https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-127-Getting-Stronger-is-Part-of-the-Plan-/12610885/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-129-Nesting-Hermit-and-Fortune-Telling-Hermit/12610887/
Chapter 128: The Perfect Plan!
Chapter 128: The Perfect Plan!
With the Eternal Pointer from the Country of Anu, Lily immediately ordered the ship to turn around and follow the direction indicated by the pointer.
The Country of Anu was not located along their current route but closer to the leftmost path of the Grand Line, near the Calm Belt. To get there, they would need to traverse half of the Grand Line horizontally.
After sailing for a day, they were now resupplying on an island abundant with coconuts, while their crew looked for suitable game to hunt and gathered the tropical fruit.
The island's tropical climate had dissipated the storm that enveloped the Death Harbinger, providing them with a rare opportunity to rest ashore.
"Just two more days!"
Lily declared confidently, holding a detailed map of the Grand Line and a smaller, more specific chart.
"That soon?"
Sag, seated on a large rock, watched as Renitia scurried past him. He casually snatched the large coconut she was carrying and, with his other hand in a chopping motion, sliced the top off, drinking straight from the fruit.
"Hey, Sag! I went through all the trouble of finding that coconut, you jerk! If you want one, go pick your own!" Renitia protested, baring her cute little tiger teeth.
"I'm telling you, we're on the right track," Sag assured her. "We're currently sailing along the middle route of the seven paths of the Grand Line. By turning left and sailing for a day, we've reached this coconut island, which belongs to the third route, as indicated by the magnetic field. According to our speed, we should reach the Country of Anu in three days total."
Lily flipped the map, pointing to an island on the third route, counting from left to right. "This is the Coconut Island, and we're not far from our destination."
The map in her hand depicted the seven routes of the Grand Line, stretching all the way to the Red Earth Continent. The indicated position was indeed on the third route.
"It makes sense that we're moving faster since we're cutting across," Sag nodded.
The Grand Line was indeed vast, even colossal. After all, a place like Alabasta was just a large island along one of the seven routes.
However, the key point was that even regular ships traveled at impressive speeds on this ocean.
In his previous life, Sag had never sailed, so he had no personal frame of reference for how fast ships could be. But here, in the East Blue, he had experienced it firsthand when he commandeered a warship. With favorable winds, these vessels could move astonishingly quick.
And the Death Harbinger was even faster. Traversing half of the Grand Line horizontally in a few days was well within their capabilities.
Renitia, who had been about to go coconut hunting, was suddenly restrained by Sag, who held her head with one hand. She paused, pondering the vastness of the ocean. "The sea is so immense, yet we're moving so swiftly. Each island seems enormous, and there are so many unexplored ones..."
"Yes, it's huge, but pure navigation is a different matter," Sag explained. "If you're just sailing along the Grand Line, hopping from one magnetic island to another, you can cover the first half of the route in just two or three months. Even the entire Grand Line wouldn't take that long."
"The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, circled the globe and found Laugh Tale in just a year," Mary added, having just arrived with a net full of coconuts that resembled a small mountain. "And he was a pirate for many years before that."
Circumnavigating the globe and being a pirate on the high seas were two very different things.
"So, does that mean anyone can become the Pirate King?" Mary asked, a playful smile on her face as she listened to Sag's explanation. "Sounds easy enough."
"That's not the kind of Pirate King I want to be!" Sag laughed.
Simply choosing a route, circling the globe, and finding Laugh Tale didn't feel like conquering the seas.
At that moment, Akin approached, dragging a massive beast with giant horns. The creature furrowed deep grooves in the ground as it was pulled along. Akin himself was minuscule in comparison, only about the size of the beast's head.
"This guy's huge! We can't just take him with us," Mary remarked, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She turned to Lily. "Can you cut off a chunk? From around the shoulder area?"
A thunderous ring filled the air as Lily's sword flashed. In an instant, a gaping wound appeared on the giant beast's shoulder, spilling copious amounts of blood.
Lily herself seemed to have barely moved, aside from her right hand gripping the sword's hilt.
"Mmm," Mary murmured, reaching out with her pale, slender hand to touch the beast's flesh. She licked the blood that coated her fingers, her eyes glazing over with intoxication. "Excellent. The blood is delicious, and the texture is perfect for beef dishes."
She turned to the crew members carrying baskets of coconuts back to the ship. "Could you bring the largest kitchen knife we have?" she requested politely.
Soon, several crew members arrived, carrying a colossal knife that was over three meters long.
It was a typical chef's knife, with a slender handle that a person could grip comfortably, but the blade itself was enormous, gleaming with a sharp edge.
Mary held the handle of the three-meter-long kitchen knife in one hand and effortlessly lifted it, smiling at the giant beast, "So, how should we plan this? We can't take it all with us."
The Death Harbinger was sizable, and while there was no issue accommodating the beast, there was no need to do so. They could instead cut it up and store it in the custom-made freezer on the ship.
As a ship specially crafted by Renitia, in addition to the regular refrigerators, there was also a dedicated freezer that relied on power to maintain specific temperatures, allowing for the storage of perishable foods.
Separate from the perishable foods was a neighboring food warehouse, where non-perishable items like vegetables and fruits were stored to sustain their voyage.
After all, they now had to cater to a crew of a thousand, not to mention Sag's enormous appetite, so Mary had to be meticulous in her food planning.
"First, we'll remove the hide," she said.
Mary effortlessly dragged the kitchen knife across the beast's hide, smoothly peeling it away, much like one would peel fruit.
A chef, after all, knows how to wield a knife, even if not as adept as a swordswoman like Lily.
However, the sight of the bloody hide being peeled away sent shivers down the spines of the onlooking crew members, each of them recoiling at the gruesome display.
