Chapter 31: Pirate King black fox Letho
Narrow Sea, The Stepstones, Waters near Cutthroat Isle
At this time, a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere permeated Cutthroat Isle. The warships that were originally at the docks had begun to roam the waters near Throat-Cutting Isle Main Island.
The only deep-water area that allowed ships to enter had been blocked by a damaged and sunken merchant ship.
The sea breeze whistled past, bringing the salty stench of seawater straight at the crowd, making The Chainbreakers, who were downwind, feel a bone-chilling cold.
Even so, The Chainbreakers were still filled with fighting spirit because, in their eyes, they were beings blessed by the gods.
Jon's subordinates looked solemnly at the pirates roaming the outskirts of Cutthroat Isle. None of them felt confident, as this was their first time engaging in such a large-scale naval battle.
Garo, the only one with experience, was not skilled in naval warfare. The only thing he could think of was to block the sole entrance so the enemy couldn't enter through it.
However, Garo knew very well that Cutthroat Isle was not inaccessible. If the enemy used flat-bottomed boats or shallow-draft longships to enter through other openings, they would still face the risk of a frontal confrontation.
Seeing the longships and pirates that clearly outnumbered them, the group felt a heavy burden on their shoulders. At the same time, they silently hoped for the presence of the one who had always created miracles for them.
---
Meanwhile, on the waters outside Cutthroat Isle, a pirate fleet composed of countless longships and galleons was slowly cruising through the various entrance areas of the island.
They were like a pod of killer whales searching for a prey's weakness, looking for a suitable spot to launch a fatal blow.
On the crown, the flagship of the Pirate King black fox Letho, groups of pirates gathered on the deck with faces full of excitement. The pirates on the surrounding galleons and longships also looked on with great agitation.
Although these pirates wore only coarse cloth or leather armor, their combat morale was extremely high.
Some pirates even painted their faces with red and blue pigments to be more intimidating during the upcoming battle.
Greed and fanaticism flickered in their eyes as if they could already see the dawn of victory. They held pirate cutlasses and boarding axes, which glinted coldly under the piercing sunlight.
The prows of some pirate longships were carved into hideous dragon heads, and their iron rams were covered in sharp barbs. Once these longships rammed an enemy vessel, the opponent would have no way to escape.
"My dear brothers, Cutthroat Isle is right ahead! They only have 300 men and a few broken ships, while we have 1,000! So tell me, how should we fight this battle?"
"Kill them all..."
"Slay them..."
"I want their asses..."
"Hahaha..."
...The pirates' frenzied and piercing roars echoed among their ships. It was clear they were all ready for slaughter.
black fox Letho was a pirate from Braavos. Before coming to The Stepstones, he had fared very well on the trade routes of the Narrow Sea.
As a mercenary captain, he often helped his partners plunder the merchant ships of their enemies. He had been in this business for several years.
However, due to a lapse in intelligence, during one raid, black fox Letho accidentally plundered a treasure transport ship belonging to the Sealord of Braavos. Upon learning the owner's identity,
black fox Letho decided to go all the way. He took the treasure and fled to The Stepstones. With that seed money, he gradually became the Pirate King of The Stepstones.
"Hahaha! Good! Lower the flat-bottomed boats and shallow longships. We have a following wind now, perfect for launching an attack. Go!"
At black fox Letho's command, the pirates on the flagship's deck began their preparations.
The signalmen raised special signal flags. Since most of these pirates were illiterate, they generally used flags of specific colors to transmit information.
Red meant attack, white meant stop, and blue meant retreat. A white background with a black sailing ship indicated a galleon attack, while a blue background with a black ship represented longships.
The pirate captains on the surrounding galleons, upon receiving the orders, quickly spread the battle plan down the line.
The pirates on the nearby warships, having received their orders, swiftly lowered the flat-bottomed skiffs and small longships they were towing behind them.
"Woo... woo... woo..."
Accompanied by three horn blasts of equal length, the sail-handlers, who were already poised for action, quickly adjusted the sails. The following wind would make the longships more agile among the waves.
