Chapter 94: Haki Leaking Out, Seeking Death!
Mr. 1 gazed at Sag descending from the crocodile's back and calmly said, "Indeed a big figure. Rumor says you plundered numerous kings. Cooperating with the boss, is it also because you've targeted the king here?"
"Of course, that's exactly why I came."
Sag's mouth curved into a smirk. He glanced at these agents; some faces were familiar, but he couldn't recall clearly.
"Quite a lot of people. Has it already started?"
A red dot covered his pupils. He subconsciously glanced up the steps. Under the probe of his Kenbunshoku Haki, he could sense the aura of slaughter emanating from the huge city.
"Yes, the war has already begun," Mr. 1 said. "We received news that Princess Vivi will bring people to stop the rebellion. Just in case, we are waiting here."
Rainbase and Alubarna were west and east respectively. To come from Rainbase, waiting here at the west city gate was the best option. No matter where they appeared, they could see them.
"Then continue. By the way, help me look after these crocodiles. I still need them for transportation. Don't let anything happen to them."
Sag said, ignoring the agents, and led his subordinates up the steps.
On both sides of the huge steps were vertical cliffs. If these steps were destroyed, the people here wouldn't even be able to get down; they would be trapped to death here.
And within that huge city, whether in the streets or alleys, the sounds bursting out were those of firearm bombardments and clashing swords.
Just at the city gate, Sag could smell the thick scent of gunpowder smoke and blood.
But regarding the numbers, after a slight perception check, he found it wasn't that many.
It also took time for the rebel army to arrive; they wouldn't all gather at once, likely arriving in batches.
Right now, this city was still relatively empty overall. Every street within the city was very long, almost impossible to see the end at a glance. Distant buildings were nearly reduced to silhouettes, looking extremely far away.
At the northernmost position, the dome of a huge building could be seen.
That should be the location of the royal palace.
"Haven't seen any ordinary people…" Renettia looked left and right. "Have they already evacuated?"
"Cobra is still a decent fellow," Sag said. "Knowing war was coming, he should have evacuated the populace very early. After all, war means people die. Those civilians aren't much use. It's good though; there will be less resistance when robbing."
Whether he was a good king or not had nothing to do with Sag. Even if the man were as holy as the Great Buddha, at this point, he would still scrape off a layer of gold paint.
When it came to robbery, who cared if he was good or bad?
A royal city couldn't possibly only have a rich king, right?
He took out a gold pocket watch from behind his cloak, opened it, glanced at it, and said:
"It's ten in the morning now. The city will explode at four-thirty in the afternoon. We'll finish before three-thirty, leaving an hour to withdraw. Priority is the royal palace. If we finish robbing and still have time, we'll go check out other wealthy people's places."
Maintaining a country also required nobles; those guys were definitely rich too.
But limited by transportation, Sag had only brought this many people, so he could only choose one location first.
Including Sag himself, a total of fifty-seven people stepped onto the spacious street. As they got closer, the smell of gunpowder smoke grew stronger. Before they had walked far, two groups of people rushed out from a side alley.
One group wore scale armor and cloaks, the other ordinary attire. Both sides bore injuries, roaring as they attacked each other.
Then…
Plop.
Before their feet could even move, their eyes rolled back, mouths gaped open, and they fell to the ground.
"A bunch of small fry, don't block my path. I won't detour for you."
Sag glanced at them, stepped over their bodies, and walked straight ahead.
Kenbunshoku Haki could perceive numbers and roughly gauge strength. If he wanted to avoid them, Sag could have reached the royal palace without being discovered by anyone.
But what was the need?
He wasn't the type to actively make way for others. Going straight was the fastest distance.
Whether it was the armies fighting ahead or personnel rushing out from the side, as long as they appeared in front of Sag, their bodies all went limp, fainting on the ground.
All the way until they reached the location of the royal palace. Below the equally huge steps, several thousand soldiers stood ready, emanating a murderous aura.
They were the soldiers guarding the royal palace. As the last line of defense, they wouldn't let the rebel army approach here.
"Someone's coming!"
