~Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap~~

Killian began his ascent while regulating his breathing and staying one with all the forces around him.

He strategically used his sharp weapon to pierce the wood at intervals that coincided with the high pitches around him.

Landon had given him full authority to lead a few others and get aboard the 6th pirate vessel.

From his observation and estimation, there should be at least 400 pirates tightly settling themselves down in the first 2 floors below deck.

One shouldn't think that pirates lived luxurious lives out in the open.

If anything, 30~40 of them were made to squeeze into a single cabin and sleep.

Some hung swinging beds on the wooden frames, while others picked out positions on the floor to sleep on. 

Some slept while seated up, while others even chose to sleep in the broom or cleaning space on the deck area.

Of course, some also slept along the stairs too.

The good thing was that these ships were so long in width. 

So it didn't feel all that claustrophobic to the pirates.

.

Again, the estimate is that there were about 400 sleeping and occupying the first 2 floors below deck.

But as for the last 2 floors, it would mostly be occupied by the captured slaves that were even more tightly packed than the pirates.

But even at that, there should still be about 10 or so pirates constantly keeping an eye on them there.

Again, these weren't all the floors on this ship.

There was a last floor below deck (the 5th floor) that had rowing slaves in them.

These Rowers were those who got kidnapped by the pirates, taken to the island for training but ended up having the worst results ever.

So since they were deemed as trash, they were only used as Rowers.

Many had been rowing for these pirate crews for 10~15 years now.

Every 5 years, rowers would get a chance to get on the island and re-enter the selection again.

And if they fight or impress any top pirates, they could throw away their fates as Rowers.

On the other hand, if they lose, then too bad.

They would have to wait for another 5 years to once again attempt getting out of the dilemma.

So the Rowers were a mix of New and Old captives.

.

Killian and many Baymardians knew this because of their many pirate crew encounters, like when they captured Whitebeard.

In short, if these pirates weren't carrying any slaves, this pirate ship alone should've been able to take a thousand pirates aboard.

And this was just a standard-size pirate ship.

The grander ones that had more floors below and above the deck were even longer than these ones and could pack close to 2,000 pirates aboard like sardines.

The only spacious regions on the ship were the deck itself, the cabins/rooms on the deck floor... and the elevated cabins above the deck floor on both extreme ends of the ships, as well as the viewing region (where the steering wheel should've been) above these cabin spaces.

The spacious cabins were for those in power, as well as the healers/ pirate doctors too.

And one shouldn't forget the storage cabins at the deck level too.

Apart from these, many pirates typically chose to sleep outside on the deck, facing the sky.

Some also slept up on the sails too.

Pirates really had it hard.

But for some reason, all this added to the fun and adventures they faced day in and day out.

No two days were ever the same.

.

After analyzing things deeply, Killian stealthily made his way up the deck.

There should be at most 60~80 people on deck buying about on this dark night.

So he and his team of 20 have to work fast.

His majesty was right.

They were truly outnumbered here.

Swish!~

Like a spider, he and his men shattered out, each having their own purposes and duties.

Killian swiftly moved towards the outer walls of one of the luxurious cabins above the deck.

He placed his ears against the walls briefly but couldn't hear a single sound.

No one was in!

This analogy did make sense since it looked like the big bosses had taken Josh away earlier on.

He quickly moved towards one side of the wooden window frame while another Shaolin moved towards the other side.

Looking at the hinges on the window, Killin nodded at his teammate before taking out his Fan.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!~

The wooden parts holding the hinges of the window had been cleanly sliced off.

Now, the hinges were no longer attached to the window.

He had also broken a greater fraction of the window off since there should be a bolt on the other side.

Brrr~

The duo quickly gripped the slashed-off window part and pulled it out.

Good. They now had an opening into the room.

Killian quickly entered the room while his comrade followed behind and was busy placing the broken door part back, making it look like they had never infiltrated into the cabin at all.

.

~Pap.

After the window was once again sealed, the room once again fell into darkness.

But just when they were about to wear their night vision goggles, Killian felt an impending danger gearing towards them.

No! They weren't alone!

Swish! Swish!!!~

Tang~~

The sounds of daggers sprinting and vibrating back and forth the wall behind them echoed across the darkroom.

Killian, who had swiftly rolled away, dared not dilly dally with the matter because these hidden guards were like bats that could pick up sound in a heartbeat.

Killian rolled while wearing his goggles.

And as he moved, the floor creaked, and the hidden guards made their move.

Creak!!~~

Thup! Thup! Thup!~~

Daggers and several darts were shot into the ground like crazy, wherever Killian and his contact went.

Of course, they too weren't pushover's.

So without wasting time or even wearing their goggles yet, they had perfectly guessed the location of these hidden guards.

Alright. It was time to show these assassins what Shaolins could do.