Chapter 533: The Fish-Fish Fruit is Also a Fish
Chapter 533: The Fish-Fish Fruit is Also a Fish
Raid Kaido?
The new recruits, who were still reeling from Sag's sudden appearance, now heard his words and visibly showed disbelief.
But soon, they all became excited again.
"Oh!!!"
A group of people raised their weapons and shouted in unison.
"As expected of Boss Sag!"
Elbio, the 'Severely Wounded Elbio' who had successfully joined the Calamity Pirates, and Lip Toti, the 'Waiter', were both thrilled.
"This is what a Yonko who defeated Big Mom should do!"
"Captain Sag's ambition is what attracted us to join!"
The pirates invited to the feast in the New World were all formidable, and although they might not be on par with the top elites in terms of strength, their penchant for causing trouble and their strong desires were exceptional.
These individuals held a mix of reverence and challenge towards the Yonko, and with a leader, especially one of Yonko-level, they could unleash tremendous enthusiasm.
"Excellent! I like you all, and you won't go wrong following me. I can make all your wishes come true!"
Sag laughed heartily and then looked at those who hadn't made the cut, "You are the same, anyone who wants to join can come!"
His reputation had already established itself; he didn't need to prove anything.
On the great sea, who didn't know that he was generous and powerful?
These two qualities were more than enough.
"Lily, take a headcount and let those who didn't make the cut return to Ohara by ship. Everyone who made the cut will board the Doom Star and set sail for Wano Country."
Lily responded, "It's all prepared. The 1,700 selected have bounties exceeding 20 million Belly each. Besides combat, some possess excellent seafaring skills, including navigation, medical care, and cannon operation. They aren't just simple fighters; they can be directly utilized."
Although the focus of the Wano Country expedition was combat strength, as pirates who had been sailing for so long, they couldn't be completely clueless about seafaring. They were more than capable of navigating.
"Additionally, we found two unexpected individuals among the attendees of the feast."
Lily waved her hand and said coldly, "Bring them here."
Paru dragged two people from a distance and threw them in front of Sag, shouting, "Captain, there's a guy who was the mastermind behind this, Buena Festa!"
"Oh?"
Sag looked down at the short man with an afro and smiled, "The feast was well-organized, and your intelligence network is impressive. Are you interested in working for me?"
"Pah! You, who stole my thunder, I would never work for anyone!"
Festa stood up and spat fiercely, filled with resentment. "First, Roger, and now you, you're all stealing my thunder! What kind of Great Pirate Era is this? How can any celebration compare to mine? And you, you ruined my dream with your so-called World's First Martial Arts Tournament!"
According to his original plan, by cooperating with Barrett and using the Eternal Pointer that he obtained from the belly of a Sea King after sacrificing himself to it, he would not only attract pirates but also the Navy, thus initiating the world's greatest war celebration.
The only one who could rival Roger's initiation of the Great Pirate Era was to use the Eternal Pointer as bait, stirring up everyone on the great sea, and with Barrett's destruction of the Demon Slayer Order as the catalyst, ushering in the Great War Era.
Only then would Festa surpass Roger! But all of this was ruined by this white-haired man!
"Celebration? Feast? You think you can compete with me in hosting a feast?"
Sag scoffed, "A mere battle is not considered a feast. A tiny bit of treasure won't attract people. Laffitte's Eternal Pointer is just a small matter. You, in the end, live in the shadow of others."
"I'm different. Everything I do can stir people's desires. Laffitte's destruction is just destruction. I have more important things to do!"
"Forget it."
He shook his head, "Why am I telling you all this? Considering the effort you put into initiating this celebration, scram. I'll spare your life."
"You despicable guy! I don't live in Roger's shadow!"
Festa was enraged, jumping up and punching straight at Sag.
Seeing this, Sag's eyes slightly darkened.
Hiss!
As his gaze changed, a ray of light passed through Festa's body, slicing him in half. The upper half of his body fell to the ground, his eyes still fixed on Sag.
Smack!
