"You recovered quite fast—able to move after just two days?"
Sage said in a low voice, "To be honest, I have no interest in you people. I already let you go once before. If you know what's good for you, you should stay far away."
He truly had no interest in these people. It had nothing to do with being the son of Whitebeard or anything like that, as there was no conflict there.
Whether it was Ace, Smoker, or even the Straw Hat, it was all the same.
As Pirates, they were all in the same line of work. Aside from fighting when their differing goals clashed, there usually wasn't much interaction.
As for the Navy, that was a matter of stance—the Navy capturing Pirates was just how things worked on the Sea.
Sage's view of the Navy was simple: leave if you can, fight if you can't, then leave after fighting.
He was a Pirate, one who did as he pleased. His dream was to amass wealth and become a landlord king, not some ultimate destroyer or killer.
He didn't need to fight to the death with everyone he met.
Conqueror's Haki didn't manifest in madmen.
Otherwise, the Four Emperors would have already waged all-out war against the Navy.
"I don't have much interest in you either, especially since you seem to know that old man. Compared to you, I have more important matters to attend to."
Ace grinned. "As for the Old Man's business, I can't beat you now. Once I finish what I need to do, I'll come back to settle things. But right now, my little brother is about to defeat his enemy. As his older brother, I won't let anyone interfere."
Smoker bit down on his cigar and raised his head. "You're not one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The Navy capturing Pirates is only natural."
Whether it was Natural Disaster or the Straw Hat, neither took priority over Crocodile.
He had always despised the Seven Warlords, especially someone as cunning as Crocodile.
Now that his scheme was exposed, as a Navy officer, Smoker couldn't even wait for his superiors to react. By the time they did, that sand Crocodile might have already devoured this country.
But bound by regulations, he couldn't act against a Warlord. Relying on a Pirate for help was already humiliating enough—in principle, he shouldn't even be here.
But with Natural Disaster present, it gave him an excuse. As long as he entered Alubarna under the pretense of capturing him, no one could say anything.
He didn't know what Sage's plan was or whether he'd collaborate with Crocodile. But stopping him here was enough! The rest... he could only trust the Straw Hat.
"Your little brother... Straw Hat Luffy?"
Sage glanced toward the Royal Palace, then shook his head. "Have you misunderstood something? I have no interest in Crocodile's plans. Whether he wins or loses doesn't matter to me. What he does is his business; what I do is mine."
It was just a precaution—preferably, that Crocodile's plan would succeed, as it would stabilize his own investment plans.
But if it failed, it truly didn't matter to him. All he needed was for Crocodile not to be captured.
This was all outside his original plan anyway. His initial goal had simply been to rob Rainbase and Alubarna.
"But..."
Pfft! Sage exhaled a puff of white vapor from his nostrils, spreading across the ground. His body suddenly expanded at this moment, his muscles transforming into menacing armor. In the eyes of Ace and Smoker, he gradually grew to a height of nearly three meters.
"You went through so much trouble to seek me out. It'd be a shame if I didn't entertain you. Perfect timing—I'm in a foul mood anyway. Let's play a bit. If you die here, don't blame me!"
Sage pointed at the two of them. "80% power is more than enough to deal with you."
"What is this?!"
Smoker was slightly startled. He had never seen Sage in this form before. Back in Naruhara, he had passed out early, but whatever this was, now wasn't the time to be surprised!
"White Fist!"
Smoker's right arm billowed with smoke, launching forward like a projectile.
"Fire Fist!"
Ace's left hand ignited, transforming into a pillar of flame that shot out parallel to the smoke.
The smoke and fire intertwined mid-flight, entangling with each other. The flames superheated the smoke, and the intense heat, in turn, amplified the flames' power.
Individually, smoke and fire were evenly matched, but combined, their might grew exponentially!
As for Sage... he found this strangely familiar.
"You think I'm Barret or something?!"
Sage's hands became enveloped in a dark, flowing aura akin to black flames—Haki. He clasped his palms together, compressing the Haki between them before thrusting it forward with explosive force.
