https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-206-Secure-the-Ship-or-I-ll-Break-Your-Legs-/12611055/
Chapter 205: We Are Merely Pirates
Chapter 205: We Are Merely Pirates
Marineford.
At the very top of the tallest and largest central building within the Navy Headquarters was the office of the Fleet Admiral.
In this room, facing the outside balcony, with a panoramic view of the buildings below and the vast ocean, under a plaque bearing the words 'Justice that Rules over the Heavens', Sengoku sat with a somber expression, listening to a report coming through the Den Den Mushi.
"The Kingdom of Sosomia, including its royal capital and two other cities, has been completely destroyed. A significant number of its important citizens have been robbed of their possessions, and the king was killed on the spot by the natural disaster. Now, the entire kingdom is in chaos. There are even signs of rebellion among the citizens, who no longer heed the orders of the nobility."
"What are the World Government's orders regarding this matter?" Sengoku asked, his eyes narrowing as he held the receiver.
"The higher-ups believe that since there has been no request for assistance from the king, we cannot interfere in the internal affairs of an affiliated kingdom. For now, we are to wait."
"Wait?! If a war breaks out, everything will descend into chaos! What are we waiting for? Fine, I'll communicate with the upper echelons myself. Thank you for your hard work."
Sengoku hung up the call and lifted his gaze to the vast, azure ocean, gritting his teeth. "Damn that natural disaster! As soon as he got out of prison, he caused such a huge mess!"
"Oh~ How terrifying. Has another kingdom met its end?"
On the sofa in front of the desk, Kizaru casually trimmed his fingernails. Hearing this, he puckered his lips and spoke.
"I've heard of this kingdom. It's quite interesting. They divided the commoners within their kingdom into different classes, essentially making them slaves even though they weren't officially labeled as such. The World Government prohibits slavery, but they don't always enforce it thoroughly."
"Mind your tongue, Borsalino," Sengoku chastised, shaking his head. "We are the Navy. Let us focus on fulfilling our duties."
Kizaru shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes, indeed."
Sengoku continued, "And that natural disaster, Bondie Walt, was in the same prison as him, and he's now dead. It seems Magellan has acquired an acceleration ability."
"Bondie Walt?" Kizaru furrowed his brows in thought. "He vaguely rings a bell... Wasn't he part of the Navy and Pirate Coalition?"
Sengoku nodded. "That was back when you were still new recruits. That man posed too great a threat, and his destructive nature made him virtually uncontrollable on the high seas, which is why a coalition was formed. However, those agents ordered us to retreat, and he ended up being frozen."
Thirty years ago, the Navy was not at its peak as it is today.
While the Navy always boasted the greatest numbers, their top-tier strength back then wasn't as formidable as it is now.
It is only now that the Navy has truly entered its golden age, an era of unparalleled might, thanks to the presence of the World Government's current top three warriors—the three admirals.
Regarding Walt, while Kizaru might not have been familiar with him back then as a new recruit, Sengoku, as someone who had experienced those events firsthand, understood the full extent of Walt's threat and the nature of his abilities.
And now, there was talk of the acceleration ability, and Walt was dead...
"If that man had obtained this power..." Sengoku brought his hands to his head, the very thought causing him pain.
Devil Fruits would actively seek out hosts that were a suitable match. As the Fleet Admiral, he knew this better than anyone else.
If someone possessed exceptionally compatible qualities, the devil residing within the fruit, be it through so-called fate or mere coincidence, would appear before its chosen host.
That natural disaster was not a Devil Fruit ability user before, regardless of how fantastical the reports made him out to be. But now, with the suspected acceleration ability, it was a different story.
"Oh~ That does sound rather frightening," Kizaru commented with a smile. "Should we increase his bounty?"
"The World Government's stance is to suppress news of this prison break, and I concur," Sengoku replied. "It was a solo escape, and the impact isn't significant. At least, compared to the current situation, it can be put on the back burner for now."
They had been aware of Sagarek's prison break on the very day he fled.
However, the matter was kept under wraps.
While the damage inflicted on Impel Down was severe, they had only just reported it to the world. Increasing his bounty at this time would be akin to slapping the World Government in the face.
And compared to this...
Sengoku's expression turned solemn. "War... is coming."
...
A thunderous roar split the air as bolts of lightning danced wildly in the night-shrouded sky. The violent gusts of wind that arose stirred up towering waves that crashed against the black ship sailing on the turbulent sea.
