Chapter 376: You Shall Be the Savior! (7k)

Chapter 376: You Shall Be the Savior! (7k)



Flames!

Gris was startled, taking a half-step back and shaking his head. "That... that's the King."

"I'm a damn pirate; I don't give a damn about kings!"

Sage swiftly moved, not giving Gris a chance to react, as he snatched the jar from his hand and hurled it towards the oncoming mass of fat.

Boom!

With a powerful throw, the jar collided violently, and the released gas, trapped beneath the layer of fat, ignited, creating sparks upon impact.

Roar!

"Ahhhh!"

As the cry of pain echoed, the mass of fat quickly generated flames, transforming into a massive burning inferno.

The ability could be countered by Dominance, but there was also a simpler method—finding something that could counteract it.

This kind of fat was troublesome to deal with, even for someone like Sage, who found it a nuisance. Others would likely fare even worse.

However, everything in this world had its counter.

Sometimes, the most unexpected things could be the solution.

For instance, oil and fire.

This level of fat could be treated like actual oil, and it was highly flammable.

A small spark was all it took for the fire to spread rapidly.

The flames blazed with an intense light, illuminating the already glowing hall even brighter. The fire quickly climbed the walls, which glowed with a faint light, reducing their thickness instantly.

Fat was everywhere, covering all four sides.

"No wonder they didn't allow us to start fires." Sage grinned fiendishly and quickly retreated, backing all the way to the shattered doorway.

"Sage!"

Lily had also reached the doorway, joining Marika.

The sudden surge of flames forced her to retreat, but it also confirmed her suspicion—the light was from oil!

"You two, back off!"

Sage aimed at the hall ahead, and black-red lightning coiled around his fist as he punched forward.

"I'll make it burn brighter!"

Boom!

The impact of Dominance shattered and flattened the walls that had been blocking the way, sending burning debris flying and transforming the ground into a vast expanse of scorched rubble.

Only then did Sage get a clear view. The massive mountain of fat was continuously rising from a huge cavity in the back, filling the entire space. A figure, writhing in agony within the flames, attempted to move forward.

The fat had filled the mountain's interior, so when it caught fire, it blazed upwards.

"Fire! It's fire!"

The brilliant flames illuminated the night, capturing the attention of everyone in the royal capital. They stared at the blazing fire erupting from the mountain's gate, as if the entire mountain were ablaze, making it exceptionally bright.

It had been a long time since they had seen flames, or even light, in the darkness of the night.

Ever since the decree forbidding the use of fire was issued, even lamps had been confiscated. The nights in the royal capital remained pitch-black, and people could barely make out their surroundings by moonlight.

Where did this light come from?

"Save me! You wretches, save me!"

The massive flames continued to roar, advancing relentlessly until they reached the hole in the doorway, where they finally began to subside and eventually extinguished.

The fat had burned away, leaving behind a charred, blackened figure with one arm outstretched. It lay before Sage.

Deep within the cavity, the flames still burned, emitting a bright light that allowed the people below to see the fallen figure.

Although they couldn't recognize anything, they could sense that it was Fergande.

The king who had caused the kingdom's decline, who had almost starved them to the point of eating wild vegetable roots, the king whose rule they couldn't escape no matter how they struggled, the king with immense governing power—had been burned to death?

It was so simple that Bick felt his previous hardships in the Yunshan Kingdom had been an illusion.

If they had used fire earlier, would they have avoided starvation?

"The king... is gone."

The remaining people, after their initial shock, muttered in disbelief.

The surroundings seemed frozen in time, and everyone stood motionless, gazing up at the charred figure and the towering flames erupting from the mountain's interior.

"The king is dead!"

After a long while, an unknown voice rose from the crowd, and countless arms were raised, their shouts echoing like a tidal wave.

Some yelled, while others wept, their emotions clear under the blazing light.

Lily observed the scene below with a detached gaze. Some were excited, while others were gripped by fear.

