Chapter 298: 'Executioner' Suleiman
Chapter 298: 'Executioner' Suleiman
The vast ocean was shrouded in dark clouds, with a powerful storm raging and lightning striking from time to time. The sea beasts and sea kings that poked their heads out of the water were struck by the lightning, their pitiful howls drowned out by the roaring waves.
Even in the New World, a storm of this magnitude was considered a high-level threat.
Amid the tempest, an enormous black ship sailed smoothly.
"You don't need to concern yourself with that," Lily said, gazing at the dark clouds outside the captain's room window. "Ajin wants to lead a team out, and he just got his ability not long ago. He needs a place to test it out."
"He has more important things to do," Sag replied, swirling the liquor in his gem-encrusted cup as he sat at the desk.
"We have a weapons shipment to deliver. It'll take too long if we do it by hand. Ajin's ability is perfect for this; it'll speed up the process. In business, the earlier you deliver, the more money you make. I'm not the kind of person who agrees to something and then fails to deliver."
He took a sip from his cup and continued, "Instead of worrying about unnecessary things, we should be thinking about what to name the new city and changing the name of the kingdom while we're at it."
A month had passed since Teach left, and with the three fruits distributed among his subordinates, their business was gradually getting on track.
Crocodile and Donquixote Doflamingo's orders for weapons and cannons were taking a while to craft by hand, so to speed up the process for the first batch, Sag had asked Ajin to stay and use his fruit ability to melt the minerals for casting, greatly increasing their weapons production speed.
The city had also been mostly rebuilt, and the civilians in charge of the construction now had new jobs. The affiliated territories may have had a small population, but due to the lack of people, they were inefficient. So, they could be sent to exploit resources, killing two birds with one stone by increasing resource output while solving the employment issue.
As for those who didn't want to go, Sag had selected some shrewd individuals to form construction teams. He provided them with funds to travel to various parts of the kingdom and rebuild factories and houses.
What?
You can build your own house?
Well, it might not turn out as well as one built by professionals. After all, the design is by the Disaster Pirates' high-ranking executive, 'Magician' Basil Hawkins, who emphasizes both practicality and aesthetics.
Wouldn't you want a house that's not only sturdy but also visually pleasing, instead of a tiny, pitiful shack?
Of course, you would!
Then, it's time to open your wallet.
Sag owned the land, so any houses built on it were also his property, although civilians were granted generational usage rights.
However, this usage right had to be purchased, and if one couldn't afford it, Sag, as the landlord, would offer a loan. As long as the loan was repaid within three years, with the borrower having enough to cover their basic needs and some discretionary spending, there wouldn't be any issues.
This arrangement was well within the means of the civilians.
Sag had become adept at transferring assets from one hand to the other, and Lily was impressed by his skill in this regard.
Everything here belonged to Sag. He could have obtained materials from the affiliated islands for free and produced weapons without any cost, yet he charged for everything. Far from impoverishing him, this approach had brought him a substantial amount of tax revenue.
Most importantly, the city was buzzing with a vitality it had never known before. Although it had only been a short time, the prospects were already looking bright.
With the city and nation thriving, Sag didn't want to continue using the names Garley and Augustineburg. Now that he had gained recognition from the civilians in his territories, it was time for a fresh start.
A new name would signify that the Garley Kingdom was truly a thing of the past and that this was now Sag's territory.
However, even as things were progressing smoothly, there were still some minor bumps in the road, like the recent issue with Donquixote Doflamingo. He had called a few days ago to say that the first batch of ships they delivered wasn't selling as well as expected.
"Tias is just a duchy, a small one at that, and it's a World Government affiliate country. We can handle them, Sag. You should be sitting pretty in your kingdom, exuding the aura of a great pirate," Lily said.
"Pirates don't give a damn about aura," Sag replied, rolling his eyes. "Our job is to plunder. If I don't do any plundering, what kind of pirate am I? Occasionally, I have to do what I'm supposed to. Now that we're out here, let's not dwell on that."