After a seven-day respite, the tempestuous storm returned with a vengeance, once again engulfing the Grim Reaper's Flag.
In the banquet hall on the first floor, the clamor and commotion rivaled the thunder and lightning raging outside.
The chefs scurried back and forth between the banquet hall and the kitchen, carrying trays of food. The underlings, wooden cups in hand, were boisterously chatting, shouting, and shoulder-slapping. In the center, there were drunken female pirates in high spirits, clumsily dancing.
The previous gloomy atmosphere, which had prevailed due to Sagarek's absence, had undergone a complete transformation.
"Hahahaha! Stop dancing; you may be female, but there's no grace in those moves!"
On his throne, Sagarek drained his jewel-encrusted cup in one swig and burst into laughter. "Hey, Wyobr, come dance for us! And, Jabura, show us one of your transformations!"
"It is my honor and pleasure to showcase the ways of Kabuki. Yo Yo Yi!"
Wyobr, wine cup in hand, performed a single-legged dance. With a twist of the neck and an extension of the fingers, followed by a forward lunge and a head tilt, she struck a flamboyant pose.
"Here I am!"
Jabura, in his werewolf form, with drunken flushed cheeks and tongue lolling out, retracted and extended his wolf claws lightly as he circled Wyobr, evoking peals of laughter from Sagarek.
At this moment, they were all in high spirits.
Aside from Sagarek's return, the main reason for their elation was the substantial haul from their recent plunder.
The wealth of three cities was staggering.
Especially in the case of the unique kingdom of Sosomia, where all the riches were concentrated among the wealthy, with none reinvested back into the kingdom.
Just the gold and jewels alone amounted to fifty crates, each packed to the brim.
Sagarek claimed twenty-five crates for himself, leaving the rest for his crew to divide.
As for the Berries, their loot totaled a whopping forty billion!
The trio of cities constituted the kingdom's entire wealth, and they had swept it clean.
Out of this share, after setting aside twenty billion for himself, as well as the allocations for the executives and the common fund, there was still enough left to give each of the eight hundred or so crew members approximately one hundred and fifty million Berries.
This windfall of money and the acquired gold and jewels were the primary reasons for the pirates' revelry!
However, in a corner of the banquet hall, detached from the ongoing revelry, there was a group that included Lucci, who stood silently with his cup in hand.
Keeping him company in silence were Kaku, Kalifa, and Bruno, excluding Owl, who was currently hooting and flapping his arms like a real owl.
The two CP9 squads now found themselves in very different situations.
"Lucci! Why the long face? Smile, won't you?"
Sagarek poured himself another cup and raised his jewel-encrusted cup toward Lucci, laughing heartily. "Let's also celebrate your joining my Natural Disaster Pirate Crew. I've given each of you a 1% share, and for you, Lucci, it's even better—you've got 3%, the same as the top executives! Working for me won't leave you disappointed!"
This statement gave Lucci pause, and he lifted his gaze to meet Sagarek's, saying, "To reiterate, we are merely cooperating."
After the plunder of Sosomia, they had returned to the ship, but their standing had undergone a shift.
During Sagarek's absence, Lucci and Lily had engaged in equal dialogue, each party wary and distrustful of the other, yet willing to cooperate for mutual benefit.
However, with Sagarek's return, things had changed.
Lucci and Lily still engaged in equal dialogue, at least from Lucci's perspective.
But now, there was an issue: Sagarek stood above Lily in the hierarchy, indisputably the captain.
That altered the dynamics, especially given Sagarek's domineering nature.
Without further ado, he unilaterally relegated them to the position of underlings.
"Ultimately, we will return to the World Government. Spandine won't be able to stop us, so don't pin too much hope on us," Lucci said coldly.
"Nonsense!"
Sagarek laughed. "I'm counting on you to feed me with intelligence. I won't stand in your way if there's a path to take, but as long as you're on my ship, you're naturally part of my Natural Disaster Pirate Crew. Being a spy or a pirate—it's all the same to me; heh, heh, heh!"
His audacity was too much! This attitude, however, left Lucci at a loss for words.
He seemed unconcerned, indifferent even, to the possibility of them feeding him false information upon their return to the World Government.
The more transparent he was, the more Lucci's heart pounded with trepidation.
How could he remain so nonchalant, so dismissive of potential repercussions, so soon after breaking out of Impel Down?
"Hmph, if you continue like this, you'll only end up back in there," Lucci coldly huffed, but he, too, raised his cup to clink it against Sagarek's.
