https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-65-Thoughts-on-the-Jinjiang-Literature-Website-and-a-Request-to-Catch-Up/12608515/
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Chapter 66: You Old Geezer!
Chapter 66: You Old Geezer!
Sage had mentioned that someone was approaching the port, but when Lily arrived, aside from the passed-out Navy and pirate bodies on the ground, there was no one in sight. Aside from the docked merchant ships and pirate ships, there were no signs of any other vessels on the ocean's surface.
Just as Lily was about to ask a question, her eyes narrowed, and she gazed intently at the ocean, her eyes filled with astonishment. The empty expanse of the sea, which should have been devoid of any presence, now revealed the silhouettes of several approaching ships.
"Navy?" Lily exclaimed, bringing the telescope hanging at her waist up to her eyes.
It was only now, with the aid of the telescope, that she could clearly see the ships that Sage had mentioned. These warships had not been present before.
"So this is the power of Haki," she murmured to herself.
Haki—it was because Sage had mastered this power that he was so confident about venturing into the Grand Line.
However, this was something that Sage couldn't teach her. Haki was a power of the mind and will, and it could only be grasped through battle with strong opponents. Even if Sage were to teach her, he wouldn't use deadly force against Lily, and the process would be slow.
She would have to rely on herself.
Shaking her head, she pushed these thoughts aside and focused her attention on the warships on the ocean's surface. "Sage, there are a total of ten warships."
Of course, these weren't the massive warships like the ones under the command of the Demon Slayer Order. They were ordinary branch warships, probably called for as reinforcements by the Navy during their battle with the pirates.
Each of these branch warships typically carried around two hundred crew members, so ten of them amounted to a considerable force. If these were ordinary pirates, they would undoubtedly retreat upon seeing this level of reinforcement.
But Sage was no ordinary pirate.
Numbers meant nothing to him.
His eyes emitted a crimson glow as he glared at the ocean, and the raging storm seemed to freeze in that instant. The turbulent waves paused, as if a ripple had been sent out, moving toward the approaching warships.
Boom!
After a brief moment of silence, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the sound of wind and rain continued to echo over Rogue Town, sweeping over the nearby waves and crashing against the shore.
Sage laughed heartily. "In the East Blue, no one can stop me, at least not at this particular moment!"
Under the influence of his Conqueror's Haki, no matter how great their numbers, they were all like insignificant fish to him!
The Navy personnel on the warships had already been knocked unconscious by his power, but with the wind in their sails, the warships continued to advance toward Rogue Town.
"Lily, after the warships crash ashore, gather the others to scour them for weapons and ammunition. Leave the excess outside the town, and we'll sell them together."
Sage turned and walked back toward the Death Harbinger. "I'm going back to the ship to have a drink. This pouring rain is giving me a headache."
"Sage, wait! There's one more warship!" Lily called out suddenly. Through the telescope, she spotted a massive Navy warship appearing behind the ten smaller ones.
"A main warship from headquarters! What's going on? Why did their warship arrive so quickly? How did they navigate through the Reversal Mountain against the current?!"
"Hmm?" Sage looked out at the sea and indeed saw the silhouette of a large warship, far surpassing the scale of the branch warships, appearing at the far end of the ten incoming ships. However, after a quick glance, his interest waned.
"The Navy has a special technique that allows them to cross the Calm Belt. If they want to go to the Four Seas, they can just sail straight through. But that's not important," Sage continued. "I've said it before—at this particular moment, no one can stop me."
Before planning to rob Rogue Town, he had studied the Navy's deployment. Indeed, a vice admiral from headquarters would patrol the Four Seas, but they always came with a specific mission.
The Navy wasn't as free as pirates, roaming the seas and attacking whomever they pleased. They operated by accepting missions.
Take 'Navy Hero' Garp, for example. Unless he was on vacation, if he came to the East Blue, it would undoubtedly be with a mission in hand.
Of course, as a 'Navy Hero,' he might have some leeway and act on his own initiative. After all, Sage hadn't heard him say that he was on a mission to capture Sage.
Moreover, Sage had clearly read in the newspaper that Garp had already crossed the Reversal Mountain. Whether the rumor was true or not, it was unlikely that he would turn back now.
