https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-489-The-Path-I-Choose-A-Risky-One/12936872/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-491-Four-Hundred-and-Fifty-Million/12936874/
Chapter 490: Reaction
Chapter 490: Reaction
Boom!
The sky was still filled with lightning and thunder, and the dark storm raged on. Under the heavy rain, a massive fleet swayed in the downpour.
At the forefront, a colossal ship with a black flag bearing a skull and crossbones sailed steadily through the raging waves. Behind it, a fleet of ships bobbed up and down with the ocean swells.
A seagull glided through the distant sky, diving straight into the storm.
Inside the captain's cabin of the Doom Star.
Kalifa pushed up her glasses, which glinted in the light, and held up a freshly printed report, "Originally, there were four Seven-Star Warships, but two were lost. One was destroyed by a combined attack from the Big Mom Pirate Crew, and another was cut in half by Sumugi."
"The Nova Admiral Ships originally numbered six, but four were lost. Perospero damaged two of them, and two more were sunk in the naval battle. Out of the 150 standard warships, 43 have sunk."
"In this battle, there were a total of 23,682 personnel, 3,264 deaths, and 5,739 severely injured. It is estimated that at least half of those severely injured will become disabled, and the number of lightly injured is too high to estimate."
For the lower-ranking pirates, there was no difference between the battles of the Four Emperors and those between high-ranking officers; they were all equally formidable.
It was like comparing a standard flintlock gun to a top-of-the-line laser cannon; either one could kill them.
In a firefight between underlings, casualties would only account for half. The other half of the casualties were mostly inflicted by the officers, and the aftermath of the powerful fighters' clashes could blow away a dozen or more, causing injuries to several dozen or even a hundred people.
There were many such experts in the Big Mom Pirate Crew. In terms of combat strength, Sage's side had more high-ranking fighters, but they lacked in the middle and lower ranks compared to the Big Mom Pirate Crew. In a real fight, their casualties would be even higher than those of the Big Mom Pirate Crew.
Sage snapped his fingers, and Bella poured him a glass of wine. He took a big gulp, draining half the glass, "And then?"
"We've recruited a total of 113 core members from the Big Mom Pirate Crew, and 16 of them died in the war. We haven't finished counting the regular members yet, but there are definitely more than 30,000 of them," Kalifa said.
A smile crept onto Sage's lips.
As his subordinates grew stronger, the Calamity Pirates' previous weakness of lacking high-ranking fighters was addressed, but a new weakness emerged—a lack of middle and lower-ranking fighters.
The captains of those standard warships were just underling captains, and there were only a few 'Nova' fighters with bounties over 100 million, which was nothing compared to the Big Mom Pirate Crew's dozens of capable core members.
Now, with Sage recruiting them, the middle-ranking fighters were uncertain, but the lower-ranking fighters were definitely not a concern. The weakness had been largely addressed.
Moreover, these recruits were ready to be deployed, and many of them had experience governing islands. Whether they were sent to new important islands or stationed in Totto Land, there was no need to worry.
Fighting a Four Emperor had its advantages!
Kalifa pushed up her glasses again, sighing inwardly.
Once Sage fully assimilated Big Mom's forces, he would undoubtedly become the most powerful among the Four Emperors.
He was already an unchallenged force on the high seas, and now he was even more untouchable.
Just as she was thinking this, the door to the captain's cabin opened, and Lily entered with a stack of newspapers in hand.
After a period of recuperation, her injuries had mostly healed, in contrast to Katakuri, who still had his bandages on.
"Newspapers."
Lily held up the newspapers, still damp from the rain. There were many pages, but the most eye-catching one was a half-body photo of Sage, seemingly taken during his recent battle with Big Mom in the sky. Behind him, the sky was filled with lightning and thunder, and dark clouds loomed, making his bright white hair resemble burning flames.
"That's a good shot."
Sage nodded in agreement, "The Navy's technology is impressive; they managed to capture such a scene."
"All the newspapers are reporting similar news."
Lily walked over, picked up the wine bottle, and refilled Sage's glass, "News of our victory over Big Mom and her unknown fate has spread far and wide."
She spread the newspaper flat on the table and pulled out a stack of wanted posters, "And our bounties have increased."
...
In the latter half of the New World, on a certain island.
A gentle breeze blew, rustling the red hair of a one-armed man sitting atop a peak. He gazed at the waves in the distance, also stirred by the wind, and raised his only intact arm, holding two wanted posters.
"Luffy, you've arrived."
He first looked at the wanted poster of a man wearing a straw hat with a bright smile, and after a brief smile, he turned his attention to the other poster.
In stark contrast to the previous poster's cheerful smile and sunny weather, this wanted poster exuded gloom and intensity, creating a striking contrast. The number below the photo also caught his gaze for a moment, and he shook his head with a wry smile, "Things are getting more complicated."
