p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"One day, we came across a ship that appeared to be a harmless merchant vessel. Without warning, the ship opened cannon fire on the Pearl. Before we were able to return fire, the pirates were on our ship, forcing us to engage in battle. One man, twice my size, came at me, presuming I would be an easy target for him. What he didn't know is that I had been practicing with a sword since I was very young. Mother had started teaching me, even before Father had returned. I was the better fighter but he was able to overpower me with his size, forcing me to the deck. The next moment, I felt the sharp steel of his blade slicing across my stomach. Another swing of his sword sent searing pain across my forehead, just above my left eye. Covering my face to protect it against any more blows, I did not see that my father was attacking my assailant. After what seemed like an eternity of lying on the deck, the pirates retreated to their ship, sailing away before we could ready the cannons. After our attackers were out of range, Mother and Father ran to my side, checking the severity of my wounds. I seemed to be the only one concerned that my crow's nest had been damaged by the cannons./p
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