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Chapter 369: A Filling Meal Speaks Louder than Words
Chapter 369: A Filling Meal Speaks Louder than Words
The Death Omen drew closer, bringing with it a downpour, and came to a halt sideways at the landing port.
The gangplank was lowered by Magan's men, and Sag arrived at the ship's side, glancing up at the ramp that extended upward.
This was the only landing area on the entire island, with no port in sight. Just a barren path leading upward.
The island, nestled in a basin, had a relatively high elevation.
"So, this is the only way up," Sag remarked.
"My lord, this is our homeland," thirty or so West Sea natives cautiously spoke up from behind. "If we go up and travel forward for half a day, we'll reach the town where we live."
"Half a day?"
Sag rolled his eyes. "Do you take me for a fool? I'm a grand sea rogue! Retty!"
A lively voice belonging to Retty echoed from within the ship.
Vrrrr!
Immediately after, the sound of an engine starting up emanated from the cabin door. As the door opened, a hideous-looking motorcycle, resembling a large, spread-out disc, shot out and smoothly landed on the deck.
Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Renitia jumped onto the motorcycle's seat, baring her tiny fangs, providing her own entrance cue.
"With a capacity of twelve people, three each on the left and right, and another three at the back, the main seat can also accommodate three individuals. A basic range of two thousand, ample power, plus a jet system for swift and efficient long-distance travel!"
"The left and right seats are equipped with machine guns that can swivel in a half-circle, allowing for free-range shooting! The rear seat is fitted with a cannon capable of firing ten shells! It can strike any enemies encountered along the way!"
"The chassis is stable, unfazed by treacherous terrain. The body is durable, capable of withstanding gunfire and shells. Excellent balance, and skilled riders can even perform stunts!"
"Amphibious, with a hybrid oil-electric engine, and in a pinch, you can even use soda as fuel! It's the ultimate choice for family travel, group outings, and gang heists!"
"Ooh!"
Pal clapped his hands in excitement and asked, "Then where can I buy one?"
"You idiot, of course, you can't buy it!"
Renitia proudly pointed at herself. "This is a creation of this genius shipwright and mechanic, based on Pluto technology—the second-generation Round Mo! It's not for sale. It's exclusively supplied to the sea rogue crew. Only twenty are available for each voyage, and it's first-come, first-served!"
Pal enthusiastically applauded, exclaiming, "Round Mo, activate!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
A group of Magan's men also lit up, enthusiastically clapping along.
"..."
Sag's eyes twitched, and he turned to glare at Renitia. Just as he was about to scold her, Marika walked up behind Renitia, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and placed her down.
"Let's go," Marika said with a smile.
Sag rolled his eyes. "Ajin, assign the personnel."
He had brought three hundred Magan's men, including Ras, as well as non-combatants like chefs, dancers, and doctors, totaling about thirty.
Naturally, not all of them would be deployed; some would need to stay behind on the ship, and the number of motorcycles was insufficient to accommodate everyone anyway.
The second-generation Round Mo had been around for a while, especially considering the vast area of Ohara; one wouldn't want to rely solely on their legs to get around.
This vehicle was now the primary means of transportation within his sphere of influence, provided not only to the guard team, including Xif and Misty, but also to the stationed sea rogues on the surrounding islands.
They mainly used them for patrolling the islands or traveling through the archipelago.
There were indeed archipelagos within Sag's territory, scattered like stars, too fragmented to be considered a contiguous landmass. Each island was only large enough to accommodate a few dozen or a hundred people, resembling small villages.
As part of his domain, he couldn't very well abandon them, but using ships to navigate these small islands would be wasteful, and rafts or small boats would be too slow. The motorcycles were a perfect solution to this problem.
Soon enough, the motorcycles were assigned to their riders, including the thirty or so West Sea natives, who were evenly distributed among the vehicles, sharing the ride with four Magan's men each.
"I want to drive! I want to drive!" Renitia clung to one of the motorcycles, refusing to let go.
"Are you expecting me to ride shotgun?"
Sag picked up Retty and tossed her into the backseat before climbing onto the motorcycle himself. Its height was such that an average human would never be able to touch the ground with their feet.
This particular motorcycle didn't require anyone to maintain balance, either. It had a massive body with three additional passenger seats, and each of the six pairs of wheels had dual tires!
Sag gripped the unusually tall handlebars, clearly feeling awkward.
The high-handlebar motorcycle, with its rough, post-apocalyptic exterior, and a crew of fierce-looking men.
