https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-210-World-Destroyer-A-Natural-Disaster-10k-Part-2-/12611139/
Chapter 211: If All Else Fails, You Can Always Be an Idol!
Chapter 211: If All Else Fails, You Can Always Be an Idol!
Night had fallen.
On the dark waters, two ships, one large and one small, were docked together, chained securely to prevent the unmanned twin-masted sailboat from being lost in the raging storm.
Within the larger vessel, a behemoth that seemed to merge with the blackness of the night, not even the furious thunder and howling winds could drown out the raucous sounds emanating from its depths.
In the banquet hall of the Death Threat, a grand feast was underway.
Deep within the galley, chefs scurried about, tending to a myriad of dishes on the stoves. The air was thick with the aroma of cooking, as they employed every culinary technique imaginable—stewing, braising, frying, roasting, and steaming—to create a sumptuous spread. As soon as a dish was ready, it was swiftly placed on a cart and wheeled out by the serving crew.
Compared to their usual routine, the chefs had it slightly easier this time, thanks to the addition of a new member capable of preparing meals for a hundred people.
For a chef at sea, speed was just as important as culinary skill and exquisite taste. The greater the quantity of food they could prepare while maintaining impeccable quality, the more impressive their prowess.
This team of chefs had previously only managed to cook for groups of ten; beyond that, either the taste suffered or they found themselves exhausted.
Preparing meals for a hundred people in one go was incredibly taxing, and they would be utterly spent by the tenth batch.
Among the pirate crew, only Mary could effortlessly prepare such large quantities.
But now, there was another—the black-clad, golden-haired stranger, a culinary genius.
"This is love!"
Sanji, a cigarette dangling unlit from his lips, drizzled a special sauce over a hundred freshly made meatballs. With a flourish, he proclaimed, "The power of love is infinite!"
His eyes sparkling with heart shapes, he turned to Mary at the neighboring stove and called out, "Lady Mary, behold my special pirate feast made with love!"
"Oh my, that's impressive!"
Mary smiled gently. "Not a single ingredient wasted."
"Of course!"
Sanji straightened, his expression turning serious. "Not a crumb of food should ever go to waste. No matter what it is, as long as it's edible, it can be turned into a delicious meal. In times of hunger, even the smallest morsel can ease starvation and save lives!"
He had encountered far too many wasteful individuals, and he despised them.
When he had first offered to help in the kitchen, he had expected the chefs to be as wasteful as Sag, but to his surprise, they were different.
These chefs utilized every bit of their ingredients efficiently. Leftover scraps and bones were either used to make soup or ground into a paste for meatballs and other dishes.
This wasn't mere trash; the bones came from sea creatures, rich in nutrients and perfectly edible.
These chefs were truly skilled!
Hearing Sanji's words, Mary's smile widened. "Mr. Curly Brows, it seems you're quite the talented chef yourself."
Sanji responded with a gentlemanly smile.
Mary continued, "Then, shall we have a little competition? I'm quite confident in my culinary skills. Let's see who creates the better dish."
"A challenge?"
Sanji's eyebrow arched, and a confident smile played on his lips. "When it comes to cooking, I never lose!"
He might be a flirt, but when it came to his culinary skills, Sanji was all business!
This banquet was not just for the Disaster Pirates, but also for the Straw Hat Pirates!
He would never back down from a challenge!
The feast was a joint affair between the two pirate crews. Whether the Hot Spring Island ended up destroyed or they managed to secure the money, the banquet would go on.
In fact, it was precisely because they hadn't gotten proper rest that Sag decided to hold this grand celebration.
"Ho ho ho ho! Straw Hat, stop drinking that weird stuff! Alcohol is the true delight of mankind!"
On his throne, Sag watched as Luffy stuffed his face at a nearby table, his mouth stretched to accommodate an enormous bite. After a few vigorous chews and swallows, he washed it down with a gulp of beverage, patted his chest, and continued his voracious feast. Sag burst into laughter at the sight.
"Mmm-hmm!"
In response, Luffy merely nodded vaguely, too focused on his meal to pay much attention. His hands moved with blinding speed as he grabbed food from the table, so fast that even the chefs struggled to keep up with his appetite. At one point, Sag even saw a fleeting afterimage as Luffy's hand stretched towards the lavish spread on the long table in front of the throne.
Clang!
Sag swung his ornate silver spoon, imbued with his Haki, and struck the afterimage, forcing Luffy to retract his hand. Luffy blew on the red mark on his hand, left by the impact of the spoon.
