Chapter 72: Become the World's Biggest Landlord!
The bright moon and stars don't illuminate the entire ocean, because while some places are dark night, others are still daytime.
However, this had nothing to do with the East Blue, at least not with a certain area of the East Blue.
In a sea region far from Loguetown, the surroundings were bathed in the light of the bright moon and stars, the sky clear and tranquil. But at the center, there raged a thunderstorm, dark clouds densely covering the area.
*Boom!*
Thunder shattered the darkness, illuminating the sky with a flash of light, even striking the seawater, covering it with a layer of electric sparks.
Near these electric sparks, a black ship appeared on the sea surface. This black ship seemed somewhat different; despite the fierce winds and huge waves, it sailed smoothly through the rough seas, with only some imperceptible swaying.
The Death Omen Star.
First Floor Banquet Hall.
The pirates, dressed in various clothes, excitedly tallied the piles of glittering jewelry and gold in the banquet hall.
One pirate picked up a gold crown inlaid with gemstones and placed it on his head, laughing and showing off to his companions. Other pirates were not to be outdone; one picked up a segment of a gold bracelet and wore it on his wrist, shouting to the crowd, while another grabbed a sharp sword and laughed heartily.
It made the banquet hall appear extremely lively.
And at the head of the banquet hall, upon a set of steps, Sag sat on the throne, looking down at his lively subordinates. His entire body was wrapped in bandages, especially his two arms, which were wrapped circle after circle and even set in plaster casts, resting on the armrests, making him look imposing and bold (大马金刀 idiom: sitting confidently with legs apart).
In front of him was a huge dining table laden with food: steaming roasted pig, cow, and sheep; pots of meat stew and seafood stew; various meats and vegetables coated in flour and fried to a glittering gold; steamed reddish shrimp and crabs; and cut bone-in meat chunks, all spread lavishly across the table.
The ingredients looted from Loguetown were now being put to use.
As for the front of the table, the gentle and kind big-sister Marika scooped up a bowl of meat soup and fed it to Sag's mouth, which he swallowed down like a whale. The served soup was quickly finished.
The next instant, the small, pink-haired, freckled loli Renettia picked up a prepared piece of bone-in meat and fed it to Sag. He opened his mouth and devoured it extremely quickly, not even leaving the bones, chewing them to pieces and swallowing.
The moment he swallowed, the blonde, big-waved princess knight Lily peeled a steamed giant lobster and swiftly stuffed it into Sag's mouth.
The three of them continued in succession, feeding him one after another, non-stop. The food on the table visibly disappeared. Then, the twenty-person chef team selected by Marika from the pirates brought out newly prepared dishes and continued feeding him.
"So much, so much treasure! We're rich!"
Pearl grabbed a handful of gold coins, letting them flow down from his hand, listening to the clattering sound. '$' signs practically appeared in his eyes. He turned around and looked at Sag on the throne.
"Captain Sag! You are truly too great! Please let this humble Pearl also join the ranks of serving your meal!"
Saying this, he rushed towards the dining table.
Sag had just swallowed a plate of fried chicken fed by Lily. Hearing this, he glanced towards Pearl. "Lily."
Lily nodded. "Pearl."
"Eh?"
"Use Tekkai."
*Bang!*
Just as the words fell, Lily flew out with a kick. Her leg lashed out like a whip, fiercely striking Pearl's body, sending him flying directly into a pile of gold and jewelry. The impact scattered the gold coins, like a rain of gold.
The pirates were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"If it's feeding, of course, it has to be beauties! Don't come near, Pearl!" Sag said fiercely.
After boarding the ship, Sag had people start preparing food. Marika didn't even need to do it personally. What he needed now was quantity. If it weren't for the cooks, he would have wanted to gnaw on raw food.
After all, the injuries sustained after fighting Zephyr were too heavy.
Even though he used Haki for protection, his arms were shattered into comminuted fractures because he received that Haki-filled hand-knife strike from Zephyr. His internal organs were displaced, and his limbs were shattered beyond recognition due to the internal destruction Haki.
