Byron's sword strike had no fancy flourishes or distinctive sword moves, only the most fundamental and ultimate speed. The Secret Art was simply one word: speed!
In this life, from the moment he could wield a sword, he had tirelessly practiced various swordsmanship styles through scorching summers and freezing winters.
From the most basic Military Swordsmanship, the Church's secret Silver Cross Swordsmanship, to the widely popular Fisher Swordsmanship among pirates...
All the way to the Storm Sword Technique, unique to the Kingdom of Hightens.
Although he hadn't yet stepped onto the Ladder of Glory to officially take up a profession, he couldn't truly be called a Transcendent yet.
But with his solid foundation in swordsmanship and sparring experience against many Court sword masters, he definitely ranked among the small handful in the first tier just below Transcendents.
"The newcomer's sword is so fast!"
"With the Kingdom of Hightens in such tumult recently, it seems many skilled fighters have fled overseas, adding to the chaos on the seas. Is this newcomer truly that strong?!"
"I've heard that the cook is often the most formidable figure in an army. Could this former servant of the nobility be such a presence?"
The surrounding pirates were full of astonishment. Although the first mate's main role was to serve as a quartermaster and assist the captain, he wasn't necessarily the strongest fighter among the ordinary pirates.
But they had to admit that if they were in the first mate's position, they might not have been able to withstand Byron's sword strike either.
Before signing the Pirate's Ten Commandments, Byron's status was that of a captive.
After signing them, he became a pirate recognized by the Pirate Code, someone who abided by the "rules of the game" and was one of their own.
This sharp display didn't provoke hostility from the other pirates.
On a pirate ship, humility and meekness were the most useless traits.
A man can't stand firm if he isn't fierce.
To establish oneself on a pirate ship, one absolutely could not let others perceive them as weak and easily bullied.
One had to become an unpredictable enigma, inscrutable, so that anyone showing ill will would face the most severe and thunderous counterattack!
This was the pirate's way of survival, and also an instinct deeply ingrained in the North Bay Folks.
Byron's performance impressed not only Little Hans, the carpenter who already had a very favorable impression of him.
Even many pirates who had never exchanged a single word with him now smiled in his direction, with the exception of First Mate 'Bone Crusher' Miles and his supporters on the ship, who all wore sour expressions.
"Enough, now is not the time for internal strife," 'Bloody Eye' Salman finally spoke, settling the matter with finality.
"I declare that, effective immediately, Chef Byron Tudor, in addition to his regular duties, will also assume the position of storekeeper.
Furthermore, wartime regulations will be enforced. Victory is paramount, so everyone, whether cook or carpenter, will be assigned to combat echelons.
If we don't want our Man-Eating Shark to be sunk, forcing us to gamble on the slim chance of surviving by jumping overboard, then we must summon the courage to fight to the death with the enemy!"
Although he didn't let Byron truly replace the first mate, he did grant him the authority a chef should rightfully possess.
On a typical pirate ship, besides cooking, the chef's other duty was to be the storekeeper.
By obtaining this position, Byron was essentially promoted to the formal officer class.
He was no longer on the same level as those pitiful, expendable cooks who could be killed by the captain at any moment—mere consumables.
Of course, all this was contingent on everyone surviving today!
Just as the pirates thought this unexpected interlude was coming to an end,
they saw Byron, who had successfully established his dominance and gained the right to speak, suddenly turn to Salman. He performed a salute, hand to his chest, and pointed towards the half-reefed sails on the foremast and mainmast, saying,
"Captain, when I served under Lord Crawford, I came into contact with many shipwrights from the Royal Dockyards and their closely guarded shipbuilding techniques.
I've heard of an experimental method that might reduce the 'burying' effect of the upper rigging, possibly allowing the Man-Eating Shark to further increase its speed..."
At this point, no one would casually disregard his words.
The perils of the sea had ensured that any pirate ship not adhering to pragmatism and the Pirate's Ten Commandments had long since vanished into the depths.
Those with skill were entitled to privileges!
Even the sole Transcendent, 'Bloody Eye' Salman, couldn't help but listen intently to Byron's proposed modifications.
Furthermore, under Byron's guidance, he personally climbed the tall, swaying mast to implement the modifications.
Without wasting much time,
he then hung a hastily cut triangular staysail on each of the three forestays, which were pulled taut between the foremast and the ship's bowsprit.
When the tacks of these three staysails were hauled taut by the sailors and the sails began to fill with the strong sea wind,
WHOOSH—!
Everyone standing on the forecastle felt the bow of the ship suddenly lift.
