Chapter 157: CP9
Chapter 157: CP9
Whatever Link planned to do to deal with the aftermath was none of Sarge's concern. As soon as he got the money, Sarge boarded the ship.
With such a huge ruckus, it was impossible that no one informed the Navy, especially since this place was an industry of the World Government officials. The notification would undoubtedly be faster than in a regular city.
Sarge didn't want to be surrounded and annihilated. Instead, he took advantage of the Navy's arrival and robbed his way along the Sea Train's track to the Seven Waters Capital.
"Set sail!"
All the crew boarded the Death Harbinger. With Lily's order, they hoisted the sails, unfurled the flags, and navigated along the sea route of the Sea Train's track.
This track even ignored the ever-changing climate of the Grand Line and the directions that could disorient ships at any time. Without any compass, as long as they navigated along the track, they could reach the Seven Waters Capital.
Basically, since he arrived at the Spring Queen's City, he had been navigating along the forked track. The Eternal Pointer was previously used just in case, but now, after testing it, there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Whoo-ha-ha-ha!"
Sarge's familiar and unrestrained laughter echoed in the banquet hall. He stood right in the center of the hall, opened a leather suitcase, and scattered its contents, letting stacks of Berry drop from above like a money rain.
"Take it all! What you grab is yours and won't be counted in the distribution. Consider it my treat!"
The surrounding crew cheered and scrambled to grab the falling money rain.
Thirty billion Berries! More than any other heist he had ever done.
He took fifteen billion, so even casually tossing away one billion Berries was of no concern.
With three consecutive successful city heists and Sarge's own treasure stash, the cash on hand exceeded twenty billion Berries! This was equivalent to half of a Yonko's wealth!
Although the bounties of those wanted criminals did not truly represent their worth, this amount of money was still a substantial sum.
A pirate's bounty represented their danger level, which was then rewarded by the Navy and even the World Government. It was not based on the amount they robbed; otherwise, it would have been chaotic.
For example, Sarge himself had a bounty of four hundred and twenty million, yet he managed to reap several billion high-value rewards.
And those formidable and formidable figures on the high seas, with their high bounties, posed a significant threat.
Sarge was delighted with this heist as the total gains were astonishing.
Aside from the vast amount of cash, they also acquired a batch of gold, silver, and jewels.
In addition to the transaction with Link, the crew also robbed the luxurious shops in Carnival City and the wealthy tourists who dressed appropriately and looked like nobles.
Those who came to visit Carnival City obviously had disposable income. The truly poor were toiling in the fields and had no money to travel, let alone ride the Sea Train.
Did they think that this Sea Train, which took days and nights to travel from the Seven Waters Capital to Carnival City, was a bargain?
This was the only Sea Train track on the Grand Line and, likewise, the only one in the world! As for why this route was chosen, Sarge neither knew nor cared. He only knew that they had robbed with great satisfaction.
Among the tourists in Carnival City were nobles and wealthy individuals from various places. These people might not have brought enough cash, but the gold, silver, and jewels they wore were undoubtedly precious and valuable.
Those items filled half a box for Sarge, and they were all priceless, historic collectibles.
As for the other ordinary items, regardless of the quantity, Sarge waved his hand generously and rewarded them to his crew. With a crew of one thousand and two hundred people, everyone received a piece of gold, silver, or jewelry, which was, of course, a delightful surprise.
In terms of money, after deducting the public distribution and the shares of the executives, there was still over ten billion left, plus the scattered Berries they had robbed. Even if all one thousand and two hundred people were deployed, each person could still evenly divide and receive nearly one million Berries!
What other profession could be as lucrative as being a pirate? After robbing three cities in less than a month, they each had a savings of over one million Berries.
Don't underestimate this amount of money. It could buy a good and fast knife, although it might be priceless and without a market. But the specific value was there.
Back when Sarge was farming with his adoptive father, he couldn't get his hands on this much money.
After the money was distributed, it was, of course, time to kick off a feast. Mary carried the culinary team and laid out a rich array of dishes and drinks, allowing the pirates gathered here to drink and feast merrily.
Sarge himself sat on the Jewel Throne and enjoyed the exquisite dishes prepared for him on the long dining table.
This time it was a celebration, and he asked Mary to prepare one hundred and eight dishes so they could have a grand and lively celebration.
As for the ingredients, they had more than enough in storage, so there was no need to deliberately control their diet.
