https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-642-Not-a-Miscalculation-Just-Pure-Carelessness-/13464605/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-644-Mastering-Humanity-Mastering-the-World/13464607/
Chapter 643: Not Choose Me, Then Go Back to Guard the Place?
Chapter 643: Not Choose Me, Then Go Back to Guard the Place?
Hearing this, Sager grinned, his eyes glowing with an uncontrollable crimson.
"Great!"
"Absolutely fucking great!"
"This really makes me laugh! Two Pirate Emperors serving me, another Pirate Emperor—what good fortune!"
As he spoke, his eyes darted around, first landing on the mast of his ship, but then, after a moment’s thought, they settled on the mast of a nearby warship.
There was no need to dismantle his own ship; the warships would do just fine.
"Sager, they've already withdrawn."
Lily, understanding Sager's intentions, said, "It's been eight days since your battle began. They invaded on the fifth day and retreated on the sixth. Red Hair and Titch don't seem to be working together; they had a fierce conflict in Ohara. Moria reported severe damage to the buildings, and our palace has collapsed."
She paused, then continued, "Additionally, some of our factories in the mountains have disappeared without any signs of destruction, even the vegetation on the mountains is gone. I believe it's Titch's ability."
"No doubt! It's his ability! But what use does he have for that stuff?!"
Sager yelled, "Can he just make weapons with factories? If it were that simple, Kaido wouldn't have turned Wano into a mess!"
It takes skilled people to operate the machinery. Even though there are many workers in the factories in Ohara, the initial employees were all trained by Lenezia.
The idea that anyone can do it is a pipe dream to Sager. This is the benefit of early industrialization.
"Any casualties?" Sager asked.
"Some people died in the collapse, but otherwise, there were no significant losses. The officers are all still alive, though Moria and the others were quite injured."
Lily relayed the information she had gathered over the past two days to Sager.
Indeed, there were no major casualties. After the conflict between Red Hair and Titch, both sides seemed to be wary of something. The addition of the Big Mom Pirate Crew and the Beasts Pirate Crew's reinforcements led to a quick withdrawal, leaving Ohara relatively unscathed apart from the battle damage.
However, the earlier battle left Moria and the others injured. Sever and Misty were more severely wounded because they encountered Blackbeard in the outskirts and were sucked into darkness. Although they managed to escape, they were hit by shockwaves and suffered serious injuries.
Belly strictly followed the orders, restraining Lenezia to keep her from acting. Once she calmed down, she realized that her advanced technical skills made her a target, so she went into hiding.
"The treasures haven't suffered much damage."
Lily added, "Though many were scattered by the battle's aftermath, the citizens picked them up again. However, there are some marks on the landmarks."
"Those things don't matter, as long as everyone is safe."
Sager waved his hand, calming down a bit. "If they've withdrawn, there's no point in rushing back. The Beasts and Big Mom are there, right?"
"Yes, they're all there. Ohara is currently safe", Lily said.
Wiper was caught off guard the first time, but this time, they are fully prepared. Moria is on high alert, and with Jinbe and Katakuri now in Ohara, if they are attacked again, they won't let them escape this time!
"Red Hair, Titch."
Sager took a deep breath, reverting from his full form, his voice cold. "So, you won't leave me alone, huh? Fine! Let's go to war!"
He had planned for a two-front battle, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon, clearly a mistake based on past experience.
After all, since his debut, the only time he was defeated was when Garp and two admirals sent him to Impel Down. But even there, he obtained a fruit that matched his strength and broke out of Impel Down alone, which took a considerable amount of time, so it was only a partial defeat.
Things have been too smooth!
His strong confidence and powerful abilities have led to a smooth journey through the New World, swelling to a certain degree. Although he never underestimated any enemy and even faced some battles with a resolve to die, it has been too smooth.
So smooth that Sager felt the world should revolve around his willpower, including this trip to the World Government, which went perfectly according to his plan.
Akainu is tough, after all. Logia users are different from others, with an incredible resistance to damage. Often, they can't be hit, and their natural endurance is their strength. They don't even need Buso Rend; just with Conqueror's Haki, they can predict and dodge most of Sager's moves, especially since Sager doesn't take Conqueror's Haki seriously.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“What about Old Sand’s move?” Sager asked.
