Chapter 385: All is Negotiable
Chapter 385: All is Negotiable
Suddenly, Gabra appeared, along with a familiar square-nosed figure that had been absent for a long time.
Before they could continue their conversation, everyone felt a suffocating sense of oppression, causing their bodies to tremble unconsciously.
Kaku, almost instinctively, transformed, his body expanding as fur sprouted all over, turning him into a giraffe-human hybrid.
Upon closer inspection, one could see a faint black shadow darting up the back of his long neck.
"Captain, I have important news!" Kaku exclaimed.
Soon after, the oppressive feeling of suffocation dissipated.
"You too..."
After a brief shudder, Gabra looked at Kaku in astonishment.
Had his transformation reached this level?
"What news could be more important than my fishing?" Sage exclaimed.
Sage angrily slammed his fishing rod, gritting his teeth, "Do you know what a first-time experience is? I'm about to take the first step towards becoming the Fishing King, do you understand the significance of this?"
"If the Pirate King is a king, does that mean the Fishing King isn't?"
He glanced at the river with a hint of dissatisfaction, took a deep breath, stood up from his gemstone stool, walked to the picnic blanket, and extended his hand for Belana to hand him a cup of wine. He gulped it down in one go and then glared at Hawkins and Ulki.
"Fish Efficiency Boost? What kind of useless card did you draw? You should have drawn the Light Seal Sword; it could have sealed the fish for three rounds, and I would have caught it no matter what."
That thing could have sealed the fish for three rounds; he would have caught it no matter what.
"This is a tarot card, Captain," Hawkins explained.
Sage rolled his eyes and sighed, "Forget it, I'll fish later."
He sat down on the picnic blanket and waved them over, "Come, let's eat together. What task brings you here? It's been a while since I last saw you. Are you alone?"
It had been over a year since he entered the New World, and Lucci and the others had never shown themselves. If it weren't for the occasional intelligence reports, he would have thought that Lucci had severed ties with them and even cut off Gabra.
"Just me," Kaku confirmed.
Kaku heaved a sigh of relief, reverted his giraffe-human transformation, and obediently sat down on the picnic blanket, "Captain, you've become even more formidable."
When he had suddenly used his ability, he hadn't been thinking about testing the gap in their powers.
As a member of CP Zero, he was well aware of the vast difference between the Four Emperors and them, but without testing, how could he know the extent?
He hadn't expected that a mere glance would scare him into transforming.
Sage picked up a sandwich and devoured it in two bites, then laughed, "Oh? You came alone without calling ahead? Is the World Government coming after me? That doesn't make sense; how could they possibly notify me if they were?"
He didn't think he had that much charm; aside from the three female executives, every subordinate was coerced or enticed.
If the World Government were coming for him, there would be no warning.
"Close enough," Kaku said.
Kaku's words gave Sage a momentary pause.
"Captain, the incident in the West Sea has escalated. Many countries are putting pressure on the World Government, and they've lost face. So, they've decided to take action," Kaku explained. "The territory you've claimed has some people who don't want to die, and one of them has connections with the World Government. They've taken the lead and formed an alliance to launch a surprise attack on you."
"Also, your actions have caused widespread panic in the world. Some nearby countries will send their own people as well."
"These countries' strong individuals, worthy bounty hunters who don't submit to you, underground assassins who have taken contracts on you, and the World Government will dispatch an Admiral through their alliance."
Kaku's voice turned grave, "Captain, you're in grave danger."
The sudden influx of information left everyone around them stunned.
Ulki's forehead glistened with sweat, but he maintained his eerie smile, "So many people want to take us down? Is the Cataclysm Pirates that hated?"
"It's to be expected," Hawkins replied. "What we've done is indeed extraordinary, but this is going too far."
It seemed like all the forces had united against them, regardless of their size. This indicated that their captain was indeed despised.
But on second thought, it made sense; they were unlike ordinary pirates.
Hawkins, from a respectable background, understood the kind of power Sage wielded—a power that refused to compromise and centralized everything under his control.
It had its pros and cons.
On the positive side, their territory was under complete control, with no risk of rebellion. All resources could be mobilized, and there were no hidden threats.
The downside was that their excessive actions could easily incite fear and hatred from those around them.
Ordinary pirates wouldn't behave this way, not even the dominant Big Mom, who relied on her Homies and numerous children to rule.
Their territory's influence extended far and wide, but their control was limited to their main base and the surrounding small islands. Essentially, they ruled over the major islands on a certain route and the islands nearby, while the rest were merely claimed.
Sage was different; his influence hadn't yet surpassed that of the other Pirate Emperors, and he lagged behind the rapidly expanding Blackbeard. However, his territory was incredibly stable.
Wherever he went, he took complete control.
