By using these captured pirates, John could make the Gale Pirates completely lower their guard.
Every coastal cannon and defensive barrier they had prepared would become nothing more than decoration.
Then, once John launched a sudden attack, the entire Gale Pirates could be suppressed in an instant.
John knew perfectly well that the pirates he had captured would never behave themselves.
They would inevitably look for a way to seize the Golden Merry from him.
But all of that was already within his expectations.
Pirates were naturally short-sighted.
They were born to plunder.
And they were inherently unruly and difficult to control.
So it was not surprising at all that they wanted to take control of a stronger warship.
What they had failed to realize was that John was scheming against them as well.
They only wanted his battleship.
John, however...
wanted all of their lives.
According to the memories of his current identity and the intelligence he had gathered, the Gale Pirates currently numbered around five thousand.
They possessed only two medium-sized vessels, each carrying an average of thirteen cannons.
They also had ten smaller ships, each equipped with only around five cannons.
Their stores contained considerable supplies and quite a lot of money.
There was also a small shipyard on the island, which should have several dozen craftsmen responsible for repairing ships.
After thinking through all of this, John felt that victory was practically guaranteed.
At that moment, the Golden Merry had already approached the enormous chain barrier.
The pirates guarding the area trembled when they saw the gigantic vessel suddenly appear.
They immediately prepared to sound the alarm and warn their brothers on Pirate Island.
But the moment they noticed the black flag flying from the Golden Merry, they hesitated in confusion.
"Why is it flying a black flag?"
"Is that actually a pirate ship?"
"Am I seeing things?"
"How could pirates possibly own a ship that huge?"
"What the hell is going on?"
"Wait... I think I can see someone aboard."
"He looks familiar."
"Isn’t that Captain Mad Shark?"
At that moment, Captain Mad Shark saw the outline of the main island in the distance and became overwhelmingly excited.
As long as he could return to the island...
the Golden Merry would belong to him.
He leaped excitedly onto an elevated section of the deck and cursed at the pirates guarding the chain barrier below.
"You bunch of idiots!"
"Get that barrier out of the way!"
"Can’t you see that I’m back?!"
"You dare make me wait?"
"Do you want a taste of the whip?"
"If you want to die, just say so!"
"I’ll gladly grant your wish!"
Captain Mad Shark was one of the three major leaders of the Gale Pirates.
He had an explosive temper and acted with reckless madness, making him one of the most feared figures among the pirates.
When the guards recognized him, they did not dare delay despite being thoroughly cursed.
They hurriedly lowered the chains.
Captain Sandstorm spat to the side, raised his chin, and stared ahead with burning excitement.
The Golden Merry passed through the barrier without any obstruction and began rapidly approaching Pirate Island several dozen kilometers ahead.
Meanwhile, on Pirate Island, the guards were startled when they saw the enormous Golden Merry approaching.
Then they noticed the pirates aboard excitedly waving their arms and became even more confused.
Only when they saw Captain Sandstorm standing proudly at the bow did they finally lower their guard.
The guards stared in astonishment.
"No way."
"Wasn’t Captain Sandstorm supposed to be raiding an armed merchant ship?"
"That merchant ship seems a little too damn big!"
"How did he even capture something like that?"
"Are you stupid?"
"That’s obviously a battleship!"
"What armed merchant ship have you ever seen that terrifying?"
"A battleship!"
"This is insane!"
"Where the hell did Captain Sandstorm get something this huge?"
"That’s incredible!"
The guards were shocked by the sheer power of the Golden Merry.
They were even more astonished that Captain Sandstorm had somehow managed to obtain such a terrifying vessel.
Still, they followed procedure and sent someone to verify the situation.
After all...
what if a captain had betrayed them and brought enemies directly into the island?
Then the entire stronghold would be doomed.
Of course, the probability of such a thing happening was extremely low.
Captain-level pirates carried enormous bounties, and betrayal usually ended terribly for them.
A small ferry boat approached the Golden Merry.
After questioning the people aboard, it immediately returned to the island, lifted the alert, and spread the news that Captain Mad Shark had returned.
For a time...
thousands of pirates across the island rushed toward the harbor.
Everyone wanted to see what this so-called battleship looked like.
The Golden Merry drew closer and closer to Pirate Island.
The pirates onshore stared at its enormous hull and overwhelming firepower in complete shock.
They could hardly imagine that such a powerful warship could exist in this world.
It seemed like a masterpiece beyond human craftsmanship.
Then they began imagining what it would feel like to command such a battleship and dominate the seas.
How magnificent would that be?
For a moment, many of them even became jealous of the pirates cheering and jumping around on the deck.
The pirates aboard the Golden Merry, meanwhile, cheered the moment they saw the island.
It felt like returning home.
Every one of them wore expressions of pride and superiority.
Look at us.
We are standing aboard the strongest battleship in history—
the Golden Merry!
We are nothing like you losers still sailing around in tiny fishing boats!
The pirates suddenly experienced the feeling of returning home in glory.
It was even more satisfying than coming back from a successful raid loaded with treasure.
"Look at that guy’s jealous face!"
"Hahaha! This feels amazing!"
"Did you see that bastard?"
"He’s practically drooling!"
"How pathetic!"
"That one over there is my brother!"
"He’s always looked down on me."
"Heh... look at him now!"
"See how jealous he is?"
When the Golden Merry was about one mile away from Pirate Island...
the people aboard could already clearly see the crowds gathered at the harbor.
They could also see the several ships docked there.
Suddenly—
the Golden Merry changed direction.
With an extreme turn, it swung its broadside toward the island!
Rows upon rows of vicious cannon muzzles were suddenly aimed directly at Pirate Island.
It was as though Death itself had opened its eyes and fixed its gaze upon the island.
Inside the command room, John remained completely calm.
He spoke only two words.
"Open fire."
Then he added,
"Take the Gale Pirates."
The moment John gave the order—
the cannons along the Golden Merry’s broadside roared like enraged beasts.
Balls of flame erupted from the muzzles.
Cannonballs weighing dozens of pounds rained down upon Pirate Island.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Every full broadside from the hundreds of cannons produced such tremendous recoil that the entire Golden Merry shook violently.
At the same time...
brilliant "fireworks" erupted across Pirate Island.
The pirates who had been staring with envy and anticipation only a second earlier suddenly found themselves facing the end of the world.
Countless pirates were killed by the bombardment.
Others lost arms or legs and screamed in agony.
And this was despite the fact that the Golden Merry was not primarily targeting the pirates themselves.
Otherwise, the casualties would have been far greater.
The Golden Merry’s main targets were the coastal defense cannons on Pirate Island.
Those were the only weapons capable of inflicting meaningful damage on the battleship.