Chapter 437: It Starts With You
Chapter 437: It Starts With You
Compared to that small-time pirate with a bounty of forty million, the one before them was the true formidable enemy.
The Fur Tribe, alone, was not a significant threat.
But he had just said 'we'.
This word was intriguing, and recently, there had been rumors spreading across the vast seas.
It was said that the Fur Tribe had begun large-scale activities at sea, centered around Zou and spreading to the surrounding areas, plundering all ships in their path.
Whether they were merchants or pirates, none were spared if they crossed paths with the Fur Tribe.
Egg Baron had some knowledge of the Fur Tribe, and he believed that this race did not require external resources and was quite secluded. But their sudden change in behavior indicated that there was something he didn't know about.
This intelligence should have been crucial, but now it gave Egg Baron a sense of uselessness.
Because both sides had made phone calls.
"Sage... Sage?"
Nami felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
Before she could recover from her anger at having her treasure taken, she noticed the presence of two Pirate Emperors.
The treasure was likely gone for good.
Although Robin's younger brother had been accommodating two years ago, he had not shown such leniency.
...
Orlara, a beach somewhere.
Sage lay on a beach chair, wearing sunglasses and bare-chested, basking in the sun.
Beside him, there was a small table, and Bellana stood with her hands crossed in front of her, wearing a maid outfit with only a cool swimsuit underneath, attending to Sage.
Sage picked up a glass of wine, swirled it, and took a sip. Bellana then retrieved a chilled bottle from the ice bucket at his feet and refilled his glass.
From the shallow sea in front of him, Marika emerged in a white low-cut high-slit bodysuit, her body blending with the sea as she rose with the waves.
She shook her wet black hair, and the droplets of water glistened as they fell from her hair onto her skin, almost glowing in the sunlight.
On the other side of the beach, Lily wore a more conservative two-piece swimsuit, with a short-sleeved top and black swim pants, maintaining a iaido stance and listening to the sea with her eyes closed.
Shing! A white light flashed from her waist, and as she drew her sword, despite being well-covered, the right places still moved. In fact, the tighter the fit, the more it accentuated her figure.
As she swung her sword, the sea in front of her, blown by the sea breeze, seemed to calm down for a moment.
And on that two-finger-wide slender sword, it was no longer an illusion created by speed, but actual lightning dancing along its length.
Koutarou's technique was exceptional, perfectly fusing the materials, not only improving the sword's quality but also making this White Thunder truly live up to its name, capable of discharging electricity.
It couldn't continuously discharge electricity, but the material of that heavy sword was also unique, similar to generating electricity through friction. By swinging the sword, it could emit lightning, as Sage had personally tested. As long as it was swung out in time, there was no limit to the amount of electricity it could withstand.
Now, this White Thunder was not only a 'Superior Craft' but had also transformed into a 'Demon Sword'.
Lily sheathed her sword, and almost simultaneously, Marika approached Sage's side.
As the two approached, Bellana also timely prepared drinks and placed them on the small tables beside the beach chairs.
Marika picked up a transparent glass, smiled politely at Bellana, and said, "Thank you." Then, she turned to Sage and asked, "Would you like something to eat?"
"No, I'm not hungry yet," Sage shook his head and replied.
"Didn't Reitia call?" Sage asked.
"I thought you'd be the last person to ask," Marika chuckled.
"It's different," Sage said. "I'm not worried about her, but it's customary to check in."
"I'll confirm it later."
Lily sat on the beach chair next to him, her knees together and turned inward, her mouth pursed as she tied her hair into a high ponytail.
Reitia was not present this time; she had gone on a supply run with Wibul and had been at sea for ten days.
"Forget it, let's relax first. You rarely get a break," Sage smiled. "Take it easy."
He didn't mind, but Lily and Marika rarely took a break, always busy with internal affairs or logistics. If he hadn't forced them to take a vacation, they'd probably still be working.
"Sir Sage," a female pirate in a revealing outfit approached with a Talking Cricket and said, "Sicilian and Pedro just called. They encountered the Big Mom Pirates on Fishman Island and don't know what to do. They're requesting a call."
