"Everyone, be alert! A storm is rapidly approaching."
"All hands, to your stations! Seriously injured, rest. Lightly injured, remain at your posts."
There was no time for explanations. Bellamy swiftly issued orders. The sails were raised to full mast, and the ship began a sharp turn.
They hadn't sailed far when the previously calm sea began to churn. Enormous waves formed, each several meters high, surging towards them from the distance.
Massive storm clouds gathered quickly, accompanied by booming thunder and flashes of lightning. A torrential downpour engulfed the entire sky in an instant.
Looking at this apocalyptic scene, Bellamy felt a strange sense of excitement. He didn't understand why he felt excited at a time like this.
"Is this the sea?"
The small sailing ship was like a rootless duckweed, struggling forward amidst the turbulent waves.
A wave over ten meters high suddenly crashed down. The entire ship was instantly swallowed beneath the surface, and Bellamy's crew disappeared from view.
Just as the wave was about to break, completely crashing down on the surface, the sailing ship barely managed to burst out from its trailing edge.
BOOM!
The massive wave slammed onto the sea, creating countless smaller waves and, incidentally, propelling the ship a considerable distance.
They had almost, almost failed to escape. If that wave had fully engulfed them, even Bellamy would have died there.
Life and death, separated by a hair's breadth. This was a true brush with death.
At this moment, everyone in the wheelhouse was flushed.
In that final second, the spray had already reached the mast. They thought their lives were about to end there. They never imagined Bellamy would forcefully steer the ship out.
"Anyone who survived today is a true comrade!" Bellamy was a little too excited, and started spouting nonsense.
Having faced the terrifying power of nature head-on, his heart was pounding. Bellamy was beginning to understand the allure of this sea.
"If I don't conquer this sea, my life will be filled with great regret."
"Roger, did you feel the same way?"
At this moment, he inexplicably thought of Roger, of the Pirate King, of One Piece. He seemed to… somewhat understand Luffy's dream.
"Pirate King, huh? It seems like a pretty good dream."
"Gyahahahahaha!" With all sorts of expectations for the future, Bellamy laughed freely.
"Lads, charge forward!"
"How can a mere storm stop us?!"
"Yes, Captain!"
An unknown sea.
On the calm surface, a small sailing ship bobbed gently with the waves.
Chardin sat in the wheelhouse, carefully studying a book, occasionally making notations on a nautical chart.
After experiencing a sudden storm, the ship had indeed veered off course. This was to be expected. As an excellent navigator, Chardin was experienced in this.
She was close to pinpointing their current coordinates. Once she completed the positioning, she could easily locate their position on the chart.
Navigation was a profession with a very high barrier to entry. Bellamy's understanding of navigation was correct. Without Chardin, they might have drifted at sea for an unknown amount of time. They might even have become completely lost and starved to death on the ship.
The Bellamy Pirates needed a skilled navigator. Bellamy was currently trying to fill this gap through self-study.
While Chardin compared the charts, he brought a notebook and diligently recorded something beside her. Seeing his actions, Chardin secretly pursed her lips.
This kind of knowledge wasn't so easy to learn. Even with hands-on instruction, it would take a long time to grasp the basics.
"Don't make such an obvious face when you purse your lips."
Bellamy hadn't changed his mind. Chardin wasn't suited to be a pirate. More knowledge was better than less, and he would learn it all eventually.
"Lord Bellamy, it's a bit too early for you to be learning these things."
Her meaning was that he hadn't even grasped the fundamentals yet, and this was too advanced.
"It's fine. You do your work, and I'll take my notes."
When it came to learning, Bellamy's temper was surprisingly good, which greatly surprised Chardin.
Chardin didn't know him well, so she wouldn't know that Bellamy always had a good attitude towards those with skill.
After a long period of work, Chardin finally completed the positioning.
"That's a relief."
She drew a straight, diagonal line on the chart. "We haven't deviated too far from the course."
"In fact, because of the storm, we're closer to Bird Dropping Island."
The storm had pushed the sailing ship quite a distance. Chardin calculated that this burst of speed had saved them about a day's journey.
"That means, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should reach Bird Dropping Island in five days."
"Yes, Lord Bellamy."
The encounter with the pirates had shown Chardin just how powerful Bellamy was. He shattered a ship with a single punch and slaughtered a group of pirates with a single kick.
This was a level of strength she couldn't even comprehend.
The North Blue was simply too weak. Its inhabitants had no idea how terrifying truly powerful pirates could be. Grey Fox, with his measly 2 million bounty, couldn't even begin to showcase Bellamy's true strength.
"With so many injured on board, will it delay the voyage?"
After the fierce battle, many of the seriously injured sailors hadn't made it.
"No, Lord Bellamy."
Although she was deeply saddened, Chardin carefully explained to him that a small merchant ship could operate normally with a minimum of just a few people. They still had plenty of hands, so it wouldn't delay their journey at all.
"In that case, let's weigh anchor and set sail."
They had been anchored here for a long time after weathering the storm. After some rest and recuperation, it was time to set off again.
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