A soldier standing straight in the front row noticed something was wrong, fixed his gaze on one of the streets. Following the sound, numerous soldiers all looked over, only to see a group of figures appearing in the long street.
Where the wind and sand passed, the first thing seen was a head of white hair, not too long, not too short, parted from the center of the forehead into two strands of bangs, swaying with movement. Swaying similarly was the black fur cloak with red tips draped over the person.
Rebel army? Was there such a figure?
"Alert!!"
A soldier commander roared loudly. The soldiers in the front row aimed their crescent-spade-like weapons forward, revealing nervous expressions.
They didn't know why they were nervous. Clearly, the opponent only had a few dozen people.
They couldn't possibly be a match for their several thousand…
Buzz!
The next instant, the several thousand people's eyes rolled white, their mouths unconsciously opened, and they fainted one after another on the ground.
One soldier knelt on the ground, seemingly struggling to support himself, trying hard not to let his body fall. He stared intently at the gradually approaching white-haired man, wanting to grip his weapon tightly, but how could he? As the weapon landed with a clang, his entire body went slack.
"Ara, still able to hold on? A man with good willpower," Marika stroked her face, surprised.
"There are always some people with decent will."
Sag stepped over the bodies and said to the kneeling soldier, "But at this time, it's better to faint."
After he spoke, the soldier could no longer hold on and collapsed.
The group ascended the steps. Renettia took out her mechanical hammer. Driven by dynamic power, it extended, transforming into a long-handled sheep-horn hammer. With the sound of tearing air, it smashed fiercely towards the main gate of the royal palace.
Bang!!
The huge doors, under the impact of the dynamic force, were forcefully hammered down onto the ground.
Sag let out a fierce grin. "Men! Loot properly for me!"
"Yes, Captain!"
About fifty people all surged into the royal palace.
Meanwhile, outside, below the steps of the west city gate.
"They've… ar… rived… oh."
Mr. 4, watching from atop the rock, lowered his telescope and spoke slowly.
"Is it the princess? Is it the princess? She really came! How strange, isn't she afraid of death?" Miss Merry Christmas spoke again, urgently and quickly.
Mr. 2 spun around on the spot, looked towards the cloud of dust stirred up ahead, and suddenly paused. "Something's not right, wayo! Too many people, wayo!"
"Many people? Straw Hat Boy Luffy has already been dealt with in Rainbase. Even if there are more, there are only a few, not too many…"
Miss Doublefinger, while speaking, picked up a telescope. Upon looking, her pupils dilated, and she exclaimed in shock, "Marines?!"
Within that cloud of dust, there was no sign of Vivi. Instead, it was a unit of troops riding camels rapidly, wearing standard Marine uniforms.
And leading them was a man with silver hair riding a motorcycle, speeding through the sandy terrain.
On the motorcycle also sat a woman with long pink hair, wearing rose-red professional attire, draped in a Marine cloak.
"Is that 'White Hunter' Smoker? And 'Black Cage' Hina!"
Miss Doublefinger exclaimed, "What's going on? How did the Marines get here?!"
How could the Marines enter Arabasta? Their boss's identity hadn't been exposed. As a Shichibukai, the Marines had no authority to deal with him…
"Natural Disaster!"
Miss Doublefinger thought of something, her face sinking. "Did they come because of Natural Disaster? Such a grand formation. What do we do?"
Mr. 1's eyes focused. His crossed arms lowered. He said gravely, "Natural Disaster is also cooperating with the boss. We cannot let these Marines disrupt our mission."
He walked forward, facing the large number of attacking Marines. Blades burst forth from his arms. "Even if they are Marines, we must block them!"
"So those are the agents of the criminal organization Baroque Works. Really… using Dancing Powder to throw the country into civil war, then seizing the opportunity to take over the country. Truly extraordinary, Crocodile."
Smoker bit his cigar, looking at the few people among the sand and stones not far below the steps. The smoke he exhaled was quickly blown far away by the advancing wind.
"Watch your words, Smoker," Hina said. "Without orders from the government, Shichibukai Crocodile is still an ally. Baroque Works has no official connection with him. Hina is just here to catch Natural Disaster. Some time ago, he took down three patrolling warships."
