https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-630-Good-Job-Stay-Sharp-and-Don-t-Embarrass-Us-/13464591/
Chapter 629: The Rising Sea Levels Are My Fault
Chapter 629: The Rising Sea Levels Are My Fault
The Damnation Star, docked at the port, set sail once again, and once again, a fierce storm raged across the sea.
In the captain's cabin, Lily gazed out at the turbulent waves and rare smiled, "The intensity is much milder this time, Sagel. Last time, when you summoned the Hydrozoans, it cost you a lot of Misfortune."
"I'll sue you for slander!"
Sagel rolled his eyes, "Previously, the storms were my doing, and now the Hydrozoans are also my doing? So the rising sea levels are also my fault? Damn, they really are!"
He had only just tested the cannon.
The sea level had indeed risen by another meter.
"This time, there was also some damage."
Lily said, "Rising another meter has turned some unrecorded small islands into submerged reefs. The nautical charts for those areas need to be updated to avoid navigation issues."
"Moreover, although we had contingency plans and warned people to evacuate and secure their property, the rise in sea levels is irreversible. Our resource islands have also suffered varying degrees of area reduction."
Seawater, once it reaches the shore, can turn the surrounding area into sandy beaches. While a one-meter rise might seem insignificant for large areas, for normal-sized islands, it's catastrophic.
Especially with two meters in total, which exceeds the average person's height.
Sagel himself was only 1.9 meters tall.
"Every cloud has a silver lining."
Sagel said, "First, I have to admit I was a bit naive. The ancient weapons are indeed intimidating, but their power isn't as great as I imagined. I was thinking of blasting through the Red Land, but now, thinking back, I must have been drunk."
With that, he lit a cigar and pushed the gemstone wine glass on the table.
Lily sighed, turned to the wine cabinet, and asked, "Napa red wine, okay?"
"How do you still have this wine? I remember it costs 700,000 Berries. From now on, don't put any wine in my cabinet that costs less than a million Berries."
Sagel waved his hand, "Have Bella clear it out later."
Lily nodded and pulled out a bottle of red wine: "1510 Musigny red wine."
Without waiting for Sagel's reaction, she opened it and poured him a glass.
Sagel nodded in satisfaction, took a large sip, and continued:
"The benefits, as you know, are that we can force the World Government to negotiate with us. This way, we can complete our plan to breach the Red Land and connect the entire Grand Line."
Lily mused, "Exchanging necessary sacrifices for future stability. With the threat of Pluton, they won't dare to act recklessly. Even if the World Government doesn't cooperate, they won't stand in your way."
"Exactly, Lily."
Sagel chuckled, "Blasting through the Red Land is a massive task. The area is enormous, and even if I act alone, I'd have to create a passage at least two to three Grand Lines wide. If anyone interferes, I won't be able to do it. I need to make those people keep quiet and pretend they don't see anything for this to succeed."
He took another sip, "As for this negotiation, it might save us a lot of effort."
"Ah, what are you talking about? Come, let's eat something."
Just as he finished speaking, Maria came up the inner staircase carrying a large silver platter. She placed the tray on the desk, lifted the lid, and revealed the dishes inside.
"Freshly made 'Sakazaki-style Black Truffle Butter Scallops.'"
The scallops rested in a black enamel dish, like ancient gold coins sunk into the deep sea. Their shells were coated with a thin, golden layer, possibly honey or edible gold paint, shimmering in the warm light with a dark golden hue, the edges slightly curled and speckled with caramel tones.
Inside the shells, the snow-white flesh lay smooth like silk, the cross-hatch cuts oozing clear juices. The black truffle butter sauce seeped through the cuts, the thick, amber-colored liquid carrying fine truffle particles, meandering through the scallop's texture.
Three paper-thin slices of fresh black truffle spiraled above the scallops, their edges slightly curled and caramelized to a golden brown. Beside them, emerald-green asparagus tips stood like miniature bamboo forests, each one like a finely carved beryl, with droplets of truffle oil poised to fall at the tips.