"Zehaahaha!"
On Honeycomb Island, the laughter reverberated through the entire island, accompanied by a tremor.
Tich clenched his fist in one hand and held a wooden barrel in the other, laughing heartily.
On the table beside him, there was also a newspaper.
"Well done! Big Mom was actually taken down by Sage!"
Tich revealed a few missing teeth and laughed, "Hahaha, as an ally, I'm genuinely happy for them!"
"Indeed, it's good news."
Sylu, biting on a cigar, exhaled smoke and sheathed her polished blade, "With Big Mom's death and our ever-increasing bounties, the position of the Four Emperors is now ours."
"Exactly."
Raifort chuckled, "Even the newspapers are saying the same thing now."
"Hahaha!"
Tich laughed again and picked up a wanted poster of Straw Hat from the table. He glanced at the bounty amount, and his already-smiling face widened:
"So, with me becoming one of the Four Emperors, the position of the fifth emperor is still too early for him!"
At the same time, in the Land of Wano, on Ghost Island.
From the moment he saw the newspaper, Kaido, who was usually laughing and crying, fell into a rare silence. His slightly drunk face became solemn.
"Kaido, Kaido-sama."
Several subordinates carefully carried a wine gourd, intending to pour him some wine, but he grabbed it with his big hand and gently lifted the gourd.
He also picked up a wine cup and stood up, his massive body moving towards the cave entrance. He gazed at the sky, deep in thought.
"Hey, little demon, what's your name?"
"Don't ignore me. I'm Linlin, Charlotte Linlin."
"Don't trust Locks too much, Kaido. If there's anything, just come to me!"
"Where's Kaido?! Where did he go?!"
"Hey, Kaido, you're not strong enough yet. Here, this is a good thing for you!"
From their initial wariness to their later alliance in the Locks Pirates, and then to the Divine Valley, he obtained the fruit that Linlin personally took.
"On the vast sea, no one is truly immortal. It's better to die like this than to wither away in old age."
Kaido filled his wine cup, and through the clear liquid, he saw his own reflection in the cup. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, drinking the wine.
The sudden force caused some of the wine to splash out, and even his eyes were slightly moist. It was unclear if there were tears mixed in.
"Old hag!"
Kaido suddenly opened his eyes and shouted at the sky, "Thank you for taking care of me back then!"
...
During the World Conference period, many forces above the rank of colonel were dispatched to escort the kings and nobles of the affiliated countries who were qualified to attend the World Conference and to patrol the surrounding areas to prevent pirates from attacking them.
Even with many forces dispatched, the Navy Headquarters still had sufficient troops.
After Whitebeard's death, the number of pirates in the first half of the Grand Line had decreased significantly compared to before, especially with the emergence of PX, which became a powerful force for maintaining peace and order.
The Navy Headquarters, which acted as the vanguard in the New World, took a more assertive stance to deter the pirates in the second half, preventing them from spying and attacking.
In a conference room.
Navy officers stationed at the headquarters, from the rank of vice admiral and above, sat cross-legged in two rows. Each officer had a newspaper in their hand or in front of them. The title on the newspaper could be vaguely seen.
At the front, Brandew stood with his arms crossed, his back straight. In front of him, an image telephon cricket projected the wanted poster with one eye and displayed it on the screen in front.
Brandew hosted an impromptu meeting.
The reason was to issue a new wanted poster.
"First, during Big Mom's tea party, the Straw Hat crew boldly crashed the party, causing a ruckus. They escaped from the encirclement of the Big Mom Pirates. According to intelligence, the leader, Straw Hat Kid, even fought to a draw with one of the Three Generals, Katakutsu."
"After disappearing for two years and reappearing two years later, they consecutively defeated Doflamingo, fought to a draw with Katakutsu, and safely escaped from the encirclement. Now, the newspapers are even praising them as the new Emperor of the Sea. This level of publicity is a dangerous signal."
"Therefore, Straw Hat Luffy's bounty is set at 150 million belli!"
"Additionally, Blackfoot Sanji has been officially disowned by the Vinsmoke Clan. We will properly assess his threat. Vinsmoke Sanji's bounty is 330 million belli."
"Of course, they are not the main focus."
After removing the wanted posters of Straw Hat and Sanji, Brandew took a deep breath and said,
"Of course, such a person is not yet a significant threat. The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss one thing."
He looked around at the crowd, his voice deepening, "That is the level of danger posed by Calamity!"
The navy officers in attendance all felt a chill, and their breathing slowed.
The big news of the day was not about someone escaping from a Four Emperor or a draw in a battle. The newspapers and messages were all about one thing.
One of the Four Emperors, 'Calamity,' had defeated another Four Emperor, 'Big Mom,' and achieved a complete victory!
This was the most important event in the world, even overshadowing the World Conference!
(End of Chapter)
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