A similar situation had occurred in Ohara. After the nobles were killed, the people they ruled didn't feel relieved or happy; they were terrified.

Without a ruler, they were like headless flies, unsure of what to do next.

Even on the brink of starvation, their loyalty to the nobility and the law remained deep-rooted.

However, this was a problem Lily knew how to solve. Since this wasn't their territory, she could take them away, let Sage rule them, and everything would be fine after a while.

This was why she hadn't bothered to refine Sage's plan further. Killing the most powerful ruler made the rest easy.

"We have fire! We can cook now!"

"Food! Food! I haven't had cooked food in so long! This is wonderful!"

Below, people were ecstatic, while inside the doorway, amidst the burning rubble, a figure with a flickering flame on their clothing squatted down, carefully placing jars into the cracks in the ground that had opened due to the intense fire and the earlier impact.

Gris!

He stood up, wiped the soot from his face, and walked to the doorway, gazing down at the cheering crowd.

"Not enough."

"Gris!!"

Bick's sharp eyes immediately spotted him and roared, "So you're here!"

This name caught the attention of most people, causing the chaotic shouting to subside significantly.

Demon of Poison Flame, Gris!

This name was second only to Fergande in terms of terror.

But Fergande was the king, and many people dared not speak out against him, hoping that the king would change for the better.

However, their attitude towards Gris was different. They despised this guy who roamed the kingdom, causing havoc with poison flames and explosions.

Especially since this guy wanted to join Fergande's forces, attempting to use their suffering as a stepping stone for his own advancement. Many people, even those who hadn't met him, felt genuine resentment upon hearing his name.

The people's hatred for Gris surpassed even that of their enemies.

"Bick?"

A fiendish grin appeared on Gris' lips, but it quickly faded as he realized something. He turned to Sage with a cold expression and looked down at the people below before saying, "You're a pirate, so you can't rule here, right? Are you planning to take these people away?"

"I need labor over there, and these fifty thousand people are a waste. It's a poor place; why stay here? We should take them all away," Sage replied.

"This is our hometown. If you take them away, many won't be willing to leave," someone said.

"Who cares? I'm a pirate," Sage said with a roll of his eyes.

Lily, standing nearby, thought for a moment and explained, "If people can't survive here, it's the right choice to find a place where they can. A so-called hometown is also about the people. As long as there are people, a new hometown will eventually form."

"I agree," Marika smiled.

Gris was taken aback and shook his head with a smile, "Alright."

He turned to look at the blazing fire still burning in the hole, then grinned and assumed a fighting stance. With all his might, he roared, "Now that Fergande is gone, no one can stop me! This garbage country should be destroyed! I've planted gas bombs here, and once they explode, this island will be ruined! We'll all die together!!"

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled out a bomb from somewhere and threw it forcefully towards the back, creating a shockwave that caused the gas in the cracks below to explode, intensifying the flames nearby.

The already fragile outer wall, weakened by the fire, crumbled under the impact, revealing an even larger gap in the mountain-like structure.

Stones tumbled downward, shattering into fragments, and fear ignited in the hearts of the people.

"Run!"

The people of the royal capital, having just experienced an emotional rollercoaster, were now driven into a frenzy by the explosion. They ran wildly without considering the loopholes in his words.

Sage glanced at Gris and raised an eyebrow, "What's with all this? You're such an annoying guy. Last year, I was..."

His words trailed off as he gave Lily a subtle look, choosing to remain silent.

"I'm serious!"

Gris' face contorted with a fiendish grin, "I hate this place! Those lowly commoners don't acknowledge me, and that damn Fergande doesn't acknowledge me either. Since this place is so poor, I might as well destroy it!"

"I've already activated the bomb device. Even if it doesn't destroy the island, it will blow open the mountain, allowing the poison flames to spread. Even if they survive, they won't be able to live here!"