The pirates on the decks seriously checked their weapons and equipment, ensuring everything was ready.
Narrow Sea, The Stepstones, Waters near Cutthroat Isle
At this time, a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere permeated Cutthroat Isle. The warships that were originally at the docks had begun to roam the waters near Throat-Cutting Isle Main Island.
The only deep-water area that allowed ships to enter had been blocked by a damaged and sunken merchant ship.
The sea breeze whistled past, bringing the salty stench of seawater straight at the crowd, making The Chainbreakers, who were downwind, feel a bone-chilling cold.
Even so, The Chainbreakers were still filled with fighting spirit because, in their eyes, they were beings blessed by the gods.
Jon's subordinates looked solemnly at the pirates roaming the outskirts of Cutthroat Isle. None of them felt confident, as this was their first time engaging in such a large-scale naval battle.
Garo, the only one with experience, was not skilled in naval warfare. The only thing he could think of was to block the sole entrance so the enemy couldn't enter through it.
However, Garo knew very well that Cutthroat Isle was not inaccessible. If the enemy used flat-bottomed boats or shallow-draft longships to enter through other openings, they would still face the risk of a frontal confrontation.
Seeing the longships and pirates that clearly outnumbered them, the group felt a heavy burden on their shoulders. At the same time, they silently hoped for the presence of the one who had always created miracles for them.
---
Meanwhile, on the waters outside Cutthroat Isle, a pirate fleet composed of countless longships and galleons was slowly cruising through the various entrance areas of the island.
They were like a pod of killer whales searching for a prey's weakness, looking for a suitable spot to launch a fatal blow.
On the crown, the flagship of the Pirate King black fox Letho, groups of pirates gathered on the deck with faces full of excitement. The pirates on the surrounding galleons and longships also looked on with great agitation.
Although these pirates wore only coarse cloth or leather armor, their combat morale was extremely high.
Some pirates even painted their faces with red and blue pigments to be more intimidating during the upcoming battle.
Greed and fanaticism flickered in their eyes as if they could already see the dawn of victory. They held pirate cutlasses and boarding axes, which glinted coldly under the piercing sunlight.
The prows of some pirate longships were carved into hideous dragon heads, and their iron rams were covered in sharp barbs. Once these longships rammed an enemy vessel, the opponent would have no way to escape.
"My dear brothers, Cutthroat Isle is right ahead! They only have 300 men and a few broken ships, while we have 1,000! So tell me, how should we fight this battle?"
"Kill them all..."
"Slay them..."
"I want their asses..."
"Hahaha..."
...The pirates' frenzied and piercing roars echoed among their ships. It was clear they were all ready for slaughter.
black fox Letho was a pirate from Braavos. Before coming to The Stepstones, he had fared very well on the trade routes of the Narrow Sea.
As a mercenary captain, he often helped his partners plunder the merchant ships of their enemies. He had been in this business for several years.
However, due to a lapse in intelligence, during one raid, black fox Letho accidentally plundered a treasure transport ship belonging to the Sealord of Braavos. Upon learning the owner's identity,
black fox Letho decided to go all the way. He took the treasure and fled to The Stepstones. With that seed money, he gradually became the Pirate King of The Stepstones.
"Hahaha! Good! Lower the flat-bottomed boats and shallow longships. We have a following wind now, perfect for launching an attack. Go!"
At black fox Letho's command, the pirates on the flagship's deck began their preparations.
The signalmen raised special signal flags. Since most of these pirates were illiterate, they generally used flags of specific colors to transmit information.
Red meant attack, white meant stop, and blue meant retreat. A white background with a black sailing ship indicated a galleon attack, while a blue background with a black ship represented longships.
The pirate captains on the surrounding galleons, upon receiving the orders, quickly spread the battle plan down the line.
The pirates on the nearby warships, having received their orders, swiftly lowered the flat-bottomed skiffs and small longships they were towing behind them.
"Woo... woo... woo..."