The Duchy of Tias was part of the New World and played a role in the World Government's shipbuilding industry. Although it wasn't large in size, it was highly developed in that regard.
It was also cutting into Sag's business.
What's more, it was relatively close to Sag's territory, just a five-day voyage away.
"If I recall correctly, this location has already entered the territories of Kaido and Big Mom," said Renetia, lounging on a sofa with an ice cream cone in one hand and a nautical chart in the other, her small tongue flicking out to lick the ice cream.
"I still remember the New World strategic map Lily brought out back then. From the looks of it, Tias is located there."
"The territory is just a rough estimate, and in reality, we don't know how many islands there are around Garley since it's not a large magnetic field island."
"Even the Four Emperors don't have a clear picture of their own territories. It's quite fuzzy, to be honest." Lily said.
Aside from the important islands, the concept of a "territory" was indeed rather vague.
It was not uncommon for a Four Emperor's primary stronghold to be just a few days' journey south, only to stumble upon a Navy base or a World Government stronghold.
"We're heading there to conquer it, aren't we? If the World Government doesn't like it, are we starting a war here?" Renetia asked.
"There's no need for that. We don't have the manpower to garrison that place, and my goal is simple: to destroy their shipbuilding industry and bring back their skilled shipwrights."
"A territory needs people to thrive. If we take everyone, the island will become a dead island."
Sag was not fearless, but he wasn't foolish either.
He wouldn't waste his manpower on a remote location. His primary target remained Whitebeard's territory, but kidnapping a group of people would not only deal a blow to others' ship business but also boost his own—a win-win situation.
"Wonderful!"
Renetia was delighted. "Those idiots are so exhausting to teach! Stansen, that big dumb oaf, has a different way of shipbuilding than humans, and I'm the one teaching them all. If we get new shipwrights, I won't have to work so hard!"
"There's that purpose, too." Sag smiled. "The more talent we have, the more our territory will flourish and prosper."
Was Sag lacking in manpower?
Absolutely.
The basic work could be managed with the two million people from Garley, and some could be dispatched to make up for the loss.
As for agriculture, the dwarves from the subsidiary islands had found a place to start planting after a long period of observation. They had concluded that Sag truly wouldn't harm them, and they openly proclaimed that all races lived together in harmony under his rule, which appealed to the dwarves' desire for human interaction.
The dwarves were cautious by nature, but over time, they had let their guard down. They were free to enter human towns and live among them, a far cry from their secretive lives in Green Bit.
The dwarves were humans, too, and regardless of their personalities, they yearned for interaction with the human world.
Back in Green Bit, they could only sneak into the human world secretly. How different it was now that they could openly mingle and live together!
However, the dwarves were too few in number.
What could five hundred people accomplish? They needed specialists in weapon forging, shipbuilding, and gem crafting. More importantly, they required individuals with knowledge in these fields.
No matter how hard they tried to teach and train, it would always come down to a matter of time, and it was just too slow.
It was more efficient to simply abduct some skilled shipwrights.
A few days later, guided by the Eternal Pointer, the Death Prophecy arrived at the tributary waters of Tias, and the annoying stormy weather finally abated.
"It's a winter island."
Lily stood on the deck, extending her hand to feel the difference in temperature while gazing at the sky, her brow furrowed.
The drop in temperature quickly caused frost to form on the deck, and the crew shivered, wrapping themselves in thick coats and fur.
Lily, clad in her battle skirt, also donned a thick white fur cloak, resembling a blanket with a sword and some antennae.
"Have we arrived?"
Sag emerged from the captain's room, stepping onto the lower deck and reaching out for the telescope Lily handed to him. He peered through it, catching a glimpse of an island's silhouette and the port city directly ahead, with a Navy base visible in the foreground.
"Sag, there's a Navy base!"
Renetia pushed her goggles up to her forehead and called out to Sag. "Let's blow it up!"