"That's the spirit! Bottoms up!"
Sagarek drained his cup again, his eyes sweeping over the raucous underlings before a sinister smile stretched his lips. "It's better to have eyes that see in the light than those that lurk in the dark. Come on, you lot, why don't you be more like them?"
"Captain! We have no idea who you're talking about!" one of the underlings shouted.
"Hahaha, never mind, it's not important!" Sagarek waved his hand. "Let the party continue!"
Even with four hundred fewer people on the ship, Sagarek knew that those hidden eyes would never leave.
They were, after all, very diligent.
Unless ordered by the World Government, they would continue to masquerade as pirates and constantly relay intelligence.
Sagarek was well aware of this, but he simply didn't care.
It was just that without their intelligence, he had nothing to grumble about.
"Wherever you work, it's still work. He pays you more, too!"
In this ship, these people played a significant role. Even without the World Government's intelligence, their years of experience as infiltrators could gather a lot of information for him.
Just this point alone made Sagarek feel it was worth it.
As for Lucci's personal thoughts...
Well, he was on a pirate ship now, and it wasn't that easy to get off. Sagarek was only interested in Lucci and the CP9 members' abilities, not their thoughts.
"Keep dancing, keep drinking!"
Sagarek raised his wine cup towards his underlings. "Your captain, me, has just gotten out of prison. Liven up, all of you! If I can't drink you under the table today, then I'll beat you down instead! Choose!"
"Oh!"
The pirates shouted in response.
The dark sky obscured the changing light, but the clock's hands had moved from afternoon to midnight, and the party in the banquet hall raged on until all the pirates passed out drunk. Sagarek shook his head and chuckled, "As expected, they can't hold their liquor."
Speaking thus, he got up and prepared to return to his captain's quarters via the internal staircase.
"Sagarek."
Lily was already waiting for him at the staircase landing.
"Hmm? Lily, aren't you tired? Staying up is bad for a young lady's complexion. Go get some sleep."
"There's something I need to say."
Lily bit her lip and said, "Regarding the rebellion and the escape of those four hundred people, it's because I failed to stabilize the situation on the ship, and I..."
Slap!
A hand covered her wavy golden hair and gave it a good ruffle.
"Lily."
Passing her by, Sagarek ascended the stairs and said without turning his head, "We are merely pirates, not an army. Besides, those who rebelled are already dead. There's no need to be so hard on yourself. You've done well."
"Getting on or off the ship is their freedom. If you feel displeased about it, exercise your authority as an executive and execute them. If not, then let them be. They're just crew members, and there's no shortage of that sort on the vast ocean."
"As long as our core remains, we can set sail again and again, no matter how many setbacks we face. Hahahaha!"
He laughed for a while, then disappeared into the staircase leading to the captain's quarters.
Lily stood there, her eyes darting around, her delicate fist clenching, "I will also fulfill my duties. You have your duties as the captain, Sagarek. As for the rest, I will definitely solve it and make sure it doesn't happen again!"
Back in his captain's quarters, Sagarek shook his head. "Still so young and inexperienced. She hasn't faced enough setbacks."
Having grown up in the royal palace, she was like a caged canary, and the only setbacks she faced were those deliberately orchestrated by her devil of a father. After forming the pirate crew, although there were some dangers along the way, their plan hadn't changed at all.
But this time, she seemed to think the setback was too big.
To him, the escape of some people was nothing. The plan had been executed, and that was all that mattered.
Even if everyone deserted him, as long as his core remained intact, he could set sail again and again. This was but a minor setback.
"Being a pirate...
I've really hit the jackpot this time!" Sagarek grinned, baring his teeth, then headed to his bedroom for some sleep.
The Grim Reaper's Flag continued its journey through the night, and it wasn't until after midnight that the pirates woke up from their drunken stupor and resumed their course according to the directions.
The Sosomia recording pointer only required a day and a half to record, and Lily had been there for two days, fully charged with magnetic energy, as they embarked on their proper voyage.
The remaining plunder targets were all along the route from Sosomia to Fishman Island, so they could just plunder as they sailed along.
Half a month later, the Grim Reaper's Flag passed through the short stretch of the Devil's Triangle border, sailing for about a day before they spotted their last plunder target—a ship that resembled a tall tower, standing upright on the ocean with an expanded top deck like a small island.
It was a tourist and relaxation destination, a spa island recognized by the World Government, and it boasted an annual income of one hundred billion berries!
(End of Chapter)
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