All that was missing was a mohawk and a studded leather jacket.
Lily and Marika took their seats on either side of the motorcycle, waiting for Sag to drive.
Only four people would be riding in this vehicle.
Renitia pulled out a mechanical hammer from the backseat and extended it, pointing it toward the rear as she shouted, "Fire in the hole!"
Sag sighed and twisted the handlebars. A burst of kinetic energy surged from the rear, propelling the motorcycle forward at high speed. The crew followed suit, their motorcycles kicking up a cloud of dust as they disappeared from the landing port.
"Hmm?"
One of the remaining Demon Clan members stretched out his hand, watching as the raindrops in his palm gradually disappeared, and looked up at the sky, now clear of wind and rain. "The rain has stopped."
"Basic stuff," another subordinate remarked nonchalantly. "That's just how our boss rolls."
"Indeed. Let's go grab a drink."
"Sure, but you have to come fishing with me."
"Lily mentioned that the area around this island is deep sea; there aren't any shallow-water fish here."
"Don't you believe in my luck? If Boss can't catch any fish, how could I? Besides, we've got nothing better to do. Who knows, maybe some deep-sea fish will take the bait?"
"Then you'd better not catch anything. If Boss finds out, he'll snap you like a fishing rod, hahaha!"
The two men laughed as they walked shoulder-to-shoulder back toward the cabin.
A half-day journey was nothing for these jet-powered motorcycles.
Even with steep roads, the sturdy and stable chassis made accidents unlikely, and the ride was as smooth as low-altitude flying.
At least two hundred yards!
A journey of half a day on foot took only ten minutes!
The storm raged, driving the raindrops wildly against the earth.
Just ahead of the curtain of rain, a small town was ablaze, and at the town's entrance, a group of people gathered, afraid to enter but unable to look away, their eyes filled with despair as they watched the fire spread.
Hoo!
Just then, someone felt the moist wind and turned to see the once clear sky being devoured by dark, ominous clouds that rapidly spread.
"It's, it's raining!"
As the person cried out, the storm rushed in, howling winds bringing with it a downpour that extinguished the fire.
And as the storm arrived, a huge cloud of dust rose from the rain-soaked ground, slowly dissipating to reveal a group of motorcycles parked at the town's entrance.
On these massive, beast-like motorcycles sat a group of fierce-looking men, each staring intently at the scene before them.
BOOM!
A thunderbolt flashed, illuminating their faces, which were terrifying no matter how you looked at them.
The townspeople instinctively took a step back, and one of them swallowed hard before mustering the courage to ask, "You, who are..."
"Everyone!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the motorcycles, and the West Sea natives jumped off, running excitedly toward the town. "What happened to the town?!"
"Becky!"
The questioner's eyes widened as he watched the West Sea natives rush toward them. He blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Hal! Castine! Didn't you go out to sea?!'
"We're back, and we brought our boss with us! We crossed the Calm Belt and entered the Grand Line, and our boss took us in! We're saved!"
The West Sea native named Becky shouted loudly.
Sag stepped off his motorcycle and smoothed his hair, which had become somewhat askew and puffy from the strong winds. He looked at the crowd gathered at the entrance, roughly estimating their number to be around two thousand.
They were all extremely thin and malnourished, some so hungry that their heads looked disproportionately large for their bodies, and they leaned weakly against their loved ones.
"Perfect. No need for me to gather everyone, Marika."
Sag waved his hand. "Feed them!"
Marika took a large box from the storage compartment of one of the motorcycles and opened it to reveal paper-wrapped, cured pills.
She held the box and, in a flash, was in the crowd, approaching a child whose head looked far too large for his body, and who was so skinny he was little more than a bag of bones.
The child's mother instinctively backed away, but her arms, thin as bones themselves, held him tightly, warily eyeing Marika.
"Don't be afraid. This is food," Marika said, unwrapping one of the pills and letting the rain dampen it, releasing a savory aroma.
"It doesn't taste that great, and it's not very nutritious, but it fills your stomach easily."
Marika smiled as she offered the pill. "Don't worry, it'll turn into a mush with water, making it easy to swallow."
The aroma drew hungry stares from the people around them.
The mother hesitated for a moment, then looked at the child in her arms and, with a fierce determination, snatched the pill from Marika. The rain moistened the pill, causing it to slowly dissolve.
She used the mushy substance to feed the child, bringing it to his mouth.
As soon as it touched his tongue, the child reacted as if he had tasted ambrosia, unconsciously opening his mouth wider to receive the mush.