Sage was taken aback and sized Gris up. He straightened his expression and said, "Are you serious? I think you're not bad. If you stop now, I can heal you. Your talent will be even more useful under my command."

This guy was an explosion maniac, but aside from that, his willpower was impressive.

The reason Sage was willing to answer Gris' question, and why Lily and Marika showed rare tolerance towards him, was because they could all see that his life force was hanging by a thread. Despite his energetic actions, their perception color allowed them to clearly perceive that he was on the verge of death.

The fact that a dying man could still stand strong was a testament to his incredible willpower.

This guy was a formidable opponent, and Sage was willing to treat him as an equal.

As for whether others would resent or accept him, Sage didn't give it a second thought.

If we're talking about hatred, there were countless people in the world who hated Sage more.

Regarding acceptance, his orders were absolute and had to be followed without question.

The man named Bick, with his impressive abilities, and these fifty thousand laborers, didn't have the qualifications to change Sage's mind.

How could a landlord be influenced by his tenants?

Bang!

The flames grew larger and spread towards the gas canisters at the back, causing more powerful shocks and a series of explosions, gradually moving towards the massive fire.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Gris swung his fist towards Sage, "I'm going to take revenge on this place!"

Swoosh!

A hand-blade struck his chest, leaving Gris frozen in his punching motion, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Is it worth it?" Sage asked.

Gris smiled gratefully at Sage, his body swaying before breaking free from Sage's hand-blade.

Puff!

He clutched his pierced chest and staggered backward a few steps, his eyes darting towards the panicked people below. He shouted, "You... you stopped me! You're quite something, but you can't stop the mountain from exploding!"

"Terrible acting,"

Sage shook off the blood on his hand and sighed, "The ocean is full of people like you. If souls have a place to go, perhaps you'll meet someone down there who shares your interests."

"Is that so? Cough!"

Gris slumped to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "So, I'm not completely useless after all. I did make some contributions, hahaha!"

...

"Gris, you're so useless! You blew up the kitchen again!"

The young Gris ran out of the exploding kitchen, only to be ridiculed by a group of his peers making faces at him.

"Gris, you're so useless! You put the eggs in the microwave again!"

The slightly older Gris, now an apprentice chef, was scolded by his companions, his face charred.

"Gris, you're useless! How come the ingredients always rot when they're with you, and everyone gets food poisoning?"

The grown-up Gris was berated by his superior.

"Gris, what's wrong with your fire? It's so painful!"

"Gris, you idiot, you blew up our hometown!"

"Gris, give up. You can't create fire!"

"Gris, you fool, I'm going to kill you!"

...

Boom!

The explosive gas spread, engulfing the flames and entering the burning cavity. The mountain body exploded, causing the massive burning fat to fall deeper.

Immediately after, a molten flow erupted from the cavity, akin to a volcanic eruption, destroying the surrounding mountains and carrying them towards the sky like a meteor shower, scattering across the island.

The fiery light illuminated the people running in the royal capital.

The lava reached further, bringing light to the entire kingdom.

A little girl, feeling her way in the dark, searched for edible roots around the houses.

Without any tools, she carefully dug out a root-like object with her small hands, still covered in dirt. Just as she revealed a happy smile, a streak of fiery red light passed overhead, illuminating the surroundings.

The little girl stared blankly at the fiery meteor streaking across the sky. Her emaciated body suddenly found strength, and she rushed into the house.

"We have fire! We have flames! Dad! Mom! Look, we have flames!"

The scattered red light passed over the starving and dizzying hungry people, over those searching for food, and over those crying and grieving. It was like a ray of hope, causing people to look up, their numb eyes reflecting the firelight, as if restoring a gleam to their eyes.

...

Gris struggled to lift his head, gazing at the erupting lava. He smiled widely, revealing a brilliant smile.

"I'm not completely useless after all!"

Boom!

