"The Kingdom is not strong among the member states, although it has a large population, it doesn't have much of a military... However, it was once famous as a land of gourmet food and chefs, but after the new King ascended three years ago, that reputation gradually disappeared."
"Now, this country no longer has any tourists. It's completely in ruins, many people can't even get enough to eat, much like what those people from the West Sea said."
After hearing this, Lily felt puzzled: "Gourmet food and chefs, along with a population of five hundred thousand, should make it quite well-known. Why is it so difficult to investigate..."
Gathering this intelligence indeed took a lot of time.
Sage smiled: "Gourmet food and chefs aren't necessarily something that should be well-known. The more a place produces gourmet food and chefs, the more that place..."
"Represents extreme desolation."
Marika came up the internal stairs, carrying a large tray with a bowl of porridge on it and smiled:
"I just made some fresh frog porridge that's good for the stomach. You've had a night of banquets, have something light."
"Quite a coincidence, I was actually planning to have you make porridge."
Sage chuckled as he waited for Marika to place the porridge on the table, then continued: "That's right, the better the chefs, the more sumptuous the food, the more it symbolizes desolation."
Rich lands may produce specialty foods, but they will never glorify chefs and gourmet food.
Chefs exist to turn unpalatable food into something delicious. Searching for edible and tasty food requires a lot of effort, gradually making use of barren land.
Those born into resource-rich lands have plenty of meat and fruits. With one kick to a tree, abundant fruits may fall off.
With abundant resources, people become lazy, at most roasting something with fire and sprinkling some spices, without putting much thought into preparing gourmet food.
"The Cloud Mountain Kingdom must be a resource-poor country. No matter how famous chefs and gourmet are, they don't count in the West Sea. This isn't the East Sea, Lily..."
Sage said, "The landscapes of the Four Seas are entirely different. In the West Sea, even gangs turn into Mafias, and countries like the Flower Country become strong nations. In such an environment, a barren country indeed can't hold its ground."
At sea, mighty countries are incredibly formidable. Big Mom's Totto Land is only referred to as a 'mighty country.' For a pirate to achieve such a feat is already a legendary pinnacle.
However, there are still many strong countries in the world.
The Flower Country of the West Sea is a 'mighty country.'
The West Sea, equivalent to the New World, should be the first among the Four Seas in mastering Haki, its strength nearly matching the Grand Line.
For a barren country, unless intentional, collecting intelligence from scratch indeed requires time.
Correspondingly, there's also the North Sea.
"The West Sea is surely the Sea of the Strong, while the North Sea should be considered the Sea of Art and Chaos, though it seems they also value romance..."
Sage thought for a moment and laughed: "Old Hor, that fool, keeps watching that Sora Ultraman all day."
"UltraMan?"
Lily nodded: "Indeed, that's Sora Superman."
"Huh? I thought it was the Light Giant..."
Sage paused, then shook his head: "Never mind, it's not important. Next is the South Sea. The South Sea's mechanical technology and craftsmanship are quite good, it seems everyone there knows some skills, making it the Sea of Craftsmanship and Technology. And then, we have our East Sea..."
Lily hesitated for a moment, then said: "The Weakest Sea?"
After all, having ventured into the Grand Line and having been there for quite a while, her knowledge of the Four Seas evaluations was limited, but she had some understanding of the East Sea.
This sea, in the channel where the Four Seas converge on the Grand Line, is indeed known as the 'Weakest Sea.'
Besides the magnetic fields of the Grand Line that isolate each island, the existence of the Red Earth Continent and the Calm Belt also divides the sea.
The four sea regions are non-communicative, giving rise to distinct traditions and cultures, which also resulted in changes in the strengths and weaknesses of each sea region.
Especially the Red Earth Continent, acting as a massive landmass, separates the West Sea, North Sea, and East Sea from the South Sea. This leads the West Sea and North Sea, closer to the New World, to be much stronger than the East and South Seas in Paradise.
And having once produced the Pirate King, the East Sea is even more strictly guarded, leaving behind no notable pirates...
"That's right."
Sage chuckled softly: "But there are differences. Although its strength is weak, it often births some heroes. Roger, Garp, and those storming figures..."
While some people were underestimated due to the bounties, perhaps putting them in the Grand Line could make them worth tens of millions of Berries, but in terms of strength, they may not be as formidable as those from the West Sea and North Sea.
Being closely guarded and knowing nothing about Haki, treating the Devil Fruits as legends, everything proves the name of the Weakest Sea.
But...
"Even in this weakest sea zone, miracles often happen and lead an era."
Sage spread his arms and laughed heartily: "A Sea of Miracles, a Sea of Eras! The last to create the pirate era was Roger, but the era always changes. Who will be next? Perhaps it will be me creating the era of big landlords! Hohohohoho!"
"Sage..."
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you from the West Sea?"
"..."
"I went to live in the East Sea when I was two, so I must be an East Sea person!"
Sage waved his hand, "Alright, let's talk about the future later. Let's first complete the current plan."
There's no talking about the landlord era now; he needs to get his territory running properly first. Otherwise, if the commodities get too expensive, what good is collecting taxes?
He didn't want to see a situation where he eats meat while his subordinates can't even drink soup. He's not that petty.
...
Five days later.
Rumble!
Suddenly, thunder roared in the sea, stirring up stormy winds, rain, and whirlpools.
The gloomy storm approached the silhouette of an island with steep mountains ahead, appearing amidst the storm was the outline of a massive black ship.
"We've arrived..."
At the front of the deck, Sage held up a telescope and observed the island. He could see that a third of the island's area was mountainous, surrounding the island, leaving only a gap.
It was a basin-type island.
Since they felt the breeze two days ago, they knew they had crossed from the Calm Belt into the West Sea.
Now in the West Sea, the climate was naturally not so variable, not with strange currents, not even needing a compass, Lily used the sun to identify the direction, using O'hara's Log Pose as an anchor to find the Cloud Mountain Kingdom.
"Is that it?"
Sage looked towards the West Sea people standing on the deck with umbrellas, confirming once more.
Nourished by Sea King meat for nearly twenty days, these people now looked spirited, not robust, but certainly normal.
"Yes, Sir, this is the Cloud Mountain Kingdom. Our mountains reach up to the clouds, hence the name Cloud Mountain Kingdom," one of them said respectfully.
Sage handed the telescope to Lily, who was holding an umbrella, "Then let's talk about the battle plan!"
In the back, Gin's expression turned serious, making an attentive listening pose.
Lily, however, remained calm, showing no sign of emotion.
"Kill the King, defeat the army, and seize the people."
Sage grinned: "Eliminate all resistance, these people are ours, don't worry about their wishes!"
"Yes, Captain Sage!" Gin shouted, excited.
He hadn't gone looting with Captain Sage in a long time, and this was a good opportunity to perform well!
As for Lily...
She didn't need to listen; she already knew what Sage's plan was.
With things at this stage, the rest was simple.
She turned back, gazing at the stern of the Death Star. Three thick iron chains were locked into the flesh and water, dragging in the Sea Kings as the ship sailed.
For those five hundred thousand people, they prepared a lot of food. Whether it was enough was another matter, but it was certainly enough to take people away.
For those suffering from famine, just a bit of food would make them willing to leave.