https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-118-Now-It-s-My-Turn-to-Look-Down-on-You-/12610821/
Chapter 117: Off to the New World! (4k)
Chapter 117: Off to the New World! (4k)
In the depths of night, moonlight bathed Mock Town in a silvery glow.
Not long after Sag left, Teach struggled to his feet from the tavern floor, rubbing his head and chuckling, "Har har har, what a troublesome foe, but fortunately, he's become an ally!"
As he stood up, the three figures lying on the table also rose.
The helmsman, 'Champion' Jesus Burgess.
The sniper, 'Tone Surpasser' Van Augur.
The ship's doctor, 'Death God' Doc Q.
"Wahahaha, Captain, that natural disaster sure can hold his liquor, and he seems pretty strong too. If we'd captured him, your plan would've surely succeeded." Burgess flexed his muscular arms as he laughed.
"There was no other way, my friends. I, your captain, truly couldn't defeat him. That kind of aura, even the perception of it, is incredibly powerful!"
Teach pointed at him, his mouth agape, revealing several missing teeth, "But, as an ally, he'll be a formidable force. When we advance into the New World, we'll definitely be able to help each other! After all, our goals are the same, har har har!"
Van Augur nodded slightly, expressing his agreement, "It's all fate's doing."
"A gift from fate, everything has already been marked with value," Doc Q added, his voice quivering.
He made his way to the tavern door, and at some point, two wanted posters had appeared there, with a news bird flying past in the sky above Mock Town.
"Captain, we've found new targets," he said, picking up the wanted posters and holding them out to Teach.
On them were two familiar faces—the straw hat boy and the green-haired youth they had seen in the tavern earlier that day.
Monkey D. Luffy, bounty of one hundred million berries.
Roronoa Zoro, bounty of sixty million berries.
"That brat," Teach said, his eyes widening as he laughed upon seeing the wanted posters, "I knew that aura wasn't just thirty million, it's one hundred million! Aside from Sag in this town of Mock, there's only this 'one hundred million' head that's worth my time to hunt, har har har, if I succeed, I'll make a name for myself across the seas!"
Ever since he'd seen Luffy in the tavern that morning, he hadn't believed his bounty was just thirty million, which was why he'd called him a liar.
One hundred million—a nice round number.
"Captain, that bounty won't be easy to claim, will it? You chatted with Sag for so long, and we learned from him that one of the Straw Hat Captain's crew is his sister," Van Augur remarked nonchalantly.
"Sag wouldn't care about something like that!" Teach waved his hand dismissively.
"That guy's just like me; he believes that once you set out to sea, life and death are in the hands of the ocean. Besides, I only want the Straw Hat's head; the rest can be spared, including his sister, har har har, what a coincidence, another one from Ohara?"
"Are we going to capture him?" Van Augur's eyes narrowed.
"No! I don't want to offend that guy, let's just leave it at that. As long as we get the Straw Hat's head, that's enough!" Teach declared.
He strode over, grabbing the two wanted posters from Doc Q's hands, and laughed loudly as he made his way down the street.
The three men followed closely behind Teach.
"Wahahaha, it's finally time to hunt!" Burgess roared with laughter.
"But, Captain," Van Augur began, hoisting his firearm onto his shoulder, "Didn't we agree to wait for Laffitte in this town?"
"That's unlike you, Augur. Even if we miss him, we'll eventually cross paths again, just like you said," Teach replied with a smile.
Doc Q continued, "On these vast seas, if we're willing, fate will guide people to meet, cough cough, it often serves to measure the value of one's existence."
"Har har har, that's right, let's go!" Teach threw his head back and laughed heartily.
On the street, the four men, each standing over three meters tall, strode with long strides toward the port.
In a villa not far from this street, Reit stood atop a roof, twisting the wind-shielding glasses she wore and glancing at the street below before calling out, "They seem to have left, Sag."
In the late hours of the night, Sag sat by the coast, holding a fishing rod as he waited patiently for a bite. Upon hearing Reit's words, a faint smile tugged at his lips, "He's truly an impatient one."
Lili stood by his side, holding the two wanted posters in her hands as she asked, "Sag, they're probably going after Straw Hat now. Are you really okay with this? What about your sister?"
"The life and death of those who set sail are left to the sea," Sag replied, his gaze fixed on the silvery ocean before him.
