https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-601-The-Merfolk-Prince-and-Prutto/13112902/
Chapter 602: Egghead Island
Chapter 602: Egghead Island
"Sarg?" Lily asked, seeing that Sarg was taking his time to respond. "Is there someone with even greater technological prowess than Renetia?"
Scientists weren't limited to just Renetia; Quinn, who had joined not long ago, was also an exceptional scientist, specializing in weapons and bacteria. Of course, it wasn't that he wasn't proficient in modification and chemistry; it's just that the former two were slightly stronger in comparison.
Renetia, on the other hand, was incredibly gifted. Before they had even interacted, Quinn acknowledged that Renetia's talent in manufacturing weapons and materials surpassed his own. Through their exchanges and Caesar's leftover research notes, she had also delved into many other fields.
Within the Disaster Pirates, Renetia's technological prowess was even more impressive than her combat strength, making her an invaluable asset.
With such a high bounty, it was natural that a twelve-year-old child would have some otherworldly advantages.
"Yeah, is there someone even stronger than me?" Renetia furrowed her delicate eyebrows.
"Have you forgotten?" Sarg pointed outside the door. Standing at his room's entrance were two Bartholomew Kumas.
Or, to be precise, two Pacifistas.
These Pacifistas had taken over the defensive functions of the main island of Ohara, especially within the royal palace, where all the guards had been replaced by these mechanical creations.
And the one who had created all of this...
"Vegapunk," Lily realized.
This man, rumored to possess technology five hundred years ahead of his time, was incredibly low-key. So low-key that if it weren't for deliberate mentions, no one would even think of him.
After all, in this sea, brute strength was the ultimate secret art.
"That's right, Vegapunk!" Sarg stood up and looked out the window at the city's architecture. "I'm not particularly interested in what technology five hundred years ahead looks like. Only technology that humans can master and understand will be universally applicable. Something too advanced isn't suitable right now, but that doesn't mean I don't want to acquire it."
"At this point, to avoid being overwhelmed, we must fight for our place."
Sarg turned to Lily and said, "Go and search. Find out all suspicious places and have your subordinates work hard during this time."
"You mean Vegapunk is in the New World?" Lily frowned.
Logically, this was highly unlikely.
If she were the World Government, she wouldn't place such a prominent scientist in the uncontrollable New World. Even if they didn't keep him in the East and South Seas, where control was strongest, they would at least place him in the Grand Line or even right next to Marin Vando.
Even with the relocation of the headquarters, the Land of Toys was still a sufficiently safe place.
"Lily, you haven't gathered enough intelligence. This won't do if you want to make grand plans."
Sarg chuckled, "What did the intelligence say about Punk Hazard? Wasn't it more than just Caesar's experimental base? Caesar couldn't have created those 'Kyojin' like the ones from the Hundred Beast Pirates."
Lily nodded thoughtfully, admitting this point.
The Hundred Beast Pirates' 'legacy' had been taken over by them, including the 'Kyojin,' which were slightly larger than giants. These powerful beings, though lacking in intelligence, were formidable in strength.
However, they were not recognized by the giants as pure-blooded, so they were not accepted into the Giant Soldier Pirates, which had been established with Sarg's permission. But their low intelligence had its uses, and now they patrolled Faust's treasury under his command.
Caesar couldn't have created these beings.
If he had that ability, he wouldn't have returned to Punk Hazard to continue his research, nor would he have evaded Big Mom.
Caesar's scientific prowess was on par with Quinn's, including their 'MADS' member, the deceased Caesar, the newly joined Quinn, and even Kaj, who was currently working for them in the North Sea.
They didn't have the capability to create the Kyojin, but someone who could...
"Vegapunk was also at Punk Hazard in the past," Lily confirmed.
They had gathered a lot of intelligence, especially after the Hundred Beast Pirates joined. Quinn informed them that the Kyojin had been purchased from Punk Hazard.
And the strongest scientist of 'MADS' was Vegapunk.
This meant that there were definitely traces of Vegapunk there in the past.
With this revelation, the next step became clear.
"Since they're all in the New World, it's unlikely that the equipment would be directly transported from the Red Line. After all, the World Government, in essence, isn't concerned with technological progress, or else the sea wouldn't be in its current state."
