck, he ordered five pirates to assist Anne. However, before they could even get to the hold, Anne came back up to the deck with her back drenched in blood. She tossed 12 decapitated heads on the deck and said, “Who wants to challenge me?!”
The siege had ended.
Ultimately, this was the final nail in the coffin, and the entire crew of the Happiness gave up all hope of retaliation. None of them dared to move an inch while the pirates moved all their goods to the Jackdaw. After that, Zhang Heng ordered them to take enough food and drinking water from the Happiness to ensure that they could return to Nassau in one piece.
This battle had ensured that the pirates on the Jackdaw would stay loyal to Zhang Heng come what may. They changed their impression Anne had changed as well, especially the five pirates who went to the cargo hold with her. They now looked up to her in fear and admiration at the same time. As they were returning to Nassau, the five pirates told everyone about what actually happened in the cargo hold. Of course, bits and pieces were added to make it sound a tad juicier and more dramatic. Most pirates on board were simple-minded fools. Before their departure, a large number of them had told Zhang Heng that they were unhappy about Anne’s appointment as the boatswain. After this incident, however, none dared to complain about Anne anymore. In other words, everyone thought that Anne was more than qualified to become their boatswain. The price for that recognition? She was bedridden for three full days.
The wound on her back was very severe, and she had wholly severed her back muscles. Luckily, the battle was short, and Zhang Heng treated her wounds the moment she got back on the deck. Thanks to the proper medical treatment, her speedy recovery enabled her to walk around the boat right before they arrived in Nassau.
“Since when have you become so polite? I’m here to help you, not to give you trouble. I need to act like a boatswain since you granted me this position,” said Anne while putting on her clothes.
“I know that you are good at fighting. You should have retreated to the deck when you realized that you’ve been ambushed.”
“It would be hard for us to take control of the hold if we let them have the slightest taste of success. Also, the captured sailors on the deck would surely retaliate.”
Zhang Heng was surprised that Anne could see a bigger picture.
“Did that run through your mind at that time?”
“No. I just thought that it would be deeply embarrassing to flee a battle on my first day as a boatswain.”
“…….”