https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-161-There-aren-t-that-many-who-play-against-the-odds/12610963/
Chapter 160: Do You Control Me? I Control You!
Chapter 160: Do You Control Me? I Control You!
The next day, Jabura and the others remained on the ship.
Just as Sag had said, they hadn't left. Instead, after reporting back, they had returned to take a well-deserved rest.
As for the content of their report...
Boom!
Boom, boom!
The trio found themselves summoned to the captain's room, where they beheld the sight of Sag, bare-chested, pummeling a stone block with every part of his body. With each strike, he unleashed a formidable force, his mastery over his body evident in the way he moved. The trio couldn't help but be secretly startled by the display.
Well-versed in the Six Styles as they were, they could tell that Sag's bodily control had reached a terrifying level. Even setting aside the overpowering presence of the Conquerer's Haki, his sheer physical prowess would be more than enough to easily defeat them.
The force behind each strike was undeniably immense, and...
Jabura's pupils contracted as he witnessed the reckless abandon with which Sag attacked, his body bearing numerous wounds. Yet, as soon as he stepped away from the massive stone block, the injuries healed instantaneously.
That feeling...
"Hey, Owari!" Jabura called out, turning to his companion.
Owari's eyes widened in astonishment as he exclaimed, "Life Return?!"
Within the CP9 organization, the only ones capable of using Life Return, aside from Lucci, were himself and Lucci.
It was a technique known only to 'immortals'!
One had to undergo a millennium of training in the mountains and seas, enduring the hardships of sleeping outdoors and meditating like an immortal, to grasp this ultimate secret art.
And yet, here it was, being displayed by a pirate, and with a proficiency that far exceeded Owari's imagination.
While Life Return could heal injuries, there was no way it could do so at such a rapid pace!
Could this truly be Life Return as performed by a human?
Aside from his astonishment at Life Return, Jabura had also noticed something else.
"A Poneglyph?!'
He stared dumbfounded at the stone block that Sag relentlessly attacked. It wasn't just any ordinary stone—it was a Poneglyph!
So, this man from Ohara had indeed collected a Poneglyph...
"What's so surprising about a slightly harder piece of rock?"
Sag delivered a final punch to the Poneglyph, causing a dull thud to echo through the room. He then stood up, his footsteps causing the coating of Haki that had shrouded the floor and the back of the Poneglyph to dissipate. He strode over to the liquor cabinet and picked up a bottle.
"Care for a drink? It's called 'Louis XIII,' and it's pretty expensive."
The trio shook their heads, to which Sag paid no mind. He poured himself a glass, downed it in one go, and then sat himself on the golden throne.
The Golden Throne
Jabura's eyebrows lifted as he studied the throne, a sense of familiarity tugging at his memory. After a few moments, he ventured uncertainly, "Is that the throne of Arlong?"
The intelligence that Spandine had provided the previous day included a detailed account of Sag's plundering exploits, among which was Arlong.
As for how he knew of this golden throne, he had infiltrated that place a long time ago. The government had suspected the existence of rich gold mines beneath Arlong, and so he had ventured into the royal city. However, upon discovering that while there was indeed gold, there were no gold mines underground, he had promptly returned.
But the image of that golden throne had left a deep impression on him.
Moreover, right there on the desk, there were several expensive-looking rings stored within jewelry boxes crafted from fine wood. Next to them stood a display cabinet containing various jewels, including an embedded golden crown and scepter, their splendor undeniable.
"Everything here was plundered." Sag's lips curved in a smile as he confessed.
The golden throne he sat upon had been taken from Arlong, the golden jewelry and jewels were from three different cities, and even the liquor in the cabinet had been procured from a raid on Carnival City.
"What brings you to summon us?" Jabura inquired.
"I didn't summon you; I summoned Fukuro. But since you're all here, I figured I'd address you together."
Sag picked up a cigar, brought it to his nose to inhale its scent, lit it, and took a puff before continuing, "Yesterday, what sort of intelligence did your superior provide you?"
"How could I possibly..."
"You were informed that your matter has attracted attention, right? Including the fact that you've plundered Arlong, the City of Spring Queens, Gourmet City, and Carnival City, and now you possess a Poneglyph as well. All of this will be reported upwards soon enough, chit-chat."
Fukuro didn't even give Jabura a chance to finish his sentence before blurting out the intelligence from the previous night.
"Spandine reported all of this to his superior, and he's furious about it. Not only did you slip away without being assassinated, but the money wasn't retrieved either," Fukuro stated.
"Additionally, since you declared your intention to plunder Water Seven, that place will undoubtedly be swarming with Marines. Oh, and did I mention that Admiral Karp has been searching for you high and low? He thought you'd be in Long Ring Long Land, but since you weren't found there, he's probably making his way to Water Seven as we speak," Fukuro added.
Jabura pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture of resignation. "Admiral Karp... That old coot could be spending his time keeping an eye on those big shots in the New World, but instead, he's fixated on me? If he's got that much free time, he ought to just retire already."
Sag let out a snickering laugh and asked, "So, you three aren't planning on leaving, are you?"
This time, Jabura didn't let Fukuro speak up. Instead, he admitted straightforwardly, "We have orders from above to stay by your side and uncover everything there is to know about you, an Ohara survivor. We're to tail you until you're arrested. You possess too many secrets, not just this Poneglyph, and we're curious as to how you know about Rob Lucci as well. There are probably many Marines who aren't even aware of his existence."
With Fukuro around, there was no point in keeping secrets. It was better to just come clean and save themselves the headache.
