https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-356-A-Small-Fraction-of-Pirates-Do-as-They-Please/12612784/
Chapter 355: It's Perfectly Normal for There to Be Five Emperors
Chapter 355: It's Perfectly Normal for There to Be Five Emperors
The wanted posters on the curtain transformed into five, with three at the top and two at the bottom.
At the top were the three Emperors of the Sea, followed by Sag and Teach below, with their respective wanted posters enlarged.
"These two, now working together, will not only gradually replace Whitebeard but also become even stronger. However, our suggestion is not to fixate on who among them is a Yonko."
Brandon continued, "For this reason, the newspaper company has already taken action. If there is going to be a dispute between them, it is something we would be delighted to see."
Titles and names carried significant weight at times.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many aspiring to become the Pirate King.
The title of Emperor of the Sea, ruling over the vast oceans, was equally enticing and sparked competition among many.
...
Hive Island, within the giant stone skull, there was a banquet hall.
Lily held a newspaper in her hand and read aloud:
"The Sky Disaster Pirate Crew and the Red-Haired Pirate Crew engaged in an intense clash in the Aet Wal Sea, ultimately resulting in the retreat of the Red-Haired Pirate Crew. Norton Sag, known as 'Sky Disaster,' emerged as the unequivocal victor."
"This pirate dared to draw his blade against one of the unshakeable Yonko, Big Mom, whose reign has remained undisturbed for decades. In a battle of grand fleets, he forced Big Mom to retreat."
"Even earlier, he engaged in a brutal battle with another Yonko, Kaido of the Beasts, managing to preserve himself and once again forcing his opponent to withdraw."
"'Sky Disaster' Norton Sag has proclaimed to the world his qualification to rule over these seas by demonstrating his formidable strength in directly repelling three Emperors of the Sea!"
Flipping the newspaper to the back page, she continued reading:
"'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach has unequivocally defeated the Whitebeard Pirates led by the grand pirate Marco. This 'battle of conclusion' signifies the complete withdrawal of the Whitebeard Pirates from the vast ocean."
"Wielding the ability to destroy and absorb all powers, 'Blackbeard' will replace 'Whitebeard' on the high seas. The formidable destructive power that struck fear into the hearts of many has never truly vanished, and the vast ocean remains shrouded in the shadow of this formidable might."
"With Whitebeard's passing, two powerful pirates have risen to the top. Whether they will vie for the position of Yonko or bring about another shift in the dynamics of the sea, giving rise to a period of the 'Five Emperors,' remains to be seen."
After finishing, Lily folded the newspaper and glanced at the title, "World Economic News."
In the somewhat dim hall, there was a round table, at either end of which sat two figures. One was Teach, clad only in his captain's coat, his burly belly and black hair exposed.
He grinned widely, revealing a mouth missing two teeth, as he looked across the table. In front of his large, coarse fingers lay his wanted poster.
Seated opposite him was Sag, leaning back in his chair, his expression somewhat obscured by the dim lighting.
One of his hands rested on the table, his fingers tapping out a rhythmic pattern. Beneath his fingers lay his own wanted poster.
The torches burning alongside the round table emitted a dull red light, casting an air of stagnation over the surroundings.
The two men stared at each other in silence, as if sparks were flying between them, and it seemed as if they might engage in battle at any moment.
Gradually, Sag and Teach simultaneously broke into sinister grins, raising their arms—
Clink!
The wooden cup and bottle clashed together, as if triggering some switch. In the interplay of torchlight and lamplight, the grand hall suddenly brightened.
"Whoo-ho-ho-ho!"
"Ar-har-har-har!"
The hall was filled with tables, and numerous pirates gathered around them, drinking and feasting.
At the center, seated at the round table, Sag drank half the bottle and laughed heartily.
Teach swallowed, draining the wooden cup, then slammed it back down on the table and laughed loudly, "What's with this talk of four or five emperors, Ar-har-har-har! Pirates don't rely on titles to act, you're underestimating us! Right, AiBo?"
Sag swirled the remaining liquor in his bottle and laughed, "Emperor of the Sea? Having the substance is enough. Once you've got the power and influence, who cares about recognition! Whoo-ho-ho-ho!"
"Exactly! A long time ago, it was my dad, Roger, and Shiki who ruled over the seas. Later, Shiki failed, and it became my dad, Roger, Big Mom, and Kaido."
Teach poured himself another drink, his toothless grin stretching wide, "The times, they are a-changin', Ar-har-har-har!"
"That's well said, but..."
Sag raised his bottle towards Teach and finished the last of his drink before spitting out, "Is this how you treat your guest?!"
