Pirate Route 3

Although the pirates sustained damage with one ship sunk and two severely damaged from Fubuki's one-sided attack, they still refused to give up, keeping their distance while watching the situation closely.

As Shinosuke said, he lacks the sense to know when to retreat and is overly stubborn.

At this point, it can no longer pose a threat, but being followed like this is still a nuisance.

As for enemy ship A, which is currently being engaged by Tsukikage, it still continues its provocative maneuvers right at the edge of Tsukikage's firing range. Even if it were just a lucky hit, the thought of Tsukikage or Big Bear taking damage is unbearable.

"There's no point dragging this out. Serah, tell Tsukikage to sink it!"

"Understood. I'll relay it directly to Tsukikage... From Fubuki to Tsukikage, sink it!"

Seyla repeated Shinnosuke's order verbatim to Tsukikage.

Meanwhile, hearing Seyla's transmission, Elle relayed the message exactly as-is to Andy.

"Tsukikage understands. Andy, Shinnosuke says, 'Sink it!'"

Upon hearing Elle's report, Andy shrugged.

"Vague orders, aren't they? Shinno, you're getting troublesome. Well, understood. Sink enemy vessel A!"

Andy, who had been focusing solely on feint attacks to keep the enemy vessel at bay, aimed at enemy vessel A and fired his rapid-fire cannons in quick succession.

However, enemy vessel A, maneuvering at high speed right at the edge of range, easily dodged the barrage from Tsukikage.

"Andy, you're missing entirely!"

"It's fine! Just a little more!"

Andy continued firing the rapid-fire cannons, pressing the enemy ship A from behind.

Enemy ship A slipped into the blind spot of Tsukikage's bow rapid-fire cannons.

"Enemy ship A is circling around behind us! We're being targeted! The stern rapid-fire cannons... we can't reach in time!"

Facing enemy ship A, which had maneuvered behind Tsukikage and now had a clear shot, Andy turned the stern missile launchers toward it.

"That's it—this is perfect! Second missile launcher!"

"Second launcher, Andy!"

"Launch from launcher one to three!"

Andy fired three missiles at enemy ship A.

The missile loaded in Tsukikage's second launcher wasn't a standard high-speed missile that flew straight toward its target, but a high-performance maneuverable missile that zigzagged unpredictably, evading interception while relentlessly pursuing its target.

"Andy, three shots! That's a waste!"

Expensive by nature, far more so than standard missiles, and a precious piece of equipment that wasn't even loaded onto Fubuki's missile launcher—this was Tsukikage's prized asset.

The three missiles, streaking toward enemy vessel A, evaded anti-aircraft guns with erratic maneuvers and struck the target from three different directions simultaneously.

Weaker than high-speed missiles, this weapon alone would struggle to sink even a frigate, let alone a destroyer, if used against a military vessel. But against pirate ships modified from civilian craft, one hit was more than enough.

Three hits meant total annihilation.

The pirate vessel exploded into fragments, literally turning into dust in space.

"Enemy vessel A destroyed. But... such a waste... Andy, even though Shinosuke's paying for it, still..."

Eren stares at Andy with a sidelong glance, annoyed at how he squandered expensive missiles against a pirate vessel.

"Mr. Eren, there's no problem at all. Andy made a proper judgment, fully understanding the master's intentions. Look, since we destroyed enemy vessel A, the remaining pirate ships will surely flee."

As Marks said, once Tsukikage sank pirate vessel A, the other pirate ships rapidly retreated.

"Wait... why?"

Eren tilts his head.

"That pirate ship we were facing was actually the leader of the pirate group. At first glance, it seemed to be willingly taking on the dangerous role of bait, but in reality, it was keeping itself in the safest position while exposing the other six ships to danger."

"Wait... what?"

Eren stares in disbelief at Andy's explanation.

Eren himself had gained some experience as a护卫 ship crew member alongside Andy, but he simply couldn't believe that the ship Andy had destroyed could be the flagship leading a fleet of seven pirate ships, no matter how advanced the missiles used were.