If he didn't use Life Return again, he feared he would die here from serious injuries without treatment.
That old guy, even with asthma and old age, was still strong like a monster. If it weren't for these two factors, plus a broken arm, he might have really died there.
Unlike that carefree guy Garp, Zephyr was just 'Non-Killing', not someone who would go easy on pirates.
Having no relatives or reason, why would he go easy on him? So sometimes he couldn't understand Garp's way of thinking.
But he acknowledged Garp's favor.
"Sag..."
Lily asked while feeding Sag, "That Black Arm was already on his last legs. Why didn't we kill him? Wouldn't that have been victory?"
"What's so good about that kind of victory? We are pirates, not battle maniacs."
Sag said, "Lily, I like your attitude towards doing things, but your way of doing things, I, Sag, do not approve. Our purpose is robbery, not seeking revenge on someone. That old thing has no grudge against me. He is a Marine, I am a pirate, and then a battle broke out, it's that simple... However, thank you guys."
It wasn't thanks for their help, but thanks for stopping their fight at the final critical moment.
At that time, Sag couldn't manage much anymore. If it weren't for these three people, especially Lily's final intervention, he feared he would have fought Zephyr to the death.
Most likely, Zephyr would live, and he would die there.
Lily nodded thoughtfully, seeming to understand something.
"Ara, but it was very dangerous."
Marika said while feeding him, "That Black Arm is very strong. This time was too dangerous. The Natural Disaster Pirates almost disbanded. Should we consider things more carefully next time?"
"Aren't I still alive and well!"
Sag grinned. "And my plan was completed orderly, without mistakes. Dangerous or not, what line of work isn't dangerous!"
Renettia poured a large cup of thick sauce onto a roasted whole sheep, tore off a large piece of sheep leg, fed it to Sag, and said, "Sag, you are a conqueror! The man who will ascend to the apex of the sea in the future! That kind of disabled, coughing old man will die sooner or later!"
Sag rolled his eyes. "That disabled, coughing old man you mentioned almost beat me to death. And, even if I don't ascend to the apex, Zephyr will still die. Of old age!"
In another thirty years, maybe Zephyr would turn to ash, while he would still be alive and kicking.
The chef team served dishes quickly. It was mostly simple cooking. Sag didn't even care about the taste, as long as it was cooked. However, this chef team recruited by Marika clearly had some talent. The food tasted okay. Ten consecutive tables of rich food were quickly cleared away under the rapid feeding of the three women.
At this point, Sag suddenly extended his plastered hand, signaling the chefs to stop serving.
The several hundred pirates in the banquet hall all looked at Sag, whose arm could now move.
He extended his right hand, picked up the wooden wine cup placed on the dining table, swallowed several times, and drank the rum inside completely.
*Bang!*
He slammed the wine cup heavily on the table. At the same time, the bandages wrapped around his body made a tearing sound, disintegrating along with the bandages on his hands at this moment.
On his body, a transpiring white airflow burst out, surrounding him, rapidly restoring the minor injuries on his body surface, as if he had never been injured.
"Okay?" Lily asked.
"Still far from it, but I can move. A few more meals will be fine." Sag moved his body a bit, letting out a soothing sound.
Ten meals, enough for at least a hundred people each, allowed his injuries to recover by more than half. The injuries he received this time were indeed very heavy.
But it didn't matter. His Life Return didn't have that many limitations. As long as he ate, it was enough!
No matter what kind of injury, as long as he could replenish energy in time, he was confident he could recover as before, and even become stronger!
He sat back on the throne, one leg propped on the armrest, one hand supporting his chin, and said to those below, "Gin."
"Captain Sag."
Gin, who had already finished tallying, arrived below the steps at this time and reported, "The statistics are out. This time we robbed, besides the gold nuggets piled here, we robbed 250 million Beli in cash from Loguetown, plus the 1 billion Beli payment for the goods. The low-purity gold in your treasure vault was also included as goods."