Old Hans, the Shipwright assisting nearby, grabbed a taut rigging line to steady himself and looked up in amazement, "The effect is immediate? What... what is the principle behind this?"
The Man-Eating Shark, like other Carracks and Galleons of this era, was originally equipped entirely with square sails. Only a trapezoidal lateen sail hung from the mizzenmast, acting as an air rudder.
The center of gravity of warships is very low, near the waterline. Additionally, the upper square sails on the foremast generated significant thrust and had a long lever arm. This combination created a force pushing the bow into the water.
Naturally, the warship's bow would bury, reducing its speed.
It was common knowledge among Navigators that in strong winds and high seas, the upper sails had to be furled.
The royal shipyard certainly had no solution yet. If they had, military ships would have been the first to be equipped. However, Byron, from his previous life, had long known a way.
The solution was to use multiple headsails to generate a lifting effect, countering the bow's tendency to bury. Thus, they were also called "lifting sails"!
So, when 'Bloody Eye' Salman ordered the release of the reef points, allowing the topsails to fill fully with wind, the Man-Eating Shark no longer buried its bow.
The ship's speed noticeably increased.
At least with the help of the "lifting sails," a Level Six wind was not yet strong enough to force them to lower sails for safety.
The ferocious-looking pirates now regarded Byron with newfound respect.
His formidable martial prowess and profound knowledge had completely transformed their initial image of him as a mere "cook." There were no longer any doubts about Byron's repeatedly emphasized identity as a "noble's steward."
They even took the initiative to brainwash themselves in line with Byron's Cognitive Revision.
"Worthy of having served Great Nobles before. When I retire, I'll wash the blood off my hands, buy a title, put on formal wear, and become a respectable lord myself. Perhaps I can even start forging ties with Mr. Byron now?"
Though Byron had only just boarded the ship, he had already won the pirates' trust and respect.
Salman continued to issue orders, "Cast the log line! I need to know our exact speed and the enemy ship's relative position."
"Aye, Captain!"
A group of pirates worked together to throw a collection of ropes and a drogue from the stern.
In this era, with the vast sea offering few reference points and a lack of advanced instruments, accurately calculating a ship's speed was not easy.
However, experienced sailors had invented the "chip log method" for calculating speed.
The method involved throwing a wooden panel (the chip or log) attached to a rope (the log line) into the sea from the stern of a sailing ship. The ship's speed was then calculated based on the length of rope paid out in a specific time.
To improve accuracy, the line was quite long and had knots tied at regular intervals, dividing the entire log line into "knots" or sections.
By counting the number of knots that passed through a sailor's hands in a set time (measured by a sandglass), they could determine the ship's speed.
This is the origin of the "knot" as a unit of speed for ships.
One knot is equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, or approximately 1.85 kilometers per hour.
Generally, cumbersome sail-powered battleships averaged only 2 or 3 knots in normal weather, with cruisers being slightly faster.
Only when encountering suitable, steady air currents, with aligned wind speed and direction, and all sails unfurled, could the sailing speed be pushed close to a maximum of 10 knots. However, such conditions were very rare.
Under the current Level Six wind, sailing directly downwind (a following wind), they managed to achieve an unprecedented 7 knots.
That's 13 kilometers per hour, roughly the speed of a bicycle.
Unfortunately, when sailing downwind, the advantage of large square sails was simply too great.
Although their meeting was delayed, after an extremely tense two and a half hours, the Stern Cruiser still managed to close within cannon range.
The sight of the ferocious Level Five Cruiser, its menacing gunports already open, slammed into everyone's vision.
The atmosphere on the pirate ship instantly grew taut.
Many pirates looked towards 'Bloody Eye' Salman, the strongest among them. However, a significant number also instinctively glanced towards... Byron.
Facing a battle against overwhelming odds, they needed a pillar of strength.
Byron stood on the quarterdeck, which offered the best view, feeling the sea breeze ruffle his hair.
Weather Intuition ceaselessly fed him information about the various elements of the sea, giving him a perfect grasp of the imminent Level Seven wind.
Using his past studies of the art of Sailing as a pretext, he quietly said to Captain Salman, "The staysails have bought the Man-Eating Shark half an hour. We only need to hold out for about another half hour to reach a turning point!" He intended for Salman to announce this personally to the crew, to give the pirates hope that they could survive if they fought desperately, thereby greatly boosting morale.
Drawing his longsword, alongside the pirates who were now driven to desperation and had no choice but to stake everything on this fight, he roared, "With me, we are invincible! Engage—!!!"