163 Marine battle (1/2)

My Haki coursed unabated into the creaking vassal under us, saturating every stray piece of wood and coating it in the viscous yet somehow rigid power that was my Haki. Any cannonball that came too close for comfort would be shot down, either with Angella tearing into them with her blades or Fawkes chopping them up with his axe.

Though we could not see who had attacked us, the whites of their flags could still be made out. They were Marines.

”TERRICK! MAN THE CANNONS!!” I roared out as I yanked the wheel to the left, a wave underneath carrying us into an arcing pose that barely avoided a projectile that had been coming straight at us.

The weakened assassin nodded at me, quickly making his way into the cannon room below deck.

”Sorren!” I roared, this time less loudly seeing as the boy was relatively close. ”Onto the crow's nest, Give me a number and analyse our escape path!” I ordered. The fat man acknowledged it by scampering up the wet ropes of the sails, twitching precariously in the ferocious winds.

The stormy water roiled, frothing and bubbling with a vitriol that reminded me of the first day that we had entered the New World. All around us, massive waves rose and crested, providing us much needed partial cover against the intensifying onslaught.

With a crash the Ship collided with the crest of an incoming wave, the keel groaning under the pressure as we forcefully rode it into a high position. Before us was a collection of three ships, flags flapping over their masts.

On their deck, I could see the stoic face of a Marine officer. Probably a Rear Admiral, looking at the regality of his clothing. He wore a small top hat, with a collection of heavily rimmed glasses that seemed much wider than his face. He held a quaking snail in his palms, and judging by the situation it was what he was using to manage the situation around us.

His shoulders stood stooped, his coat overflowing off his back yet somehow staying on even in the thundering weather.

'Fire!' I read before we went under, the wave that had been giving us a lift plunging down. An uncomfortable sinking feeling rose in my stomach as we tumbled forward, the ship weaning slightly off course as it thumped onto the moving currents.

A loud yelp could be heard from the crow's nest as Sorren adjusted his position quickly scampering back into the relative safety of the crow's nest.

Scipio had disappeared below deck, weather to help Terrick or to retrieve something I was not aware.

Suddenly the water beside us separated, revealing the form of a sea stone-encrusted ship heading right towards us.