Sage had held many jobs, including that of a local thug, a profession that was closely linked to those black market merchants.
The goods plundered by the Pirates were mostly collected by these people, and as for the prices, they were certainly not as high as those from legitimate channels.
However, similarly, the stolen goods required no capital, and the profits were much higher than those of legitimate merchants.
Everyone made a profit, which could be considered a win-win situation.
After counting the spoils, the Pirates took their rest or stood guard. In this stormy weather, someone still needed to keep watch; one group would go to the top deck for lookout duty, while another would observe the surroundings and the ship's facilities from the deck.
The latter could rotate more quickly; with so many personnel, a half-hour shift was sufficient.
"Sage, our current crew isn't strong enough to convert into combat power; the weapons we stole are completely inadequate."
Lily continued, "When we reach the next place, shouldn't we let them resupply?"
When robbing merchant ships, it was naturally impossible to mobilize the entire crew; it was just Akin leading over thirty old Pirates. The remaining newly joined Pirates were still in prison uniforms, without even a weapon, making the robbery quite clumsy.
There were some guards on that ship, but there were only about ten of them, and the confiscated weapons amounted to just a few guns and a couple of rifles, hardly enough to make a difference.
"Of course we need to resupply; we can't rely on our fists to rob," Sage said, taking a sip of his drink and leaning back on the Throne.
"And what about the funds for this?" Lily asked.
The more than six hundred newly joined Pirates certainly had no money, and to equip them, funds were necessary.
Even if it was just a shabby knife for each person, over six hundred people would still require thirty to forty million Belly, which was a significant amount.
"No need for that."
Sage shifted comfortably, swirling his jeweled goblet with a smile, "When we get to Roguetown, we'll just rob it."
The island Lily referred to on the map was the one closest to Inverted Mountain, and on that island was a large town known as Roguetown, famously dubbed the 'Town of Beginnings and Endings.'
...
As an island near the entrance to the Grand Line, Roguetown occupies a third of the island's area and is an exceptionally prosperous large town. However, it is also a gathering place for Pirates who once aspired to enter the Grand Line, frequently witnessing battles between the Navy and Pirates.
Since Navy Colonel Smoker took charge here, no Pirate had managed to escape.
But Smoker had left some time ago, and without a strong figure to suppress it, Roguetown ultimately lost its unique status.
Roguetown was in complete chaos.
Bang! Bang!
Boom! The sounds of gunfire and weapons clashing echoed throughout the town.
Docked at the port were about ten Pirate ships flying the Pirate Flag, and below, the Pirates were engaged in battle with the Navy. The town's buildings were ablaze, flames reaching almost to the sky, dyeing the streets near the port a deep crimson.
"Lieutenant Colonel! Pirates have broken into the port!"
A branch lieutenant hurriedly approached the Navy defense line, saluting a Navy officer wearing a military cap and a double-breasted coat.
That was a branch lieutenant colonel, not yet at the level to don the justice coat, but at his rank, he could choose his attire freely.
"Send troops to support; do not let the Pirates breach the port defenses!" The branch lieutenant colonel said with a serious expression, issuing orders.
"Yes, sir!"
The lieutenant took a group of Navy personnel to a certain street to engage the invading Pirates.
"Damn it!"
The branch lieutenant colonel gritted his teeth, his face darkened, "Everyone, we cannot let the Pirates break through any further; we must protect the civilians!"
Ever since Colonel Smoker left, everything had fallen into disarray.
In fact, even before Colonel Smoker arrived, there weren't so many Pirates daring to invade Roguetown. After all, the Navy base here was quite substantial, and ordinary Pirates wouldn't come to plunder; even if they did, the Navy could suppress them.
In terms of both numbers and firepower, they were far superior to a Pirate with just one ship.
After all, a normal ship would have around a hundred crew members, and those like Kuro who claimed to have a fleet of five thousand were ultimately rare, but their bounties were among the highest in the East Sea.
Pirates with an average bounty of three million Belly in the East Sea wouldn't actively provoke the Navy. Those who came here would deliberately disguise themselves to enter the town.
And the Navy wasn't that foolish; they would turn a blind eye to non-aggressive Pirates, as long as they didn't cause trouble in plain sight, they wouldn't go out of their way to search.