Those who knew about Rob Lucci were likely at the level of a headquarters rear admiral, at the very least. Or, to be more precise, within their CP9 organization, only a headquarters rear admiral would have the qualifications to be privy to such information.
After all, they had existed for eight centuries, but throughout that entire duration, they had always operated from the shadows. They weren't like the openly acknowledged CP1-CP8, and even those intelligence agencies weren't something that ordinary people could know about, much less CP9.
But Sag opened his mouth to interrupt. His bounty had been quite high in the first half, and he was an extremely dangerous pirate, but ultimately, he was just a pirate who had recently arrived on the Grand Line from the East Blue.
"How do you know about this?" Sag asked with a smile.
"Don't joke around," Jabura retorted. "You're not even a Devil Fruit user. Our investigations revealed that you have no abilities and rely solely on your physical prowess."
Jabura paused, as if he had guessed something, and a smug smile appeared on his face. "We exchanged a lot of information about you last night. When you first debuted in the East Blue, you destroyed the Oikote Kingdom's royalty. That's how you seduced Princess Biendetta Lily into becoming a pirate."
"You killed her adoptive father, King Ennio. We've also looked into that guy. He used to be a vice admiral in the Navy Headquarters and fought against the Golden Lion Pirates in the 'Pirate War' that took place in the Oikote Kingdom twenty years ago. Later, for some unknown reason, he retired from the Navy, married the queen at the time, and eventually became the new king."
"You had contact with him, and the princess was your accomplice. We believe that Ennio exposed information to you, and he not only left the Navy but also began to hate them, which is why he told you, a pirate!"
"..."
Sag exhaled a puff of smoke, his expression filled with curiosity. "How did you end up here?"
"Admit it! It has to be this way; otherwise, it can't be explained!" Jabura saw a change in Sag's expression and felt he had guessed correctly.
There was no other possibility.
Although Lucci had only joined them over a decade ago, which didn't align with Ennio's departure from the Navy, as a former vice admiral, Ennio had a good reputation in the Navy. He must have gained access to some government information through his channels.
"Alright, suit yourselves," Sag said with a wave of his hand. "I don't care what you do as spies. But now that you're pirates, you have to do what pirates do. That shouldn't be a problem, right? Don't make me underestimate the professionalism of spies."
"Also, I don't care what information you pass on. Correspondingly, you should also share your intelligence with me. Don't make me ask; there's no need for that."
Indeed, there was no need for that. With Owl around, Sag could ask about anything he wanted, or rather, Owl would volunteer the information even without Sag asking.
It would be better if they just shared it themselves.
As for the idea of getting rid of Owl for the mission... Jabura would never do such a thing!
Although spies like them prioritized their missions and were full of cunning and scheming, they valued their partners. Especially Jabura; he and Lucci mutually disliked each other due to personality differences.
Lucci was cold-blooded and ruthless, while Jabura was a man of strong emotions and loyalty. Although he liked to lie and deceive...
Even that cold-blooded Lucci valued their partners!
"This is really..."
Ow, with a mournful cry, tears in his eyes, Owari fell to his knees and drew his sword. "Living under someone else's roof, being threatened, and resorting to selling out information has brought shame to CP9. For this, I can only atone by committing seppuku!"
He clutched his sword with both hands and thrust it into his abdomen.
"Iron block."
Clang!
"You can't die like this, yo-yo!"
"You won't die like this," Sag said. "Also, Jabura, how am I supposed to talk now that you've finished? It's annoying, chibababa!" Owl glanced at Jabura with a hint of resentment.
"You two, that's enough!" Jabura roared, his body shaking with anger.
Why should he be the one dealing with this?
Why did that jerk Lucci get to enjoy himself in Water 7 with Kaku, Bruno, and Kalifa, while he, Jabura, had to join a dangerous pirate crew with these two idiots?
It was so unfair!
"Get out," Sag waved his hand, uninterested in watching their performance any longer. He leaned back in the golden throne, puffing on his cigar as he gazed out at the vast ocean beyond the window. "Water 7, huh?"
"Can those three be trusted?"
Lily's voice echoed from the stairway as she ascended from the interior staircase. She glanced at the doorway and asked, "Shouldn't we be more cautious?"
"There's nothing to be cautious about here," Sag replied, shaking his head. "Exchanging intelligence will undoubtedly benefit us."
Sag continued, "Let's skip Water 7 for now, Lily. Contact Donquixote Doflamingo and choose the nearest island according to those Eternal Positional Marks. Let's make a trade first, then plunder the surrounding areas before heading to Water 7."
When the incident at Enies Lobby begins, all the Navy forces will be focused there. That would be the easiest time to raid Water 7.
"My plan won't fail!"
Sag clenched his fist and grinned maliciously. "With transparent intelligence, I can do whatever I want!"
What kind of valuable intelligence could the Heavenly Disaster Pirates possibly have?
Aside from Sag himself, who could attract the interest of the World Government, there was nothing else of note.
However, on the contrary, as long as these CP9 agents stayed on his ship, the intelligence he could gather would be top-notch!
Do you think the Navy has a grasp on the Heavenly Disaster Pirates' movements?
No!
It's Sag who has a grip on the Navy and even the World Government's movements!
Pirates, no matter how secretive they are, will always leave some traces. Given the World Government's capabilities, they will undoubtedly uncover them.
After all, when it comes to gathering intelligence, the World Government is the most professional!
By gaining insight into the Navy and even the World Government's intelligence, Sag could formulate plans more effectively and achieve his goals with greater ease.
Plundering a Carnival City and inadvertently acquiring half of CP9 was more than enough. The intelligence he gained far outweighed that of those blind pirates!
(End of Chapter)
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