Chapter 339: Does Heaven Bear a Grudge Against You?
Chapter 339: Does Heaven Bear a Grudge Against You?
Boom!
Thunder rumbled, whipping up a frenzied storm that lashed at the sea, churning up towering waves that threatened to capsize the ships sailing above.
The pirates on board braved the torrential rain, dashing back and forth across the deck, heaving and tightening ropes and sails, their full attention focused on maneuvering their vessels.
"Pull tight and don't let go, or the ship will capsize!"
Bellamy stood at the aft deck, his position affording him a bird's-eye view of the entire ship below. His golden hair, drenched by the rain, was whipped about by the fierce wind, causing his entire face to twitch.
The storm was more intense than anything the Jolly Roger had encountered before.
They were doing their utmost, fearing that the ship would overturn.
Unconsciously, Bellamy glanced towards the Jolly Roger at the forefront. It sailed on with the same unwavering steadiness, though it sent a shiver down one's spine.
If the remaining ships were weathering the storm, then the Jolly Roger was facing twice the fury, with thunder...
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
...claps striking the entire black ship, sparing neither sail nor mast nor any corner of the deck.
Especially at the location of the two-story structure, the thunder seemed to have a particular vendetta, relentlessly striking as if the heavens bore a deep grudge against this ship.
No...
Not the ship.
It was Captain Sag...
In the captain's room, Reinitziah watched the lightning strike right outside the window, the deafening thunderclaps numbing her ears. She couldn't help but exclaim:
"Hey! Sag, stop playing with your storm! Stop it now!"
Leaning back on the throne, Sag had his feet propped up on the table, a cigar between his teeth, and a drink in his hand that he swung casually.
At her words, he spared Reinitziah a glance and said, "I'm not playing. This is a regular storm."
"How is this regular? Where is it regular?"
Reinitziah rolled her eyes and cried out:
"This intensity is too much! We've never encountered anything like it! Has the sky lost its mother? And why is the captain's room being struck the most? Does it have a grudge against you? Did you kill its wife and kidnap its children?!"
On the sofa, Moriah chuckled as he savored his red wine. "Even in the New World, this intensity is off the charts. Hee hee hee hee. Sag, is this the price you paid for stealing the storm?"
"What do you mean, 'I stole the storm'? It doesn't belong to the heavens; it belongs to Big Mom!"
Sag straightened up at the mention of this, indignation clear on his face. He reached for the fur cape hanging on the coat rack and said, "Even if there's a grudge, it's Charlotte Linlin who holds it against me, not the sky!"
"But the storm has indeed intensified."
Lili stood before the desk, her left hand resting on the ornate pearl and ivory sword hilt. "Sag, can't you really control it? That cape, is it now a thundercloud too?"
"I've tried. I can intensify it, but I can't weaken it. There's no connection between the two."
With a thought, Sag caused the fur cape to soften like cotton candy and transform into a black cloud that circled above his head.
Even though it was composed of Charlotte Linlin's soul and those of some pirates, he should not have been able to control it, even if he had reduced it to an imbecilic state.
However, Sag didn't delve further into this matter. After all, it was a tremendous asset.
The thundercloud's appearance not only allowed Sag to ride the clouds but also gave him indirect control over storms and thunder.
He had, in a sense, gained command over the elemental forces.
He had always yearned for such power, whether it was Aokiji, Kizaru, or the battle with Kaido. Deep down, he had longed to possess such abilities.
The Momi Fruit did possess the kind of power he remembered, akin to a nuclear bomb. But who would complain about having too much strength?
Besides, it didn't cost him a thing.
There was also a theory to consider.
"This storm has nothing to do with me, as you can see now. If it did, why can't I control the weather through this medium?" Sag asserted confidently. "It's all a coincidence. Even if it has intensified, it's just bad weather, understand?"
Lili pursed her lips and pondered for a moment before replying gently, "Sag, sometimes it's not a direct relationship. It could be that a combination of influences and inherent qualities has triggered a chain reaction. So, while it may seem unrelated, there could be a deep connection. Only by removing these connections and influences will things return to normal."