I was skeptical at first, but couldn't you see? Even after Shinosuke sank other pirate ships, he didn’t show any sign of giving up. That’s because the leader, safely hidden somewhere, hadn’t ordered a retreat. Shinosuke was using manual targeting to sink enemy vessels, but to those being targeted, it was pure terror. They were attacked without any warning from the fire control radar. Normal pirates would’ve fled after seeing their comrades sink.

"Ah, that's what it is. That's why Shinnosuke told us to 'sink them!'..."

"That's right. With the reckless leader gone, the rest of them panicked and scattered."

Merisaa listens to Andy and Ellen's conversation.

Initially, I had felt somewhat uncertain about Andy when boarding the Tsukikage, but once combat began, things proceeded extremely smoothly, making it unnecessary to use the dedicated line connecting me to Alisa.

"Mr. Marx, I underestimated their capabilities. They're indeed skilled naval escorts."

"Frankly, I'm not sure they're exceptional, but there's no doubt they're honest and reliable escorts. We've had ties with them since they became independent, and even Master holds them in high regard."

Markus replied to Merry, checking the systems of Tsukikage.

"Since this was my first escort mission aboard Tsukikage, I came prepared for any eventuality—but in the end, I didn't even get a chance to do anything."

"...Marks-san, you seem happy."

"Really? Do I look that way?"

"No, I don't see it, but I feel it."

Marks didn't change his expression in response to Merry's words.

On the bridge of Big Bear, Glen let out a relieved sigh.

"Phew, when seven ships came out, I was worried we'd be in trouble, but of course it's Shinosuke. There was no reason to panic after all."

"Oh, Glen, were you actually feeling fear? From where I was watching, you seemed completely confident."

Glen shrugs, mockingly teased by Karen.

"Of course I'm scared. I'm carrying the lives of my crewmates on my shoulders. I'm always scared during missions. Besides, the danger in mining operations is entirely different from pirate attacks. Still, if my crew saw me panicking, I'd look like a fool, so I put on a brave front."

Only Glen and Karen remain on the Big Bear's bridge at the moment.

The other crew members—Randy, Allen, Mikey, and Todd—are stationed at the anti-aircraft gun emplacements, just in case, though it seems their precautions were unnecessary.

"But we're not telling Shinnosuke anything, right?"

"We're amateurs when it comes to combat, so we trust Shinnosuke completely and leave everything in his hands. If he gives us orders, we'll follow them. If he doesn't, I'll just keep the ship on course, even if I'm shaking with nerves."

"Please don't leak anything while sitting there—after all, I'm the one who'll be in the pilot's seat too."

"Got it, leave it to me. Honestly, this job couldn't have been pulled off without Shinnosuke."

Glen and Karen exchange a smile, looking at each other.

At that moment, Fubuki was also finishing up post-combat checks with Shinnosuke and the others.

"Ship hull and all systems are normal. Tsukikage and Big Bear are both normal as well."

"Understood. Then let's resume our journey toward the Seigul Holy Kingdom."

Neither of the three ships sustained any damage during this battle.

After receiving Seira's report, ShinnoSuke fired a marker toward the pirate ship that had become immobilized, then resumed their voyage toward the Seigul Holy Kingdom.

Incidentally, ShinnoSuke and the others also left the disabled pirate ship behind—but that poses no problem whatsoever.

The marker ShinnoSuke fired into the pirate ship pierced through the hull exterior and continued transmitting a signal indicating its location.

Removing it would require working outside the ship, and it's not something that can be easily taken off—ordinary pirates would find it nearly impossible to remove.

Moreover, by the time they waste time trying to do so, coast guard units could arrive and arrest them.

It's not entirely unthinkable that fellow pirates might return to rescue them, but given the lack of camaraderie among space pirates, the likelihood of them risking their lives to save a comrade is virtually nonexistent.

Given these circumstances, Shinnosuke and the others had no time to wait for the coast guard to arrive. They felt secure leaving the two pirate ships behind and resumed their voyage.