When disaster struck, I became a big shot surviving in the ocean.

The thick scent of blood mingled with the smell of gunpowder assaulted Chen Qing's senses as the sea breeze hit her. In an instant, Chen Qing understood the pirates' intent.

The moment she had taken in the child, Chen Qing had been prepared for the trouble that might follow.

So, when she saw the pirate ship, Chen Qing did not panic; instead, she felt a strange calmness.

She immediately commanded the Mechanical Ants in the workshop to cease their parts repair work.

The Mechanical Ants, classified as Deep Blue quality, were capable of much more than fixing parts—they could easily repair the ship as well.

Chen Qing believed that the opposing pirate ship must have cannons; how much ammunition they had, she did not know, but she needed to take extra precautions.

Her ship wouldn't withstand several cannon strikes.

Fitting the Mechanical Arm onto her hand, Chen Qing glanced toward the kitchen, opened her personal panel, and allocated all her current points to her Body.

A warm current suddenly flowed through her limbs, a sensation that wasn't intense but quite comfortable.

Armed with a Dagger and other weapons purchased from survivors, Chen Qing silently dived into the water without looking back.

The gentle sea breeze was blowing, but as soon as Chen Qing entered the water, she felt the bone-chilling cold; it was as if the seawater was trying to freeze her into an ice block.

The opposing pirate ship had cannons, and Chen Qing's ship lacked long-range weapons; in a confrontation, she'd have no ability to retaliate.

Indeed, the current predicament was a miscalculation on Chen Qing's part; she had not anticipated encountering the natives so soon.

Nor had she expected to come across an entire ship of pirates with heavy weaponry.

Whether she aimed to kill the pirates aboard or had some other plan, it was best for Chen Qing to board their ship.

This way, even if her ship were overturned, she wouldn't be affected.

The chances were that the other party was neither friend nor ally.

Her thinking was absolutely right; just seconds after Chen Qing had submerged, the triangle sail was struck by cannon fire.

With a resounding boom, columns of water several meters high erupted from the sea, and the triangle sail was also caught in the blast.

Hiding underwater, Chen Qing had already swum far away. Listening to the noise and frequency from above, she came to a conclusion.

The pirates aboard that ship couldn't be too strong, and there likely weren't many of them.

Chen Qing... should be able to handle them.

The Black Saber Pirate Ship raced towards the direction of the triangle sail, while Chen Qing was swiftly closing in on them.

Soon, Chen Qing, submerged in the water, spotted the pirate ship above the surface.

The scale of the pirate ship was twice that of Chen Qing's triangle sail, showing many signs of recent battle damage.

Chen Qing drew the Dagger from her waist and fiercely stabbed it into the edge of the pirate ship's hull.

Whether it was her overwhelming strength or the ship's fragility, the Dagger plunged in with surprising ease.

Chen Qing quietly poked her head out, and the pirates above had not yet discovered her presence. They had underestimated her.

"Boss, is that little brat on that ship?"

The pirates' conversation drifted faintly to Chen Qing's ears; they indeed were after the child.

"Even if he's not, we can still replenish some supplies."

"Damn it, a slave is actually worth thirty thousand goldfish."

"After this haul, we can go have some fun at Dancing Lady Island again."

The pirates' voices sounded somewhat dry and hoarse, likely from not drinking fresh water for an extended period.

Their subsequent chatter only confirmed Chen Qing's suspicions.

"Damn it, the people on that last ship were too poor; they hardly had any water."

The pirate spat viciously, his tone filled with disgust.

Taking advantage of the cannon's roar, Chen Qing stealthily climbed the stern of the pirate ship using her dagger.

Her body, enhanced by Extraordinary Points, proved even stronger than she had imagined, easily boarding the ship without alerting anyone.

Despite yesterday's downpour, these pirates still appeared to be desperately lacking fresh water. Why was that?

All of the pirates were gathered on deck, and as soon as Chen Qing climbed aboard, she smelled a strong scent of blood.

The entire ship bore signs of battle, with large patches of unwashed blood remaining on the deck, some of which clearly looked fresher than the rest.

Mixed with the scent of fermenting odors was the smell of gunpowder from the bronze cannons, indescribable to Chen Qing.

But that wasn't what she focused on. Her attention was entirely on the pirates on deck.

Hidden on the elevated aft, she could observe these pirates from above.

The large pirate ship was left with less than ten pirates, surrounded by unidentifiable chunks of flesh on the central deck.

The pirates were ragged but muscular, each eating bloody chunks of flesh with fierce expressions.

Chen Qing withdrew her gaze. Although she hadn't made formal contact, she was able to judge these pirates' strengths and weaknesses at a glance.

The most dangerous-looking pirate was the man being fawned upon in the center, exuding a cold, ruthless aura.

Next was the boy with the mechanical prosthetic, a sinister smile on his face.

Finally, there was the hunchbacked old man with white hair. Despite his age, he felt stronger to Chen Qing than the younger, stronger men.

But Chen Qing knew it was the white-haired old man who was the most dangerous.

And, without exception, all these few pirates bore serious injuries.

The situation was favorable for Chen Qing.

After assessing the strength of both sides, Chen Qing quickly planned the order and route of her attack as the pirate ship neared the triangle sail.

These men would certainly board her ship to search for supplies, their strength thinned.

Take out the small fry first, then the boss.

A cold light flashed in Chen Qing's eyes. These pirates were formidable in strength, but she deemed them to be mid-to-lower-tier within the pirate hierarchy.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so excited for thirty thousand goldfish.

In the world of the Endless Sea, the most common currencies are copper coins, Silver Crab, and goldfish.

Thirty thousand goldfish might seem like a lot, but divided among these pirates, each would get hardly any—yet the underlings were still excited about it.

These pirates, she should be able to handle.

Chen Qing slowed her breathing. The first battle in a new world with humankind, she hadn't expected to face nine pirates all at once.

"Bang—"

The pirate ship made contact with the triangle sail, with the pirates leaping onto the Dancing Lady even before the vessel had steadied, starved for water and proper food for too long.

"Captain! I've found that little wretch!!"

The first pirate to rush into the galley shouted excitedly.

The man known as Captain, accompanied by the white-haired old man, boarded the Dancing Lady at a leisurely pace.

Only three pirates remained on the pirate ship—two underlings and the boy with the mechanical prosthetic.

With just one glance, Chen Qing knew how to dismantle his mechanical arm.

The quality of the mechanical arm was not good, reflecting the poor economic state of the pirate ship.

Chen Qing gripped the dagger in her hand tight—she had only one chance!