"Fruit? Devil Fruit?"
Gin, who arrived, was startled: "The same Devil Fruit as that Straw Hat kid?"
"Straw Hat kid?"
The little girl flipped her head and shouted: "I have no idea who the hell the Straw Hat or Pea Hat is, but you guys barged in and attacked me, and even tried to steal my ship. Luckily, it's finished quickly, or it'd be stolen... A bunch of pirates, do you really understand the value of this ship!"
Sage was taken aback for a moment, "You built it?"
"Of course!"
The little girl puffed out her chest proudly and said: "I'm the best shipbuilder in the East Sea, also the greatest mechanician, Renedia! Can't you tell? That rock gate on the island, I built it!"
How could ordinary people possibly carve out a gigantic hidden cave within the island to dock ships, and even make the rock wall into a mechanism gate? Only she, with her powered abilities, could do it.
"The best shipbuilder is a little girl? You do talk big." Gin said in awe.
"What do you know, you black-skinned, thick-lipped monkey freak!" Renedia bared her teeth at him.
"Monkey..." Gin's mouth opened wide, feeling utterly struck.
Pearl raised a hand to ask, "Is there another Iron Person, can you make one more? I want one."
He still had hopes for the Iron Person. Even though it was destroyed by the Captain, it was still an Iron Person, after all!
Riding the Iron Person, he would be the invincible Iron Wall Pearl!
"Shut up, you iron simpleton, that Iron Shield is ugly as hell. Did your mom weld it onto you? Looks like a turtle shell! And if you keep talking to me, I'll pound you into the ground!"
Renedia rolled her eyes at him and then shouted to Sage: "Anyway, the ship's gone. There'll be lots of people coming down soon, wait to die, you idiots who almost destroyed the valuable ship!"
Sage's eyelid twitched, not only was she a little girl, but also a foul-mouthed feisty one...
Lily couldn't help but say: "A ship is meant for sailing, besides that, it holds no value, no matter how good it is!"
"Oh? You're not dumb. That's right, a ship is for sailing."
Renedia didn't argue, instead nodding in agreement, "But the sea is different. Enormous waves, gloomy storms, sea beast attacks, battle bombardments, unfortunate groundings, and that turbulent sea near Inverted Mountain..."
"What a pity, just because of the ship, you can't reach your sailing destination, just because of the ship, everyone might perish at sea... Every one of them didn't die because the ship reached its age limit, but because of unforeseen sea incidents!"
She gripped the hammer tightly and said loudly: "The ship I want to build will never be destroyed by weather, currents, or battles. I want everyone to be safe while navigating the sea! That's the true value of this ship, something you pirates won't understand!"
Her words were deafening, making the pirates look at each other, what she said seemed quite reasonable...
"Is that your reason for robbing so many towns?" Sage clicked his tongue.
"Well, they wouldn't give it to me. Even when I tried to buy it, they insisted it was some treasured artifact that everyone should admire by holding a grand market. The price would soar sky-high, so I thought I might as well just snatch it!"
She lifted her head and said: "Kampas Town's Solar Canvas has the resilience that even cannons can't destroy, and no storm can tear it apart. Ward Town's Iron Wood is as hard as steel, resistant to groundings and turbulent currents. Maniruo Town's iron has the best applicability, stabilizing the ship to prevent it from falling apart, and even if used to make cannons, they won't burst."
"And the materials from other towns, combined to make a colossal ship, no storm can overturn this ship! That's a ship worth sailing!"
"And what's that got to do with me?"
Sage instead laughed: "The more you talk, the more I want that ship. After all, you've been robbing everywhere, pinning the blame on me. There's a price to pay, and that ship, I'll gladly take it!"
It's a good deal!
Originally, he thought this ship was so massive, better than a warship, it could be nice to take it as a bonus. Now, he finds it's a treasure!
Won't be overturned by storms, won't sink due to groundings, can sail steadily through any currents...
Just perfect for his unlucky self!
Thinking of this, Sage laughed even more, "Carrying the blame for a few days, but got a treasure in return, truly worthy of being Nadia's Treasure!"
Yarrr matey!
Lily's temple throbbed with a vein popping out, "It's Nadia, how many times do I have to tell you to get it right!"
"Robbery..."
Renedia paused, suddenly realizing: "You're those misunderstood Black Sail Pirates? I think I've heard, a group of pirates took our place under the Navy's watchful eyes, so it was you all along, no wonder you came looking... Never mind, I forgive you all."
