Debuff Master

Chapter 830

Two days later…

“Understood.”

Siegfried received a report that the Naval Alliance’s invasion was imminent.

He initially doubted whether the location of the Green Isles had been exposed or not, but the fact that the Naval Alliance was already approaching them left no room for uncertainty.

This was no false alarm.

“Order the entire force to prepare for battle,” Siegfried commanded.

The major pirates under his command shouted in unison. “Yes, Your Majesty!”

After giving the command, Siegfried sat down and leisurely savored the aroma of his tea.

‘This battle is ours to win,’ Siegfried thought, confident of victory.

The Green Isles was a natural fortress. It was made up of a cluster of thousands of large and small islands surrounded by thick and tower natural barriers.

To get through its defenses, one had no choice but to pass through a narrow maritime canyon.

The canyon was a narrow maritime gorge with towering cliffs on either side, each lined with two thousand five hundred cannons—five thousand in total, and each cannon was preloaded and capable of firing three rounds at a time.

Anyone foolish enough to cause trouble or flee from the Green Isles would face a barrage of cannon fire, which was how this place had earned its name—it was born from the wailing of its victims.

In other words, any incoming fleet would be subjected to a bombardment of fifteen thousand cannonballs.

‘They have two hundred fifty ships. Passing through the Wailing Canyon will cost them at least one hundred fifty. If their fleet is reduced to one hundred, then we can handle it easily. No, we will dominate them.’

Siegfried had already mapped out every aspect of the impending battle from the opening to its climax and eventually the conclusion.

Victory or defeat? To him, the outcome was as good as decided.

Since the Naval Alliance would be forced to cross the Wailing Canyon, the Green Isles definitely held an undeniable advantage.

Moreover, Siegfried had several tricks up his sleeves to bolster the weakened forces of the Green Isles. These tricks were more than ready for battle, as they were forced to be docile for quite a while now.

‘But who could it be…?’

What intrigued Siegfried more than the upcoming battle was the identity of the informant who had led the Naval Alliance to the Green Isles.

He was not worried about the battle, as he was certain of victory. However, the existence of this unknown individual was what deeply unsettled him.

Siegfried even summoned Oscar and conducted a thorough vetting of the major pirate captains and their crews to root out any spies lurking among them, but they failed to find any signs of betrayal.

Thus, he came to one conclusion.

The person who was guiding the Naval Alliance to the Green Isles was neither a spy within their ranks or someone affiliated with the major pirate crews.

They were most likely a third party.

‘Could it be someone with abilities similar to Inzaghi? Oh well, whatever. I’ll find out soon enough. For now, I need to go rest.’

Realizing that racking his brains over speculations was pointless, he decided to go and relax for a while.

After all, once the battle began, he would need to maintain peak focus until the very end. Ensuring that he was well-rested beforehand was the best thing he could do right now.

***

The Naval Alliance arrived at the entrance to the Green Isles, but they were forced to change their formation into a single file. This was the only way they could navigate through the massive, imposing labyrinthine canyons looming before them, as it was too narrow for the ships to pass through it side by side.

Meanwhile, Grand Marshal Claude relocated the flagship, Nemesis, to the very rear of the fleet. He was no fool, as he knew that there was bound to be an ambush hiding behind this natural defensive formation.

Thus, to ensure the safety of the flagship, the Nemesis moved to the back while the sturdier and more maneuverable warships went to the front and took the lead.

“So, beyond that canyon lies the Green Isles…!” Claude exclaimed while looking at the Wailing Canyon with awe and ambition in his eyes.

‘Today, I will achieve the monumental feat of subjugating the Green Isles and secure myself eternal glory and honor,’ he thought.

He was certain that he would be immortalized as the greatest figure in naval history if the conquest of the Green Isles succeeded. Once this campaign was over, he would gain the honor of receiving the title "Grand Admiral of the Seas," which was a six-star rank never before attained by anyone in the continent’s naval history.

For these reasons, Claude was driven by both duty and personal ambition to ensure the conquest of the Green Isles ended in their—no, his victory.

“Sir, I will take my leave once we pass through the Wailing Canyon,” the cloaked informant said.

“Very well. This is a battle between the Naval Alliance and the Green Isles, so there’s no reason for you to involve yourself further. You’ve done more than enough by guiding us here, and I am deeply grateful for that alone,” Claude replied.

“You are far too kind, sir.”

“But tell me—are we getting close?”

Claude’s question seemed out of place, but this was prompted by the increasingly intense energy radiating from the informant.

When Claude first met him, the man did not seem that impressive, but now he was completely different.

The energy emanating from the informant had grown so powerful that even Claude, a powerful warrior in his own right, could feel his skin prickle just from being near him.

“Yes, we are quite close,” the informant replied with a nod.

“If the surge of energy is any indicator, I believe we are within fifty kilometers.”

“Haha…”

“It is getting difficult to suppress,” the informant muttered, his voice growing tense.

As Claude and the informant conversed, the armada reorganized into two columns once the waterways were wide enough and entered the Wailing Canyon.

The canyon stretched more than ten kilometers, and the Naval Alliance was most vulnerable at this point, as they would be in this cramped place for a considerable amount of time.

“Hmm…” Claude muttered, stroking his beard.

He was observing the ships at the front that had already passed the halfway point of the canyon when a thought suddenly came to him.

‘Why haven’t they attacked yet? This canyon is the ultimate fort that can be used to easily repel any invasion—’

It was then.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of cannon fire reverberated from the front lines.

‘As expected. They waited for our fleet to move deep into the canyon before ambushing us.’

Claude remained unfazed. He knew from experience that trying to cross such a natural stronghold without any resistance or casualties was laughably naive. He prepared himself for significant losses the moment he saw the Wailing Canyon, and he was ready to lose half of his fleet in order to cross it.