The crew drank cup after cup of various wines brought up from the warehouse, slapped each other's backs, sang pirate chants, and danced in the center of the hall, which also prompted Sarge to burst into hearty laughter.
"Louder! I want it louder!" Sarge roared with a gem-encrusted goblet in hand, laughing at his crew below. "Once I find an entertainment troupe, I'll liven things up even more! We're pirates, and pirates love a good party! Keep dancing, but no more female pirates. You there, with the geisha-like looks, take the stage!"
Sarge pointed at a tall figure among the crowd, drinking and carousing with the other pirates. This individual had a head of pinkish-white hair and a bulky frame, his face painted with white foundation and black makeup to accentuate his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Startled by Sarge's gesture, the man pointed at himself. "Yo-yo-yi, do you mean me? I'm not a geisha; I'm a kabuki performer!"
"I don't care what you are. Get up here and dance! Hoo-ha-ha-ha!"
"That won't do," the man protested. "A geisha is a geisha, and kabuki is kabuki. I must uphold the honor of kabuki, yo-yo-yi!"
As he spoke, the man's voice rose to a high-pitched tone, akin to that of a street performer. He bent one leg and hopped to the front of the stage, extending one hand with fingers spread wide while stamping the ground with the other foot, creating a crisp sound with his wooden clogs.
"Yo~ Yo-yi!"
With one eye closed and the other open, he contorted his face into an exaggerated, comical expression. His bulky body moved rhythmically, creating a bizarre yet entertaining spectacle that had the surrounding pirates in stitches.
"Hahaha! Well done!" Sarge exclaimed. Reaching into the small treasure chest at his feet, he grabbed a string of white jade pearls and tossed it to the performer. "This is for you!"
"Yo-yi!" The man caught the pearls, his eyes lighting up with delight, and he continued his performance with renewed vigor. "To recognize my artistic talent is truly admirable!"
"What an idiot," muttered a man in the crowd, wearing sunglasses on his forehead and a black martial arts uniform with an open shirt, revealing his muscular physique. He had a distinctive goatee and a small chin beard, giving him the air of a strategist. "He's drawing too much attention."
"There's nothing we can do about it now that he's been called out," replied a spherical figure next to him, only slightly shorter than the kabuki performer.
This figure was human, but peculiar—with a round body and head, and legs that were disproportionately short and thin, resembling an owl in a way. The most striking feature, however, was his mouth, which resembled a zipper with a pull tab on the left side.
"But if we attract too much attention, won't it hinder our intelligence-gathering mission? I say we should have returned directly to Enies Lobby. We shouldn't have gotten involved here; it's not our assignment. This isn't about capturing pirates; that's the Navy's job, yo-yo-ba-ba."
"It's all because of that useless boss," the man in the martial arts uniform scoffed. "Sending us to gather intelligence on a bunch of pirates—what a waste of time. We have better things to do."
"Yeah, that boss is a real waste of space," the spherical figure chimed in. "A useless boss with only a 9-point Will Power."
"Let's just follow orders for now," the martial artist said. "We'll find an opportunity to assassinate Sarge and take the money. That's all we need to do."
With their stealth techniques, it was unnecessary to hide. In a crew of over a thousand pirates, three additional members wouldn't be noticed.
Indeed, they hadn't been discovered. With so many fierce-looking and oddly shaped individuals, three more unusual faces made no difference.
There were even crew members taller than three meters, not just Miot. Miot had stood out because he was an old comrade, and his performance in the East Blue days had been remarkable, earning him a quick rise in status.
Now, with a bounty on his head and having mastered the Six Styles, he had become one of the combat captains, receiving the same treatment as Pal. He was considered a regular officer.
The Heavenly Disaster Pirate Crew had established a hierarchy after several successful heists.
The three main officers remained unchanged, with Hawkins rising to prominence and earning Sarge's favor as a main officer.
Although Renitia often ridiculed him as an "old godstaff," implying he was past his prime, his abilities instilled fear in the hearts of the crew.
With a bounty of 249 million berries, his power was undeniable. The mere act of taking attacks without dying, only to have straw dolls emerge from his body, was terrifying enough. Add to that his ability to foresee the future, and he became a figure of dread, especially when he made accurate predictions about the crew's daily fortunes.
No one questioned his position as a main officer.
When it came to the regular officers, Sarge didn't interfere as long as they earned the respect and recognition of the crew. It was a meritocracy.
