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Chapter 206: Secure the Ship, or I'll Break Your Legs!
Chapter 206: Secure the Ship, or I'll Break Your Legs!
"One hundred billion a year?!''
On the deck, Rebecca moved her goggles up to her forehead, a quizzical look on her face. "Is vacationing that profitable? Sag, should we get into the vacation business when we enter the New World?"
"We're pirates," Sag replied with a shake of his head. "Ordinary folks aren't going to come to us for a vacation. The tourism industry depends a lot on the environment as well."
Sag turned to Rebecca, "By the way, how's your blueprint analysis coming along?"
"Still working on it," Rebecca replied, rolling her eyes. "It's not something I can rush. I've only learned a little of the technology so far, enough to modify my mechanical hammer and this—"
She reached for her waist and produced a beautifully crafted flintlock pistol with a golden handle and jeweled embellishments, which she handed to Sag. "Your gun. I incorporated a bit of that technology, along with my power technology. It still has a capacity of six shots, but it's more powerful and has a longer range."
Sag took the pistol and aimed it at the cylindrical tower in the distance before holstering it at his waist.
His previous flintlock pistol had been damaged and lost during his capture. Over the past two weeks, he had asked Rebecca to modify a new one for him.
Now that he had his weapon, his fingers itched to use it. The abilities of the Mo Mo Fruit would be best showcased through the use of weapons, but he decided to hold off for now.
After all, he still had to rob this place.
"Hey, Old Hawk," Sag called out, turning to Hawkins, who was sitting on the edge of the deck, already drawing cards before Sag had even spoken.
"99%," Hawkins replied nonchalantly. "It's obvious, so I don't think there's a need to calculate it."
"What about the intelligence?" Sag asked, turning to look at Lucci.
"The Onsen Island, this place is a ship, but also a vacation resort," Lucci explained in a monotone voice. "It's docked in an area with unique phenomena like the 'Round Rainbow' and 'Candy Rain,' which attract many tourists. Only in this area do the candy clouds appear."
"See?" Sag said, grinning at the group. "That's what you call professionalism."
"Candy rain?" Rebecca's eyes lit up. "Do candies really fall from the sky?"
Next to her, Lash's eyes sparkled with the same curiosity.
Of course, children loved candy.
Lucci didn't respond, but his silence spoke volumes.
With someone as aloof as him, silence meant agreement.
"Candy rain?" Marika echoed, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "The Grand Line is truly a strange place. I wonder what it tastes like. It could make for an interesting dessert ingredient."
She, too, was intrigued by the prospect of rare and exotic ingredients.
"Captain," Gabra piped up, "the Onsen Island sounds like a fun place. Why don't we take a break here? We haven't had a proper rest in half a month."
Sag considered the suggestion for a moment before waving his hand decisively. "Alright, my merry men! It's time to treat yourselves! Go and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation!"
"Woohoo!" The pirates cheered in unison.
They had been on a non-stop robbing spree for the past two weeks without any breaks, and their stash of money was begging to be spent.
Half an hour later, the Death Harbinger arrived at the base of the cylindrical tower.
This place resembled a giant elevator, with the cylindrical structure hollowed out to form a port for ships to dock. Above it loomed a massive platform, the vacation destination.
At the docking port below, specialized staff received the incoming ships. When the Death Harbinger arrived, the staff, seemingly unbothered by the pirate flag, allowed them to dock without incident, appearing indifferent to their pirate status.
Dozens of ships were already docked at the port, ranging from tourist vessels to merchant ships. The massive Death Harbinger navigated through the gaps between the smaller ships and docked smoothly before lowering its gangplank.
"Hmm?"
Sag stood at the top of the gangplank, his eyes narrowing as he pointed at the neighboring ship, a twin-masted schooner with a golden sunflower figurehead. "Lily, is that a sea star or a sunflower?"
Lily, standing by Sag's side, followed his finger and observed the figurehead. It resembled a sunflower, yet it also looked like a sea star with extra points, and at its center was an animal emblem that seemed like a bear or a lion.
"Neither," Lily replied, her eyes lifting to the black flag atop the mast. "Sag, it's the Straw Hat Pirates' jolly roger."
Even though the sails were furled, the jolly roger always remained hoisted. On the black flag was a grinning skull donning a straw hat.
Lily remembered this emblem, and she had recently refreshed her memory of it.
After their heist in Ssomia, they had continued their plundering spree, and Lily made sure to read the news reports after each incident. However, there had been no news about Sag's prison break; instead, she had come across the new bounty notices for the Straw Hat Pirates.
As the other main culprits behind the destruction of Enies Lobby, the Straw Hats' bounties had increased significantly.
'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy—Bounty: 300,000,000 berries.
Additionally, Sag's sister, Nico Robin, now had a bounty of 80,000,000 berries.
Whoosh!
Lucci appeared on the gangplank, his eyes fixed intently on the neighboring ship. "Straw Hats, huh?"
"Oh? Feeling vengeful?" Sag chuckled. "You were dismissed because you lost to them, right?"
While Sag hadn't been directly involved, he had heard about Lucci's defeat at Luffy's hands when he arrived on the ship.
