https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-659-Ohara-at-Four-in-the-Morning/13464631/
Chapter 660: Yearning for More, Yearning for Power
Chapter 660: Yearning for More, Yearning for Power
Midday.
Sagel emerged from the bathroom, naturally extending his hands to let the maids gently dry him off with towels before he changed into fresh clothes.
Unlike Lily, his daily routine was quite simple: eating, training, fishing, and attending banquets.
Earlier, he had been training, then soaking in the bath and enjoying a massage, before preparing to have lunch.
As the weather grew warmer, Sagel's attire became more casual. He wore an open-front pirate shirt and a simple black pair of pants. However, the temperature didn't affect him much.
Even in the coldest weather, an extra vest would suffice.
As for his fur-lined cloak, due to the fusion with Homi, it was no longer an ordinary cloak. It could keep him warm in winter and cool in summer, serving as both a status symbol and a weapon.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, the long table was already laden with dishes. After taking his seat, the maids took turns serving him, carefully placing the food in front of him and feeding him by hand.
The maids peeled the shrimp, allowing Sagel to savor the most succulent parts. The crab roe and meat were carefully scooped out with a spoon to ensure the perfect texture and flavor.
He only ate the crispy skin of the roasted suckling pig, which was dipped in a special sauce for an exquisite taste.
When it came to yogurt, he only licked the lid.
One of the maids dropped a grape, and it fell to the floor.
Sagel glanced at it and said, "Pick it up and eat it."
The maid smiled deferentially. "My lord, it's just one grape."
"Every grain of rice and every drop of soup should remind us of the effort it took to produce them."
Sagel smiled. "I couldn't afford to waste anything when I started out. Now I can, but you can't. Pick it up and eat it."
"Yes, my lord."
The maid obediently bent down, revealing a glimpse of her cleavage, and picked up the grape, popping it into her mouth.
The food was undoubtedly delicious. The ingredients served to Sagel were so rare that even money couldn't buy them. Some of these rare ingredients were so scarce that Sagel himself didn't have enough to eat, let alone put them on the market.
For example, the special grapes came from Dressrosa, a new variety that combined the extinct Wano 'ancient winemaking vines.' These grapes, carefully tended by the dwarves, could only grow in Dressrosa.
Even the skilled Tontatta couldn't increase the yield of these grapes, making them a rare delicacy that naturally found their way into Sagel's menu.
However, no matter how delicious, eating too much of the same thing eventually became monotonous. The maids, besides feeding him, were also responsible for finishing the leftovers. The lord's lunch consisted of six hundred dishes, and while he could consume a significant portion, the rest was usually divided among the maids, who would take the leftovers home if they couldn't finish them.
In the palace, they saw the rarest of delicacies and treasures. Besides satisfying their appetites, these items were also valuable. If taken outside, they could fetch a high price, but out of respect for the lord, the maids rarely sold them unless they were in dire need of money.
The maids' salaries in the palace were not low, and with these additional perks, they earned quite a bit.
Especially recently, they had more leftovers than usual.
This was because the recent meals were prepared by the chef's team, not by Maria. Although the food was still good, it lacked the unique flavor that Maria's dishes had.
As a result, the lord only managed to eat about half the dishes, sometimes even less, around two hundred or so.
"Tsk, when will Maria be done? The food these past few days hasn't been great. The flavors are decent, but it's not the same", Sagel sighed.
The maid beside him laughed. "My lord, please don't say that. The chefs will be heartbroken."
"Ha ha ha, a little setback and they get heartbroken? That's not the mark of a strong person", Sagel chuckled. "Bellana."
"Yes, my lord."
Bellana, who had been supervising the maids, quickly responded.
"Ask Lily after lunch when she expects to be done."
"It will take some time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lily's voice came from the doorway.
She entered the dining hall with Carifa, sitting down next to Sagel without any formalities. After the maids prepared her utensils, she said:
"Maria is currently handling logistics on the front lines. Once the front advances further, she might be able to return to the kitchen."
"You rarely come to eat with me. Have you been this busy lately?"