The mountain collapsed, covering Gris's body, which had already lowered its head and fallen silent. The mountain, like a sluice gate, collapsed in a straight line, but it didn't damage the surrounding buildings.

It seemed like everything was set up.

Sage looked up at the erupting mountain and shook his head with a smile, "What a splendid firework."

"Sage!"

Lily's voice sounded beside him. He turned his head and saw her gripping the hilt of her sword at her waist, her face solemn, and her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow.

She wasn't stupid.

It was just that her lack of experience made her unaware of many things. But after more than a year of training at sea, she had learned too much.

There was just that one thing she never wanted to think about. Whenever she recalled it, she would forcefully interrupt her thoughts.

She didn't know if it was because she didn't want to or was afraid.

Until this Gris, who made her think of that fat, tyrannical ruler.

At the same time, she also remembered her childhood, when a gentle man taught her, carrying her with his broad arms.

Ennio!

Lily took a deep breath, gazing at the lava meteor erupting overhead. "Why is the ocean so cruel?"

Before Sage could speak, she nodded vigorously, "The ocean is indeed cruel!"

She turned to Sage and said solemnly, "Sage, you will definitely be the savior! I will never let you perish!"

Absolutely not, absolutely cannot, and absolutely will not allow

Sage to perish!

Her dream will always come true through Sage!

Sage ruffled Lily's wavy golden hair and laughed heartily, "I'm not like Kaido. No one will let me fail, hahaha!"

That guy was obsessed with JoyBoy, almost to the point of madness.

He wanted anyone who was qualified to fight him to become JoyBoy.

Because only JoyBoy could defeat him!

It was as if he was deliberately waiting, and after defeating him, he would let him die.

Sage was different. His journey emphasized absolute perseverance and resilience forged through countless trials!

If he ever lost...

He could always start anew in the East Blue!

He wasn't dead!

...

With the biggest obstacle gone, Sage's plan could proceed steadily. The biggest problem was only finding the fifty thousand people on the island.

Other issues like the ship's capacity, food, and water supplies were not a concern!

The quality of the Doom Star allowed it to withstand Sage's hundredfold amplification!

It didn't even need hundredfold amplification; hundredfold acceleration would suffice.

With the ship's original speed and the power boost, it was already fast. With Sage's additional hundredfold speed, it would be even faster.

It would take about sixteen to seventeen days for the Doom Star to cross the Windless Belt at its normal speed, but with hundredfold speed, it would only take four hours!

It could be reached in just four hours.

It was even possible to go without food and water supplies.

Previously, crossing the Windless Belt was purely an experiment to test the safety of the ship.

Now, Sage was certain that the Sea Kings wouldn't pose a threat, even with hundredfold acceleration.

For Sage, it was a massive expenditure of energy and stamina, comparable to using his full form.

Additionally, the Sea Kings that appeared in the Windless Belt required his utmost concentration and the use of his Perception Color to observe.

Without this vigilance, even in the calm waters of the Windless Belt, a collision with a Sea King would spell disaster.

This, coupled with his rest time, the time spent searching for people on the island, and the reduced speed after leaving the Windless Belt, meant that Lily estimated it would take at least two months to complete the evacuation.

Fortunately, Gris's explosion had the desired effect.

The island began to exhibit areas with scorching hot stones.

Although Sage and Lily didn't understand geology, Las, the demon, did.

According to him, the explosion and flames had stimulated the flow of magma beneath the island, causing it to heat up from below, resulting in hot springs and rock slabs suitable for cooking.

The flames were still insufficient, and with the destroyed palace, there was no way to search for fire sources. With his limited manpower, Sage couldn't possibly cover the entire island, and there were no trees on it either.

However, the heated rock slabs were enough to solve the problem of cooked food, allowing the islanders to eat things that required thorough cooking.

There was just one suspicious point.

Logically, the explosion shouldn't have caused lava to spew out; the intensity wasn't nearly enough for that. In fact, it shouldn't have caused any internal flow at all.