Even if he did turn back temporarily, there wouldn't be enough time.
Similarly, even if the Rogue Town Navy had discovered him and requested reinforcements from headquarters, they wouldn't have arrived at Rogue Town at this time.
That main warship wasn't here because of him.
"They're probably targeting that group of pirates who came to Rogue Town early on, or perhaps a G-1 Navy base close to Rogue Town received an order and crossed the Calm Belt to get here."
After all, Rogue Town's location is also quite close to the Calm Belt.
It just so happened that Sage had caught up with them.
However, for a group of pirates with a bounty of around 100 million berries, the warship they sent probably wasn't anything too powerful.
Under his Conqueror's Haki, if there was even one person left standing, that would be surprising—at most, it would be some Navy Headquarters colonel.
Even with the wind at their backs, it wouldn't change anything.
In this regard, Sage believed in his plan.
"My plan is perfect."
"Sage!!"
Boom!!
A meteor suddenly appeared in the sky, like a falling star, and collided with Sage, who was still speaking. Accompanied by Lily's startled cry, a loud explosion rang out from the port, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
And within that cloud of dust, Sage's body was like a fading shadow, flung out and crashing into a building next to the port, burying him in the rubble.
Clang!
Lily instantly drew her rapier, holding it with both hands in front of the ruins, staring intently at the smoke.
"Oh? White Lightning? This sword is one of the fifty fine works of Ryuma. How did it end up in your hands, little girl?" A hoarse voice sounded from within the smoke.
Bang!
Before Lily could say anything, the rubble behind her exploded, and shards of stone flew as Sage's figure slowly rose from the wreckage.
"Sage, are you alright?" Lily turned her head and was just about to speak when she paused, taken aback.
At that moment, Sage's face was terrifyingly grim.
"Ah!"
He tore open his chest, ripping apart his ruined clothes and throwing off his upper garment, leaving only the black cloak with red trim draped over his shoulders. He strode forward, stopping in front of Lily, and glared fixedly at the figure within the smoke.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Sage's teeth clenched so hard they seemed ready to shatter as he roared at the figure in the smoke, "How can it be you, old man?! Haven't you retired from the Navy yet?!"
Before them, the smoke slowly cleared, revealing a giant mechanical arm!
And the owner of that arm was a burly man with purple hair, clad in a Navy cloak.
"Why should I retire from the Navy?"
The purple-haired man waved his mechanical arm, fixing his gaze on Sage. "Did you release that Conqueror's Haki just now? What's with that old fool, Garp? He was in the East Blue earlier, and he didn't detect such a dangerous individual."
Sage's temples throbbed with a bulging vein as he roared, "So, did you come specifically to arrest me? Answer me, Zephyr!"
No matter how hazy Sage's memory was, he would never mistake a powerful figure from the vast seas!
Former Navy Admiral, known as 'Non-Killer' in the Navy...
Black Arm, Zephyr!!
"What's wrong with the Navy arresting pirates?"
Zephyr stared intently at Sage for a while before suddenly realizing something. "Oh, I've seen your bounty poster, Norton Sage, the great sinner who destroyed a kingdom. An extremely dangerous individual!"
"That doesn't matter!"
Sage roared, "I want to confirm again, did you come for me? This is important to me. Even if we're enemies, there's no harm in answering my question, is there?!"
Zephyr was taken aback for a moment, unsure why this man was so fixated on that question. Nonetheless, he replied, "No, I'm just on patrol. I heard that a large group of pirates appeared in Rogue Town, so I came to take a look. The Navy can arrest pirates anywhere, not just in the Grand Line."
So, he hadn't come for Sage.
Sage had known it! His plan couldn't have possibly gone wrong.
His conjecture and plan were still correct; it was just that the person who came wasn't a Navy Headquarters colonel but Zephyr.
In other words...
He was just plain unlucky!
"See, Lily!"
Sage turned to Lily and explained, "It's not that my plan had a flaw; I just had bad luck. My plan is perfect and cannot go wrong!"
Lily: "..."
No one asked about that.
Why are you so eager to explain?
Moreover...
Lily glanced at Zephyr. This man, whom Sage called an "old geezer," exuded an aura that suggested he was not to be trifled with.
He was a powerful individual!
(End of Chapter)
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