"Hurry, everyone get ready!"
Marco, dressed in a jacket identical to Black Jack’s, led his pirate gunmen to receive new-style bullets from the mechanical craftsman Yaronilo.
Ever since parting ways with Wei’en, he had been appointed captain of the Ninth Squad by Black Jack on the strength of that bullet blueprint. Besides Moskra and the few others who had followed him from Caster City State, his squad also included several pirates skilled with firearms.
Thus, their Ninth Squad was jokingly nicknamed the "Firearms Team" by the other pirates.
After twenty days, Marco consulted with the mechanical craftsman and decided to modify all the firearms in the squad to be compatible with the new bullets.
Although the workload was enormous and the process extremely difficult, subsequent training showed that the combination of the new firearms and bullets nearly doubled their power.
After seeing the results of the modifications, Black Jack ordered all other pirates who primarily used firearms to undergo the same retrofitting, boosting their collective strength.
This allowed the Ninth Squad, the "Firearms Team," to firmly establish themselves aboard the Bai Ke Li, and it also gave Marco some confidence for the future.
"Captain, we have to be careful with our positioning in the Stormy Sea Region, especially us gunmen."
A pirate gunman who had been on the Bai Ke Li for several years stood at the edge of the stern by a mast. He tied a rope around his waist, then fastened the buckles on his shoes to the protruding clasps on the deck.
Marco watched him and asked, puzzled, "Dax, doesn’t this fix you in place? If we run into danger..."
The Cordo Sea Region was treacherous, to say nothing of a storm like this that blotted out the sky. If a Deep Sea monstrosity got close, the clasps at his feet and the rope around his waist would likely become a death trap.
"Trust the others!" A grin on Dax’s swarthy face revealed two rows of pearly white teeth. "Those aren’t my words. They’re from Boss Jack and First Officer Lodilia. Take a look at the positions of the other squads around us..."
Marco followed his gaze and saw that the other three squads assigned to the stern were evenly distributed on the port and starboard sides, surrounding them in the middle.
He vaguely understood. ’Is this to protect the Ninth Squad?’
"Most of the combatants on deck have Extraordinary Bloodlines that enhance their bodies. The physically weaker ones are either mechanical gunners in the ship’s hold or gunmen like us who need protection."
After securing himself firmly to the deck, Dax proceeded to check his firearm and load his bullets, making final preparations.
"Captain, we’ll be counting on you to protect us when the fighting starts."
Marco nodded. He brandished the Lamp Staff in his hand a few times and said with a solemn expression, "I will!"
In all his time at sea, this was the first time he had ever experienced a naval battle like this.
The last time he saw Wei’en, he had been a mere bystander, able only to watch the projection of the Lord of Dawn slowly appear in the sky and silently accept his own weakness.
But now, he had adjusted his mindset. ’Since my strength is low, I’ll just have to work twice as hard to catch up to those ahead of me!’
This was the main reason he had chosen to go to sea in the first place!
"Marco!"
Just then, Waleed appeared in a flash. The usual frivolous smile was gone from his face, replaced by a serious expression as he took out a Space Ring. "Wei’en’s Burst Sniper Rifles are here," he said. "Quick, distribute them to Dax and the others. Have them get familiar with the weapons before we enter the sea region!"
There were sixteen Burst Sniper Rifles in total. Aside from the six that Mirus and his group had purchased with their own money, the remaining ten gunmen who could use their Spiritual Power to activate the rifles’ runes had all been assigned to Marco’s squad.
"The sniper rifles are here?"
Marco’s eyes lit up. He still remembered the scene of Wei’en using a sniper rifle to kill a Deep Sea monstrosity—the power was simply insane!
"Also, make sure you follow orders. I’ll be at the helm with Boss Jack, coordinating the squads’ battle."
"Understood!"
After Waleed left, Marco quickly took out the Burst Sniper Rifles. Instead of having the gunmen who were already fixed in their positions gather, he went and delivered a rifle to each of them personally.
"The new weapons are here! Get familiar with them, quick!"
"Awesome!"
"We’ve waited so long, and they’re finally here!"
The gunmen, who just moments ago had been quite satisfied with the weapons in their hands, all holstered their short-barreled firearms and eagerly tested the feel of the newly arrived Burst Sniper Rifles.
"Hey, why do I feel like this rifle is a little different from the one that other guy was holding?"
"It’s got a scope. Holy sh*t, it’s so clear—"
"I just tried it. I can see at least ten kilometers out, far beyond the range of my spiritual perception."
"How about we give it a try?"
BANG!
A sharp gunshot made Marco and the others pause. They looked at each other and realized the shot hadn’t come from their side.
"It’s Mirus and those bastards. They must be testing their rifles too! Let’s do it!"
"Captain, find us a target!"
"Alright!"
Marco nodded, leaped onto the crow’s nest, and gazed at the raging sea ahead. He scanned the area for a moment before spotting a Deep Sea monstrosity churning the water’s surface. "Port side, eight kilometers out! Target is—"
BANG, BANG, BANG...
Before his voice had even faded, the ten gunmen had already aimed and fired.
As the Rune Power on the Burst Sniper Rifles flared, the runes for celerity and explosion empowered the shots, and in the blink of an eye, the bullets—imbued with the property of deathly corruption—pierced through the Deep Sea monstrosity’s body.