A foot wearing white stockings and white armored boots kicked the head, sending the upper half flying far away.
Lily retracted her leg, sheathed her sword, and without even glancing at the remaining lower half, she stood back by Sag's side.
This kind of guy, who has the nerve to attack Sag?
When defeated, one must admit it. A person who doesn't even dare to acknowledge defeat is a true weakling.
Weaklings have no right to continue barking.
Sag wasn't particularly concerned about Festa's death, but instead turned his attention to another individual, who was trembling with his buttocks exposed, much like Festa, lying face down on the ground.
"Who are you?"
Hearing this, the man trembled and lifted his head, only then noticing the iron collar fastened to his chin.
"Lord Sag, he's Valpo! The Valpo of Valpo Alloy!" Paru boasted, eager to take credit.
Aside from Bartolomeo and Cavendish, who had been knocked away and were nowhere to be seen, there was another familiar face among the many pirates.
Although Sag hadn't met this person before, he had been longing for them, and the entire crew was determined to find them.
The former King of the Magnet Kingdom, now the King of the Dark Magnet Kingdom.
Valpo.
After being defeated by Straw Hat Luffy, Valpo had to survive by consuming scrap metal and merging it within his body, then selling toys made from the fused metal to make a living. By chance, he discovered a very special alloy within the iron.
Valpo then became wealthy, even purchasing an island and establishing the Dark Magnet Kingdom. He became a member state and was approved to attend this year's World Conference.
He was on his way to the World Conference when he heard about the celebration here and decided to rest before continuing his journey.
That was the original plan, but luck wasn't on his side. Who would've thought that Sag would show up here?
"I... I'm Valpo."
With Paru's words, Valpo could only acknowledge it with a trembling voice.
"I'm the king of a member state of the World Government, and I'm supposed to attend the conference. Even if you're a Yonko, you can't kill me. Of course, I'll pay, I'll pay a ransom!"
He wasn't stubborn. If he were, he wouldn't have fled by boat when Blackbeard attacked the Magnet Kingdom.
What's this about pirates not killing nobles?
He wasn't going to take that chance.
He had spoken in a panic earlier, but now he was reacting more sensibly.
"So, you're Valpo!"
Sag grinned, grabbing the man by the neck with one hand and lifting him up, forcing him to stand straight. "I've been keeping a close eye on you. I've been using your materials all this time. Are you going to the World Conference? Perfect, I'm also going to Wano Country. Let's not waste time."
"I want half of your Valpo Alloy. How can I get it? It's up to you whether you increase production or reduce the trading portion. Either way, I want half. I'll pay you the market price, so you won't be at a loss."
Sag said, "A deal is a deal, regardless of who it's with. To show my sincerity, I'll give you a discount. Instead of a ransom, give me eighty billion Belly's worth of Valpo Alloy at a 20% discount. With that, you'll be safe."
Free stuff?
That's unheard of.
This guy had made a small fortune from his materials, and as a pirate, there was no reason to refuse such a lucrative offer.
"Half? No way, absolutely not. The World Government has already taken a large portion, so I can't give you half. The most I can offer is 20%."
Valpo shook his head. "The World Government won't agree to that either."
"Then you're not afraid I won't agree?"
Sag's gaze lowered, fixing on Valpo, whose face turned pale.
"I'm a pirate, and I'm not negotiating terms with you. I'm demanding, do you understand? If the World Government asks, just tell them I took it. Let them come after me. That's it, Lily."
Lily skillfully produced a pen and handed it to Valpo, "Your Telefunken number, the Telefunken number and address of your base, the Eternal Pointer of your base, and your own Life Card."
"Also, don't even think about changing your address or discarding the corresponding Life Card. We will verify it. If we find out it's fake, you better pray that our people don't discover a single trace of you."
They weren't afraid of fake messages or addresses because the Calamity Pirates currently possessed the industry's most powerful intelligence network.
Whether it was the underground world or the CP Organization, they could all serve as their allies.
Finding a person was simple, as long as they weren't in hiding and were still active on the high seas.