"You cheapskate! What's the big deal if you share a little of your food?" Luffy shouted.
Inside the banquet hall were round tables and buffet counters. The pirates were free to choose their dining style, whether seated or moving about to help themselves. All manners of eating were permitted here.
As long as someone desired it, Sag wouldn't mind if they even chose to dine upside down.
However, there was one rule. "I invited you up here to eat because your crew from Alabasta saved my men. But when it comes to my things, only those I give to others can be taken. If I don't give it, no one can take it! The same goes for food!" Sag roared.
"But your food tastes so good!" Luffy protested.
"That's mine! Mine!"
His food was, of course, different from what the lower-ranked pirates were served.
The food for the general crew was prepared by the kitchen staff, with only a few dishes made by Mary in large quantities. But Sag's food was specially prepared by Mary using the finest ingredients.
This time, just for the presentation, there were 108 dishes, each more sumptuous and flavorful than what the lower ranks were having.
However, while it wasn't prohibited to eat at the tables, only the high-ranking officers were allowed to do so.
Lili and her companions were permitted to share Sag's food, and given their smaller appetites compared to Sag, their presence at the table wouldn't make much of a difference.
Hawkins and Akainu also had the qualifications to dine here, but they chose not to. Lucci could also be counted among those with this privilege, but he would never consider it, opting instead to remain in a corner with his companions, silently observing the lively atmosphere.
Nevertheless, the principle remained that only what Sag offered could be taken by others!
A landlord could only give or consent; there was no concept of taking without asking. This was a matter of principle.
Even if Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, were to be resurrected, he wouldn't find a single bite to eat here without Sag's permission.
"You cheapskate!"
Luffy muttered, his eyes darting around before extending his arm towards another table and snatching a few pieces of meat with bones.
"Hey! What are you doing, you guy!"
The pirates whose food had been taken protested, banging their fists on the table and glaring at Luffy. Luffy chuckled and continued to stuff his mouth with food.
At that table were also a few others, including Nami, who was tackling a steak, her face streaked with tears.
It wasn't because the steak was particularly delicious, as Sanji was also a skilled chef, but rather, she hadn't tasted such fine meat in a long while. Due to their financial struggles, they usually settled for cheaper options. This high-quality steak, with marbling like snowflakes, was a rare treat.
In fact, they could only afford this level of food for a day or two after defeating an enemy, as that was when they were at their most affluent. After that, they would resort to purchasing regular ingredients.
A large portion of their funds went towards their captain's meals, leaving them with little savings.
Lately, they had been particularly strapped for cash, to the point of almost having to resort to eating fish bait.
They had only experienced such financial hardship once before, when they first entered the Grand Line and went several days without food. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to relive that experience yet again.
Fortunately, they at least had food now.
But that was all they had.
They hadn't managed to secure any money.
"Lord Sag~"
Nami approached Sag with a cup of wine, her presence as subtle as a ghost. Just as she intended to get closer, she was driven back by the intimidating gaze of Lili, who stood by Sag's side. Undeterred, Nami continued with a flattering smile, "About the 300 million berries you mentioned earlier..."
"I didn't get any money, so how could you expect to get a share? However..."
Sag glanced at Luffy, who was still indulging in the feast, and smirked, "That old man, Garp, 'took care' of me quite a lot. Lili, after the banquet, give him 100 million berries as charity from me to those poor devils."
"100 million!"
Nami's eyes sparkled, and she enthusiastically downed the cup of wine in her hand. She clasped her hands together, resting her head on them as her body went soft with relief. "Lord Sag, you're amazing!"
A hundred million berries were undoubtedly a huge sum on the high seas. Even a million berries were substantial, considering that the prices weren't that high. Hosting a banquet for the entire population of Water 7 for a day would cost a billion berries, and they would still have a million left over.
A hundred million berries were enough to fund ten such banquets for the entire population of Water 7. It would undoubtedly be more than enough to cover their expenses.
As for those poor devils...
He was giving them money, yet they still dared to complain?
He was fanning them with money, so let them say whatever they wanted!
"This little amount should be enough. I don't know how you guys even got that bounty on your heads."
Sag shook his head and chuckled, "There are plenty of ways to spend money on the high seas. If you don't have ambitions, you won't get anywhere. If you want money, I have plenty here, and you can borrow some. Of course, this will incur interest. Within three months, there's a 10% interest. Within six months, 20%. Within nine months, 30%. And within a year, 40%. If you fail to repay the loan within the specified timeframe, the interest jumps to 100%."