"Speak plainly.
"Sag huffed in annoyance. "It's all your fault. We were just fine without you, and now you've brought such bad luck that it's like heaven itself bears a grudge against you."
Reinitziah's forte was her innocence and honesty.
"I admit I'm unlucky, but what does that have to do with the storm? Don't spout nonsense!" Sag glared at Reinitziah.
Hawkins, sitting across from Moriah, drew some tarot cards, glanced at them, and said indifferently, "Rest assured, the chances of a safe arrival at Ohara are 90%. Well, there might be some difficulties."
He turned the cards over for everyone to see, revealing a tower struck by lightning.
"Upright Tower indicates that we will endure challenges and emerge stronger. The outcome will ultimately be favorable."
"That's truly a relief."
Standing behind him, Urki, his body wrapped in bandages, raised a thumb and cackled, "Enduring the storm is a form of cultivation."
"Now, now, what are we discussing here?"
Mary carried in some tea and snacks and handed them to Akainu, who was standing guard at the door to the captain's room. After distributing the refreshments, she smiled and said, "Dinner will be ready in two hours. For now, please enjoy some snacks."
"We were just talking about Sag's bad luck. Oh, cake, my favorite!"
Reinitziah's eyes lit up as she took the cake from Akainu.
Blowing out a puff of smoke, Sag stubbed out his cigar and drained his jewel-encrusted goblet. "Let me make this clear again: I may be a bit unlucky, but this storm has absolutely nothing to do with me!"
Lili remained silent but turned to Reinitziah and asked, "Is the ship alright?"
"Don't worry, it's already damaged. We'll sail back to Ohara for repairs," Reinitziah replied.
Sag's collision had caused half of the first-floor banquet hall to collapse, but the support was still holding, so the captain's room on the second floor remained unscathed for the time being.
Aside from that area, there were varying degrees of damage elsewhere, made worse by the relentless thunder.
However, since they would need to make repairs anyway, Reinitziah wasn't too concerned.
As long as the ship could sail, that was all that mattered.
Ever since the battle ended and Big Mom retreated, no one held any hopes for the ship's integrity.
They had only rested for less than two hours on the island when this violent storm struck, turning Skopp Island into a lightning-stricken land.
According to Moriah, there were indeed islands in the New World constantly struck by lightning.
But this was completely different. Those islands had a climate that was either naturally occurring or altered, whereas this particular climate change was sudden and unexpected.
Given the intensity of the storm and the relentless thunder, they had no intention of lingering on Skopp Island. After confirming that the local mayor was a decent person with little ruling power, they planted their flag and planned to send someone back later.
As they sailed away, the lightning stopped striking the island and began targeting the Death Star instead, with increasing ferocity.
Now, they could only brave the thunder and forge ahead. Fortunately, the pirate ships at the back were being buffeted by the wind and rain, and the intensity seemed less severe than what the Death Star was enduring. For the time being, they could still sail.
However, there was a problem. Aside from the thunder, why was the storm specifically targeting their ship with increased intensity?
What was going on? Even if Sag insisted that it had nothing to do with him, some things couldn't be explained away so easily. Facts were facts.
Although he had acquired the Homies from Big Mom, who could say for sure that heaven itself didn't disapprove of him? This storm seemed to be evidence of that...
As the people on the ship lamented their misfortune, on an unknown, uninhabited island, a ship-like structure that resembled a fortress was docked. At the very top, it was connected to a massive balloon with "WE NEWS" written on it.
This was the headquarters of the news industry, one of the six major underground industries, and the home of the world's largest newspaper, the World Economic News.
"Breaking news!"
"It's all big news!"
Inside a room resembling a newsroom, a pigeon was flipping through photographs one by one.
Most of the photos showed two fleets engaging in battle in a certain sea area, while a significant portion focused on an island where Big Mom and Sag were fighting.
There were photos of them attacking each other, as well as dark skies and falling lightning that made both sides look terrifying.