For the sake of subjugating the Green Isles, he was more than willing to sacrifice half of his forces.

“There will be no retreat! Push forward! Onward to glory!” Claude issued the command, knowing full well the risks.

Once the armada had entered the canyon, retreat was no longer an option.

It was do or die.

The battle would be decided on which would sink first—their ships or their enemies' ships?

Just then…

Whirrr… Clack…!

Five thousand gunports swung open simultaneously, revealing cannons hidden within the cliff walls.

Three, two, one…!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment the countdown finished, all five thousand cannons roared and unleashed a relentless barrage of cannonballs that rained down upon the greatest armada assembled in the history of the Naval Alliance.

***

The sight of five thousand cannons firing simultaneously was nothing short of spectacular.

A deafening thunderclap roared in the air as tremors shook the canyon. It was as though an earthquake was rocking the seabed underneath; thick black clouds of gunpowder smoke also blanketed the entire canyon.

The salvo of cannonballs was so impressive that it seemed utterly impossible for a single warship from the Naval Alliance to escape the Wailing Canyon.

“Woohoo!”

“I just got a rush of dopamine!”

“Hahaha! Those navy fools! They’re all going to be fish food now!”

“I didn’t expect anyone would be foolish enough to invade the Green Isles.”

“Fools! Fools everywhere!”

The pirates cheered and marveled at the dazzling spectacle, convinced that the battle was over.

However, Siegfried didn't share the same sentiment as them.

‘Around one hundred ships will make it out.’

He remained calm and made his calculation. The warships of the Naval Alliance were mostly covered with shields. Even if they weren't the best ships on the continent, they were still the main warships of the world’s most powerful maritime nations.

Soon, Siegfried’s prediction became reality.

Five minutes after the deafening salvo, the first warship emerged from the thick black smoke.

Whoosh!

Through the thick gunpowder smoke, a single warship bearing the Naval Alliance’s flag emerged. It was in shambles, riddled with holes, and barely afloat, making it a miracle that it had not sunk.

However, the warship was not alone.

One, two, three… then dozens, and eventually even more.

The warships of the Naval Alliance emerged from the thick black smoke one by one.

The pirates stood stunned at the sight of so many warships surviving the initial barrage, but Captain Bellatrix’s voice echoed across, bringing them back to their senses.

“Load the cannons!”

She intended to strike again before the Naval Alliances had the chance to regroup.

“Three! Two! One! Fire!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Around fifty pirate ships unleashed their volleys, bombarding the Naval Alliance warships.

Meanwhile, at the rear of the fleet, Grand Marshal Claude emerged from the Wailing Canyon aboard his flagship.

The armada had suffered catastrophic losses of unbelievable proportions, but he did not even flinch when the fifty pirate ships bombarded them. The cannon fire from the pirate ships felt insignificant compared to what they had suffered in the canyon just now.

Around one hundred ten warships remained afloat, and this was more than enough for Claude. So what if the pirate ships opened fire and sank a few more warships?

Once he had regrouped his vessels and launched a counterattack, the battle would be over in an instant.

The pirates were never really a threat to the Naval Alliance, as their warships far outclassed the pirate ships in every aspect be it equipment, manpower, tactics, and firepower.

The only reason the Naval Alliance struggled to control the pirates was that they managed to evade capture for centuries using the High-Speed Sea Route Passage, not because the navy was weak.

However, things were different today.

A large-scale naval battle would soon erupt, and the Naval Alliance was ready to demonstrate just how powerful they were to these band of criminals. After that, they were going to destroy the sanctuary of the pirates, the Green Isles, once and for all, bringing order and peace back to the waters.

“Maintain formation! Stay calm! The battle is ours once we regroup!” Claude commanded with absolute confidence in his voice.

It was then.

Swoosh!

Something massive and black surged out of the water ahead the Naval Alliance and sliced through the waves before descending upon the leading warship.

Every sailor on deck froze after they saw this massive creature, as every single one of them recognized the creature.

Swiiiik! Swiiik!

The creature had eight massive tentacles lined with suckers that wrapped themselves tightly around the leading warship as though embracing it. Then, it started to constrict the warship with crushing force that slowly twisted and crushed it like a tin can.

An officer peering through his spyglass shouted, “S-Sir! It’s the Kraken!”

The creature’s name struck fear into the hearts of the sailors, but the Kraken was just the beginning.

Kieeeee!

Grrr Waaah!

Kireuk! Kireuk!

Dozens of colossal sea monsters emerged alongside the Kraken and charged at the Naval Alliance warships.

“S-Sir! The Siren is sinking!”

“The Trust is on the verge of sinking!”

“Nami is in grave danger!”

Reports of despair filled the deck one by one.

“W-What in the world is this?!” Claude cried out. He was momentarily paralyzed from sheer shock as he watched the sea monsters annihilate over thirty of his warships in the blink of an eye.

However, the nightmare was far from over…

“Sir! Hundreds of speedboats are closing in from the front!”

The Nordic Marines, numbering in the thousands, were rapidly approaching aboard hundreds of Aqua Runners.

And then—

Another lookout screamed in horror, his voice cracking, “S-Sir! Up ahead…! This is impossible! Sir! You must see this, sir!”

“What is it this time?!” Claude lashed out, snatching the spyglass from the lookout’s hands and peered into it.

And in exactly three seconds…

Thud…!

The spyglass slipped from Claude’s hands and hit the deck with a hollow sound.

“...The Nautilus?” Claude muttered under his breath in disbelief.

The legendary vessel that Claude had only ever read about in history books was before his very eyes.

The flagship of the Legendary Pirate King, Freydlief, the Nautilus had appeared.

Tokki's Thoughts

Tokki’s Thoughts: 2 carrots for whoever guesses the informant’s identity.