"I always offer fair prices, and even when it comes to loan sharking, I conduct my business with integrity."
As for defaulting on payments, who would dare not repay him?
This woman's head was still worth 16 million berries.
"No, that won't be necessary. A million berries is more than enough!" Nami didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Having money was a good thing, especially a substantial sum of 10 million berries!
But when it came to borrowing money, he was an even bigger swindler than she was.
"To have reached this level as pirates, you're quite interesting. Don't end up retiring in abject poverty, ah."
Sag laughed heartily. "If that happens, you'll only have your past glory to reminisce about!"
"No way! I'll definitely be a wealthy and beautiful pirate captain!" Nami's voice rose an octave as she thought about such a predicament.
He was the sort of person who knew how to differentiate between business and personal matters.
Even though Garp was an enemy, Sag held no grudges for the favors exchanged during the East Blue era.
As for the events at Enies Lobby, the Navy and pirates were always adversaries, and victory and defeat were common occurrences. He wasn't the type to hold a grudge over that.
It wasn't because he hadn't died back then—he certainly wouldn't have died. The Navy wouldn't have possibly killed an enemy when they had the capability to capture them, and he had just stolen Pluton's blueprints at the time.
The World Government wouldn't have let him die either.
This favor was simply returning the one Garp had given him during the East Blue era.
And this banquet was merely to reciprocate the favor that old fox had done for him in Alabasta. Anyway, since they were holding it, he might as well invite whoever he wanted, and the more people, the merrier.
He loved lively gatherings like this.
After Nami left with a pair of eyes that had been promised the mark of a million berries, Lily spoke up, "Sag, you're in a good mood."
"Of course."
Sag poured himself another glass of wine. "The power of the Momo Fruit has definitely enhanced my abilities, and I also have the method for creating the Rainbow Gem. These will be great assets once we reach the New World."
As for whether it would work or not, well, Retty had said it was feasible.
And those two little girls would be able to test out the results within a few days. They also had a Den Den Mushi, so they wouldn't have to wait long to know the outcome.
"What if you suffer a loss?" Lily asked.
"It doesn't matter if I lose. A hundred million berries is easy to come by, and we're not some poor ghost of a pirate crew." Sag laughed.
He was already a billionaire, with a total of 4.5 billion berries in external funds, his own treasure trove, the loot from the Sozimia Kingdom, and the plunder accumulated over the past half month—2.5 billion berries in cash and a total of thirty boxes of gold, silver, and jewels.
With a little more plundering, he would be able to join the ranks of the hundred-billionaire club!
While he might not be considered a world-renowned tycoon, he would undoubtedly be an extremely wealthy individual. This amount of money would be more than enough for anyone to live out the rest of their life in luxury.
"Moreover, we won't suffer a loss. Those two little girls are quite talented."
Sag glanced at the sisters who were also eating downstairs, their mouths greasy from the food. "The older sister has a talent for being a scientist, and the younger sister, well, she's pretty, smart, and a quick learner. If we start cultivating her from a young age, she'll also become a useful assistant in the future, and..."
"If all else fails, she can always become an idol!"
There were idol stars who performed on the high seas.
Anyway, since they would be pledging their allegiance to him and seeking his protection, it didn't matter what they did.
When it came to cultivating people, Sag was quite particular.
He aimed to become a landlord, not just for the immediate future, but for the long term as well. By cultivating some people from a young age, they would also become part of his core team in the future.
But all of this would have to wait until after they obtained territory in the New World to truly begin.
"Your current level still needs improvement, but you now have the qualifications to enter the New World."
Sag thought for a moment. "Once you reach that place, that's when you'll truly be able to temper and strengthen yourselves!"
The first half of the Grand Line was, for Sag, a true 'paradise'. There wasn't much room for further development here.
Lily's abilities and her Conqueror's Haki would allow her to get by in the New World, and Sag wasn't the type to immediately challenge others like Moria that fat otaku. After all, he was someone who planned things out, and the strength of his high-ranking crew members would give them the qualifications to be tempered in the New World.
Thus, the plan to advance into the New World could now be set in motion.
"There's one last place left!"
Sag swirled the wine in his jewel-encrusted cup, and his smile gradually turned sinister. "Once we plunder that place, we'll advance into the New World!"
(End of Chapter)
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