As for whether the World Government would intervene, it was highly unlikely.
If there were good materials, technology, or research that could be of use, they would make good use of it. If it disappeared, it didn't really matter.
Sag knew their nature all too well.
These guys don't need to progress at all; they can even stay stagnant or regress in the vast sea as long as their rule remains unshaken.
The last time the Five Elders came, they personally verified that they had no means to deal with Sag.
Whether it's an alloy or not, since he's still trading with the World Government, he'll take half the shares, and the World Government will definitely choose to protect Valpo instead of going to war with Sag.
With the alloy issue resolved, Sag waved his hand and led the pirates who were willing to join the Calamity Pirates onto their fleet, setting sail confidently.
As for those who were hesitant and didn't join, Sag didn't bother with them; he just left them there.
However, after the recent battle, only Sag's ship remained relatively intact, while the rest of the area was reduced to splinters. Anyone wanting to return would have to swim.
But the surrounding seas were tumultuous, with towering waves and swirling vortices, making it impossible to leave.
The only thing to wait for was the distant navy warships that hadn't yet arrived.
"Split into two groups. The rest of you return, and those selected for the main ship will board the Doom Star."
In the captain's room of the Doom Star, Sag waved his hand and was about to say something but suddenly paused.
"Eleven o'clock direction."
Lily confirmed the direction and took over, "Head in that direction, and in about three days, we'll reach the Wano Country's waters."
They hadn't been to Wano Country, but according to their intelligence, their agents had observed the area and knew the approximate location.
"Hahahaha, Kaido!"
Moriah glared with bloodshot eyes, "It's been decades, and I miss it so much!"
No more fear!
At this moment, Moriah no longer felt the impending sense of loss; instead, he was brimming with confidence.
Even if he had some doubts before, this chaotic battle orchestrated by Sag had filled him with absolute conviction, leaving no room for regrets.
Even if he lost, it didn't matter because Sag was still young, and he would surely win!
"A dangerous place," Hawkins muttered, flipping through a few tarot cards. He frowned, seeing that his chances of encountering danger and death remained high. "I've never been to Wano Country. Will this place have any strange effects on me?"
Urqui chuckled eerily, "Breaking through the fog of confusion is a good thing."
"We won't lose," Lily said firmly, her voice filled with determination as she gripped her sword hilt tightly. "Absolutely not!"
Sag propped his cheek with his hand and looked at the people in the room, some with determination and others with confidence. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, my plan will never fail. Plan ABCD is all set!"
But no matter which plan it was, the final solution was always to fight!
As long as they won, everything would be fine!
...
Three days later.
The black ship sailed into a raging sea, surrounded by towering columns resembling mountain peaks. The columns were supported by deep or shallow foundations, and the surrounding waters churned with waves that threatened to push the ship towards the columns.
Even without getting too close, if one was unlucky enough to approach the shallow foundations, the ship's bottom could be damaged, leading to sinking.
As the waves surged, there was only the tumultuous sea.
"Where are the fish?!"
Sag, who had been standing at the bow with his fishing rod for half a day, widened his eyes and turned to Lily, "Didn't you say this was the Carp Sea? Where are the fish?!"
The Wano Country's waters were peculiar, with giant carps leaping and rolling with the waves. These carps could even swim upstream against the waterfalls flowing from the Wano Country's islands, reaching the main island's waters.
Sag had been full of anticipation.
Those were fish!
After catching fish from Bakki, he felt incredibly powerful. He could even fish in the sea, let alone fish that jumped out of the water!
With a few casual casts, he could not only catch fish but also reel them in and place them into his carefully prepared Golden Fish Barrel!
But now, there wasn't a single fish.
"Sag, this isn't the time to worry about fish," Lily pursed her lips, not looking at the turbulent waters below but instead gazing at the massive waterfall that gradually came into view.
"We're going up there."
"I know!"
Sag rolled his eyes, "It's because we're going up there that I wanted to fish. If I can't catch any, do you want me to go and fish for Kaido? The Fish Fish Fruit is still a fish, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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