"Say whatever you want," Smoker twisted the handlebars, accelerating. "Deal with those agents first!"
At the position below the southwest city gate steps, a group of large ducks ran swiftly.
These were Arabasta's fastest 'Super Spot-Billed Ducks'. Riding on them were Vivi and the Straw Hat crew, rapidly approaching the huge steps.
However, beside this group of Super Spot-Billed Ducks, there was also a man stepping on something like a sand sled. Flames erupted from the rear of the sand sled, its speed not at all slower than the Super Spot-Billed Ducks.
"Is it okay?" Nami looked over. "If we delay here, will it affect your search for someone?"
"Ah, it's fine. After all, you saved me. This little help is expected," Ace stood on the sand sled, looking at the gradually approaching huge steps, adjusted his hat. "I believe Luffy can handle Crocodile, but Sag won't be so easy to deal with."
…
"Empty."
"Empty!"
"Empty!!"
Inside the royal palace, Sag walked through the empty halls. With each room he broke into, his expression grew worse. While veins popped on his forehead, the black lines in his eyes increased, even taking on Gin's accent.
"Sag, are you trying to say 'empty'?" Renettia tilted her small head.
"Shut up!"
Sag glared fiercely at her, his face gloomy, and kicked open another door. Inside was the layout of a bedroom, without any treasure.
After searching the royal palace for an hour, Sag, who had initially been full of enthusiasm, felt more and more that something was wrong.
It wasn't that they hadn't found the treasure room. The key was that the treasure room was also completely empty.
He knew Cobra was a good king, but no matter how good a king was…
"Damn it, he's still a king!"
Sag punched a hole in the door, saying hatefully, "How can he be so poor?! Poorer than me, a pirate! I'm a thief!"
"Lord Sag, it's not that there's no money…" Pearl, with a fawning expression, took out a stack of Beli. "We also found five hundred thousand Beli."
"Lily," Sag called out.
Bang!
The next instant, Lily flew out with a kick, sending Pearl flying and crashing into the opposite wall.
"You even rob a girl's private savings? Do you have any class?! Besides, what can such little money do? This is the royal palace!" Sag roared angrily.
To say there was no harvest wasn't entirely true.
They found the room with Vivi's photo, and there they found five hundred thousand Beli…
For a normal person, this sum of money was certainly not small.
But for Sag, who possessed five hundred million and vast amounts of gold and jewels, and had also invested five hundred million with Crocodile, he completely looked down on this small amount!
Spending so much effort, running a whole night to arrive at Alubarna, only to harvest five hundred thousand Beli?
What could this do?
Buy ten crappy swords?
He could rob this much from a random passerby in Rainbase!
"Put the money back! Search carefully again! What I want is treasure! Gold! Jewels!"
Sag glared sideways at Pearl, who was twitching on the ground, gritted his teeth, and walked out of the corridor.
Outside the corridor was a huge hall. At the head, there was a sizable throne, except…
"It's made of stone!"
Sag plopped down onto the throne, took out a cigar from inside his cloak, lit it, took a deep drag, swirled the smoke in his mouth, and exhaled it again.
Unlike cigarettes, this stuff basically didn't go into the lungs.
"I heard the royal palace of Arabasta has a history of about four thousand years. Perhaps this throne…" Lily hesitated.
"Find an island, grab a handful of stones, they'll have at least ten thousand years of history," Sag rolled his eyes. "Who cares about history? I'm completely uninterested in history or stories. I only focus on the present."
He was illiterate, couldn't recognize a single large character!
What did he need history for!
Even for collecting, he couldn't collect a broken stone!
Even carved into a throne, it was still stone!
"Damn Cobra! At least inlay some gems on the stone! Where does he look like a king? Nattia Kingdom was better; that old pervert at least had a very good throne."
"It's Nattia!" Lily corrected. "We've already left the East Blue, Sag. Don't think about it anymore."
"Captain Sag."
At this moment, Gin led his subordinates out from a passage on the other side and stood below the throne.
"We didn't find any treasure…"
"Then hurry outside and rob!" Sag gritted his teeth. "Go outside the royal palace, look at the houses of those rich people! All of you, go find them! Quick!"