Upon hearing this, all three of them were taken aback.
Marika asked curiously, "What would the Fur Tribe be doing at Fishman Island?"
"Robbery, I suppose. They've been making quite a stir in the front half recently."
Lily glanced at the Talking Cricket and said, "Should we call them?"
"Of course!"
Norton Sag grinned, "Why wouldn't we call? Am I scared of Charlotte Lingling? It's not like we've never fought her before!"
Initially, Sag had planned to leave Sicilian and Pedro behind as his personal guard, but after the two of them toured Orlara with the Fur Tribe, they realized there wasn't much for them to steal.
The territories had already been divided up, and although there were some blank areas that were overlooked, they were either too far or inhabited by troublesome individuals, making it unsuitable for the Fur Tribe to engage in combat there.
Sag decided to leave behind those who wanted to experience a different life in Orlara, while Sicilian and Pedro were sent back to Zou to form their own pirate crew and engage in robberies.
The blank areas in the front half were still easy targets for robbery.
As for the looted goods, they could simply exchange them in Dressrosa, as Doffy was also a part-time Black Merchant, so there was no worry about selling the goods.
At this stage, the era of savage looting was over. Even if they stole something, they had to buy it first before reselling it. Freeloading was not a good idea.
Otherwise, if everything was free, why should anything be paid for? If everything is free, why charge money? Without money, what would those under them use as an anchor?
The end result was a disastrous domestic economy.
Listening to Sag's words, Lily took the Talking Cricket and redialed.
"Brrring, brrring, brrring."
On Fishman Island, two Talking Crickets lying on the ground rang simultaneously.
Although the call had not yet been answered, the Talking Crickets were already starting to take shape under the influence of the signal. One transformed into a somewhat obese figure with heavy makeup, while the other formed a sinister grin with its mouth agape, creating a cloak-like shape behind it.
However, neither side picked up the call immediately.
"I don't want to get yelled at. After all, we didn't receive the candy, Pokomusu. You take it," said Egg Baron.
"I don't want to either. Mom can be really scary when she's angry," Pokomusu shook his head.
Most importantly, there were members of their tribe there, including their brother Pedro.
Although Cataclysm was also a Four Emperor, and they had fought their mother before, the more this was the case, the more they couldn't start this trouble.
If mishandled, it could lead to a major war! Pedro was thinking along similar lines.
They were facing Big Mom, not ordinary pirates, and Pokomusu was there. If something went wrong and a war broke out, the responsibility and the bill would be on him.
Just as both sides hesitated, two hands suddenly reached out from a short distance and picked up the receivers.
Luffy ran over and shouted into the two receivers, "Hello! Big Mom! White Feather Man! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King!"
"Monkey D..."
The left Talking Cricket emitted a familiar voice, "Grandpa Garp's grandson, I know you. You ate all my candy, didn't you? I remember there were ten tons of it."
"Yes, we finished all ten tons, not a single piece left!"
"You! That was my favorite candy! I see, you want to protect this place, hmm hmm hmm hmm, you underestimate me. If you break the rules, I'll definitely destroy this place!"
"Mom, mom, although candy is important, there's something even more important right now..."
Seeing the conversation veering off-topic, Egg Baron quickly spoke up, "Cataclysm..."
"Shut up! Candy is the most important!"
The Talking Cricket was enraged for a moment, but soon it seemed to remember something, and its voice changed from anger to a low, calm tone:
"Sag, why did you rob the place I'm protecting?"
"Ha! Old hag, haven't you become senile after a year? Do pirates need a reason to rob?"
The Talking Cricket on Luffy's right chuckled, "So what if you rob it?"
"Are you declaring war?"
"Hahaha, I don't mind. I've been bored lately, so a fight would be a good way to move my body. But you, be careful not to move too much and end up in a coffin, after all, you're getting old." The Talking Cricket on Sag's side laughed.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm, Sag, it's best not to underestimate people. I still haven't settled the score for the last time. You stole my Homiez. If you want to go to war, then let's go to war!"