Sagel laughed. "Don't talk about work when you're here. There's always more to do, especially when you have a larger territory. Lily, you should delegate more tasks to your subordinates like I do."
Lily pursed her lips. "You're the captain."
Is there a possibility that we are all your subordinates?
"Right, don't slam the door when you leave. This is the sea, not a hidden village", Sagel teased.
Lily shook her head helplessly.
However, she had grown accustomed to the occasional phrases from Sagel that she didn’t understand. Perhaps it was a local custom from the West Blue’s Ohara, just like how Nico Robin sometimes enjoyed making dark jokes.
"I met Sylvie, and I think she’s quite competent. She might be able to assist me with most tasks, but we need to observe her more to see what she’s truly capable of", Lily said.
"Considering her ability to mobilize a population of a million on an island and hold off Morria, not to mention her skill in coordinating a diverse group of subordinates, earning their respect and even their faith, and the power of her Devil Fruit, which greatly enhances combat strength."
"Hmm, I remember Morria saying that she could go toe-to-toe with him, right? Was she also enhanced?" Sagel asked.
Heinrich, personally selected by Hawkins, was a strong fighter on the seven-star level, with a bounty of at least 700 to 800 million in the pirate world. If someone like him could be influenced by Sylvie and accept her, it would explain why she could match Morria.
"Yes, her abilities alone wouldn’t be enough to achieve that. She’s another one, like you, who has a perfect match with her Devil Fruit", Lily said.
Carifa couldn’t help but interject, "Isn’t that a bit of an overestimation, comparing her to Sagel?"
From the World Government to Ohara, they had seen all sorts of scenarios. In terms of pirates, Sagel was currently the undisputed number one at sea, and he was still expanding his power, far from his peak. This was why Rob Lucci and his team had no hesitation in joining Sagel.
Now, a Power Holder was being compared to Sagel in terms of ability compatibility?
"Perfect compatibility is the limit for a Power Holder, not for me."
Sagel smiled, "They can achieve perfect compatibility because that’s the peak for them. I’m called a perfect match because the concept is different. However, it’s still impressive. After all, Devil Fruits choose their owners. Carifa, your Bubble Fruit is the same, but you’re not quite at the perfect match stage. You were the most suitable at that time and in that place."
"Except for Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, which have a strong will and can search the world for the most compatible owner, other Devil Fruits have limitations and can’t cover the entire world."
"For example, the Dessert Fruit. Its will wouldn’t be as broad; otherwise, it would have chosen someone directly from the sea. Why go to Marineford?"
Sagel chuckled, "The Dessert Fruit’s power is to charm. Shimizu wouldn’t stoop to such tactics; they consider themselves world nobles. How could they charm others? But you know Shimizu’s nature; they would buy beauties. Only in such a place could the fruit find its most perfect match."
"Besides, I’ve heard that the Dessert Fruit has two cherries, one pink and one purple. I wonder if you eat both or just one. If the pink one is for charm, what could the purple one be? Maybe it’s so ugly it petrifies people? After all, beauty has its extremes, and so does ugliness. Beauty has its limits, but ugliness is unique and varied. Hahahaha!"
"That’s been my curiosity as well."
Carifa adjusted her glasses and asked, "Sagel, with your talents, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit should favor you. Why did it end up being Momo?"
"Hahahaha, it’s a matter of desire. Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits are rare, but I’ve never heard of one with the power to destroy the world. Strong destructive power? Strong physique? Various abilities? I can achieve all that on my own. Maybe the devils knew my thoughts, so Momo chose me as its owner!"
Sagel laughed heartily, "Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits do have a unique charm, but the one that suits me best is this one, whose power can grow with me!"
At this stage, he was already like a Mythical Zoan himself!
Eating another Mythical Zoan wouldn’t significantly enhance his power. The ultimate result would still be the first pirate in the world, unbeatable. So why not choose a fruit that is more convenient and has a greater deterrent effect?
Moreover, he didn’t like things with too strong a will.
"During the battle in Wano, Nika from the Straw Hats gave me a strong sense of dissonance. If that state was an awakening, I can understand why Kaido only awakened halfway. Either the west wind overpowers the east wind, or the two merge. There’s no way the east wind can overpower the west wind. Kaido’s will couldn’t accept that state. For beasts, it’s easier, but for the Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit, hah!"
