But at this very moment, Fang Senyan hurled another curse potion right at them! The stunning effect within the radius, followed by the lingering poisonous cloud, immediately threw the sailors into a panic. Of course, Fang Senyan had long cast the "Blessing from the East" upon his own pirates; the area-of-effect buff from the gene potion increased their Strength and Agility by 3 points each.

For pirates whose average base stats hovered around 20, this total attribute bonus of 6 points from the gene potion was quite significant. Almost every pirate could clearly feel themselves stronger and more nimble, not to mention the considerable boosts from the "Pirate Leader" title and Captain Xiwale's roar?

Undoubtedly, Fang Senyan's plan manifested perfectly, achieving an immediate triumph. All the pirates managed to board the deck without a single casualty. This was practically a miracle in naval warfare, and witnessing the birth of this miracle further invigorated the pirates' morale.

Facing the disorganized British sailors, who were now fleeing in terror within the toxic fog, these pirates swung their rusty axes, spiked clubs, bare fists, wooden planks, broken shackles—anything they could lift—screaming wildly like hunting hounds pouncing on panicked wild hares, and charged straight in!

The battle on deck was swift in its execution and even swifter in its conclusion, so fast that the main force of British sailors, who were in the process of boarding the pirate ship for "mopping up," hadn't even registered what was happening! Under Fang Senyan's command, these ferocious subordinates swept over the remaining sailors like an overwhelming tide, drowning them instantly.

Inevitably, facing such a dire situation, the detached British sailors would have to turn back in furious haste to launch a full counter-attack, as having their nest raided and their retreat cut off was no small matter. After Fang Senyan swiftly severed three makeshift gangplanks the British sailors had erected connecting to the pirate ship, he seemed to be driven back behind cover by a torrential downpour of incoming fire.

Although the British sailors still had two gangplanks leading back to their own vessel, Fang Senyan's pirates, already critically short on equipment, wasted no time in looting the fallen British sailors. Especially the seasoned pirates who had been "**" skillfully dragged forward barricades from nearby compartments, meant to shield against musket balls and grapeshot, and then took cover behind them to fire back at the boarding sailors attempting a counter-assault to retake the ship.

While the low rate of fire from the matchlocks couldn't inflict the widespread instant damage of automatic rifles, the British sailors found this defensive tactic intensely frustrating! In truth, a lack of organization was the common failing of pirates, but under the command of Fang Senyan—a leader they genuinely respected—these sea-dwelling thugs had actually adopted a semblance of order during the combat.

The British officer on the opposing side grew enraged. He organized repeated, fierce assaults, but because only two gangplanks remained, they couldn't commit large numbers, resulting in the main body of his force being bottlenecked on the deck.

Had their manpower been able to deploy effectively, even if Fang Senyan's side had won, it would have been a devastating victory achieved at terrible cost—barely better than a crushing defeat. In fact, severing the gangplanks earlier had been a calculated gamble by Fang Senyan. Given his current resilience, taking a few dozen hits wouldn't pose a life-threatening danger; cutting the final two gangplanks would certainly have been possible if he had intended it.

The objective was merely to lure the enemy into committing forces to this precarious zone, creating a situation where his side could fight with superior numbers—a tactic echoing the ancient Chinese military strategy of leaving one side open during a siege.

In truth, once the enemy ship was seized, the initiative belonged entirely to Fang Senyan. The remaining British sailors were stranded on their exposed deck, facing a pincer attack from two groups of pirates. Their only path to survival was to retake their own vessel; there was no other option.

Fang Senyan understood this perfectly. To minimize casualties among his own forces, he immediately switched from attack to defense, adopting a posture of 'slow attrition.'

Under these circumstances, the British sailors were effectively trapped in a dilemma where retreat was impossible and only forward assault offered a slim, theoretical chance of survival.

The two gangplanks, each less than five meters long, were quickly stained red with blood. Anyone stepping onto those planks fell continuously, like dumplings tossed into boiling water, barely making it halfway across!

After a staggering number of casualties, the lagging matchlocks finally created gaps in their firing coverage due to slow reloading. A dozen fortunate sailors seized the opportunity and successfully scrambled onto the deck. But just as they arrived, a nearby barricade slid away, and the black maw of a cannon muzzle pointed directly at them.