"Adding to that, if Vegapunk himself is willing, it's highly likely he's in the New World. The latter half is improbable because the World Government's reach is the most limited there."
In the first half of the New World, there were still some Alliance States and World Government forces, in addition to the current headquarters and the former G1."
Lily spoke up, "There's a high chance it's within our territory; we just haven't discovered it yet!"
"That's right!"
Sagel bared his teeth, "There's a high probability it's right here! Let's find it. Mobilize all our subordinates and locate Beckapank!"
This was something Lucci wouldn't have told him, as his primary role was still that of a World Government agent, and Beckapank's priority wasn't that low.
Especially now that the Gabra Squad had already entered Ohara, even if the Hawk-Eye had a big mouth, without relevant intelligence, he couldn't reveal anything.
Since that's the case, let's mobilize people to search!
"In this vast sea, in the first half of the New World, my ruling power is unparalleled! Likewise, I am also generous with my rewards!"
Sagel let out a sinister laugh, "Tell them, once they find Beckapank, I'll grant them a substantial reward!"
"Including civilians?"
"Including civilians! The time is almost right, and our development is gradually slowing down, so it's time for some people to become useful!"
Sagel spread his hands, "The Age of Exploration? Haha, the involvement of pirates alone doesn't make it a true Age of Exploration. It's when everyone participates that it becomes a grand exploration! Tell them, whoever discovers an unknown island first, I promise them a 1% profit in the local industry!"
This was the fastest way to explore the first half of the New World.
...
In fact, Sagel's reward wasn't necessary; once he issued the order, the people under his rule would naturally take action.
Of course, the command released externally wasn't to find Beckapank but to locate an island that wasn't so ordinary.
This command was naturally carried out with loyalty, but with the promise of a reward, it was easier to stir up people's desires.
Sagel was well aware of this, and when it came to understanding human nature, he knew better than anyone what to do.
And it was simple.
Where can you find a good deal where you work without pay? Oppression is temporary; win-win is long-term! By doing this, Sagel would receive a more substantial reward than what he gave up. Eating cake isn't a skill.
Making the cake bigger is the real skill! This reward is open to anyone, regardless of their race.
The first batch of a thousand fishmen who had discovered Pluto ventured into the sea, exploring uncharted areas, while more ships and warships headed towards places yet to be charted, continuing their investigations.
Even Sagel's command motivated the civilians under his rule to spare no effort, purchasing or renting vessels to explore the New World.
The sea was vast, but with a population of around four million, a portion of them engaging in navigation wouldn't make it seem too large.
In about seven days, Lily brought news.
"We have a situation."
Lily spoke crisply, "In the southeastern waters of the Land of Harmony, we lost two battleships. The last message we received indicated that there might not be a giant sea beast there."
"Southeast of the Land of Harmony?"
Sagel was taken aback, "Near the Calm Belt?"
"No, it's a giant sea beast, not a Sea King. According to the sailing distance, it should be right at the center."
Lily continued, "Moreover, although we didn't have time to describe it, it seemed somewhat mechanical."
"A defensive force?"
Sagel's eyes lit up, "There's a high probability. Let's make a trip; it's time to take action. Even if that place isn't it, after such a long time, once a subordinate sends a message, we can take the opportunity to change direction and not waste too much time."
"Understood, what about the personnel?"
"All of them!"
Sagel's face twisted into a grimace, "Three Phases, Seven Stars, all of them will be mobilized!"
...
The Aegir Sea.
Although it was a New World sea, the first half of it was still affected by the catastrophic sea-level rise caused by the destruction of the Lulucia Kingdom.
Some seas would occasionally experience violent tremors, resulting in storms and turbulent waters.
For instance, at that moment, the seawater was nearly overturned, and as it stirred up a vortex, a windless storm formed, creating a massive water sphere capable of submerging everything, which then crashed back into the sea.
For a period, the vast sea was not suitable for navigation, as crises could form unexpectedly.
However, this dangerous sea, upon encountering a patch of dark clouds, seemed to pale in comparison.