The gold and jewels in Sag's treasure vault were still worth some money, but he had just robbed a big haul and somewhat looked down on those collectibles. It was better to use them as payment for the goods, lest there wasn't enough time to rob one billion Beli.
Keeping promises, he was serious. If he said one billion, it was one billion. As for valuation, the black market merchants were doing it.
Besides these, of course, there were also supplies filling the warehouse, such as weapons, medicine, food, etc., as well as the clothes and weapons the pirates had conveniently robbed. These were not included in this tally.
What needed to be tallied now were the banknotes, gold, and jewels in the banquet hall.
"Very good!"
Sag swept his eyes over the gold and jewels in the banquet hall. "Pour out all the money."
The pirates opened the ten large leather suitcases, pouring out all the stacked bundles of Beli, mixing them with the robbed Beli, like a small dirt mound.
A pile of one billion Beli looked like a lot.
Three hundred million Beli could cover the large dining table in front of Sag. If it were a smaller reception table, it would probably pile up. And this money piled on the ground was naturally very spectacular.
"The fifty million odd amount is rewarded to you. Take six hundred million and put it in my treasure vault. As for these gold and jewels, pick out half for me. Put the good-looking ones on my second floor. Renetti, later make a display room for the second floor room, I want to collect them. Send the others to the treasure vault. As for the rest…"
Sag scanned the pirates present, the corners of his mouth gradually baring his chilling white teeth. "It's all yours!!"
"Oooooh!!!"
Extremely strong cheers erupted from the banquet hall. Several hundred pirates cheered in unison, the sound waves passing through the Black Ship, slightly muffling the noisy storm outside.
Even Lily showed a trace of a smile. Although she didn't care much about money, under Sag's influence, dividing the spoils was quite fun.
With a 5% share, from the remaining 650 million, she could also get over 30 million, which was higher than her own bounty.
As for the remaining pirates, after the cadres finished dividing, there were probably 500 million Beli left. Divided among more than six hundred people, each person could get around 800,000 Beli.
It certainly couldn't compare to the cadres, but this price wasn't low either. And their numbers were large. Gathering together in Loguetown meant risk-free robbery.
Plus the gold divided down, and the things they themselves robbed in Loguetown, converted to value, was at least two million!
Spending only half a day robbing a town, they had essentially struck it rich, so naturally, they were very happy.
Sag stood up, spread his hands, and laughed out loud, "Marika, get things lively! And the chef team, prepare the feast food! Ho-hahahaha! Men, let's have a party!!"
"Long live the Captain!!" The pirates continued to cheer.
"Cooking for such a big-eating captain is a very happy thing."
Marika smiled gently, led the chef team to the kitchen, while the pirates began to divide the spoils. Those who should move moved, those who should take took. Before long, the spoils in the banquet hall were cleared away. At the same time, Marika brought the chef team serving food and wine, and the banquet hall became lively.
For the arrangement, Pearl took the lead, leading his newly formed 'Battle Pearl Squad' to quickly arrange the tables and chairs. Once the pirates were seated, the carnival began.
The gloomy storm couldn't stop the lights and noise of the Death Omen Star at all. Letting the storm weave rainwater down, thunder roar and lightning strike the ocean, intersecting together to form the sea's symphony, following the ship's voyage, gradually reaching its peak.
Until four hours later, the liveliness in the banquet hall gradually stopped.
"Tsk, a bunch of useless drinkers, Ho-hahahaha!"
Looking at the pirates lying scattered on the ground, Sag finished the wine in his cup, extended the cup forward, "Lily, pour another cup!"
Lily picked up the exquisitely decorated wine bottle, poured Sag a cup of mellow fragrant wine, glanced out the window, and said, "Sag, we're almost there."
Outside the window, a huge island could be seen, and on a cliff of the island, there was a lighthouse, shining light in a certain direction.
"Guiding Light."
Lily said, "Follow the direction of the light, and we can reach the entrance of the Grand Line. Sag, are we entering the Grand Line now?"
Renettia, whose small hands were oily from eating, and Marika, who was slowly eating a meat steak, both looked up at Sag.