"Wave Motion Fist: Heavenly General—Rushing Flame!!"
BOOM!!
A beam of black fire collided violently with the entwined pillar of smoke and flame, detonating outward in a spectacular explosion. The deafening blast scattered the fiery smoke in all directions, raining down like dazzling fireworks.
"What a magnificent display, Sabo—wait, no—Ace, Smoker!"
Frieza Sarge grinned savagely, bracing his arms as the Haki shockwave he unleashed pushed relentlessly against the pillar of smoke and flame, gradually forcing it back toward them.
Even against an attack of superior power, his near-limitless, rapidly regenerating Haki rendered it useless!
When it came to energy clashes, he was brimming with confidence!
...
"Lady Marika! We found something!"
Meanwhile, on a street near the royal palace, several pirates rummaged through an opulently decorated house, uncovering gold, silver, and other treasures. One pirate, clutching a handful of necklaces and beaded strings, rushed outside excitedly, calling out to Marika, who stood in front of another house across the way.
Marika peeked out with a gentle smile. "How wonderful! Keep up the good work."
Buildings near the palace were naturally lavish—likely the residences of nobles and the wealthy. Finding valuables here was hardly surprising.
Seven or eight subordinates ransacked the house, stuffing anything of worth into a chest before scurrying out eagerly to loot the next building.
But just then, two figures dashed in at blinding speed.
Thud! Slash!
The sound of impact was followed by two pirates collapsing, blood spraying from their chests.
The pirate carrying the chest took a brutal punch from an iron-clad fist, his face nearly caving in as teeth flew out. He crumpled to the ground.
"Drop those things, you filthy pirates! Fall before the fists of 'Iron Fist' Fullbody!"
A pink-haired man wearing a Navy cap stomped on a pirate on the ground, clenching his fist and shouting.
"And don't forget Jango!"
Behind him, a man with heart-shaped glasses quickly approached, his hands adorned with sharp rings.
From behind them, a squad of Navy soldiers advanced rapidly.
At the forefront was a woman with light pink long hair, a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"Captain Tashigi! There's no need for you to come, we'll handle them for you!" Fullbody exclaimed excitedly.
"That's right, Captain Tashigi, please watch us perform for you!" Jango shouted loudly.
"Hmm!!"
As they spoke, Miote rushed out of the house swiftly, drawing the great sword from his back and swinging it toward them with tremendous force.
Clang!!
The sharp blade struck Fullbody's iron fist cover, the immense force sending both him and Jango flying backward as they were forced to retreat.
"A man with great strength, but it's useless—you can't defeat the Dancing Brothers!" Fullbody landed on his heels, quickly adjusting his stance.
"That's right, partner! Let's serve him the Navy's judgment—let's dance!" Jango twisted his body excitedly as he shouted.
"No, Tashiga finds this troublesome."
The pink-haired woman walked past the two of them, heading straight for Miote. "Miote of the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew, bounty 600,000 Belly?"
"Grr!"
Miote let out a threatening growl, his body slightly hunched as he charged toward the woman with lightning speed.
The woman adjusted the glove on her right hand, completely unfazed by Miote's charge. Only when he got close and swung his blade did she extend her arm, moving directly toward the blade.
"Pierce through."
The moment her hand touched the blade, it rapidly elongated, wrapping around Miote's massive body and passing right through him before lifting him upward.
Thud! A black ring appeared around Miote's upper body, tightly binding his arms as well. The back of his sword was pressed against his face due to the restraint, and he collapsed to the ground.
No matter how hard he struggled, the black ring refused to budge.
"Don't waste your energy. Tashigi's ability is harder than steel."
She exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at the woman standing inside the window. "Shouldn't you surrender as well, Marika, executive of the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew, bounty 3,000,000 Belly?"
Marika's expression remained unchanged, still smiling. "My, my, the Navy? How surprising. An Ability User, I presume?"
Naval Headquarters Captain, 'Black Cage' Tashigi! Total over 8k, added a chapter. Also recommending a book by my good friend Changshi.