Gradually, the child opened his eyes, his voice weak as he said, "Mommy, I'm hungry..."
"It's okay now, you're hungry!"
Tears mixed with raindrops as they streamed down the mother's face. With trembling hands, she continued to feed the rain-softened pill to her child.
Under the veil of the pouring rain, the crowd stood quietly, Lily's grip tightening on her sword hilt as anger flashed in her eyes.
These people weren't merely hungry; they were starving to the point where they barely had the strength to speak or stay alive.
How could they be oppressed to such an extent?
"I don't like this rain," Sag declared, his eyes glancing upward. With a casual wave of his hand, he commanded, "Stop."
Buzz!
A black-red torrent surged from his body, piercing the gloomy sky and creating a gaping hole. Though it made the sky even more ominous, the torrential downpour ceased at that moment.
"Rain isn't very pleasant, but we have water too," Marika said with a smile, addressing the crowd. "Rest assured, there's enough for everyone. Even though we're pirates, we still uphold our code of honor."
Boom!
As the thunder rumbled, a flash of lightning illuminated Marika's body, making her seem almost radiant.
"Going hungry is not a pleasant feeling," Marika said softly.
In that moment, the thunder didn't seem so frightening anymore.
Thud!
Some of the onlookers knelt on the ground, their eyes fixed on Marika, who had briefly glowed in the lightning's glare. They murmured in awe, "Saint... Saintess..."
Having once fed a large group of people in an even more barren land with local ingredients, Marika possessed not only culinary skills and formidable strength but also a powerful charisma.
Sometimes, gentleness could be a formidable weapon!
Ajin clenched his fists, his voice steady. "Going hungry is indeed unpleasant."
Even after entering the New World and dining lavishly with Sag, the memory of that plate of fried rice in Baratie remained the most delicious meal he had ever eaten.
For these starving people, there was no need for initial distrust or lengthy explanations about what had transpired.
A filling meal spoke louder than words!
The powder pills Marika brought were made by grinding meat jerky into powder, mixing it with fish roe meat, cooked rice porridge, and stir-fried flour. This mixture was then combined with vegetables like radishes, yam, and plums, as well as condiments such as white sugar, honey, and soy sauce. Finally, they were preserved with the eight-pointed star from the Cerabaise Island.
Thus, a hunger-satisfying pill was created.
This concoction was unnecessary for the resource-rich Ohara, as it was tedious to make and required a lot of ingredients.
Marika had taken the initiative to make these pills upon hearing that there were about 500,000 starving people here.
As for the taste...
Sag had tried one, and it wasn't delicious.
Due to the production process, these pills lost quite a bit of their nutritional value and were inferior to canned food.
But they were edible.
And they filled your stomach!
For starving people, a full stomach was the greatest delicacy.
Nearly 2,000 people voluntarily took the hunger-satisfying pills, washing them down with water. One by one, they revealed satisfied expressions, unconcerned about the muddy ground beneath their feet. Some sat, while others knelt, remaining still for a while before bursting into tears.
"Thank you so much!"
Soon, these people spontaneously knelt before Marika and those distributing the food, their foreheads touching the ground. With loud voices, they expressed their gratitude:
"We will never forget your great kindness and generosity! We will remember this debt for the rest of our lives!"
"There's no need for that," Sag said, stepping into the crowd and looking down at them. "I fed you so you would have the strength to come with me. My territory lacks people, so I want all of you to follow me and work for me elsewhere!"
"But, but that would mean illegally going out to sea... becoming pirates!" One of the crowd members spoke up, fear evident in his voice.
"I already am a pirate!"
Sag's smile was sinister. "Whether you want to come or not, you're all coming with me!"
"Then, then can we eat until we're full?"
The question came from the mother who had been holding her child.
"If you want, you can eat until you burst!"
"Then I'll follow you!"
The mother stood up, her expression determined. "My child is starving to death. If we stay here, we'll eventually die. I'd rather we become pirates and take our chances. At least we won't die of hunger!"
"Yes! We'd rather be well-fed ghosts! I'm going out to sea too! I'm not staying here anymore! So what if we get caught?!"
Her words were like a lit fuse, igniting a chain reaction.
These people had endured the agony of hunger for too long.
Sag observed the agitated crowd, a smirk playing on his lips, though he didn't pay it much mind.
After all, he wasn't seeking their consent.
This outcome was inevitable.
Pirates took what they wanted by force.
(End of Chapter)
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