"The hide is quite nice. We can tan it and make quite a few cloaks out of it," Mary said, smiling gently at the approaching crew members.
But the more she smiled, the more fear crept into their hearts, that gentle smile taking on an ominous shade in their eyes.
"Woof, woof!"
Mio then trotted over, lifting the hide with excitement, letting out thrilled barks.
"Oh, it seems you like it, huh? Do you want a fur cloak like Sag's? Alright, then, it's yours," Mary said, as if she could understand Mio's barks.
Mary then thrust the giant kitchen knife into the hide-stripped beast, repeatedly stabbing it to create gaping wounds from which blood gushed like fountains.
No matter the beast, blood had to be drained for the meat to taste good.
She targeted the major blood vessels, ensuring the blood was quickly drained, and in no time, the soil beneath the beast was stained crimson.
"The eye of round!"
The massive kitchen knife sliced into the sides of the beast's back, carving out the most tender portions. Two crew members then hoisted the eye rounds, each requiring two people to carry, and hurried towards the ship.
These portions were primarily intended for Sag.
As for the remainder, it would depend on the cooking methods. Mary slowly sliced through the massive beast, her speed unremarkable, allowing everyone to witness each cut. Yet, despite the unhurried pace, she efficiently separated the meat from the bones and innards, leaving only the skeleton and organs behind.
"Hold on to the stomach and intestines. Also, pull out two bones," Sag instructed, having observed Mary's butchering.
"I'll use them for hot pot," he explained.
Authentic bone broth, along with the tripe and edible offal—delicacies, indeed!
After resting on the island for a while, Sag boarded the ship, resuming their voyage towards their destination.
In the captain's room, Sag tapped on the table, addressing the three women gathered there, "Let's talk about the plan."
"Huh?"
Renitia blinked, "Plan for robbery? Aren't we just going to rob the Country of Anu?"
"With all the intelligence we got from Do Flanagan, are we only going to target the Country of Anu?" Sag countered, rolling his eyes.
"Lily."
At the mention of her name, Lily fetched a blackboard and hung a sea chart on it, one she had personally drawn based on the locations indicated by Trafalgar Law.
"First, we have the Country of Anu, which is close to the left Calm Belt," Sag began, pouring himself a drink. "Our plan is to rob them, and to rob them enough that we can account for the Navy's pursuit. If the Country of Anu doesn't have the gold I'm after, then we move on to the next location."
He didn't fear the Navy, but who in their right mind would invite the attention of the Navy and engage in unnecessary battles, gaining nothing but wasting time and derailing their robbery plans?
The locations indicated by Trafalgar Law spanned the entire first half of the Grand Line, forming a pattern like a '√' when charted.
"We'll go for the Spring Queen City."
Along the leftmost route were three magnetic islands, each with a major town indicated from top to bottom: Spring Queen City, Gourmet City, and Carnival City.
The intelligence also disclosed that the Spring Queen City was an island of spring, where constant spring rain nurtured fertile soil, fostering abundant produce, and its town boasted a robust economy.
Gourmet City, as the name suggested, was renowned for its culinary delights across the Grand Line, attracting countless tourists, and it, too, was a thriving economic hub.
And at the very bottom was Carnival City, an entertainment hub that complemented the other two magnetic islands.
"A trio of islands, all interconnected and lucrative!"
Sag's eyes gleamed with greed as he continued, "After robbing Spring Queen City, even if the Navy pursues us, they won't anticipate us sailing backward. The magnetic field only allows forward movement, so they may lie in wait at the next magnetic island, but we'll throw them off by heading straight for Gourmet City and Carnival City, especially the latter!"
"The Carnival City itself has a sea train track that can take us all the way to the endpoint, the famous shipbuilding city of Seven Waters. Goods transported by sea train must hold high economic value for the related cities and islands!"
"Sea train tracks?"
Renitia's eyes lit up at the mention, and she eagerly nodded. "I want to see! I want to know how it operates!"
"You'll have your chance!"
Sag waved his hand dismissively and laughed. "After we've ransacked Carnival City, we'll follow the sea train tracks and plunder every island along the route, all the way to Seven Waters! By then, we'll have two alternative plans!"
"If we create that much of a ruckus, the Navy will definitely take notice, and they might send tough adversaries our way. At that point, we'll have to lie low. If they haven't caught on yet, we'll strike at Seven Waters first. But if they're already on our tail, they'll undoubtedly be waiting for us there. In that case, we'll raid other marked towns along different routes to shake them off, then double back!"
Sag's face wore a wildly carefree smile.
Once they stirred up that much trouble, the Navy wouldn't be able to ignore them. It was likely that they'd send a Commodore, or perhaps even several, their way.
He wasn't afraid, and he could certainly handle it, but he couldn't say the same for his crew.
If the Navy brought their full might to bear, he certainly wouldn't want to be sailing around with just a handful of his officers.
"With the Eternal Pointer from the Country of Anu, we can come and go as we please on this vast ocean without ever losing our way."
"Even without Donquixote's pointers, I wouldn't get lost. I know my way around."
A grand plan was taking shape, and the Navy wouldn't be able to keep up with their movements. The vast sea wasn't their exclusive playground, after all—there were plenty of other pirate crews to consider.
"My plan is perfect! Hohohoho!" He threw his arms wide, laughing heartily.
"Captain Sag!"
Suddenly, Bellamy's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Come in!" Sag laughed, still exhilarated from his planning.
Bellamy pushed the door open and quickly spoke. "We've spotted a pirate ship ahead, and it seems to be heading our way. Should we attack?"
"Why are you asking me about a single pirate ship? Make that decision yourselves! If they show hostility, take them out, and if they don't, then it's up to you!" Sag frowned.
Bellamy bit his lip, then said, "But that ship's emblem is from the Hawkins Pirates."
(End of Chapter)
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