Previously, Roguetown maintained such a balance.
Colonel Smoker had come down from headquarters to manage this place for several years, capturing all the active Pirates, ensuring that no Pirate could escape. Initially, this was thought to be a good thing, but once he left, the extreme suppression led to a wild rebound.
Pirates who had previously been deterred by Colonel Smoker's reputation all flocked to Roguetown. At first, it was just one or two Pirate crews, which the Navy could handle.
But ultimately, it wasn't the crushing combat style of Colonel Smoker; their battles with the Pirates were back and forth, leading the Pirate crews to believe that Roguetown had become 'normal' again.
The rebound caused by Colonel Smoker's departure led to an increasing number of attacking Pirate crews, and the Navy found themselves increasingly overwhelmed. Although these Pirates were not cooperating and were all playing their own games, the more they resisted, the more they realized they had inadvertently formed an alliance, culminating in a coordinated attack by over a dozen Pirate crews on Roguetown! A high-seas pirate wielding a giant axe shouted, "Boys, break through these Navy! Loot this town, resupply, and let's head to the Grand Line!"
'Great Axe Blade' Pabala, bounty of eleven million!
"Hehehe, we're robbing! Kill them, and we'll rush in to plunder the treasures!" A Pirate wielding twin swords pierced through several Navy bodies, grinning sinisterly.
'Twin Sword Serpent' Moro, bounty of nine and a half million!
The East Sea was not devoid of Pirates; there were quite a few in this sea area, and the captains of the attacking Pirate crews all had bounties around ten million, making them formidable foes!
"Cannons! Are the cannons ready?"
The branch lieutenant colonel shouted back, "Prepare to fire!"
Cannons were pushed to the tops of buildings, aimed at the incoming Pirates.
"We'll fire too!"
The Pirates were equally unyielding, having set up rows of cannons brought from their ships onshore, aimed at the Navy's defensive line.
"Fire!"
Boom!
Just as both sides were about to fire, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by torrential rain and fierce winds sweeping across Roguetown.
The sky darkened in an instant.
It was pouring rain!
The rain fell, soaking the cannons and firearms, rendering them all unusable.
"Some of you go back and secure the equipment; the rest of the Navy..."
The lieutenant colonel drew his sword and shouted, "Fight the Pirates with me!"
This stormy weather was somewhat of a help to them; as long as they could withstand the Pirates' assault, once the Navy secured their firearms and cannons against the rain, victory would surely be theirs!
"Charge, take them down!"
The Pirates understood this logic as well, abandoning their cannons and rifles, drawing their weapons, and charging fiercely at the Navy.
As long as they won, this town would be theirs to plunder!
Boom!!
At that moment, a cannon fired from the port behind them, and a Pirate ship was blown apart, hitting the ammunition depot in the ship's hold, causing a massive explosion that shattered it into several pieces, drifting on the sea.
Where did this cannon fire come from in the storm?!
Both the Navy and the Pirates were drawn to the sudden cannon fire, turning to look at the port.
Whoosh! A series of cannonballs flew in from the distance, striking several Pirate ships near the wreckage, blowing them apart and gradually sinking into the sea.
At this time, the storm intensified, and amidst the heavy rain, a mysterious black silhouette emerged from the sea, as if cannonballs were being fired from that silhouette.
"Reinforcements?!"
The Pirate Captains' faces darkened.
These reinforcements arrived too quickly.
On the Navy's side, however, there was great joy; they had sent out a request for support to the surrounding branches at the first opportunity, but they hadn't expected it to arrive so swiftly—this was their salvation.
The branch lieutenant colonel excitedly raised his sword, "Reinforcements have arrived; do not let these Pirates escape, capture them all!"
"Lieutenant Colonel."
The Navy officer beside him was also quite excited, but as the silhouette rapidly approached and revealed some signs, his face turned pale.
"Not reinforcements; that is..."
He swallowed hard, staring intently at the massive ship sailing steadily through the storm, and trembled as he said, "It's the Black Sails Ship. The Black Sails Ship in the storm. That's 'Natural Disaster'! 'Natural Disaster' is coming!"