83 New enemy
As the ship escaped G-5, it continued on its way following the original path along the Red Line.
However something began to change very quickly as several ships approached.
Unmarked ships mixed with a mix of others with different patterns, there was also a group that were travelling alongside the ships while riding on fish.
They were all heading towards her ship directly as if chasing after and trying to surround her cutting off her path to retreat.
A battle was inevitable because even if she was able to delay and outrun them, she was unsure if they would still continue chasing after her.
She knew that this attack was not normal.
Suddenly a spark lit up within her mind as she knew the reason behind this..
It could be a random attack by pirates or those wishing to steal her belongings but this looked more of a targeted attack and more sinister in intentions.
She had thought that her disguise was enough to get away with when she had hid in the crowd to obtain the skills from Vergo but it seems that she had underestimated his keen eye and resourcefulness that put him in his current ranking.
Upon recognising her and putting things together he was able to identify her race and come up with a plan that would benefit his master without needing to act himself.
While he maintains the upright image, he can still send word to his human hunting contacts that have dealings with the underworld and the slave auction houses.
If she can be captured and sold to Doffy's auction house then she will be sold for a sky high price to the nobles and become their plaything.
She could not even imagine what kind of harsh future awaited her so she increased the amount of hatred she had in her heart for Vergo and looked forward to the day they would be reunited.
When that day came, she would have her revenge.
Many fish riders and ships had been deployed to capture which showed he was serious about this task.
Although she had not yet used Electro in G-5, she was still identified as a Mink by him so he must of either sent out this many people after estimating her power with the use of Electro or guessed that she may have used Electro to defeat his subordinates.
Either way, she would absolutely not underestimate the enemy and their tactics.
She had already seen their various tactics that can be used during combat from the anime in which Duval and his men attempt to capture the Straw Hats and Camie so she had a rough idea of what to expect from the line up of fighters she was about to face.
She shouted. "Arm yourselves with lethal weapons, this battle will be to the death. Switch out the cannon balls to harpoons and aim for the fish riders. Nica I want you and your teams handling the cannon fire along with gun fire as they get closer. Alfred I will have to trust you with your first battle to command those on board to fight back while I take the lead."
She was feeling a little regretful that she had left most of the crew to go to Paradise but now was not the time for regrets.
All she could do now was best protect her crew who were not yet at the stage to match an organised group of people who specialise in subduing and capturing others while at sea.
Nica looked at the distant ships that were approaching and asked. "What trouble did you bring us this time captain?"
Alyssia sighed and then responded. "I think my race has been exposed and those greedy enough would happily jump at the chance to claim the large reward upon my capture. So.. if they wish to capture us then we have no choice but to return their intentions with our full force. No mercy…. The previous battles you did not take part but now is important for your growth so stay focussed and do not get captured or killed."
A cold look appeared in Alyssia's eyes as she watched the approaching enemies who had no intention of turning back now.
She could only watch as they got closer and closer. "Ready your weapons! Take aim! When they are within range fire!"
Nica ordered those under her to get ready on the cannons while she climbed up high with her modified sniper rifle.
It had been fitted with a new scope and its power had been upgraded greatly to allow precise and powerful long range shots far beyond the capabilities of the average rifle.
She calmly took aim and waited until they were within range and then began to place her finger on the trigger.
The moment she held her breath, she squeezed the trigger and fired.
Far away a fish rider got hit on the shoulder and fell into the water.
The shot was a success but Nica still frowned. "Not good enough, my calculations were off."
Taking into account many differences in the wind, distance, the targets movements and the movements her own ship that would affect the accuracy if her shot, she did not land a killing blow because the ship was lightly knocked by the waves which were had to predict for someone who had not battled at sea that much.
However to land a shot on the shoulder and knock them into the sea from afar demonstrated her talents and abilities as a sniper.
Even if they survived the shot, they would probably be swallowed by the sea unless their allies were fast enough to fish them out of the sea.
As a perfectionist who has long been dabbling in science and engineering, Nica could not afford mistakes being made so she was hard on herself during this time and tried to make adjustments so that the next shot would be better.
Alyssia also had a sniper rifle in hand as she lay on the top of the Sea King skull on the front of the ship and began firing towards the approaching fish riders that were coming from the front.
Although she did not have a very high talent for shooting or the mastery, her combined skills to assist her shooting had proven to be very useful for calculating the trajectory of her shots.
One shot after another, each shot was more deadly than the last as she began to adjust her aim and breathing pattern as she squeezed the trigger and then reloaded the bullets to aim the next shot.
Although some had talents for shooting, they could not yet catch up to Nica and Alyssia in terms of skill but that did not stop them as they aimed the harpoons towards the flying fish as they grew closer.
Such large targets instantly became something that would be shot down along with their rider.
The flying fish riders began to quickly drop down from the twenties and became only a couple left.
Alyssia watched the approaching ships. "Prepare the chained harpoons or hooks to begin creating a connection between the closest ship. Keep the ship steady and make sure that the chain is not too loose or too tight so it does not snap or can be used to get across. Go to the side of one of the ships and continue firing upon them while I deal with the ship that has the chain harpoons connecting between the two ships. Watch out for any tricky types of guns like net guns or ones that fire other things to restrict us and do not become easy targets for them. Do not forget to keep your gas masks close."
The tactics were simple for this battle but at the same time there were always some variables that come into play like special capture weapons or other chemical weapons that could cause her crew to some problems.
Keeping a tight formation may become a problem if a bomb, gas or net was released upon many people who were tightly standing near each other within their formation so although they had room on board the ship to avoid such things, it still created gaps for others to enter on board the ship and begin disrupting her forces.
Depending on the enemies methods, she would have to be careful but right now, she had to be decisive in order to win.
She got changed into her battle uniform right away and prepared to face the enemy when they drew closer.
It seemed as if the loss of the twenty or so flying fish riders was nothing to them and the moment they got close, they were confident in defeating her crew…
Fixing the greaves to her feet and legs, she picked up the rifle once again and began to take aim towards several other flying fish riders that remained in order to clear her path.
All she could do right now was strike at the heart of the enemy and disrupt whatever it is that they may have planned before they reach the rest of her crew.
