Chapter 599: Armstrong Gyro Acceleration Jet Armstrong Cannon
Chapter 599: Armstrong Gyro Acceleration Jet Armstrong Cannon
After the waterfall at the end was blasted away, the water above gushed down, quickly revealing a gaping void.
Within the massive gap was a colossal, curved mountain, its peak level with the Land of Harmony, now exposed and glistening from being submerged for so long, making it incredibly slippery.
Surrounding this mountain, at the same height as the Land of Harmony, were the tops of the encircling stone walls.
It was only by relying on these high stone walls and the accumulation of water over thousands of years that the water level reached the current height of the Land of Harmony, giving them a 'sea' instead of living isolated on a mountain.
But now, it had returned to its original state.
Boom! Boom!
As the Death Stars began shelling around the Land of Harmony, each mushroom cloud from the cannon blasts completely shattered a large section of the wall. Sage deliberately slowed down to control the power of the blasts, ensuring they didn't affect the main body of the Land of Harmony.
After six rounds of cannon fire, the walls of the Land of Harmony were completely demolished, leaving only a towering, curved mountain visible from the outside.
"Lily, what does it look like to you?"
After the final blast, revealing the full mountain range of the Land of Harmony, Sage pointed at it and asked Lily with a smile.
"A cannon fort?" Lily pondered for a moment before replying.
"No, it's the Armstrong Gyro Acceleration Jet Armstrong Cannon!" Sage burst into laughter with a mischievous tone.
Lily furrowed her brows, not understanding Sage's words, but soon, she also smiled faintly.
When in doubt, a smile was always a good option.
"It's your turn now."
Sage waved his hand towards a group of people behind him who had been ready for some time.
They were a group of fishmen, specially brought from Ohara.
Originally from Totland, these fishmen had naturally become interconnected with Sage's territory. Those who wanted to live in Ohara were never stopped by him.
Many yearned for the prosperity of Ohara, including these fishmen.
In Sage's territory, not only were they not discriminated against, but they were highly valued.
Their unique ability to survive in the ocean and communicate with fish made them natural-born fishermen, with a hundred percent accuracy in their fishing skills, even surpassing trawling. Without any arrangement from Sage, the fishmen's arrival attracted the attention of fishing merchants, who offered them high salaries.
What? Fishmen who don't fish or eat fish?
Among the Calamity Pirates, those fishmen who wanted to become pirates and follow Sage were not only physically superior to humans but also excellent treasure hunters.
The ocean floor was home to countless treasures.
Previously, Sage had been puzzled by the presence of not only shipwrecks but also ancient abandoned towns on the seabed, where one could find gold and silver, and even historical treasures that caught his attention.
He initially thought these were remnants of battles fought by powerful warriors, as even the aftermath of their battles could easily destroy an island.
However, after the theory of a two-hundred-meter sea-level rise was confirmed, Sage understood the truth.
It wasn't the aftermath of powerful warriors' battles; these towns and lands had sunk.
The two-hundred-meter rise had submerged everything, leaving behind numerous treasures.
Logically, fishmen should have been the wealthiest, as the endless treasures on the ocean floor were within their reach.
But the World Government's deliberate discrimination affected them even in the New World. Although pirates might not care much, the years of separation had created a gap, preventing humans and fishmen from truly coming together.
The minority remained a minority, and most pirates would not employ fishmen.
Fishmen pirates were also not recognized by other pirates.
However, Ohara was different. Lord Sage treated everyone equally and, likewise, taxed everyone equally.
What was wrong with fishmen?
Fishmen paid even more taxes!
Sage not only allowed fishmen pirates and workers but also fishmen merchants!
As long as they paid taxes and their products circulated within his territory, everything was negotiable.
For the fishmen, this was likely the only person, and possibly the last, who genuinely accepted them, as described in the stories passed down by their ancestors.
Governor Sage treated them as normal people, without bias or discrimination, and also without favoritism.
Everything depended on their own efforts, but in return, they could freely exercise their authority within the Governor's territory.
As long as they could deliver results, they would not be let down.
This also meant that these Fishmen would give their lives for Sage.
After receiving Sage's orders, several Fishmen dived straight into the water to continue their reconnaissance of the Land of Harmony.
Previously, Fishmen had conducted reconnaissance here and only discovered the ruins of the Land of Harmony underwater, but this time, they were searching for traces of its existence.
Since Pluto was down there, there must be some kind of trace, regardless of its form.
First, the possibility of it being a giant ship was ruled out; there was no trace of any vessel on the entire seabed. This search was to find traces of the 'Island Ship' or the 'Fortress' that Sage had speculated about.
This task required a significant amount of time, and even the most skilled human swimmers couldn't stay underwater indefinitely, especially at a depth of two hundred meters. Only Fishmen could accomplish this.
This time, Sage was extremely patient.
He set sail with only the Fishmen and some Fishmen, leaving even Gabura behind, ensuring that the news wouldn't leak.
"Let them search," Sage said. "Marika, prepare some food. When they come up, we'll hold a banquet."
Sage smiled and said, "The king doesn't starve his soldiers, and I'm even more considerate than the king. My people risk their lives for me, so I'll hold a banquet worthy of them!"
"Alright, I'll get started," Marika replied with a slight smile and headed towards the kitchen.
Cooking was far more enjoyable than fighting.
For three days, the Death Stars remained anchored, waiting for the Fishmen to return from their daily underwater missions. After a well-rested night of feasting, they would dive back into the water the next day, determined to find something different.
They didn't want to let the Governor down, so they meticulously inspected every detail.