"Oh, it seems to be within the city," Marika remarked.
"Won't that affect the people? Our goal is to capture the population, isn't it?"
"Then forget the cannons."
Sag waved his hand dismissively and flashed a sinister smile. "I'll just go over there myself!"
...
The Duchy of Tias was not a large territory, and its port city also served as its capital. Within the Navy base located near the sea, on the lookout platform, a Navy soldier yawned and shivered from the cold, hugging his arms tightly.
Even well-trained Navy soldiers struggled to endure the winter island's climate.
The weather in the Grand Line was far from stable, and the seas beyond it were even more unpredictable.
The Navy soldier peered through his telescope and mumbled, "I could go for some fries at the dock."
The Navy base in the Duchy of Tias served not only to protect the country from pirate invasions but also as a surveillance post, primarily monitoring the movements of the Yonko, or "Four Emperors." Despite its relatively remote location, it found itself smack dab in the center of Kaido, the "Hundred Beasts" and Big Mom's territories.
Any signs of activity would immediately catch their attention.
However, this place was generally avoided by pirates. In addition to the two thousand Navy personnel in the base, the Duchy of Tias also boasted strong naval capabilities. In a battle against a powerful neighboring country, they had earned fame through the "Battle of Tias."
This was not a place that your average pirate would dare to approach.
"What's that?"
Through the telescope, the Navy soldier observed a patch of darkness spreading across the vast and turbulent sea. Even before the entire ship came into view, he spotted the black flag with a skull and crossbones flying from the mast, along with a white sail below it.
"The Starry Skull Flag!"
The Navy soldier's eyes widened in recognition. "It's... it's..."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a black shadow shot out from above the mast, speeding directly toward them.
"It's the Death Prophecy!"
BOOM!!
Almost as soon as the Navy soldier shouted, the black shadow was upon them, unleashing a massive impact that flattened a large portion of the Navy base. Rubble flew in all directions, and a cloud of dust rose from the collapsed structures.
BANG!!
The black shadow that had caused the destruction didn't stop there. It continued to charge into the Navy base, turning the entire compound into a heap of ruins.
"Hahahaha! Whoo-hoohahaha!"
Amid the wreckage, Sag grabbed a Navy vice admiral by the neck, dragging his bloodied body outside. The terrified gazes of the town's residents fell upon him as he grinned menacingly and declared:
"From now on, I'm in control here!"
Buzz!
As he finished speaking, his pupils erupted with a crimson light that spread out like a flood, engulfing the entire city.
The overwhelming force of the Conqueror's Haki caused the residents' eyes to roll back, and they collapsed one by one.
Sag casually tossed aside the badly injured vice admiral and strolled to the entrance of the now-demolished Navy base. He reached into his cloak, pulled out a cigar, and was about to light it.
Swish!
Just then, a blade of light flashed toward his neck.
"Hmm?"
Sag let out a soft sound of surprise, lifting a finger.
Clang!
His finger, hardened with Busoshoku Haki, now had a western-style sword protruding from it.
As the sword appeared, Sag casually remarked, "Keep him alive."
Zing!
From the rapidly approaching Death Prophecy, a bolt of thunderous aura burst forth, aiming straight for Sag's finger. As soon as he finished speaking, the thunderous aura struck his finger, causing the sword to deflect upward due to the momentum of the impact. Its wielder stumbled backward a few steps, and the sword now found itself at Sag's neck.
A sword now rested at his neck.
Lily, holding the White Lightning, stared coldly at the person before her.
The White Lightning and the electricity-charged sword had yet to merge, and Lily decided to set that matter aside for now, retrieving the White Lightning for future use.
For the time being, this sword was more suited to her.
As for the person she was pointing her sword at...
"'Executioner' Suleiman, A-class war criminal of the Tias Sea Battle."
Lily's cold gaze didn't waver as she spoke. "I recall you were expelled from here. Why have you returned?"
(End of Chapter)
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