“On the second day after you entered the cave, Crocodile sent a message saying he had succeeded. He’s now inside Red Land, but he won’t be as fast as you. It will take him some time,” Lily said.
This lengthy operation was part of his own plan. Besides this passage, Crocodile had also been secretly digging another tunnel, and the distraction was intended for this purpose.
Even his plan against the World Government had been a huge success, but when it came to the chaotic Pirate world, he had suffered a setback, with someone raiding his base.
“Sager, should we tighten our defenses?”
Lily was also considering this. “If the Beast Pirate Crew moves into Ohara, it will affect our main base.”
“It would interfere with my plans,” Sager vetoed. “Jin’s area and Katakuri’s Totto Land form a strategic triangle. With Totto Land as the frontline, the Beast Pirate Crew can provide support. If the Marines attack, we can drag them into the battlefield. It may seem peaceful now, but who knows what will happen next? Business is business, and conflict is conflict. It’s not uncommon.”
The World Government was the main concern. The Cross Guild was the vanguard, and the two affiliated Pirate Crews behind them formed a strategic triangle, controlling the front half of the New World’s defensive line. With their combat strength and monitoring capabilities, they could hold off the Marines for a long time at sea.
The islands were merely resource-producing areas and not as crucial. Unlike Ohara, which was their commercial hub, they only needed to protect Dressrosa.
This period of holding off the battle would be enough for Sager to act.
This was his plan, at least for the initial phase against the World Government. However, now, with two of the Four Emperors backstabbing him, he risked becoming a firefighter, constantly dealing with emergencies.
The downside of having a vast territory became apparent.
As absolute rulers of the sea, the Four Emperors had the strength to expand their territories, but defending them was a different story. Therefore, whether it was Kaido or Big Mom, their core territories were limited—Wano for Kaido and the Totto Land archipelago for Big Mom. The rest were merely symbolic flags.
Titch was similar, occupying Honeycomb Island and planting flags elsewhere, but not providing protection. Instead, he allowed his subordinates to plunder.
Red Hair was even more peculiar, with no permanent base. His ship roamed the seas, and every place where he planted his flag was a potential base. This made him unpredictable and a constant threat.
Lily’s strategy was to have Sager give up some territory to strengthen his defenses, but this didn’t align with his plans or his nature.
A landowner’s territory, once acquired, was his, even if it turned into wasteland. No outsiders could cultivate it!
He needed to find a way to boost his strength and secure a powerful ally, not just someone on the level of a Shichibukai or Vice Emperor, but someone at least as powerful as Lily.
“Hmm, there’s already someone suitable.”
Sager’s eyes lit up as he turned to one of the distant warships. “Fujitora is here?”
During the negotiations, he had given the World Government the option to release Fujitora. His anger had suppressed his Conqueror’s Haki earlier, but now he was calm and could sense Fujitora’s presence.
“Yes, he’s been here since early morning, probably waiting for the outcome of your battle. Now, we can hand him over,” Lily said.
“Bring him over. This is too good an opportunity to miss!” Sager called out.
Lily nodded and instructed her subordinates, “Port side turn, head for the warship at ten o’clock. Dock the ship!”
The Damnation Star had been stationary for eight days and was finally on the move, sailing the seas.
In no time, the warship, which had been on surveillance duty, was shrouded in the shadow of the massive black ship. The blind man, Strawberry, instinctively drew his dual blades.
“It’s you, Longhead. I thought it might be some deadbeat, but of course, they’re either dead or too injured to lead.”
Sager stepped onto the ship’s rail and looked down at the wary Strawberry. “As you can see, I’m alive. According to our agreement, hand over Fujitora!”
An interesting piece of intelligence had emerged from the Agored incident.
Vice Admiral Dohmann seemed to have angered Satan, who had stared him down, causing his head to explode. Whether he was dead or not was unknown.
If the intel was accurate, Dohmann had likely been staring back at Satan just before he was killed.