"It's related," Lucci acknowledged. "The most direct factor was your destruction of the Buster Call fleet twice, and the fact that you obtained Pluto, causing Spandam's mission to fail halfway. The other half was Nico Robin's escape, for which Spandam blamed us."
If it had simply been the destruction of Enies Lobby, the problem wouldn't have been as severe. As long as the mission could be completed, Spandam had the means to resolve it.
And most importantly, they had failed their mission, and not just once, but twice.
However, Lucci didn't harbor much anger towards Sag.
Their previous mission had been to 'find Pluto', and while they had succeeded in locating it, Sag acquiring it was beyond their control.
Lucci acknowledged Sag's strength, a power so overwhelming that it demanded respect in body, mind, and technique.
But when it came to the Straw Hat Pirates, Lucci's acknowledgment vanished!
"We are free now, with no relevant missions and no conflict with the Strate Hats," Lucci said calmly.
No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, without any missions, they wouldn't take any action against the Straw Hats.
"Truly professionals with excellent discipline," Sag said, patting his shoulder and laughing: "Since you don't want to take action, then it's time to take a well-deserved break. You guys must be working all year round, but on my ship, you don't need to be that diligent. Take it easy and enjoy yourselves, ho ho ho ho!"
"I'm not that familiar with you," Lucchi replied, removing Sag's hand and walking down the gangplank on his own.
"Lord Sag," Jin said as he approached Sag from behind. "Do we need to leave someone to guard the ship?"
"There's no need," Sag replied with a wave of his hand. "Since they're accommodating pirates, I won't be so petty. Those who want to relax can go up, and those who want to rest can stay here."
Sag laughed heartily and walked down the gangplank, his black cape with red tips fluttering behind him. By his side were Lily, always close by with her hand on her sword hilt like an attendant; the petite Reinitea; and Marika, ever-smiling, on his right.
Hawkins stood behind them, his eyes indifferent as he gazed at the landing point.
Following the four executives were Aki, leading the pirates aboard the ship with a sinister expression; Bellamy, his face full of arrogance; Miot, silent and stoic; and Palu, wearing a foolish grin. There was also Faust, the black cat from the Fur Tribe, but he was incredibly lazy.
Sag didn't know much about this member of the Fur Tribe, as Faust kept a low profile. On the ship, he only seemed close to Hawkins, and he would often disappear for days at a time.
There were times when Sag didn't see Faust, the only fur tribe member on the ship, for several days and assumed he had left. But when he inquired, he learned that Faust was just hibernating in the ship's cabin, preferring to stay out of sight.
Sag didn't usually pay attention to ordinary crew members, and after asking about Faust's whereabouts, he quickly lost interest. Nonetheless, he assigned the lazy black cat a new task—to guard the first-layer treasure vault in the ship's cabin. After all, Faust preferred to stay put, and this way, Aki's responsibilities would be reduced slightly.
"Noble guests, welcome to Onsen Island. Here at—"
Before the attendant could finish, Sag walked past him without so much as a glance. Bellamy, however, stopped and flashed a menacing grin, sticking out his tongue and licking his upper lip. He then threw a stack of beri at the attendant's face, scaring him pale.
"Guard the ship, or I'll break your legs!" Bellamy shouted, his tongue flicking out again.
Eight hundred pirates filed out, descending the gangplank and reaching the landing point. Their presence alone was enough to send nearby civilians scurrying for cover, clearing the area.
It wasn't difficult to distinguish between pirates and civilians. One didn't need keen senses or aura perception; a simple glance at their faces was enough.
Those with gentle, harmless expressions were undoubtedly civilians.
As for the pirates...
Sag turned back to survey the crowd, taking in their fierce auras and faces—some fleshy and brutish, others sharp and sinister. One look at them was enough to know that these individuals embraced a life of crime and imprisonment.
"Sir, esteemed guest," a pale-faced attendant at the entrance of the elevator platform said, blocking Sag's path and bowing deeply. "You can't go in."
"Huh?"
Sag sized him up with a glance. "What's the meaning of this? Are you going to charge me an entrance fee because you let us dock but won't let us in?"
"No, that's not it," the attendant quickly clarified, his forced smile looking more like a cry for help. "You see, the climate here is a transition between autumn and winter, and there are hot springs above. But it's not cold, so we recommend that guests wear attire suitable for bathing. That way, you can have the best experience."
Sag raised an eyebrow, looking at the attendant whose legs were still trembling. "You know who I am?"
"Y-yes," the attendant stuttered.
"You have excellent professional ethics, recognizing me and still daring to stop me. I appreciate that in people. Do you sell clothes here?"
The attendant nodded vigorously.
"Get everyone changed!" Sag ordered, waving his hand. "I'll foot the bill!"
"Yes! Thank you so much, Lord Sag!" The attendant bowed once more, wiping the sweat from his brow as he spoke.
Everyone knew of the calamity that was Sag, and when they had seen his ship approaching, they had known who was coming.
But now...
This extremely dangerous calamity didn't seem so unapproachable after all.
...