On the third day, Sage had just finished practicing a set of Historical Texts in the training room. After taking a shower and donning only a pair of pants, revealing his muscular upper body, he withdrew a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and began to drink while resting.
At that moment, Lily and Renetia burst into the captain's quarters and exclaimed, "We found it!"
Sage paused, a smile spreading across his face, and he poured himself a glass of wine, drinking it in one go, "Where is it!"
"That's what I'm about to report,"
Lily paused and said, "There's a problem with the location."
She picked up a map of the Land of Harmony and pointed to the White Dance Region, "The ruins of the Land of Harmony are an enlarged version of the current Land of Harmony. The location the Fishmen found is in the White Dance Region. If we scale it up proportionally, they've discovered the location of the 'Undersea Port.' There's no ground in the sea, but one lucky Fishman found a hidden mechanism with a secret passage that leads upward, and it seems to go on forever."
"However, some Fishmen saw mechanical devices in the ascending passageway."
She presented another drawing, a sketch made by a Fishman who could draw. Although it wasn't very detailed and even a bit rough, one could still discern from the drawing that the structure was intricate and held some mysterious qualities that even Sage could appreciate.
"Just as you suspected,"
Lily continued, "That 'Fujiyama' is likely a fortress!"
Sage chuckled softly, and then his laughter grew louder, "What are we waiting for? Use a submarine to send people in and bring it out!"
"The problem is here,"
Lily explained, "The entrance to the secret passage is too small for a submarine, and the passage is quite long. Without causing any damage, it would be impossible to excavate it completely just by being good swimmers. As humans, we can't survive underwater; we still need the Fishmen."
"Furthermore, it's highly likely that even if we reach the top, that space will have surprises, and there may be situations like asphyxiation that normal people can't handle."
(Chapter End)
"What about the Ability Holders? How's Strong Bustling doing?" Sage inquired.
"Not good either, it might cause damage," Renetia replied. "To be honest, I can't fix this thing, and the blueprints are completely different from the current state of Pluto."
"I'm starting to suspect that the blueprints only inherited a portion of Pluto and not the entire picture."
"In any case," Renetia continued, "the best approach is to gather a large number of Fishmen. We can have them transport seawater to the top of the mountain and then thoroughly investigate it. Once we've cleared out the seawater, the entire mountain will be emptied."
At this moment, Lily interjected, "But we don't have enough Fishmen, even if we recruit all the Fishmen in Totland. Together, we only have two hundred Fishmen in our territory."
"How many do we need?" Sage asked.
Renetia estimated and held up her little finger, "With a thousand Fishmen, working cautiously and slowly, we could finish within a month."
"We can't afford to wait that long. The longer we take, the more likely the World Government will discover us, and we're short on people."
Sage pondered for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "I recall that Fishman Island's flag hasn't been changed yet."
Contrary to his memory, Fishman Island had not adopted Luffy's flag. During the incident on Fishman Island, when Sage and Big Mom had pressured Luffy, the island had no intention of adopting Luffy's flag, and Luffy himself didn't want to burden them with his flag, resulting in the island still flying Big Mom's flag.
Later on, Sage had overlooked this matter.
The underwater world and the sky held little interest for him.
The Sky Islands might be slightly more appealing, as there were actual paths to follow in the West Blue.
However, the underwater world, a full ten thousand meters deep, was a place he couldn't be bothered to even think about, let alone visit.
That place was the epitome of impenetrable defense.
But now...
"Do we still have a way to contact Fishman Island?" Sage asked.
Lily nodded, "Yes, do you want to contact them?"
"Yes, it's time to reach out to Neptune." Sage grinned. "During the World Conference, Lucci mentioned an amusing incident. That Apple Snail we let go tried to capture the Mermaid Princess but failed, causing quite a stir."
"Apple Snail?"
"What's that?" Renetia asked, taken aback.
"It's a type of snail filled with parasites," Sage explained.
Mary Card brought tea and desserts from downstairs, setting them on the coffee table for Lily and Renetia to enjoy.
"Snails can be delicious when prepared with the right seasoning, but not the Apple Snail. It's infested with too many parasites. Eating it would cause even a trained person excruciating pain as the parasites infest their body."
"Parasites..." Lily mused for a moment, glancing at Sage. In that instant, she understood.
"Sage, are you talking about that Celestial Dragon? The one you let go, Charlesaus?"
"Yep, that Trash Snail is indeed an Apple Snail." Sage laughed. "This incident has made Neptune furious, and he's lost trust in the World Government. It's a perfect opportunity to give them a call."
The three Celestial Dragons they had captured—the father executed, the daughter bought back, and the Trash Snail used as a bargaining chip.
Who would've thought that Trash Snail would still be alive and well, providing Sage with a surprise.
It was a fitting time to recall a famous saying:
"Friend X is an idiot X, a universal truth."
"Moreover, it's a perfect opportunity and a great path forward." Sage grinned maliciously. "If the sea route is blocked, the underwater route should work. My cargo can't enter the Red Earth Continent, but the Fishmen are born transport experts. It's time to put them to use!"
"The World Government and Fishman Island are furious and won't follow my lead. As the most powerful Emperor ruling the first half of the New World, Fishman Island refuses to cooperate. Do they want to die at the bottom of the sea?"
"If they can bear Big Mom's flag, they can bear mine as well. It's time for a change! When faced with developmental bottlenecks, we must find new paths. If we don't adapt to changing times, we'll be crushed by the waves of progress."
Dragon Palace Kingdom, Fishman Island.
He might not visit, but he couldn't let it go!
It was time!
(Chapter End)
Chapter end
Report