"Yes, Captain!" Gin immediately led the men running out of the royal palace.
"Lily, you guys go too. One more person means one more share of the harvest," Sag said to Lily and the others.
"Understood, Sag." Lily nodded, and along with the other two, also walked out of the royal palace.
"What the hell! So poor?!" Sag tutted, then suddenly seemed to perceive something and looked to the side. "Coming, Crocodile…"
On the platform inside the west gate of this royal palace, Vivi was currently commanding some soldiers, having them grab a long fuse.
"Detonate it!"
Vivi said firmly, "Only by detonating the royal palace and attracting the attention of the rebel army can I properly talk to them, tell them the truth of the civil war, and expose Crocodile's true face. Only this way can the war chaos be quelled the fastest!"
Cold sweat streamed down the faces of the soldiers in front. Holding torches, they were just about to ignite the fuse. But just then, a fierce gust of wind and sand abruptly flew open, extinguishing the torches, simultaneously blowing onto those soldiers, sending them falling to the ground along with the soldiers.
That wind and sand quickly condensed on top of the building, turning into Crocodile's form.
"Crocodile! Father!" Vivi cried out in shock.
Under Crocodile's arm, he was still holding Cobra.
"You really know how to do dangerous things, Miss Wednesday…" He looked down at Vivi, the corner of his mouth curling up, smiling. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Better not destroy randomly. After all, this place will be my home in the future."
"Then your home is really dirt poor!"
Just as his words fell, a voice sounded from inside the royal palace.
Bang!
The inner door of the royal palace exploded open. Sag walked out from within, arrived at the platform, glanced upwards at the man in Crocodile's hand. "Hey, are you Cobra? As a king, you're really so poor it makes people laugh angrily!"
"Oh? Harvest not good? Sag." Crocodile smiled.
"Don't talk down to me, Crocodile. My mood isn't too beautiful right now," Sag said coldly.
Crocodile chuckled softly, turned back into wind and sand, condensed onto the platform, and smoothly threw Cobra against the wall.
"That kind of thing doesn't matter anymore. Sag, our cooperation is still effective. Money and wealth, in the future, you can have as much as you want…"
He looked at Cobra and said gravely, "As long as I take down this country, my plan will be completed smoothly."
Cobra staggered up, staring deadly at him. "The World Government won't allow it, Crocodile!"
"That's why that thing is needed! As long as I have enough military strength, even the World Government can do nothing to me!"
Crocodile extended his hand and clenched it forcefully. "Tell me, where is Pluton?!"
Cobra's expression froze, horrified. "Why would you know…"
"Pluton?"
Sag paused, pondering there. "Is that the name? Is it here? Doesn't seem like it's in Arabasta…"
Nico Robin beside him also paused, subconsciously looking towards Sag.
This man…
"Crocodile!"
Suddenly, a resonant voice sounded from below. Two hands grabbed the city wall above the royal palace, quickly retracting, and a familiar figure jumped out.
"I'm going to defeat you!!"
He swung his fist, stretching forward, smashing straight towards Crocodile.
"Still not dead? Straw Hat Boy Luffy. Just this kind of punch, how could it possibly…"
Bang!
Before Crocodile could finish speaking, the fist fiercely smashed into his face, sending him flying and plowing a distance across the ground.
"Heh!"
Sag sneered. "Really slack enough. Can't even tell he's wet with water."
His train of thought interrupted, he didn't care.
Comparatively, Crocodile not failing was more important.
Sag moved his limbs, looked at Luffy who had appeared above the royal palace carrying a water barrel, and said:
"Let me handle it. Relax. Seeing your grandpa's face, I won't let you die. But don't hinder my plan either. That crocodile is related to my grand plan to get rich."
"Grandpa!" Luffy was stunned. "You know my grandpa?!"
"Don't interfere, Sag."
From behind, Crocodile stood up, his eyes completely bloodshot. "I will finish him myself!"
"You already caught him in Rainbase, yet you still let him appear here. Stop talking such bullshit."
Sag said gravely, "I don't care about your plan. My plan cannot fail!"
"Then I'll defeat you together!" Luffy clenched his fist and shouted.