When the lid was lifted, steam rose, carrying the aroma of brandy and the rich, creamy scent of fermented butter, like a silent explosion that made one's mouth water.
The ingredients were undoubtedly of the highest quality, after all, this was the special supply for Sagel. With Maria’s culinary skills, any dish she prepared would be top-notch fare from a world-class restaurant.
The kind that money can’t buy.
"Shellfish?"
Sagel picked up a gold-encrusted fork and speared a piece of meat. The moment it entered his mouth, his eyes lit up. "This is excellent! Why haven’t we had this before?"
Lily also took a piece with her fork, and after a bite, a noticeable blush of pleasure spread across her face.
It felt like her clothes might burst.
Maria smiled. "Last time, when we were in Aghored, a batch of Hydrozoans died. I thought it would be a waste to let the ingredients go to waste, so I had the Fishmen harvest some. These shellfish were found in the stomachs of the giant Hydrozoans, which were just unconscious, not dead. They seem to have a symbiotic relationship, making them hard to obtain. I’ll try to cultivate some."
Sagel quickly devoured half the plate and then licked his lips, grinning. "Lily, when you have the chance, find a Hydrozoan, stun it, and capture it. Let’s see if we can cultivate these."
"I understand", Lily said, pursing her lips. She wanted to say something but, seeing Sagel’s insatiable desire, she kept quiet.
Desire, indeed, grows without end.
From simple feasts at the beginning, to later requiring rare ingredients, to meals consisting of two or three hundred dishes, and then increasing to five or six hundred, until now, where the meals were so abundant that they couldn’t even finish them. To satisfy his desire, Sagel no longer cared about the trouble.
Hydrozoans are intelligent, unlike sea beasts, making them not so easy to capture. Even if captured, their intelligence might not be easily subdued, let alone the need to enter their stomachs to extract the shellfish, which is inherently dangerous.
The danger itself wasn’t the issue, but the underlying nature of it made Lily increasingly believe that everything she had done was right.
Fortunately, there was only Sagel here.
But in other places, there were countless nobles and ‘Shimizus’ like Sagel.
The killing must continue.
"Lord Sagel."
Akin’s voice came from outside the door.
"Enter." Lily turned and gestured for Akin to come in.
This time, they traveled with only a few people. The sea level had risen another meter, indicating that the matters to be handled were increasing. Even Lily needed to communicate with her subordinates via Den Den Mushi during the voyage.
The other officers had even more to deal with.
On this journey, besides Maria, the chef, and Lily, who always accompanied Sagel, they only brought Akin, who was responsible for commanding the crew.
Akin greeted Lily and Maria before speaking. "A call came from Totto Land. Perospero asked if we need an escort and whether we want to hold a banquet."
"Escort? Who’s protecting who?"
Sagel laughed. "Alright, tell him to focus on his own tasks. I don’t have a sweet tooth. If he does his job well, everything will be fine. Instead of wasting time, he should clear and explore the surrounding waters of Totto Land. This is the front line, after all."
"Got it."
He thought for a moment and then looked at Lily. "Take note, call Big Mom and ask her to send a clone. Using the thirty-four islands of Totto Land as the base, create a defense and surveillance system tailored to their abilities. As a front line, this place should be as secure as a steel drum, at least until a fleet of admirals arrives, we can hold them off outside the defense line."
The people of Totto Land each had a unique ability to use sweets as materials. Cracker’s compressed biscuits were harder than steel, Perospero could shape sugar liquid, and the raw materials in the sweets themselves were so abundant that they didn’t need to source resources from elsewhere.
Bringing in a high-tech expert to refine these materials would turn Totto Land into a military front line.
Otherwise, if an admiral brought a fleet, they could easily reach Totto Land, and any battle with Sagel would be a loss.
"Haven’t we already intimidated them?"
Akin was puzzled. "Why do we need such high-level defenses?"
Lily was also confused. Logically, Sagel would buy the raw materials to boost the economy. But now, it seemed he wasn’t planning to use their resources, but to solve the problem with their abilities.
