Chapter 24: The Ship-of-the-Line Opens Fire, Counterattack Begins

"The enemy ship is running parallel to us."

Two hours had passed. The pirate ship had drawn within approximately 1 kilometer and was now running parallel to the flagship, Paraiso, and the other two ships in a single line formation. Someone aboard the enemy vessel was vigorously waving signal flags, though their meaning was lost on them.

"What do you think they’re trying to say?" she asked.

"Judging by the situation, they’re probably demanding surrender."

They watched the flag-waving routine for a few minutes when—

"The enemy ship has opened fire."

A slight shockwave was visible on the display, marking the trajectory of the incoming cannonball, which Ringo quickly marked.

"Marked. Initial velocity: 382 meters per second. No damage."

About three seconds later, the shell splashed down, exploding upon impact and raising a plume of water.

"That’s quite a bit of firepower, isn’t it?"

"It’s an explosive shell. Strong but lacking accuracy. Due to resolution limitations, precise measurements weren’t possible, but the dispersion is rather wide."

From the footage, Ringo calculated the cannon’s barrel length and roughly estimated the accuracy based on where the shell landed. Whether by chance or design, the shell seemed to have landed quite far off from the cannon’s original aiming direction.

"If that shell hits below the waterline and detonates correctly, it could break the hull."

"That’s...not ideal."

"Indeed, Commander. However, at an initial velocity of around 400 meters per second, our 20mm machine guns should be more than capable of intercepting them."

"So, no real problem then."

Even the simple integrated tactical system on the LST-class light trade ships could intercept missiles moving at supersonic speeds. With Ringo’s full support, cannonballs moving slightly above the speed of sound posed no threat.

"Shall we return fire?"

"Hmm… maybe aim intentionally off-target? If we’re gathering combat data, provoking them might be beneficial."

"Understood. We’ll fire about 300 meters ahead of them."

Following Ringo’s orders, the forward turret on Paraiso immediately took aim and fired. The shell landed within a second, hitting the sea 300 meters ahead of the target. Traveling about 30 meters underwater, it detonated, creating a massive water plume.

"Hit location is within margin of error. No issues."

On the pirate ship’s deck, there was an immediate flurry of activity. Several crew members pointed at Paraiso and shouted, seemingly unprepared for a return volley.

"Let’s see how they respond."

"It’s unlikely they’ll retreat."

The enemy vessel was enormous, significantly larger than the three LST-class ships combined and even longer than the large transport ship currently under construction. In this world, it would be fair to call it a super battleship. Naturally, they didn’t expect to lose in combat.

"The enemy ship is altering course. It appears to be approaching us."

"Are they planning to close in for artillery range? Pirates probably won’t try to sink us—they’re after our cargo and crew."

Pirates typically aimed to intimidate with cannon fire, forcing a ship to surrender so they could board and seize goods and crew. Sinking the ship would yield nothing and waste cannonballs. However, if they felt slighted, they might very well aim to sink Paraiso out of spite.

"Estimated time until they’re within effective firing range: approximately one hour."

"They’re firing again."

Not quite a full broadside, but several cannons on the enemy’s side unleashed a volley.

"Detected: 8 cannons. Marked. No damage."

The cannonballs splashed down in the water, well short of their mark. They were still far from effective range.

"Prepare for anti-air defense. If they get within 300 meters, interception might become challenging. Should we sink them?"

"Ugh… capturing them would be a hassle with prisoners and all…"

Sinking them would be easy.

Just a few shots to hit below their waterline would be enough to send them to the depths. Without proper watertight bulkheads or damage control, they’d have no chance to recover from a breach.

However, sinking the ship would yield no valuable data. While it would provide some combat insights, there wasn’t much appeal left in it.

"A ship that large would be impossible to tow, so the best we could do is investigate the interior for any spoils."

They did have what appeared to be lifeboats. It might be feasible to cram the crew aboard and let them drift away, given they were close enough to spot land on the horizon.

"Let’s disable their rudder and masts to force a surrender."

"Yes, Commander. Shall we proceed now?"

"…Hmm. Let’s also conduct a pre-emptive test of our interception systems. Let’s close the distance to 500 meters and begin intercepting their cannon fire."

"Understood, Commander."

With Ringo’s navigation, Paraiso adjusted course toward the enemy. Their speed was nearly identical, allowing them to gradually close the gap.

"Enemy vessel has fired. Marked. No damage."

The trajectory of the incoming rounds was immediately analyzed, and their landing sites displayed. One shot seemed poised for a near miss, but there was no need to change course.

The cannonballs splashed down, exploding on impact, with one round landing close to LST-3, sending a water column rising as the fleet continued forward.

"Enemy vessel has fired again. Marked: near miss, possibly a direct hit. Intercept."

On cue, two 20mm machine guns aboard LST-3 opened fire, each firing 3,000 rounds per minute from both the bow and stern.

"Interception successful."

The cannonball was shredded mid-air by a storm of bullets and exploded.

"…We failed to neutralize the explosive; the powder ignited upon impact. We can’t yet determine the type of explosive they’re using."

"Can you usually identify explosives?"

"Yes, to some extent. Characteristics of the explosion and smoke type can give us a clue. Enemy vessel has fired. Marked. No damage."

Ringo displayed a slow-motion replay of the cannonball exploding, showing the 20mm rounds approaching it from the front and slicing through it in rapid succession, effectively splitting it in two before it detonated.

"Enemy vessel has fired. Marked. No damage. The cannonballs themselves seem quite fragile. However, there’s a slight delay before they explode after penetration. I’ll no longer report unless there’s a direct threat."

"Got it. Keep intercepting… Hmm, the delayed explosion is interesting."

"Yes. The explosions are likely synchronized across all the rounds rather than sequential. With our equipment, we can’t detect any time lag between the detonations."

In the video, the cannonball fragmented and detonated without any visible smoke. It looked as if it had simply exploded.

"They might not be using conventional gunpowder as we know it."

"Hmm… Could it be magic, then?"

"That possibility can’t be ruled out."

As water columns rose around them, the three ships continued closing the distance to 500 meters. Ringo analyzed the enemy cannonballs while accurately intercepting the near-misses.

"It seems we could even intercept them with our 150mm smoothbore shells."

The forward turret of LST-1 fired a shell that collided mid-air with an incoming enemy round. The enemy’s cannonball was so fragile that Paraiso’s shell tore through it before it exploded.

"…Perhaps it would be faster to capture and study them. Enemy vessel, distance 500 meters. Initiating artillery engagement."

The mission was to neutralize and capture the enemy ship, aiming to retrieve any metal resources, if possible. Ideally, they would also analyze the ship’s propulsion and ammunition systems. Thus, their targets were its rudder and masts.

Simultaneously, four 150mm smoothbore shells were fired, reaching their targets in a second. They struck the bases of the four masts, exploding on impact. Additionally, one of the 20mm machine guns shredded the base of another mast, causing it to snap, while another gun precisely targeted and damaged the ship’s rear paddle wheel, taking care not to harm internal components.

The enemy ship was now immobilized, its sails shattered, and it was on the brink of surrender.