But it did, as if the island was just unlucky.

Two months later...

The Doom Star docked at the landing site once more, and the last group of gathered people slowly boarded the massive black ship, which had grown to half the size of the island.

"Damn it! I'm a big landlord, and now I'm doing transport work." Sage stood on the enlarged second-floor balcony, looking down at the crowd on the deck below, and grumbled. With a wave of his hand, he added, "Letty, set sail, and then blow that island to smithereens! It's an eyesore!"

"OK! Three shots will do it!"

Renee made an OK sign, excitedly jogging to the main cannon position.

She had been wanting to test it!

With such a large ship, even the main cannon was enlarged!

The yield is the power!

The past two months had been spent on back-and-forth transportation, and the domestic lieutenant colonel coordinated the distribution of the evacuees to islands in need, keeping them busy.

Renee didn't even have a chance to relax, let alone test the enlarged cannon's power.

Now, finally, she could let off some steam!

"Set sail!"

Lily, standing next to Sage, waved her hand, and the massive Doom Star swiftly changed course, heading towards the Windless Belt like a fleeting shadow, pushing through the waves at high speed.

But just as they started sailing, the entire ship turned around again, and Renee pulled the joystick, hitting the control button.

"Fire!!!"

Boom, boom, boom!!!

The massive cannon, propelled by its engine, shot out a series of three rapid-fire shots, each propelled by a jet of white light, and they slammed into the Cloud Kingdom's island.

Bang!!!

The sea waves rolled back, and the sky's clouds contracted, forming three giant mushroom clouds that rose from the island, creating a massive tsunami that spread out in circles.

The entire island was engulfed by the attack, disappearing completely from the ocean's surface.

Lily used her telescope to glance sideways at the observation ship, which had also been capsized.

"They were too close," Sage said nonchalantly.

"Forget about those navy guys. Let's go; contact the palace and tell them to prepare the ingredients. I want to host a grand banquet this time!"

As he spoke, Sage slapped the railing of the balcony, now enlarged to the size of a giant tree, and the black ship sped off, leaving a dark shadow on the ocean's surface as it sailed away.

...

New World.

Two ships with the Star Skull Flag and a unique flag of Hawkins and Urki on the topmost sail docked at the port.

The arrival of the pirate ships sent the people nearby into a panic, causing them to flee.

Hawkins descended the gangplank, glancing indifferently at the fleeing crowd. He turned to his subordinate and said, "The same rules apply. Kill the local ruler and plant our flag."

"But do we need both of us for this?" Urki asked, carrying a lead pillar and wearing a sinister smile, as he descended the gangplank of the other ship.

"No, I've done a divination for your actions." Hawkins stepped onto the port, walking side by side with Urki, and took out his tarot cards to shuffle.

"The previous divination indicated danger. After all, this is a large magnetic island, and a smooth conquest is the priority."

As he spoke, a straw tip emerged from his thigh, and Hawkins continued, "I don't know what it is, but your chances of conquering this place alone are 30%. If we work together, the success rate becomes..."

"Mom! Is there any of Dad's inheritance here?!"

A robust voice echoed from a short distance away.

Hawkins' eyes widened slightly, and he said, "3%."

He looked towards the source of the voice, and a few beads of sweat trickled down his otherwise expressionless face.

Not far from where they had docked, a small ship was also moored, and a nearly seven-meter-tall giant and a skinny, short old hag jumped off it.

The giant had a stout yet robust physique, a silly face with a runny nose, and a significant scar from a stitched wound on his neck, face, and left wrist.

And on that silly face was an unmistakable crescent-shaped white beard, finer and sharper.

On his back was a scythe similar to Whitebeard's!

They recognized this man.

In the New World, he was known for hunting down captains under Whitebeard, one of the Seven Warlords, and was dubbed Second Whitebeard, Edward Wiper!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end