Unlike Big Mom, who, according to rumors, would hold tea parties and slaughter people on islands that failed to deliver ingredients on time.
Sage was about to host a banquet, and he could ensure that all his territories would pay their tributes on time, as they were all under his control.
The Cataclysm Pirates had shown no mercy to anyone claiming nominal rule, regardless of their nature.
Voluntarily giving up their claim and surrendering their rule?
That was out of the question!
Death was the ultimate surrender!
Such tactics would undoubtedly cause fear and anxiety among those in power.
"Within our ranks, you, Captain, are the primary target of concern."
Kaku smiled, propping himself up with one hand on the ground and leaning his body slightly backward. With his other hand, he picked up a piece of fried chicken and took a big bite.
Compared to the previous tension, he seemed more relaxed now.
"Hey, aren't you a grass-eater?" Gabra chuckled.
"I'm an ability user, not a real deer!" Kaku glared at him. "Stop with the nonsense."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Usually, pirates don't provoke the higher-ups."
"Over a year ago, in the Grand Line, a not-so-weak kid with a straw hat did something big. But even that was just destroying Judicial Island with his captain."
"The Revolutionaries are the ones who truly aim to overthrow the higher-ups. Of course, the Cataclysm Pirates have also gone too far lately."
Other pirates might provoke, but what Sage did was more than provocation; it was a slap in the face.
The killing of a Dragon Tribe member was shocking, but not uncommon, especially in the New World.
However, a public execution broadcast worldwide was indeed a slap in the face.
Before entering the New World, he had even found time to go to the West Sea and completely destroy an Allied Kingdom.
For the World Government, the most crucial aspect of the Cloud Mountain Kingdom was its status as an Allied Kingdom. They didn't care about the well-being of the people below; that was not their internal affair.
As the newspaper reported, the Cloud Mountain Kingdom had sunk and disappeared.
The internal consensus was that Sage had destroyed another Allied Kingdom of the World Government.
This was no longer a mere provocation; it was a direct challenge to the World Government.
Sage, a pirate, wasn't content with looting; instead, he was madly destroying Allied Kingdoms.
To some extent, he was almost like the Revolutionaries. After all, whether it was destruction or replacement, the result was the same—no Celestial Gold was paid. Additionally, with his authoritarian rule, Sage's Ohara could already be considered a 'powerful nation.'
A full-scale war was out of the question, but assassination attempts were not impossible.
With the necessary personnel and leaders in place, the World Government merely needed to collaborate and act as a facilitator.
"Hmm, hahahaha! This is truly amusing!"
After listening to Kaku, Sage burst into laughter, "For the first time, I hear of the World Government taking the lead to unite various forces, bringing together the Navy and pirates. Well, it's not without precedent."
Both Bondy Wald and Rocks had been eliminated by joint efforts of the Navy and pirates.
Now, Sage was receiving the same treatment.
"We don't acknowledge it," Kaku said. "This matter has nothing to do with us. The Fleet Admiral's reason for dispatching him is to protect his former homeland. After all, the Azure Kingdom is within your territory. It's possible that he took matters into his own hands after returning home and hearing about your situation."
Sage waved his hand dismissively, "What? Are you worried I'll attack Mary Joa and destroy Pangoo Palace? Is that a lack of ambition? You're like a rat in a gutter, only capable of gutter actions."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to Kaku, "You came all this way just to tell me this? When did Lucci become so loyal to me?"
"Because I don't think they'll win," Kaku replied. "Lucci hasn't expressed his stance, but Kalifa, Bruno, and I believe it's better to inform you beforehand rather than face your wrath later for withholding information."
"Hahaha, you do have faith in me. Is that all?" Sage smiled.
Sage chuckled, "You came here not just for your own sake but with other intentions as well, right?"
Kaku was taken aback but quickly straightened his body and laughed self-deprecatingly, "You're sharp. Yes, the Five Elders tacitly allowed this information to leak, but it couldn't be conveyed through the Telebugs or disclosed publicly. This matter can only be discussed privately. If the discussion doesn't go well, no one will acknowledge it."
"Captain," he turned to Sage, "the Five Elders' message is clear: this must stop."
"We need to send a message to the Allied Kingdoms, but we also don't want to upset the balance of the Great Sea. The winner takes all. If you lose, nothing is negotiable. If you win, the higher-ups will cease all actions against you."
The World Government, after all, occupied half of the Great Sea, and their nature differed from that of the Navy.
Only the Navy was at odds with the pirates.
For them, everything was negotiable, even for someone like Sage, an Ohara native who had killed a Dragon Tribe member.
The only reason they couldn't negotiate was due to a lack of sufficient rank.
At Sage's level, he had already qualified.
(End of Chapter)
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