"Hmph hmph hmph…"
Sag let out a disdainful low laugh, shook his head, just about to make a move.
Boom!!
Suddenly, not far below the royal palace, a cloud of smoke was inexplicably blown open, flying upwards.
Smoke?
Sag subconsciously looked over, a red dot flashing in his eyes. Under the spread of Kenbunshoku, his face sunk.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
Luffy directly extended a fist, striking towards Sag.
Dong!
A sound of air being stepped on echoed, causing the fist to hit empty air. Sag's figure bounced high into the air, directly ignoring Luffy. Following stepping out a circle of air waves beneath his feet, his entire person shot downwards like a cannonball.
"Eh? Gone? What did he come here for?"
Luffy tilted his head, a few question marks appearing. But he quickly reacted again, shouting towards the front, "Crocodile! Let's decide the winner!!"
…
"Dynamic Surge!"
At the entrance of a street in front of the royal palace, Renettia held her mechanical hammer. An impact force burst from the hammerhead, blowing away the large amount of attacking smoke.
Beneath that cloud of smoke lay several fallen subordinates.
She stared at the smoke cloud, shouting loudly, "Why are the Marines here?! What's the situation?! Hey, this lady remembers you! You're the smoke cripple defeated by Sag in Nanohana! What are you doing here!"
From within the smoke, Smoker's figure slowly appeared. His lower body hidden within the smoke, his upper body condensed in the air above. He said, "Twenty-three million Beli, Renettia? I have no interest in small-time pirates like you. Tell me, where is Natural Disaster?"
Renettia raised the mechanical hammer forward. "Sag isn't in a good mood, definitely doesn't want to see you! This lady is enough!"
Smoker shook his head. "Then I'll just have to capture you and make Natural Disaster come out!"
His hands reached into the smoke, causing a large amount of smoke to solidify, directly surrounding Renettia.
"White Snake: Bind!"
A large amount of white fog completely gave Renettia no chance to counterattack. Even relying on her mechanical hammer to hit out air cannons with dynamic force wasn't enough. It only blew away some smoke at the front before she was quickly enveloped by the remaining smoke.
"Cough cough cough!"
The dense smoke made it impossible for her to even breathe, causing her to cough non-stop. And the solidified smoke now also surrounded her arms and body, binding her tightly, just about to exert force and strangle.
Boom!!
The smoke was suddenly knocked open. The solidified smoke even broke apart at this moment. Under the rolling air waves, the dense smoke was blown away.
"Smoker!"
Amidst the dispersing smoke, Sag's figure appeared in the sky in front of Smoker. His hands, mixed with Haki, were about to point towards his body.
"Hokuto…"
"Hiken!"
A pillar of fire struck from the side, submerging Sag in flames.
Smoker paused, stunned, looking sideways. He saw, on the rooftop of a building, a man extending a flaming hand, smiling at him.
"Portgas D. Ace…"
He said gravely, "How did you appear here?"
Ace jumped down from the rooftop, looked forward, and smiled, "Same purpose as you."
The flames bombarded from above dropped an object surrounded by flames, smashing heavily beside Renettia, stirring up a cloud of smoke and dust amidst the splashing gravel.
"Sag?" Renettia said subconsciously.
"Stay further away, Renetti."
From within the smoke and dust, Sag's calm voice sounded.
As the smoke and dust dispersed, his body, covered in burns, was revealed.
But at this moment, those burned areas were rapidly healing, turning back into normal skin.
"A Marine, a pirate, joined hands? The sea really is magical," Sag looked coldly at them.
"I would never join hands with pirates."
Smoker also gathered downwards, turning back into his normal form. He took out his jitte, pointed it at Sag, "However, arresting you is the priority. After capturing you, I will capture 'Fire Fist' Ace again."
"Smoke and fire can't determine a winner. Catching me isn't that easy,"
Ace stood beside him, assumed a fighting stance, and smiled, "But right now, I won't let you interfere with Luffy's fight."
"You guys really are letting your Haki leak out…" (Being overly conspicuous/arrogant)
Sag slightly closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them, grinned, showing fierceness. "Seeking death!"
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