Chapter 19: Others Get Rich, I Take the Blame?
There were plenty of supplies on the warship, including medical supplies, which were just what they needed to bandage the injured pirates.
Lily, as the navigator, was temporarily in charge of logistics, and she had already taken stock.
Inside the captain's quarters, Lily, Gin, and Pearl were standing there. Lily sorted through the supplies she had counted and said, "Based on the supplies on the warship, we can sail for about another week."
The 23rd Branch wasn't far from Compass Town, so they hadn't used up many supplies, which benefited Sag.
"A week, huh..."
Sag nodded and looked at Gin. "Are there any other towns like Compass Town nearby?"
He wasn't giving up.
Since he had encountered one economically prosperous town, his next target should naturally be of equal value.
"There are."
Gin said, "Ward Town and Maniello Town. One is a major timber town, and the other has abundant mineral resources. Both are large towns, no less than Compass Town."
Lily spread out the map and found the locations of the two towns. "One is to the east and the other to the north. Ward Town is the closest. We can reach it by tomorrow morning."
"Good! Let's go to Ward Town first!"
Sag stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, took another sip of wine, got up, and went outside.
On the deck, some pirates were painting the sails black, while the rest were resting, chatting occasionally.
"Lads!"
Sag clenched his fist and shouted loudly, making all the pirates look at him.
"One setback doesn't matter. At the next town, we'll be able to get money. Everyone, cheer up! We will definitely achieve our goals. Now... let's have a party!"
"Oooooh!!" The pirates shouted loudly.
No money? Then they had to get enough benefits.
Use half of the supplies to have a party to maintain the pirates' morale.
Anyway, they could reach the next town tomorrow, so there was no need to be frugal. If worst came to worst, they could replenish some supplies along the way.
The pirates brought the supplies from the cabin. Those with some culinary skills went to the galley to get busy. Barrels of rum were brought out, and whether injured or not, they took wooden cups and started drinking.
Pirates, naturally, didn't have strict management. Making noise, shouting, their lives were either spent robbing or on the way to rob. This was the daily life of most pirates.
Sag looked at the lively scene below, the corner of his mouth curled up. He thought of something, turned to Lily, and repeated, "You can't drink, okay? Juice is fine."
Although Lily had no intention of joining in, Sag's repeated reminders made her retort, "I'm sixteen."
"So what if you're sixteen? Sixteen is only high... Oh."
Sag was stunned for a moment, then realized. "Sixteen, huh? You're an adult."
The standard for adulthood was different in this world: eighteen for men, sixteen for women. So, in theory, Lily was an adult.
But Sag still felt awkward. He thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, don't drink too much."
Lily shook her head. "Rather than attending a party, I prefer to organize the nautical charts."
There were quite a few nautical charts on the warship, including a large map of the East Blue. As long as they compared them, they wouldn't get lost.
Remembering all the nautical charts in her mind, and being able to make decisions in unexpected situations, that was the navigator's responsibility.
...
Boom!
Boom boom!
On the sea, three warships were chasing a black-sailed warship, continuously firing cannonballs, hitting the water near the black-sailed warship, creating large splashes of water and causing the warship to shake violently.
Whoosh!
Bang!!
A cannonball flew straight towards the hull. Pearl, standing at the stern, caught it with his round shield. The cannonball exploded on the shield, the violent impact making him stagger and fall, but he quickly stood up and laughed at the pursuing warships:
"Cannons are useless against me! I am the invincible Iron Wall Pearl!"
He really could withstand cannons.
"Turn ninety degrees to the left! That's where the wind is strongest!"
Lily shouted loudly on the deck, then ran to the rear of the deck, towards Sag, who was observing the warships. "Sag, our sailing speeds are the same. We can't shake them off."
Sag, watching the cannonballs fired again, stepped on the air, kicked a cannonball back, and it exploded on the mast of a warship, igniting a fire.
"Rankyaku!"
Two pale blue slashes flew rapidly towards the other two warships, cutting off their masts and forcing them to stop.
This action also aroused cheers from the pirates.
Captain Sag was indeed the strongest!
Sag landed on the deck, expressionless, his mood very calm.
It was okay. It was just bad luck. He was used to it.
Compared to other unsuccessful endeavors, he had at least changed to a warship as a pirate, and had food and drink. It was already very good.
Getting rich was only a matter of time.
They arrived at Ward Town the next day. Sag woke up early in the morning, thinking about robbing it. Whether it was gold, jewels, or Berries, he wanted to see money first. Then... unsurprisingly, something unexpected happened.
The town had also been destroyed!
The traces of destruction were the same as in Compass Town, half of it was gone.
Ward Town was a town that produced a lot of timber. Although there were many islands with forests at sea, the wood of this town was still very famous. Their wood was not easily infested with insects, and if it was treated with a special method, it could be guaranteed not to rot for a long time.
Most of the shipbuilding industry in the East Blue needed their wood. There was also a treasure tree, which took thirty years to grow into a single tree. This tree would never be infested with insects, and it was much stronger than other trees.
Such a treasure tree, once it matured, would naturally be sought after by all the shipbuilders in the East Blue. But it was stolen.
Facing the devastated town, Sag was resigned to his fate. He had no desire to rob it. He ordered his men to take some supplies. But not long after they left, they were chased by warships.
The reason why the warships were chasing them relentlessly was simple: the pirates who robbed the town, like them, only had black sails painted on, with no iconic pirate flag.
Sag didn't have a pirate flag because he hadn't thought of one yet. But what were the robbers doing without a pirate flag?
The Marines thought they were the ones who robbed Ward Town, and they kept chasing them relentlessly.
That was the scene from earlier.
Sag returned to the captain's quarters and said to Lily, who had arrived, "How long until Maniello Town?"
"Two days," Lily said. "Why don't we change locations? Get out of the 23rd Branch's jurisdiction."
"There's one more town! I don't believe it!"
Sag said stubbornly, "It can't be that I can't rob anything!"
He still had Maniello Town.
Three major economic towns, could he not rob a single penny?
As long as he didn't give up, he would always be able to rob some money!
Prosperous towns were either natural harbors with a lot of trade, or they had good specialties.
Compass produced canvas, Ward Town produced timber, and Maniello Town had abundant mineral resources. Ship bolts, hinges, cannon materials, and other accessories all needed raw materials from this town.
When Sag arrived, this town...
It was not beyond Sag's expectations. It had also been destroyed.
Maniello Town had a piece of treasure iron. The materials made from it were durable, wear-resistant, and had excellent toughness. If it was used to make cannons, they wouldn't explode.
So, the same ship with black sails, the same black-robed man, destroyed the town and stole the treasure iron.
And this time... Sag was chased by five warships.
"Black-sailed pirates! Surrender immediately, or we will sink you!"
A voice amplified by a loudspeaker from the pursuing warships reached the black-sailed warship.
"Rankyaku!!"
Immediately after, a large number of pale blue slashes burst out from the black-sailed warship, cutting off the masts of the warships. One of the warships was even cut with a huge gash and immediately sank halfway into the sea.
This time, Sag's face was terribly gloomy.
"Damn it!"
Sag gritted his teeth. "They rob the money, and I take the blame? There's no such thing! Even if the King made me take the blame, he'd have to die! I'm not robbing anymore. Find out who they are!"
It didn't matter if the Marines chased him. It was natural for pirates to be chased. The key was that he hadn't robbed anything, just gotten some supplies. To be continuously chased by warships like this was really not worth it.
Sag was suffocating.
He had to find out who they were, or he wouldn't be able to swallow this anger!