"Board them! They must become shark food!"

They were bathing and playing in the tub. Davide had chosen the great Dutch galleon: he manoeuvered the vessel in a flank attack on the Malay junk.

"Counter-attack batteries, aim for the mast!"

Stefano moved his soldiers, avoiding the fallen, crowding the survivors around the cannons. In adventure books, this was a manoeuvre that always worked.

"Board them! They must become shark food!"

The Malay captain heard the order coming from the galleon: a cold shiver ran through his spine when he realized they were so close. Things were looking bad; they had been slow, and he had lost already too many men.

"Counter-attack batteries, aim for the mast!" He barked the order as the galleon pulled alongside. The attack had begun, but his men were well trained: they loaded the cannons with balls linked by chains.

The shot drowned out all other noise.

Davide pushed the galleon against the junk, blocking it with the grappling hooks.

He gathered handfuls of his pirates: they had blindfolds over their eyes, hooks for hands. All were armed with scimitars.

In short, the other ship's deck was filled with his Legos.

“Hey, you’re done with your shift, now it’s my turn.” Stefano smiled smartly at him, as if he knew something secret.

He simulated a blast with his mouth, sending cannonballs flying towards the galleon.

The chained balls killed enemies, a pair hitting the mainmast, stopping dead in the wood.

Meanwhile, the pirates attacked the outnumbered Malays. They defended themselves as best they could, trying to contain the attackers in the centre of the bridge.

The captain waited for the right moment, then tapped the deck three times with his boot.

An eerie creak filled the air.

Stefano grabbed the mainmast at the base with two fingers. He made a strange noise, detaching it from the galleon and letting it fall slowly into the water of the tub.

«Now it's up to me, don't cheat.»

"No, Davide, it's still my turn. The cannons have fired, and I still have one action."

Stefano said this proudly, splashing his foot in the water three times.

He opened a trapdoor on the junk's deck, letting out at least twenty toy soldiers.

The Dutch were petrified as they watched their mainmast break away from its base and fall into the sea, held back only by the spread sails.

Distracted, they were suddenly hit by a group of armed devils who had emerged from a hidden trapdoor.

The battle was brief and bloody: only one of the European officers survived. He raised his hands, but the Malays killed him on the spot.

Davide was shocked; he hadn't expected the trap, nor the loss of such a powerful ship. Only one of his Legos was left standing, but he threw it to the ground himself.

"Ugh, you won again." Mom was calling them. "Just a minute, we're coming!"

He got out of the water to dry himself.

"Yes, I did it!" Stefano laughed. "But I'm bored of these pirates. After the snack, let's play Star Wars, okay?"