A more violent storm replaced the maritime disaster, with thunderbolts striking the sea surface incessantly, and the raging wind, though suppressing the overturned seawater, created a series of gigantic vortices due to its ferocity.
The chilling rain shrouded the sea beneath the dark clouds, obscuring everything in the vicinity.
Amidst the storm, a black ship sailed steadily, with Golden standing in the crow's nest, peering through the clear and sturdy glass of his telescope, eagerly searching for signs of an island.
Inside the main building towering over the black ship, Urqui sat on a sofa, flipping through account books and reviewing the recent loan transactions. In his other hand, he held the receiver of a Den Den Mushi.
"This amount is insufficient. You're in the West Blue, right? The loan is for a noble of the Askali Kingdom. He has more than just Berries; lend him more money, and charge a higher interest rate. Ideally, get him to mortgage his mines and lands to repay the debt."
The Den Den Mushi on the other end stammered, "Lord Urqui, that noble is no longer borrowing money. It seems he has overcome his difficulties."
"Then don't you know how to create new difficulties?" Urqui asked with a sinister laugh that somehow carried a hint of benevolence. But his words were as venomous as a snake, "How can money ever be enough? It's never enough. Although we uphold morality and won't force others into loans, you can buy his products at a high price. Nobles are also in business, and as long as he understands that he must expand his business, he will definitely need more money."
"If the money isn't enough, of course, we'll lend him more. Who else can lend him money if not us? I'll give you Link's contact information; go find him, he knows what to do."
After saying this, Urqui hung up the phone and dialed another number. Once connected, he continued, "Moshi moshi, is this debt collector Claire? The deadline is almost here; have you collected the debt?"
As the manager of the loan business, Urqui had become increasingly proficient in handling these matters.
After all, lending was a significant part of the underworld's business, occupying a substantial portion of their operations.
However, they weren't the type to disregard morality and righteousness. It was unthinkable for them to force loans through robbery or intimidation; that was the pirates' domain, unrelated to lending.
Otherwise, who would dare borrow money from them?
But this loan had to continue, and if intimidation didn't work, they had to resort to enticement.
Through this method, they had recently acquired some lands in countries beyond their reach, and there was no issue of reneging on debts, as the Yonko's reputation temporarily deterred any opposition.
Unless they could truly restrain this desire, they would eventually achieve their goal.
Moriah sat across from Urqui, listening to his words and chuckling before playing with his small zombie figurine.
Hogback had recently developed a new human material that could restore disabled pirates to normal bodies, eliminating the need for animal bodies in the stitching process. However, this material had low strength and was still in the experimental stage.
Its unique malleability, however, allowed Moriah to use it for his figurines.
On the table in front of him, several bizarre human figures had been molded, including one covered in eyes and another with eight arms. On a large table nearby, Hawkins held a new deck of cards, examining them before placing one face down and then drawing another, revealing it face up.
"I play a card face down and summon a Navy Colonel in attack position. End of turn!"
Across from him sat Sagel, who smiled slightly. "You've lost, Old Hawk!"
Sagel flipped a card from his hand, "I play 'Storm' from my hand. This card's effect destroys all cards on both players' fields. Now your cards are gone! Then, I special summon the twelve-star 'Disaster' with infinite attack power! When this card appears, I automatically win!"
"That's not right!"
Hawkins raised an eyebrow. "Captain, summoning 'Disaster' requires a tribute. You must first summon two ten-star generals or one eleven-star general, or an eleven-star 'Yonko' as a tribute to special summon Disaster."
"Nonsense! Wasn't this card made according to my template? Then, as the master, why would I need a tribute to summon myself?"
Sagel scoffed, "Moreover, do you even know what a 'riichi' is? Riichi means victory!"
Hawkins: "..."
He shouldn't have played cards with Sagel.
This deck was made during their idle chats, when Sagel would talk about the Dark Great Mage and Bruh Ace White Dragon. Out of curiosity, Hawkins asked about them, and after Sagel explained the rules, he made this deck.
It was just to pass the time.
Sagel explained the rules, and he made the deck following those rules in detail.
But who would ignore the rules like this?
"Sagel."
Lily entered from outside, saying, "I've found it! I think I see an island with an eggshell-like peak."
(End of Chapter)
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