"Deterrence is deterrence, but does having deterrence mean no wars? In theory, there's no war, but in reality, conflicts always arise."
Sagel shook his head and laughed. "The things I do, those old men can tolerate, but can those kings tolerate it? Pressure will definitely be applied, but with Pluton, they won't let anything happen to my Ohara. As for the rest, they'll fight as they see fit. Besides, do you think Akainu cares about this stuff? Or that Yellow Monkey is afraid of it?"
"I once took down Zephyr, that old man. If he hadn't died back then, he'd probably be even more extreme now. Knowing about the ancient weapons, he'd likely go crazy trying to start something. Luckily, he died early, and dying early made him a hero."
Three final islands?
More like three pieces of information about ancient weapons, rumors that spread from somewhere.
Something like Bomb Rock, which Sagel once thought was useful with his abilities, but later, Renee created better ammunition, so he stopped using it.
In terms of power, could anything surpass the ancient weapons and his own strength?
But the people who possess such power are not just him.
In the end, it will still evolve into war.
"Sure, I'll go down and notify them."
"Take your time. Since you're here, Lily, get the alcohol from the cabinet worth less than a million Berries and give it to him as a reward for his subordinates."
Sagel said this, and Akin brought a box over, filled it with bottles of alcohol, and left the captain's quarters.
But just as he stepped out, the Den Den Mushi on the desk suddenly rang.
"One after another", Sagel grumbled. "I'm a Yonko, not a problem solver! Why do all these calls come to me?"
As he spoke, Lily picked up the receiver, and the Den Den Mushi formed the image of a man with a cigar in his mouth, a sinister look in his eyes, and a scar on his nose.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha"
The Den Den Mushi even faintly simulated a golden hook.
"Old Sand, what do you want?" Sagel asked.
"Sagel, I know your ship is heading this way. Did you have anything to do with what happened in Lulusia and Red Harbor? Thanks to you, Cale Bali Island has shrunk to the point where it can't even accommodate my subordinates."
Crocodile's voice rang out, accompanied by Mihawk's.
"What do you want to do, Worldslider? Destroying the world won't benefit you either."
"Madman!" A proud female voice scolded.
"I only did it once! Once! Why should I bear all the blame? Are you looking for death?"
Sagel angrily said, "You better have a good reason, or I'll make you move your base right now!"
"I know what you're planning. This isn't your kind of fight. How about we handle it?"
Crocodile said, "In your position, we should be on the front lines, right? If so, we can work together on this."
Sagel was taken aback. "You have a good head on your shoulders, I'll give you that."
He pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, go prepare a banquet. I'll rest at your place for a day, and we can talk then. Also, I have a question: do you think the rising sea levels are my doing, or does the underground world think so?"
Crocodile laughed his signature laugh. "Those who received the news think so. They don't know how you did it, but it's a fact that you kidnapped Big Mom."
Sagel clicked his tongue and snatched the receiver from Lily, hanging up with a heavy slam.
"Hidden behind the scenes, hiding well! They get the benefits, and I get the blame?"
Sagel said angrily, "Five Elders? Make it six!"
"It's not necessarily a bad thing. At least it will instill fear", Lily tried to analyze.
"So, war is inevitable."
Sagel chuckled. "I was planning a backup strategy, but now, no need for that. Totto Land will be the military front. It's certain that the day the route is open, we'll have a fight!"
"But there's nothing to be afraid of."
Sagel picked up a bottle of alcohol, poured himself a glass, and drank it in one gulp, licking his lips. "After resting for so long, it's time for a fight. No amount of training can match the urgency of battle. Only then can my Haki improve. That Robot's Ougon is also a challenge, and I need to be stronger than my predecessors."
He still remembered the accumulated Ougon, and storing Ougon wasn't difficult. The challenge was the quality of the Ougon, which was rare.
Stronger than Red Hair.
A fight would be good. Some old scores could be settled during this opportunity.
Right, Sakazaki.
(End of Chapter)
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