Gin, who had been drunk and lying on the ground, slowly got up. Although his face was still flushed, his eyes were incomparably clear and firm, and filled with expectation.
"Hmph, if we don't go now, are we waiting for HQ to find time to come to the East Blue to catch me? Loguetown is not a small town. If we attract attention here, it's hard to say who will come next!"
Sag showed a fierce grin. "Gin, wake up this group of drunkards! Raise the sails, start the power! We're heading for the Grand Line!"
"Yes, Captain Sag!"
Gin's eyes opened wide, his fist clenched tightly. "This time, we will definitely conquer this sea route!"
Last time with the Krieg Pirates, they failed.
But this time was different. They would definitely enter the Grand Line and sail on!
"Looking forward to your performance, Ho-hahahaha!"
Sag stood up, walked out of the banquet hall, and stood on the deck.
The storm still hadn't stopped. Rainwater hit his body, and the fierce wind blew his fur cloak, making it flap loudly.
Behind him, the three women also followed, coming with Sag to the bow deck, watching the ship sail on the wavy sea surface.
The subordinates got up, came to the deck to unfurl the canvas or went to the power room to control the power. The ship's speed increased. Before long, they saw the huge continent stretching between heaven and earth, almost too high to see the top. (Red Line)
And directly in front of the ship, there was a huge gate. Around the gate were extremely rapid sea currents, forming whirlpools, appearing even more violent under the storm, seeming to want to draw everything in. (Reverse Mountain Entrance)
And where the gate extended upwards, those rapid sea currents also finally converged there, flowing upstream along the gate, all the way to the peak. (Reverse Mountain mechanics)
"Ara, it really is dangerous."
Marika gently stroked her cheek. "Is this Reverse Mountain?"
Lily said solemnly, "Be careful. Once the course deviates slightly, we will crash into the Red Line along the current. At that speed, even the ship Renetti built cannot resist."
"Don't worry!"
Renettia patted her small chest. "The biggest function of the ship I made is to resist this kind of current and big waves. No sea wave can overturn it!"
With that, she looked at the increasingly close entrance, took a deep breath, and shouted:
"I want to build ships that allow everyone in the world to sail safely!!"
Lily was stunned. "What are you doing?"
"Eh? Don't you know? It's tradition! My master said that everyone must shout out their dream when entering the Grand Line! Because the sea route is great, the dream shouted out must also be very great!" Renettia said matter-of-factly.
"Ara, that's really nice."
Marika smiled and also faced the entrance. Her gentle smiling face didn't change, but the voice that came out had a firmness that even the storm couldn't cover.
"I want to make the ultimate cuisine that can feed everyone in the world!"
Lily gripped the gem hilt at her waist tightly, closing her eyes slightly.
In her mind, she recalled the Oykot Kingdom, those who couldn't pay taxes and became bandits; the town that was robbed, yet the mayor still lived in luxury with great wealth; and Sag…
When Sag landed in the kingdom, he killed Ennio, causing the oppressed people in the royal city to go to sea. When landing in the town, he robbed the mayor, while the civilians didn't block him. And when entering the Deep Forest Kingdom, those residents who deliberately avoided him, yet carried that tiny hope…
Lily opened her eyes and shouted towards the entrance with incomparable solemnity: "I want to make it so that people all over the world are never oppressed again!!"
"If there must be one person to oppress, Sag, I hope it's you! You don't rob the poor! Right, Sag!" Lily looked at Sag.
"Captain." Marika smiled.
"Captain?" Renettia tilted her head.
Sag, whose back was facing them, only showing his upright posture and fluttering fur cloak, twitched the corner of his mouth at this moment.
*Always talking about the 'whole world'. Doesn't that make me look dull…*
*Your dreams are so big, do you really not need a plan?*
The first thing he wanted to complete was becoming a landlord. The things after that also needed a plan.
*The dreams of pirates, they really are…*
Sag extended his hand. Rainwater fell into his palm, and he clenched it tightly, squeezing the rainwater away.
"Then let's become the world's biggest landlord!!"
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