"There's no need to pay it any mind. Let's just focus on accomplishing our plan, Lili. Go and get two buckets of bait; this time, we'll definitely catch a big one! Night fishing means no small fry getting in the way!"
Lili: "..."
Was it possible that the reason they couldn't catch any fish had nothing to do with the weather or the season...
...
The fourth day.
Meals continued to be eaten, and dances continued to be danced, but Mock Town had lost its former tranquility.
The moon still shone in the night sky, but the silvery radiance that bathed the town was now accompanied by the sounds of fighting and killing.
On the streets, brawls and skirmishes broke out as pirates sought to knock each other down, especially those who had joined the Natural Disaster pirate crew.
The entire town was filled with the sounds of slaughter, the streets littered with scarred-down pirates, while those still standing wore looks of contempt.
"I got the qualifications! I'm the one who can join the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew and follow Captain Sag!"
Or perhaps, those standing wore looks of disdain as they looked down on the pirates.
"The Natural Disaster Pirate Crew isn't for the likes of you, garbage!"
The one who caused this situation was none other than Sag himself.
Ever since he started recruiting crew members, Sag's statement of 'welcoming capable folks' had set the stage for what was to come.
After disciplining the Bellamy Pirate Crew, the pirates in Mock Town were subdued, no longer daring to wreak havoc and act arrogantly, bringing the formerly chaotic Mock Town back to tranquility.
However, this peace only applied to the pirates who hadn't joined the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew, while those who had joined were arrogantly unrestrained.
These pirates, relying on the fact that their captain was a super high-bounty offender worth 420 million berries, looked down on the thousand-berry bounty offenders as if they weren't even in the same league. Even those without bounties on their heads acted arrogantly, as if they could look down on those with bounties.
No matter how much the offended pirates tried to avoid them, these new members of the Natural Disaster crew would always find a reason to pick a fight, asserting their dominance.
And because of Sag's reputation, even those with bounties on their heads could only endure and not dare to offend the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew.
Pirates being polite to each other? That's certainly not how they normally behave, and mutual suppression is their way of life.
But eventually, someone couldn't take it anymore. A pirate captain with an 18 million berry bounty, after being insulted, finally lost his temper and laid his hands on the offending pirate, beating him to a pulp before grabbing him and rushing to the Tropical Grand Hotel to find Sag and beg for forgiveness.
After the outburst comes the calm, and if one doesn't want to end up like the Bellamy Pirate Crew, then one can only bow one's head in submission.
They wanted to leave, but out of fear that the Natural Disaster crew might hold a grudge, they could only endure, hoping that their captain would only punish the offending captain and not take it out on his partners. This fear kept them tethered, and at the same time, that unyielding sense of injustice drove the pirate captain forward.
He was only a step too late; the Natural Disaster crew had just reached its full capacity, and it wasn't because he lacked the will to join.
"Captain Sag, my crew has been defeated as well. Can you please spare them from this selection process?" Rosinante lowered his head, not daring to meet Sag's gaze as he pleaded.
"Your crew?"
Sag sat at the head of a long table, surrounded by a dozen or so curvaceous female pirates serving him an array of exquisite dishes. He picked up a pot of stew and devoured its contents, meat and all, before glancing sideways at Rosinante. "I don't recall assigning you a position, Rosinante."
Rosinante's sweat dripped down his face as he quickly amended his statement. "I apologize, Captain Sag. I meant my original crew."
"Didn't they stay with you?"
Sag beckoned, and a female pirate promptly brought him a ham hock, bones and all, which he chewed up and swallowed. "I kept your navigator, cook, ship's doctor, and even your cannoneer. Rosinante, I only let your so-called 'officers' off the hook because you were the first one who wanted to join my crew. Don't you think I'm unaware of the rest. As for the others, if they can't keep up, then so be it. You're already part of the Natural Disaster crew, Rosinante. Understand?"
Sag tapped the table, signaling for a female pirate to refill his wine glass. "There are so many pirates in Mock Town who want to join my crew, but I have a limited number of spots. If they can fight their way through, then they're definitely useful. I don't want to be weighed down by a bunch of deadweight, Rosinante."
"Yes, Captain Sag, I understand!" Rosinante lowered his head even further, no longer daring to speak.