She continued, "If you want a ship now, there isn't one available. Murdoch took it. He promised me that once the ship is ready, he would make it famous, letting the whole world know about it."
"Once it gains fame, many people and valuable materials will come. By that time, I can teach people while making more ships and give you one."
Renedia waved her hand, "You should leave now. Wait until I make a name for myself before returning. Let's forget about this for now."
"That's not acceptable."
Sage glanced at the staircase beside him and laughed, "I plan to ask the King here for compensation..."
"Really... I won't be responsible if you die. Murdoch is the King of the Nadia Kingdom and commands a force of over 2,000 soldiers."
"It's Nadia! Why are you here too!" Lily couldn't help but shout.
"Ah... it's all pretty much the same. Is there any other meaning?" Renedia asked, confused.
Lily was momentarily speechless; she really didn't know what it meant, but she always felt that it didn't sound good coming from Sage's mouth.
As a righteous princess knight, she instinctively didn't want to hear that term.
"Anyway, I've already sent the ship, so if you still want to seize it, you're courting death."
Renedia said while pulling out a microphone again, "Hey, Murdoch, why aren't you coming down yet? Are your hemorrhoids acting up again? You old glass, I told you not to stay too close to that group of Personal Guards."
"I'm not glass! I haven't gotten close to the Personal Guards! And I don't have hemorrhoids! And also..."
A sudden roar echoed from the microphone: "I'm not old!!"
Soon, the roar became a low chuckle: "Hahaha, I've heard everything, and I've seen the ship. Well done, Renedia, you're right. These Black Sail Pirates will die here... along with you!"
Boom!!
A loud noise erupted from above the staircase, with iron stone steps crashing down from above, landing heavily and raising a cloud of smoke tinged with a gunpowder smell.
It was blown apart!
"Hmm?"
Sage watched above, his eyes narrowing as he coldly smiled, "Doing away with the bow after the birds are gone? That's of the King's preferred actions."
"Old glass! What do you mean!" Renedia's expression changed.
"I'm not old!"
The microphone roared again, then suddenly chuckled, "Renedia, you are indeed a genius, but also a fool. How could I hand over such a ship to the world when the greatest benefit is only for me!"
"Why! Didn't we agree to make it famous so the world knows about it, and everyone could safely sail!" Renedia shouted.
"You are just as naive as your master!"
The voice in the microphone was cold, "The materials needed for a ship like this take twenty to thirty years to grow, are expensive, and slow to acquire. Your master waited for so many years and was executed by me before anything matured. How could I let the whole world use it?"
"How could those ordinary seafarers afford such a ship? How long would I need to wait for the completion of the next ship? It's too slow!"
"Master..."
Renedia's body wavered, her face suddenly turned pale, her pupils becoming bloodshot. "You said my master died in a sea accident while gathering materials! Was it you, you old chump, who killed my master?!"
"I told you, I'm not old! You bastard! I'm only forty, still young!"
The microphone roared once again, then returned to a low, sinister laugh, "That guy always wanted to make the technology public, but the materials hadn't matured then. I didn't want to risk them being taken by others, so I had no option but to execute him."
A cold laugh emerged from the microphone, "I want this ship solely because of the Black Sail Pirates! Think about it, at a speed so fast that even warships couldn't catch up, impervious to storms and cannon fire. With it, I could have Pirates plunder the entire East Sea! And what makes me happiest... is you, Norton Sage!"
The voice grew increasingly maniacal, "I've already heard your name from the Navy. Riding the Black Sail Warship, Pirate Norton Sage, plundered several towns and even destroyed a kingdom's pirates! Your presence perfectly fills the gap in my plan!"
"I always thought, no matter how I hide, the traces of my Black Sail Pirates would still be discovered, but now it's different. As long as things are done in your name, the Navy won't suspect me. No matter how much I plunder, they'll think it's you, a truly perfect cover!"
"And the final step to complete this plan is for you to die here. No one will know how the ship came to be, and the Black Sail Pirates will forever become your alias and my support! Hahahaha!"
Boom!!
The noises from above became even louder, and as a wave of black smoke billowed down, the entire dark cave reverberated with a rumbling vibration. The strong tremors caused Gin and the others to stagger, their eyes widening.
The surroundings cracked...