On the platform, Nami stretched languidly on a beach chair by a swimming pool, her curvaceous figure accentuated by her bikini. She let out a satisfied sigh, a lazy smile on her face as she said, "It's great to find a place like this for a vacation after passing through the Devil's Triangle veiled in mist."
To her right, Robin sat in a similar beach chair, wearing only a swimsuit that wrapped around her chest and a skirt that covered her legs. She picked up a glass of juice from the small table and took a sip, nodding in agreement. "Yes, it's wonderful to discover such a place after navigating through the treacherous Devil's Triangle."
"Nami couldn't help but recall her encounter with the lecherous lion monster in that terrifying place, and the sensation of its tongue licking her still made her shudder.
'Yuck! Such unpleasant memories! But we've escaped that horrible place, so let's relax and have some fun!'
'It's our honor to bring you joy, esteemed guests.'
A waiter-like man approached them from behind and bowed slightly. 'I am the manager of this 'Onsen Island,' my name is Dolan, at your service.'
He continued with a broad smile, 'Onsen Island boasts twelve heated pools, three drifting pools, and over fifty types of hot springs, including waterfalls, milk baths, and cola baths.'
'Additionally, for guests who enjoy games and entertainment, we offer water activities and a water casino. You are free to indulge in all these pleasures. When it comes to dining, we have partnered with renowned restaurants worldwide, inviting their chefs to provide the finest cuisine to rejuvenate travelers after their long journeys.'
'Wow, I thought this was just a resort at a strange point, known for the 'Round Rainbow' and 'Candy Rain.''
Nami nodded. 'Managing such a massive place must be challenging, especially with the dangers of the sea...'
'Be it pirates, revolutionaries, or any dangerous elements, we welcome them all here for a vacation,' Dolan replied with a smile. 'This is why our annual revenue exceeds 100 billion beri.'
'Whether it's security or secrecy, we are the best in the business. We are recognized by the World Government as a legitimate vacation spot, so you need not worry about inspections.'
'Hehe.'
Robin chuckled softly, 'The World Government, huh? You should know who we are, right?'
'Of course.'
Dolan showed no sign of fear. 'But I believe that everyone on the sea, regardless of how dangerous they may be, needs a place to unwind. Moreover, I'm just a manager.'
An enterprise with an annual revenue of 100 billion beri certainly didn't belong to him; it was the domain of true power players.
For instance, the Six Overlords of the Underworld.
While the World Government held sway over civilians, the Underworld exerted influence over lawbreakers.
Onsen Island's longevity was a testament to its ability to navigate both worlds.
Dolan smiled and said, 'As for those small-time pirates who don't know any better, our security can handle them. So please, enjoy your stay without worries. As long as you have money, we are your safest and most suitable haven.'
'So, how much will you pay me to ensure this place continues to exist?'
'Guest, you're joking. In business, it's the customers who pay us...'
Dolan's voice trailed off as he realized his mistake.
The voice didn't belong to the 'Cat Burglar' or the 'Demon Child'; it was a man's voice.
He turned toward the source of the voice and froze, his face contorting in shock.
Even when facing the mastermind behind the destruction of Enies Lobby, the Straw Hat boy, his expression hadn't changed. But now, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Onsen Island was protected by various powerful forces, and well-known pirates knew what this place represented. They wouldn't dare to cause trouble here. As for unknown small-time pirates, they wouldn't get past the security.
However, there were exceptions. When faced with notorious and unruly individuals, their supposed protections became meaningless.
For instance, the white-haired man standing before him, wearing only large swimming trunks, his muscular body on full display, a red jade necklace around his neck, and his fingers and wrists adorned with gold and silver jewelry.
A calamity!
Norton Sag!
'Hey!'
Nami jumped up from her beach chair, astonished. 'The newspaper said you were captured, and Luffy's grandfather even admitted to catching you himself! What's going on?'
'Sag,'
Robin was equally shocked.
Newspapers didn't make mistakes. When she had read the news, she had been saddened, as she owed him a debt of gratitude for rescuing her from Enies Lobby. But now, here he was, standing before her.
An Ohara survivor, was it possible that only one could survive on the sea?
Impel Down was an inescapable 'iron wall.'
And yet, here he stood, a living, breathing man.
'Yo, it's been a while.'
Sag greeted them and walked up to Dolan. 'So, how much are you willing to pay? I heard this place earns over 100 billion a year, and I came here specifically for the taking.'
'S-S-Sag!'
Dolan took a few steps back, his face filled with horror. 'Why are you here? Weren't you captured?!'
'Just because I was captured doesn't mean I can't escape, right? What, do you own Impel Down?'
Sag chuckled. 'Alright, enough with the surprises. Let's get down to business. You're just an employee, right? You can't make decisions. Call your boss and ask him how much this island-like ship is worth to him.'
'This is Du Feld's property, Sag! You can't take it!' Dolan exclaimed.
'Hmm?'
Sag thought for a moment. 'Lucci.'
Lucci, now dressed in a casual shirt, walked over and said, 'The 'King of Usury' in the financial world of the Underworld, Du Feld.'
(End of Chapter)
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