Chapter 353: A New Development
Chapter 353: A New Development
A pitch-black fleet docked at Honeycomb Island's landing port under the cover of dark clouds and pouring rain.
The usually rowdy and boisterous pirates of Honeycomb Island seemed to have been switched off, falling silent one by one as they turned to gaze at the massive fleet.
The dark fleet, coupled with the dark sky and the raging storm that churned the air and dampened spirits, created an oppressive atmosphere.
Even these fierce and ruthless pirates were awestruck and silent in the face of such a spectacle.
It wasn't until the fleet came to a complete halt and the massive black flagship at its forefront lowered its gangplank that a group of people began to disembark, braving the wind and rain.
Leading the way was a figure with white hair, a neck adorned with a string of black jade beads, dressed in the standard pirate attire, and a fur cape billowing in the wind.
"It's...Don Sag!"
A man's reputation precedes him.
With a bounty of 1.8 billion berries and the deeds he had accomplished since entering the New World a year ago, Sag had already made a name for himself across the vast ocean.
The tales of his plunder and slaughter of kings and nobles, his annihilation of World Nobles, and the destruction of Marinford were old news.
His recent occupation of the World's Desire City and rapid expansion of his territory were what had captured the attention of pirates in the area.
There were rumors that he had even clashed with Big Mom and emerged unscathed, but compared to his other feats, this garnered less interest.
After all, to these pirates struggling to survive in the New World, the Yonko were just bigger fish in the sea.
They were pirates themselves, and they were doing just fine. Instead of fixating on battles and conflicts, they were more interested in opportunities for profit.
Occupying a country as a base of operations was far more impressive to them than fighting Big Mom.
After all, it was an entire nation!
Even someone like Teach had only managed to seize control of Honeycomb Island.
With such a notorious reputation, there wasn't a pirate on Honeycomb Island who didn't know of Sag.
Especially with such a formidable fleet, both in terms of size and manpower, no one dared to harbor any ill intentions.
"Ohh!!"
In fact, they even welcomed him enthusiastically.
As Sag made his way from the gangplank onto the island, the pirates cheered loudly.
"Don Sag has come to our Honeycomb Island!"
"Is he joining us? That's fantastic! Is he recruiting? If he drops those weird rules, I'd gladly serve under Don Sag!"
"But he's Don Sag; if he abandons his rules, it wouldn't be the Sag Pirates, would it? Hahaha, you're dreaming!"
It was common knowledge that Sag welcomed new recruits and didn't discriminate.
For pirates sailing the high seas, the Sag Pirates were the ideal crew to join. They didn't seem to fear bounty hunters in their midst, nor did they worry about betrayals for a quick payday.
Anyone willing to join was accepted, as long as they pledged their loyalty to Sag and abided by the crew's rules.
Those who were eager to follow Sag had already done so, and those who hesitated often had their own reasons—whether they found the rules too restrictive, thought Sag's fame insufficient, or preferred to forge their own path.
Lily, standing behind Sag with a large umbrella like an attendant, furrowed her brows slightly as she observed the cheering, excited pirates around them. She asked, "Hasn't Teach sent anyone to greet us?"
The enthusiastic welcome from the pirates didn't surprise her.
This was the nature of pirates—when there was a conflict of interest, they'd readily stab you in the back, but when there wasn't, they could be respectful.
They were all pirates, after all.
Lily had overheard the pirates' comments, and of course, abandoning their rules was out of the question. Sag's will was absolute and not to be questioned or criticized.
Their crew was known as the easiest to join in the entire ocean because they were short-staffed, and their territory was vast and ever-growing. Anyone who followed the rules was welcome to join their ranks.
Lily had worried before about the possibility of the World Government infiltrating them or bounty hunters sneaking in and attempting to assassinate them for their bounties.
After all, while they, as high-ranking officers, could avoid such problems due to their strength, it wasn't just the officers like Bellamy who had bounties. Even the lower-ranking crew members included some with substantial bounties on their heads.
Millions, tens of millions, and even hundreds of millions of berries—there were plenty of pirates with bounties that high.
If they couldn't take down the big shots, they'd go after the small fry, right?
Even those who were badly injured and disabled, the 'retired' pirates who could no longer fight, still had a price on their heads. If someone infiltrated the crew specifically to target them, it would be a significant loss.
Recruiting pirates wasn't a simple task, so many pirate captains preferred to recruit those with bounties who had made a name for themselves on the high seas and were known to everyone.
Otherwise, even if someone with a bounty joined, they'd be watched carefully because no one could be sure if they were after the bounty on someone's head.
In such situations, the CP9 agents proved invaluable.
These double agents, including Jabra, not only passed internal information to Lucci and his team but also received intelligence from them. Additionally, they were tasked with gathering intelligence on their territories.
With Lucci on the outside and Jabra on the inside, there was little to worry about.
When new members joined, CP9 conducted specialized assessments, taking less time with ordinary recruits and more with those who seemed exceptional. If any issues were discovered, they were dealt with swiftly and publicly.
However, they were still pirates, and their vetting process wasn't infallible. Even the strict review protocols of the Navy could be circumvented.
This was where Las's Demon-Man Pirates came into play, specializing in plugging those loopholes.
If someone managed to infiltrate the crew and claim those bounties worth millions or even tens of millions, they'd have to spend their earnings while looking over their shoulders.
In addition to being Sag's retainers, the Demon-Man Pirates had taken on the role of executing traitors ever since Sag entered Impel Down and put Rosward to death.
For fair and square battles, such as when someone raided their territory and killed their men, Sag would simply take revenge, sinking their ship with a single cannonball.
He might not even get involved personally and would send his men after the culprits. If they managed to escape and couldn't be found for a while, he'd let it go and seek revenge another time.
But for backstabbers who joined the crew only to betray them later, things wouldn't end so easily.
However, up to this point, whether it was because Sag's reputation wasn't fearsome enough or because it was too formidable, he hadn't encountered such a situation.
"Arghahahaha! Ai Bo!"
Just as Sag was leading his men ashore, the giant stone skull echoed with Blackbeard's boisterous laughter.
From the window on the skull that resembled a pirate's headband, Blackbeard pushed open the window, holding a wooden keg, and jumped out.
Simultaneously, the entire skull seemed to come alive as an arm extended from one side, catching Blackbeard and placing him before Sag.
"You're finally here! Let's have a feast!" Blackbeard roared with laughter.
A large face extended from the stone arm, grinning at Sag, "It's been a while, meow!"
Behind Blackbeard stood a group of people.
Shiliew, biting on a cigar, flashed a bloodthirsty smile at Sag. Lafitte doffed his hat in greeting, and Van Augur, wearing a monocle, nodded slightly.
And...
"Is this dump of an island, Honeycomb Island, better than my Ohara?"
Sag looked at Kuzan, who was dressed like a vagabond, and scoffed, "You've got a good eye for talent, that's for sure."
"I can't stand your rules," Kuzan said in a low voice. "I'm partners with Teach."
"Arghahahaha! That's right, Sag! We're all partners, we're pirates, let's not nitpick! Let's feast!"
Blackbeard roared with laughter and raised his hand to the Honeycomb Island pirates, "Everyone, liven up and welcome the partner of the Blackbeard Pirates, the Natural Disaster Pirates!"
...
At that very moment.
In the conference room of the Marine Headquarters.
High-ranking Marine officers, including Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru, were gathered. As they looked on, Brannew straightened his clothes and spoke in a solemn tone:
"After evaluation, the bounties on those rowdy pirates have changed once again."
(End of Chapter)
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