"Pal, Bellamy, Miot, and that black cat, Faust—they're all on that list. After all, a 1% share of the spoils, whether you're active or not, is something every subordinate wants a piece of. It's not easy to gain their respect without showing something impressive."
"Pal and Miot are old subordinates, and they've also learned one of the Six Styles. They've already surpassed the average crew member."
"Bellamy is an Ability user, and Faust is a Furry One with considerable combat strength. They both have influence among the crew."
"As for the others, it will be more difficult to gain their respect. Take 'Executioner' Rosso, for example, who joined us first in Magic Valley Town. Despite his bounty of 420 million berries, he still can't command respect because his strength isn't up to par."
"Among our current crew, there are former captains with bounties of one or two thousand berries. They, too, are proud and arrogant, especially in the Heavenly Disaster Pirate Crew, where a bounty of merely a hundred million doesn't represent much. Only by demonstrating strength can they be subdued."
"As for Sarge—well, even the emperor only keeps track of the ministers and high-ranking officials who attend the court in the Golden Palace. Sarge hasn't even become a landlord yet, so how could he be expected to remember the names of over a thousand people?"
"But whether he remembers or not, he's definitely curious now."
"He's been thinking about the entertainment troupe for a long time. There aren't many in the crew who can dance or liven up the atmosphere, and even the female pirates are clumsy at best."
"Does he call that dancing? Sarge wants a real dance troupe, one with artistic flair!"
"But this kabuki performer, while funny, certainly knows how to liven up the atmosphere. He had Sarge laughing out loud, but once the laughter faded, something felt amiss."
"Who is he?" Sarge asked, turning to Lily at his side. "He seems to have some skill. Is he an officer?"
"I don't know," Lily replied, shaking her head. She glanced at the dancing kabuki performer and added, "He's odd. He doesn't seem any worse than Ajin."
She scanned the crowd with her sense of perception, and among those with similar auras, she spotted two more, one of whom, a man in a martial arts uniform, seemed even stronger than Ajin.
"Something's not right!"
Lily rested her left hand on her sword hilt and leaned closer to Sarge. "Sarge, I think we have intruders."
Their strength was suspicious.
Like Sarge, she didn't bother remembering the average crew members, but that didn't mean she couldn't. These crew members with notable strength, however, were worth remembering, especially since their strengths were unusual and impressive.
She recognized even Rosso, so she should have known these exceptional and distinctive individuals.
The kabuki performer, for instance, stood out so much that Sarge should have remembered him, yet he didn't.
"Hmm?"
Sarge raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, silencing the kabuki performer's antics. "What's your name?"
The performer struck a pose, one hand on his hip and the other in the air, before jumping and landing with his legs apart, his head twisting clockwise and then back into place. "My name is Wo Qu, yo-yo-yi!"
Sarge turned to the two men in the crowd and beckoned them over. "And what about you two?"
"Captain Sarge, my name is Gabra. I'm one of your men!" The man with the goatee and martial arts uniform stepped forward, smiling obsequiously.
"I'm Owl, 'Otonashi' Owl," said the round man, stepping forward as well, his zipper-like mouth opening and closing as he spoke in a high-pitched voice.
"Strange," Sarge mused. "Do I have crew members like you three?"
"Captain Sarge, we also joined in Magic Valley Town, but we haven't had the chance to catch your eye yet. We'll work hard to improve!" Gabra clenched his fists and struck a determined pose.
"Never mind," Sarge waved his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. Keep dancing; I quite like this kabuki style. From now on, when we expand the entertainment troupe, you'll be in charge of leading one of the groups."
It wasn't unusual for a pirate crew to have some odd members.
Sarge didn't pay it much mind.
"Yo-yo-yi, a captain who appreciates art! Excellent!" Wo Qu nodded vigorously.
Gabra also maintained his smile. "Wonderful! He doesn't seem to suspect us. We've managed to slip by unnoticed!"
"Great, we've gotten away with it!" Owl exclaimed, his mouth opening and closing like a zipper. "Now we can plan how to take your head and get the money, chaba-ba!"
At these words, the lively banquet hall fell silent as everyone turned to stare at the three men.
"Hey!" Gabra's forehead veins bulged as he glared at Owl. "You weren't supposed to say that out loud!"
Owl belatedly covered his mouth, his eyes widening. "I did it again, chaba-ba!"
(End of Chapter)
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