Ever since they had entered the skull, their underlings had sent up their wanted posters, along with a newspaper.
The front page was entirely devoted to Sag.
There was a photo of Sag facing off against Kaido, another of him battling Big Mom, and the one that took up the most space—Sag riding on black clouds, surrounded by raging storms, lightning, and thunder.
I have no idea who took the photo, but it's very clear.
As for the newspaper,
Neither Sag nor Teach paid it any mind.
Neither of them were fools.
The title of Emperor of the Sea was something you earned through strength and influence, not something you gained because of a title. It wasn't a position you attained because of a label, but rather a label you earned because of your position.
Sag's plan had already come to fruition. With the disappearance of the Whitebeard Pirates and his battles against the other three Emperors, he had established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the high seas. No one would dare challenge him easily from now on; all he needed to do was continue expanding his power.
At this point, he had firmly secured his place as an Emperor of the Sea in reality, regardless of whether there were four or five.
Moreover, having five Emperors instead of four was perfectly normal, wasn't it?
Compared to that, he was very dissatisfied with the wine!
"Hmm? Not to your liking?"
Teach paused, then said, "This is some fine stuff we stole."
Hive Island didn't produce anything itself; it was a gathering place for pirates.
While there were taverns and shops, the people working there were all pirates too—not the retired kind—and everything they sold was stolen goods.
Naturally, stolen goods varied in quality, and there was no consistency.
Sag rolled his eyes, picked up an empty wooden cup, opened a different bottle, and poured himself a drink. He then slid the cup away from himself.
"So, you've been running around and ended up here with Teach, huh? Pass me some ice."
At the same table, Kuzan was also drinking, adding ice to his own glass.
"Well, I was invited here too, you know. Last time I went to Ohara, you didn't invite me. Besides, I don't like the rules you have there."
Kuzan shrugged and waved his hand, freezing the air inside the wooden cup to create ice cubes.
Then he picked up his glass, drank it all in one go, and for a moment, his eyes flickered with emotion as his mind conjured up random images.
Burning Ohara, a crying little girl, a defiant Saul...
The Celestial Dragons in Shapondies, the brutal war in Marinford, and on Columbus Island, a boy pointing at him and calling him a bad person...
"I do as I please now, just like Master Garp." Kuzan's voice took on a deeper tone.
"Inviting Kuzan here was quite a feat, Sag. Your methods won't work on us. The pirates under me have no sense of loyalty; we're just a group of like-minded individuals with shared interests, just like you and I!"
Teach raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening as he laughed, "Isn't that just the nature of pirates? Yahahahaha!"
Sag didn't confirm or deny it, simply picking up his drink and finishing it before smacking his lips, "Still not good enough."
"If you really want fine wine, that can be arranged, Sag."
"If you're willing to accept a certain ability, that is," Teach said.
"Achoo!"
At a nearby table, Jesus Burgess, who had been drinking with Urki, sneezed, his tongue lolling out as he laughed, "Whatcha need, boss?"
He staggered over and tilted the huge gourd he was carrying, pouring a clear liquid into Sag's cup.
"This here's the good stuff, boss! Have a taste, Sag!"
"Hmm?"
Sag eyed the gourd, then picked up his cup and took a sip, his eyes lighting up, "Not bad! Ability, you say?"
"Heheh, that's right," Teach laughed. "Burgess ate the Wine-Wine Fruit, allowing him to create alcohol bubbles at will and turn any water he scoops up into fine wine."
"Oh, so you've started hunting ability users, huh?"
Sag thought back to when he first arrived, the giant stone skull that had moved, and looked over at Pizarro, who was drinking with Akainu and meowing back and forth with the black cat, Faust.
That guy had eaten the Island-Island Fruit, allowing him to merge with islands, and he was a recent addition to their crew.
Aside from him...
Sag's eyes suddenly glanced to the side, and Lily, sensing his movement, also turned her gaze, a red dot appearing in her eyes as she looked behind them.
The air seemed to refract, and gradually, an arm materialized at Sag's side.
Shiliew, cigar in mouth, placed a bottle of wine next to Sag and gave him an evil smile.
Right behind Sag, Moriah, who had been drinking, suddenly stood up, looking surprised at Shiliew's sudden appearance.
That fruit...
Blowing out a puff of smoke, Shiliew said, "I ate the Transparent-Transparent Fruit, becoming a transparent man."
"Oh?" Sag turned to look at Moriah, "I recall one of your subordinates had that ability too, didn't they?"
"Hehehe, what a coincidence," Moriah laughed, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Absalom had been a good subordinate, but the sea was a cruel place, and he had died before he could join Sag's crew.