The worst fears of the Royal Sailors materialized. These decidedly unsophisticated pirates had managed to locate the ship's two-pounder cannons—firing two-pound shot, not weighing two pounds—and had loaded them with grapeshot!

With a deafening BOOM!, amidst a wild spray of shrapnel, steel balls, and rusty grit, those dozen or so proud sailors were mangled, dead or wounded. Even those who survived saw their morale plummet to rock bottom! They were quickly overwhelmed by the pirates led by Reef, struck down, and bound tightly.

Clearly, the commander of these sailors was a hot-headed brute with simple ideas. After failing repeatedly to break through, he charged forward in the next wave with his trusted subordinates, roaring defiantly.

It was evident that Fang Senyan and his two companions would not let such a golden opportunity slip by. As the brave Captain approached, Mogansha severed one of the gangplanks, further narrowing the path for the enemy reinforcements. Reef and Fang Senyan advanced to meet the valiant Captain head-on...

According to Fang Senyan's detection readings: the Captain’s HP was around 8000. He possessed the advanced basic ability 'Rapier Skill' and an aura-like ability called 'Rally,' which boosted nearby allies. His offensive power was respectable, placing him squarely at the level of a Tier One Legendary creature. The only genuinely threatening aspect was his forward lunge thrust, described as swift and sharp, feeling almost impossible to defend against, likely a characteristic of his Rapier Skill.

Fang Senyan and Reef, combined, found dealing with him no longer difficult. Working together, they managed to pin him down, while Black Brother periodically fired his weapon. Fang Senyan dispatched the Captain without much effort, not even drawing his own blade.

Upon death, the Captain surprisingly dropped a black-quality key. However, Fang Senyan's luck wasn't stellar; it only yielded a deep-blue ring granting +2 Agility / +1% Block Chance. Both Black Brother's and Reef's rings were superior, so it was handed over to Fang Senyan without dispute.

With the Captain dead, the remaining few dozen exhausted and wounded Royal Sailors collapsed without suspense. Most chose to surrender; a few simply jumped overboard. This was the brutality of naval combat—in the vast ocean, there wasn't even a chance to escape!

It was either victory, or death or surrender! The privilege of the defeated was to choose between slitting their own throats or drowning...

Having won this battle, Fang Senyan finally let out a long sigh. As the saying goes, every beginning is difficult. Before the fight even began, Fang Senyan had been gambling. Because of his profound familiarity with maritime matters, he knew how wildly unreliable it was for a single sloop carrying forty or fifty mixed-quality pirates to attempt to capture a three-masted "Galleon" war brigantine. The probability of success was maybe only fifty-fifty. Fang Senyan truly lacked absolute certainty!

After all, naval warfare and land warfare are fundamentally different matters. To put it plainly, in naval combat, the weight of individual prowess is diminished; conversely, possessing a competent crew and a superior vessel is the decisive factor for victory.

If that three-masted "Galleon" brigantine had spotted Fang Senyan's group earlier, they could have bombarded them from a safe distance with cannon fire. With both ships violently rocking, Mogansha could, at best, counter the effect of two cannons. In such a scenario, sinking would have been inevitable—it would have been Fang Senyan's sloop going down!

Just then, a sharp-featured, weasel-like head poked out from the hatchway of the enemy pirate ship. It glanced around, then let out a cheer and shouted inside:

"Mr. Alonzo, your strategy worked! We successfully drew the attention of those damned Englishmen and wiped them out!"

As soon as this was shouted, Fang Senyan and his group felt deeply unsettled! During the preceding fight, five of the pirates Fang Senyan had coerced had died. If the pirates hiding in the other ship, who had been reduced to cowering turtles, had been more sensible and launched a coordinated pincer attack, the sailors would have collapsed even faster.

Many of Fang Senyan's pirates harbored indignant thoughts:

"What do you mean you successfully drew the attention of the English?"

"If we hadn't shown up, you rats hiding in your hole would already be dead!"

At this moment, a middle-aged man emerged from inside. His features appeared somewhat effeminate and sharp, as if his eyes were constantly narrowed in calculation. This must be Alonzo. His gaze swept over the raggedly dressed pirates under Fang Senyan's command, and his eyes immediately betrayed contempt. The expression was utterly undisguised, as if he were looking at a pile of excrement.