After hearing this, the Talking Cricket on the right grinned, about to speak, but Luffy spoke first:
"Also, White Feather Man, the treasure your men obtained belongs to me! I will defeat them and claim that treasure! Then, Big Mom, I will compensate you for this treasure as compensation for eating your candy. If there's anything, just come find me!"
This statement caused both Talking Crickets to fall silent, and then—
"Hahahaha!"
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm!"
"Interesting, Grandpa Garp's grandson, Straw Hat Kid. Is this what you want to do?
"Fine, if you can pull this off, I'll do as you wish and spare Fishman Island."
"Hmph!"
Sage's talking cricket let out a low chuckle. "Do as you please, Luffy. Stealing from me comes at a high cost. If I remember correctly, you still owe me two hundred million belli, and that's with interest after two years."
"I don't care! This is what I'm going to do!"
After Luffy shouted, he turned to Big Mom and yelled, "I'll definitely beat you up! Now, at Fishman Island, just replace the flag with mine!"
Slap! Both sides of the phone were hung up simultaneously.
He clenched his fist and stared at Sicilian and Pedro, saying, "Sorry, but can you give me the treasure?"
Behind him, Zoro drew his sword, and Sanji extinguished his cigarette as they both approached.
"The Seven Warlords?" Pedro lowered his body slightly and looked at Jinbei, who was approaching as well. After a moment of silence, he said, "But it won't be easy to take the treasure from us."
...
On the beach, Sage looked at the disconnected talking cricket and tugged at the corner of his eye. "What an impolite guy."
"Sage, will that Straw Hat pirate our treasure?" Lily frowned. "Anyway, aren't you one of the Four Emperors?"
She remembered the Straw Hat, as Sage had sparred with him during the previous volcanic eruption.
He didn't seem strong, but his audacity was astonishing.
"Pirates don't care about such things. Don't be fooled by his silly appearance; in a way, that's also a kind of carefree pirate."
Sage thought for a moment and smiled. "Sicilian and Pedro will suffer. Well, Lily, go and inform Retty later. Tell him that if he encounters that Straw Hat, he should teach him a lesson. If he doesn't, then forget it."
Victories and defeats at sea were common. The Fur Tribe used his flag to commit robberies, and if they were defeated, they had to accept it as long as the issue wasn't too serious. Sage wouldn't focus on any particular individual.
But a lesson had to be taught.
However, a lesson from a Four Emperor was usually more than most could bear.
"Compared to that insignificant Straw Hat, Big Mom is more important! We need a new plan!"
Sage looked at Lily as he spoke. "How's the debt collection going recently?"
With the opening of the Golden Bank, loans would be made available. Sage provided loans through Doffy and Old Sandy's channels, as well as to foreign merchants who came to his side.
Some people weren't good at repaying their debts, so Sage, having killed the Egg Baron, decided to use Doffy's channels to infiltrate the underground world and gradually take over the industry represented by the Egg Baron.
Some people might not be good at assassination, but could they not handle debt collection? With a new approach, provided by a Four Emperor, it was worth a try.
These people weren't Sage's subordinates; they were merely hired help. Sage paid them, and they did the job.
Of course, if they were willing to become pirates in the New World, he would welcome them.
"It's going well. Some people in the Four Seas have responded to our call, although there aren't many yet, but they can keep up with the business."
Lily said, "Some who have defaulted on their loans are people we can't touch, but they can find them."
It was similar to bounty hunters, but the focus was on those who didn't repay their debts.
"Besides, our territory has already expanded to its limit. Other than those undiscovered islands, everything else is on track. Now, we just need to keep developing. Sage, your previous plan is complete." Lily said.
"Is it time for the tea party to begin?"
Sage nodded and looked up at the sky. "It's time to get moving. Let's take down that old hag while we have the chance!"
"Now?"
Lily's eyes turned cold. "If we're going to do this, I'll gather the people in advance."
"There's no other way. We have to choose one. Let's make her the target."
Sage showed a sinister smile. "After all, the next plan is to unify the Front Half!"
(End of Chapter)
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