This incident had been the deciding factor for Moriah to truly make up his mind to join Sag's crew. Now, seeing Shiliew's Transparent-Transparent Fruit ability, Moriah was astonished and also felt a sense of nostalgia.
"This ability doesn't seem to suit you."
"What can the power of transparency achieve?" Sag asked.
Concealing one's form and becoming invisible?
While Devil Fruit abilities and Haki proficiency could counter each other, such tricks were of little use against true masters.
Shiliew, being a powerful swordsman himself, understood the underlying meaning behind Sag's words.
"I just like the feeling of killing, and killing while being invisible feels even better."
A cruel smile appeared on Shiliew's face as he said, "This fruit suits me perfectly."
Powerful Devil Fruits needed to be paired with the right user to reach their full potential.
Teach's ability caused Devil Fruits to no longer be able to consciously choose their hosts, but sometimes, liking and coveting a particular fruit could also be considered a form of suitability.
"Har har har! Abilities are indeed a wonderful thing. Do you need any more capable individuals in your crew? If there are any suitable ones, bring them to meet me."
Teach laughed and turned to look at Lily, who was sitting beside Sag.
"No thanks, I don't plan on eating any Devil Fruits for now." Lily replied calmly.
On a single ship, not everyone could be a Devil Fruit user.
Otherwise, in the event of an emergency at sea, the ship might truly capsize, especially with Sag's streak of bad luck.
Moreover, as a swordswoman, she wasn't too fond of abilities.
The same was true for Rain Dinners, which was why he had chosen a Devil Fruit that didn't alter his combat style as a swordsman.
"Admiral, it's time to further our cooperation. We defeated Marco, but if we want to continue expanding, we lack sufficient weapons."
Shiliew took the opportunity to sit at their table and said, "Sag has quite a collection of weapons."
"That's simple. If you want to buy weapons, I'll sell them to you at market price. Come and get them yourself if you want them."
"Hey! Do we need to pay? We're partners, aren't we?" Teach exclaimed.
"No one can get anything from me for free! No one!" Sag glared at Teach. "I'm giving you market price as a show of our partnership! Besides, you can't help me sell them."
As he spoke, Sag paused for a moment, then said, "Hmm, for the looted goods, you can come to me to sell them. After all, you don't have any other channels to liquidate them, so selling them to me is the same as selling them elsewhere, and I'll give you a fair price."
Teach was a typical pirate, and his crew was made up of lawless individuals who didn't follow orders. Their only source of income was plunder.
Sag, on the other hand, had his own black market, so there was no reason for him not to make a profit from this.
"Har har har! Alright, we'll do as you say."
Teach raised his cup and grinned widely. "Until the final battle, we'll be excellent partners, AiBo!"
"Of course, as long as we don't fail!"
Sag clinked his cup against Teach's and let out a sinister laugh. "Whoever fails will automatically lose their qualifications!"
The two paused for a moment, then glanced at each other and burst into boisterous laughter.
This was how their partnership with Teach worked—as he had said, they were pirates with aligned interests.
As for this final battle, whether it would be finding the One Piece or expanding their influence to a certain extent, that was up to them.
After a raucous night, Sag set sail with his fleet early the next morning.
According to Teach's original plan, with Marco, the obstacle, out of the way, they should have celebrated for at least three days. However, Sag encountered something in the morning that dampened his mood for festivities.
The massive fleet departed from Hive Island, taking with it the dark clouds and stormy weather that had enveloped the island.
Teach watched through the window as the dark clouds dispersed, revealing the sunlight that now bathed Hive Island. He wiped away the sweat that had formed on his brow.
"Hey, Laffitte, what's going on?"
Laffitte lifted his top hat and chuckled. "Oh ho ho! Perhaps it's the magic of the vast ocean."
He had never heard of anyone who could bring their own stormy weather with them.
Meanwhile, on the Death Prophecy, Sag sat with a gloomy expression, silent and brooding.
Before him stood the trio from CP9.
They had also joined in the revelry in the hall the night before, but early that morning, Jabra had received a message and immediately reported it.
It wasn't from an external source but from within their own Sky Disaster Pirate Crew.
"The phone call was from Xifu, who is stationed in Storm City. He said that the people of Fix Island called, and the 193 pirates we stationed there are all dead. The culprit is a recent addition to our crew."
Clack.
Sag lit a cigar and leaned back in his throne, eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment, a cold voice spoke.
"Find the person, hand them over to Lass, and broadcast it live across all territories. I want him to undergo the Blood Eagle execution in front of everyone."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