Strawberry didn’t say much, merely waving his hand to have the Marines bring out the man who had been stripped of his Marine cloak and was now wearing a purple kimono, his hands and feet shackled with Sea Stone.
"You being dismissed is a real shame. I always thought you were a man of justice", Strawberry sighed.
"A dirty deal, huh?"
Fujitora opened his white, pupil-less eyes, first looking up at Sagel, then shaking his head. "Although I wavered at first, I now think it’s for the best that I’m blind. Not seeing the filth is a blessing. I just didn’t expect to be traded again."
He wasn’t simply aware of the World Government’s recruitment and decided to join on his own. In fact, he had accumulated a massive gambling debt at a casino, which the World Government later bought, transferring the debt to them. This led him to serve the Marines, coinciding with the plan to abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Now that his purpose is complete and he has rescued the slaves from Marineford, being traded again is only natural.
"I am truly sorry, Mr. Ichi." Strawberry sighed again, taking the key and unlocking the Sea Stone chains.
"No worries. Although I was prepared to spend my remaining days in Impel Down, the chance to regain my freedom is a blessing. However—"
Fujitora took the cane-sword handed to him by a Marine, tapping it against the deck as he made his way to the ladder lowered by the Deadstar. Once aboard, he stood beside Sagel and said calmly:
"I thank Disaster Don for rescuing me, but I never agreed to serve you as a pirate."
"But you didn’t refuse, did you?"
Sagel grinned. "No rush, as long as you’re here! Take him to have a bath, he stinks. Then we’ll talk! Set sail, back to Ohara!"
The ladder was retracted, and the Deadstar turned, ignoring the naval ships as it set course for Ohara.
Strawberry watched the departing Deadstar, shaking his head. "It’s going to get chaotic again."
Red Hair and Blackbeard’s attack on Ohara was information they had received. It’s likely that well-informed parties are already aware of this news.
The Grand Line is truly a free-for-all now.
The Marines are targeting the emerging Rebel Army and the increasingly rampant pirates. The New World is about to erupt in chaos, and the affected forces will only add to the turmoil.
Since Whitebeard’s death, the world has been moving in an unknown direction, beyond the control of the Marines.
...
Two hours later.
Captain’s cabin.
Sagel saw the blind man, now cleaner and dressed in civilian clothes, being led in by one of his men. He pointed to the sofa, had his men seat him, and then took out a cigar. Just as he was about to toss it, he sniffed the air and shook his head.
"I don’t smoke."
"Then how about a drink?"
"Rum will do."
"I don’t have that cheap stuff. What kind of hooligan would bring such things on my ship? Someone, bring him this bottle."
He instructed one of his men to take a bottle from the liquor cabinet, pour a full glass, and hand it to Fujitora. After dismissing his men, Sagel said:
"Fujitora, or rather, Ichi. I’ll be direct. You know what happened. Red Hair and Titch attacked my base, and I need some strong hands to bolster my defenses. Now that you’re without a home, you can’t stay with the Marines. How about working for me?"
He has only one sub-Emperor-level fighter, Lily, and Fujitora is also at that level.
Only fighters of this caliber can truly stand up to the Four Emperors.
The rest can only provide resistance.
According to Sagel’s own classification, while a ‘weak’ admiral might sound weak, they are far from it. Green Bull and Fujitora might find it difficult to match the Four Emperors, but they can certainly prevent them from getting close and hold them off for a significant amount of time.
Of course, Sagel is an exception. He’s specialized, and while he struggles against top-tier Logia users, he can easily handle non-Logia users, becoming more effective the longer the fight goes on.
"From being a Marine admiral to becoming a pirate? Disaster Don, your reputation isn’t the best, but Lily Don and I have had our conversations, and I’m willing to visit Ohara."
Ichi said solemnly, "After all, your domain has a reputation."
"Visit? Who else can you choose besides me? Go back to the casino and watch the floor?"
Sagel laughed. "Fine, you can visit, just don’t leave!"
Recruiting Fujitora doesn’t require the same patience as it did with Moria. In the current situation, as long as he’s on board, he’s practically mine!
(End of Chapter)
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