The numerous pirates in Mock Town who wanted to join the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew naturally didn't satisfy Sag's original plans. These were entire pirate crews bringing their families along, and while it was to make up the numbers for sailing, the stronger his crew, the happier he would be.
Who would like their crew to be weak?
The members of a pirate crew are not fixed. Each time a pirate crew arrives in a town, there will be pirates who voluntarily disembark, and at the same time, new pirates will come aboard.
Only those who truly become core members, the pillars of the pirate crew, will have fixed positions.
So why not let them fight it out? The victors would be the only ones qualified to join his crew.
Of course, Sag was not without human feelings.
Not a single one of the crew he brought from the East Sea wanted to leave. As his old crew, Sag naturally wouldn't dismiss them. These people were exempt from the 'selection'.
Similarly, those with some ability, like ship doctors, navigators, and cooks, would not be removed either.
With this calculation, there were still five hundred crew member slots available, almost equal to the number of new pirates who had joined.
So, it was simple.
Ordinary crew members defeated by ordinary pirates would be directly replaced.
If any of his crew members avoided battle, as long as they could defeat ten people in Mock Town, no matter who they were, they would automatically gain entry into the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew. One in, one out.
If they didn't want to be eliminated, they would also need to defeat ten people, thus earning an exemption. That way, even if they were defeated by someone else in Mock Town, they wouldn't be kicked out.
None of these new recruits wanted to be left out, nor did they want to show weakness within the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew, so they could only go crazy looking for people to fight or taking on challengers.
As for the original captains, if they wanted to bring their old crew members along, they would need to defeat a hundred people. Defeating a hundred people would automatically grant them ten slots.
With five hundred slots available, the pirates in Mock Town were driven into a frenzy.
Sag had no emotional attachment to these people. After all, they were new, so how could he have any feelings towards them? Instead, he might as well select some elites from this bunch.
"It's alright, Rosinante, it's alright."
After wolfing down all the food on the table, Sag drank a cup of wine, stood up, and walked towards him.
Being of average height, Sag should have been looked down upon by the over-two-meter-tall Rosinante. However, as Sag stood up, Rosinante's back became increasingly bent, his head lowering as if he wanted to touch the ground, which instead allowed Sag to look down on him.
"I certainly welcome anyone who wants to join me!"
Sag patted his shoulder and said, "Go tell those who failed that I'll give them another chance. Go to the New World! After I enter the New World, if anyone still wants to follow me, as long as they can reach the New World, they can carry my flag and become one of my crew!"
A sinister smile curved his lips as he continued, "At that time, I will not be stingy with rewards, and they will be able to share the glory and riches I obtain under my rule! Whoo-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
His unrestrained laughter filled the air, enveloping the smiling Marika by the dining table.
It enveloped Renitia, who had taken the fishing rod from Sag by the swimming pool.
It enveloped Lily, who always stood by Sag's side like an attendant.
And it enveloped all the pirates gathered in this mansion, those who had been exempted from the selection and emerged victorious from the grand melee. In the midst of Sag's laughter, these victors, one by one, indulged in debauchery and revealed their sinister grins.
This was the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew!
These victors, gathered together, naturally didn't want the non-victors to share their glory.
"Lord Sag, I..."
Rosinante was suddenly overcome with emotion and was about to raise his head when his hand moved, drawing a dagger from his waist, aimed straight at Sag.
Ding!
The tip of the dagger pierced Sag's chest, but it couldn't inch forward any further, as if his skin was made of some kind of super-alloy.
A layer of pitch-blackness, invisible to the naked eye, covered Sag's chest, repelling the dagger's attack.
"You bastard!"
The surrounding pirates widened their eyes, drawing their weapons.
Clang!
Just at this moment, a cold glint appeared in the moonlight, streaking past above Rosinante's head. At the same time, a kick sent him flying.
Lily, her right hand gripping the sword's hilt, slowly retracted her leg, gazing at the fine strands that fell amidst the moonlight, narrowing her eyes. "Thread?"
What fell were strands as thin as hair.
"Heh-heh-heh."
Laughter rang out from above their heads.
Lily looked up and saw a man squatting on the roof, wearing pink velvet cape, his golden hair framing a pair of sunglasses that gleamed coldly in the moonlight. That man's outstretched hand was aimed at Sag, and a bizarre smile curved his lips as he said, "Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee, what a performance, Norton Sag."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
