I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Just as Ji Tian and his group were preparing to eat on the Haique, a naval battle was breaking out about sixty miles south of Baiou Port.

Six pirate ships with dark gray sails, their sails billowing in the wind, were breaking out at full speed to the southeast in a wedge formation.

The lead pirate ship was equipped with the latest "long-barreled cannons," which had a range far exceeding that of ordinary bronze cannons and maintained a relatively stable aiming line even on turbulent seas.

The pirate captain stood on the stern of the ship, holding a monocular telescope, his face ashen as he stared at the approaching gray silhouette on the sea behind him.

"Damn it! Why is he still chasing me?! I've been running for almost half an hour, and I still haven't shaken him off!"

"Boss! That ship behind us is faster than us; they definitely have more wind mages!"

The pirate captain cursed a few more times and kicked the railing of the forecastle hard.

"Fire! Bring out all the cannons and blast them!"

The deck immediately sprang into action. Gunners lifted the gun covers, pushed the cannons to aim at the rear, and loaders stuffed the greased bullets into the breech. Then, mages began to inject fire magic into the rune slots at the stern of the cannon barrel.

Almost simultaneously, a faint runic glow also appeared on the bow of the gray ship behind them.

"fire--!"

The pirate ship opened fire first.

The six long-barreled cannons roared in succession, their muzzles spewing orange-red flashes of light. Solid projectiles, trailing scorching contrails, streaked across the twilight like meteors, hurtling straight toward the gray ship.

Almost simultaneously with the firing of the cannonballs, the gray ship veered off course in a bizarre and illogical manner, listing to starboard.

Most of the shells missed their mark, kicking up columns of water several feet high on the sea surface. Two shells grazed the bow side, and one of them hit the bow deck with precision, sending wood chips flying, but it failed to penetrate the hull.

Before the pirate captain could even show his delight, he heard a rapid whooshing sound coming from afar.

At the bow of the gray ship, a slender cannonball, shimmering with a pale golden light, pierced the twilight and struck precisely at the base of the pirate ship's mainmast.

boom--!

The ship jolted violently, the base of the mainmast broke, and the sail collapsed with the broken mast, crashing onto the deck and burying several sailors under the canvas.

The broken sail ropes lashed through the air, the ship's speed dropped sharply, and the once neat wedge formation instantly fell apart.

"How can they shoot so accurately?!"

On the gray ship, a middle-aged man wearing a dark gray old-fashioned navy overcoat stood at the bow, his eyes fixed intently on the pirate ships ahead. He could accurately see the enemy pirate ships without even needing binoculars!

This person is none other than "Anchor" Warren, one of the Seven Sea Lords.

"Port gun position, second group, aim at the ship on starboard."

His sailors responded, turning their cannons around and the runes lit up again.

The naval battle ended three-quarters of an hour later.

Of the six pirate ships, two had their mainmasts broken, one had its rudder destroyed, and the remaining three surrendered and lowered their pirate flags under successive, precise cannon fire.

Valen's ship pulled alongside the largest pirate ship, and he jumped onto the deck first, glancing at the prisoners crouching on the deck and the looted cargo.

There is nothing to be proud of in defeating these petty pirates.

On the contrary, he was frowning as he examined the cannons around him.

An adjutant strode over and reported to the commander:

"Sir, their artillery is also all new, and there are several boxes of ammunition hidden in the hold that they didn't have time to load, just like the batch we found before."

Valen's brow furrowed even deeper.

He had seen similar artillery before.

About three months ago, when he intercepted a pirate supply ship disguised as a merchant ship, he was caught off guard by a new type of cannon he had never seen before on the bow.

That cannon had a range almost twice that of his ship's cannons, and its accuracy was far beyond what one would expect from something at sea.

If it weren't for the thin fog on the sea that day and the fact that the enemy gunners didn't seem to be very familiar with the guns, it might not have been as simple as just a hole being punched in the side.

Although he had already inquired about the situation with the archbishop and others from nearby islands, the answer he received was that it was under investigation.

"Which arms manufacturer is so unscrupulous? Are they afraid that the low- to mid-level pirates aren't strong enough?"

Could it be that the kingdom is trying to establish a balance of power between pirates and sea lords again?

Is it because three of the four current pirate kings are not ruthless enough, and in comparison, Sea Lord is more powerful?

He stood up, dusted off his hands, and gave the order:

"Distribute the supplies to the villages along the coast as usual. Dismantle these cannons and send them back to the Anchor, then write a report to the kingdom and send it along with these prisoners."

The first mate responded in a low voice, "Yes, sir," and turned to leave.

Valen stood on the deck, watching the twilight sink into the sea and the moon rise, and sighed:

"If this continues, it won't just be a pirate problem anymore."

……

The next morning, the deck of the Sea Sparrow gleamed with a damp sheen in the morning light.

Ji Tian instantly transformed into his Warrior Armor, with the Holy Sword hanging at his waist, instantly becoming a conspicuous bag.

"Let's go."

After saying that, Ji Tian took the lead and stepped onto the dock.

The dockworkers unloading cargo at the pier were the first to notice this man in light silver armor with a holy sword at his waist.

There's no way around it; in this sweltering weather, the fact that you have to wear full armor is impossible to ignore.

Someone dropped a sack from their hand, and it hit the pallet with a dull thud.

"Someone wearing armor in this heat? Wait!... Is that a hero?"

"Look at the sword at his waist, it's the same as the one in the rumors."

"Why has the Hero come to White Gull Harbor?"

News travels at sea is relatively slow, so it's not surprising that news of the arrival of the heroes from Lionfang City hasn't reached here yet.

It must be said that the hero's armor designed by the church is very practical; even in the sweltering summer, wearing this armor does not feel stuffy.

The sheriff himself rushed out upon hearing the news.

He was a robust middle-aged man, his dark blue uniform jacket not yet buttoned up, his belt hanging loosely around his waist, and he walked quickly.

"Brave, Brave One! I was unaware of your arrival at White Gull Harbor, I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly—"

Ji Tian nodded: "It was a last-minute decision to come, no need to make a big fuss."

The sheriff repeatedly agreed, but in his heart he did not think so.

A hero should travel the continent, help a hero travel the continent, eliminate monsters, help the weak, and finally personally slay the demon king or evil dragon, and die surrounded by everyone... How could he possibly go to sea for no reason?

Just as the sheriff was pondering this, a shout rang out from the crowd behind him, filled with doubt and shock, clearly not belonging to the onlookers:

"Are you that guy from yesterday?!"

Ji Tian looked up and saw a burly man with a red face squeezing out from the crowd.

He was doing a quest nearby when he heard that the hero had arrived, so he ran over to see what was going on.

But when he saw the other person's face, he froze.

"You...you were at the Adventurers' Guild yesterday—"

The young man who was dressed in ordinary clothes yesterday, who offered him beer and inquired about recruiting boatmen, is actually the same person as the brave warrior in front of him, who is wearing light silver armor and has a holy sword hanging at his waist.

Ji Tian recognized him, smiled and waved in greeting, and then, led by the sheriff, turned and walked towards the police station.

The burly man stood rooted to the spot, held in place for over ten seconds before he reacted, looking up at Ji Tian's retreating figure and muttering to himself:

"Goodness, I'll have something to brag about now. I can just say that a hero of our time toasted me."