The pictures weren't taken from very close range, but they were clear and detailed.
One particular photo captured the moment Big Mom's pirate crew retreated.
"Big Mom actually fought against a natural disaster and retreated!"
The pigeon's eyes sparkled with excitement, and its fist, resembling a wing, pounded the blackboard in front of it.
"Why hasn't the Navy issued a bounty yet? This is huge news on the high seas. One is a Yonko, and the other is a formidable contender who has driven back Big Mom's pirate crew!"
The speaker, Mooreskins, was one of the Six Great Emperors of the underground world and a leader in the news industry. He was the founder of the world's largest newspaper, the World Economic News.
"And why wasn't I given this photo sooner?" Mooreskins demanded, holding up a photograph of a white-haired man with his back to the camera, facing a colossal coiling dragon in the sky.
The man's white hair billowed, the dragon was terrifying, and the sky was ominous, with a shattered island in the background—a perfect headline-grabbing image!
"Boss, we only just got this recently," one of the reporters explained. "There weren't any related reports before this."
"This involves two of the Yonko!" Mooreskins exclaimed. "Norton Sag, the 'Calamity,' has clashed with two Yonko in quick succession. This is massive news! If we don't get our hands on it first, are we just supposed to sit around and wait for the news to come to us? We're the World Economic News, for heaven's sake!"
The name 'Norton Sag, the Calamity,' was already notorious.
The recent battle between the Navy and Whitebeard's pirate crew, known as the 'Summit War,' still attracted attention even after all this time. It continued to be a topic that sold newspapers, with both large and small publications reaping the benefits.
Norton Sag, who had entered the scene later but captured a lot of attention, was also a subject of discussion.
He was the pirate who had destroyed Marinford and slaughtered the World Nobles!
Especially after he conquered a nation and occupied a country, news about him spread like wildfire, and now many journalists were stationed in Storm City, waiting for the next big story.
He was a highly newsworthy figure, and any explosive news about him was sure to make the front page.
But now, after two encounters with the Yonko, the Navy still hadn't issued a bounty on him!
"Boss, no one knew about the battle between the Calamity and Kaido. You know the Death Star is the 'Black Ship in the Storm'; no one dares to follow it because their ships will capsize," a reporter explained. "It was only because the Calamity's pirate crew assembled their forces that we learned of their clash with Big Mom, and even then, we didn't have the credentials to go ourselves. This photo came from another source."
That "other source" referred to the surveillance ships.
The Navy personnel on those ships reported to the World Government, but they also sold some of the juicier news to the media on the side for extra income.
It was an unspoken rule.
"Never mind," Mooreskins waved his hand dismissively. He began pinning the photos to the blackboard, stroking his chin as he mused, "We haven't had any explosive news lately. The last report was about something happening in the Navy, but the details are unclear. All we know is that 'Kuzan' has left the Navy. That one's going on the front page."
"Then there's Blackbeard occupying Honeycomb Island, and before that, Norton Sag occupying Garess, but there hasn't been anything noteworthy since then."
"For now, we'll stick with the current layout and put Trafalgar Law becoming a Shichibukai on the front page."
"Boss, aren't we going with a story on the Calamity?" one of the reporters asked.
"Hmmmm," Mooreskins hummed, a gleam in his eye. "This is huge news. The fact that the Navy hasn't issued a bounty yet means we have an exclusive. We won't have any trouble selling this, and I plan to sell out!
"The Calamity is a man who thrives on chaos. He'll make his move again, and the Navy will have to issue a new bounty eventually. When that happens, we'll release all this news together, and it'll be explosive!
"Imagine the headlines—'The New Pirate Emperor'! That will definitely grab attention! And with the Navy's cooperation, we can create a real stir.
"Not to mention Blackbeard. That man is also someone to watch. If we put both of these formidable Yonko contenders on the front page together, we'll attract even more readers!"
"Wait, just a little longer... We need to keep a close eye on the Calamity and get our hands on any new information. We must be the first to know of his next move!"
(End of Chapter)
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