Sagel sneered, "The Nika Fruit, perhaps long ago, might have been a Devil Fruit of the Paramecia type. But due to someone’s transformation, it fused into a unique form. Maybe after I die, my influence will be great enough to trigger a unique awakening in the Momo Fruit, turning it into a Mythical Zoan."
"The Mythical Zoan: Destruction God Form?" Lily chuckled, "Or as you said, the Landlord Form?"
"Ha ha ha, that would be fantastic. Then my Ohara can be inherited by the one who obtains the fruit! There are no born kings, only those who claim the throne through victory! Anyone who matches my willpower should be no slouch!"
Sagel threw his head back in laughter, then lowered it, picking up the bone-in leg of meat in front of him and tearing off a large chunk.
"An individual's strong willpower and desires attract the most suitable match. The Momo Fruit belongs to me, so with my current willpower and desires..."
He opened his mouth and swallowed the remaining bone-in leg in one bite, crushing the bones in his mouth.
"Desire for territory, desire for more willpower, desire for strength, desire for the power of will..."
Sagel bared a mouthful of sharp white teeth and laughed low, "And there is one more that should also belong to me! Heh heh heh."
Lily's pupils narrowed to sharp points as she stared at Sagel in shock. As the one who had followed him the longest and understood him the most, she immediately grasped the meaning.
"Sagel, this has never happened before..."
But she stopped mid-sentence.
There were
fresh examples that had just become their enemies!
That fruit
could also match Sagel, and perhaps even perfectly!
The choice of a Devil Fruit is a matter of destiny; Misfortune can't play a significant role here.
Sagel is the only one in the Apocalypse Pirates who discovered and ate a Devil Fruit on his own. The others either ate theirs before meeting him or were forced to eat them through previous collaborations with Tee.
Given this, it's not impossible for a second one to appear.
As for the possibility of two Devil Fruits battling for dominance within a body and causing an explosion—
it has no effect on the strong.
Kaido is a perfect example; he has been fed a second Devil Fruit before, but it simply ran away.
"If it's truly mine, it won't escape. If it's not, it won't come to me. I know my body well; the thing you worry about won’t happen."
Sagel moved his wine glass, and Bellana hurriedly stepped forward to pour him another glass, afraid of being preempted by someone else.
"Yi Xiao has already agreed to stay in Ohara. Your presence here signifies that the plan has entered its next phase, right?"
Lily nodded, "I came to report this. The ‘Central Bloom’ strategy has been working well in the first half. Of course, we haven't encountered much resistance; those silver medalists either joined the Cross Guild or had already moved on to the second half."
In terms of overall pirate power on the seas, the Four Emperors, though renowned, control only half of the New World. The other half is dominated by the silver medalists.
However, many of these silver medalists had already fled after Sagel took down Big Mom, and even more disappeared after he defeated Kaido. They aren’t fools; the first half of the Grand Line is acknowledged as the most dangerous, and even if they fought to the death, they might not be able to stop him. It was better to retreat early.
Some even bought weapons and supplies from Sagel; if they stayed, they would be at his mercy.
Unite?
Unite with the Cross Guild!
Isn't it more free and empowering there?
They heard that Buggy is a good friend of Sagel, and Mr. Crocodile and Mihawk have good relations with him. They wouldn’t have to fight if they joined.
Why bother forming alliances and engaging in political intrigue when all they want is to rob and not fight for leadership? They can respect Sagel, but not others.
Thus, the Worldslider Pirates' conquest has been largely unopposed, as there are few strong opponents in the first half.
But this is limited to Sagel only wanting the first half. He foresaw this and has been heavily recruiting soldiers and enlisting Jinbe and Katakuri for this reason.
Once the first half is ceded, they will move on to the second half to seek their livelihood. Now, Sagel is also preparing to enter, and for them, it will be a fight to the death, a hard battle!
"Hurry up, I can't wait to reap the rewards."
A crimson gleam flashed in Sagel's eyes as he sneered, "Tee."
(End of Chapter)
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