Accompanied by three horn blasts of equal length, the sail-handlers, who were already poised for action, quickly adjusted the sails. The following wind would make the longships more agile among the waves.
The pirates on the decks seriously checked their weapons and equipment, ensuring everything was ready.
Tension and excitement showed in the pirates' eyes; they all knew a life-and-death struggle was imminent.
In this tense moment, the pirates began to roar and shout to bolster the morale of those around them, brandishing their weapons to display their strength and courage.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
With the aid of the sea breeze, the sails began to swell, and the pirates responsible for rowing gripped their oars, pulling with all their might.
Aided by these two forces, the waves were directly split by the terrifying explosive power of the longships. Though seawater splashed all over them, the pirates were undaunted.
For they would use courage and wisdom to seize the wealth and glory they craved.
Aro was a pirate from the Stormlands. Because he had drunkenly injured a knight of House Baratheon while at Storms End, he fled in fear directly to The Stepstones to become a pirate.
Aro, serving as a vanguard, was a brave pirate leader under black fox Letho. At his command, the longship he named the Petrel quickly charged toward a gap between two small islands.
The water here was very shallow, making it impossible for galleons to pass, but the Petrel could just barely make it. After adjusting its distance and speed, the Petrel shot like an arrow toward a galleon, the sea fox, belonging to The Chainbreakers.
Aro had a very sharp eye; he could see that this galleon was likely the enemy's flagship. Only by taking it down would the enemy become like a flock of sheep that had lost its leader.
"Evasive maneuvers! Hard to port!"
"Prepare to fire!"
At the order of the mast lookout, the helmsman quickly went to work. The enemy was coming on fiercely; if they were rammed head-on, they would be forced into a direct confrontation.
Garo, on the deck, calmly commanded the archers to counterattack. Since resources in The Stepstones were scarce, the number of archers was very small.
In the entire fleet of The Chainbreakers, only the sea fox had a unit of archers. The Chainbreaker soldiers on other ships mostly used stones for long-range attacks.
"Kill!"
With the Petrel's intrusion, more and more pirate longships surged in from all directions, using wolf-pack tactics to constantly harass The Chainbreakers' warships.
Many galleons, unable to evade in time, were "bitten" by the longships. Among them, the sea fox, which had been very agile, was finally caught by Aro's Petrel during a pincer movement.
"Keep moving forward! Do not fear! Lord Eddard and the gods are watching us!"
Seeing the enemy's grappling hooks latching onto the gunwale bit by bit, Garo still showed little panic. Although the enemy ships seemed numerous, they didn't have much killing power against The Chainbreakers' fleet.
Garo had already told everyone before the battle that, except for the longships, those flat-bottomed boats could be rammed directly by their own warships.
Boom...
"Help!..."
The sea fox advanced rapidly, directly snapping a flat-bottomed boat that stood in its way. The pirates on it could only jump into the sea in panic to escape.
However, very quickly, sharks that had already caught the scent of blood lunged forward and dragged those pirates down.
At this moment, the waters of Cutthroat Isle were a scene of chaos. Countless warships were slaughtering and entangling each other, with both sides having their victories and losses.
Although black fox Letho's pirates were numerous, their ships were much smaller, whereas The Chainbreakers' ships had the advantage of size and individual crew numbers.
Particularly the rowed warships, which were designed to prevent boarding. There were specialized murder holes below the gunwales; as long as pirates passed by, the crew members stationed near the oar ports would launch an attack.
Boom...
Crack...
Accompanied by the sound of friction and the impact of hulls, The Chainbreaker warriors on the sea fox felt a violent vibration.
"Kill!..."
With bursts of battle cries, countless pirates swarmed around the sea fox like ants. As the flagship of The Chainbreakers, it had encountered numerous pursuits and blockades along the way.
In the end, with three longships attached to its stern, it failed to escape the pirates' encirclement.
Amidst excited shouts, the pirates threw grappling hooks onto the gunwale. Since the sea fox was not one of those special warships modified by pirates,
the pirates quickly boarded the deck and soon used their numerical advantage to stand their ground against The Chainbreakers.
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