Chapter 39: A Rented Nation
"Attack! Attack!"
Before Marika could answer, the remaining soldiers shouted loudly, raising their spears and approaching.
Sag glanced over there. "So noisy..."
*Whoosh!*
Instantly, an afterimage rushed out from the crowd.
*Whoosh!*
In the storm, Gin's double staffs danced in a circle, the iron balls whistling in the wind, even deflecting the torrential rain. As he danced, water couldn't even splash in.
His body bent low and charged forward, like a leopard pouncing on a flock of 'sheep'.
*Bang!!*
With a fierce strike of the double staffs forward, the soldiers hit by the iron balls, along with their spears and armor, shattered directly. The whole person flew backwards, crashing into the remaining soldiers. The impact caused these soldiers to fly up and fall to the ground in disarray.
Even so, Gin didn't show mercy. He rushed to the fallen soldiers, swung his staff, and smashed the iron balls down, smashing their heads into the beach. Then he charged again, attacking the other soldiers.
Dozens of soldiers, facing a single pirate, couldn't even fight back. They could only watch him sweep through them like a whirlwind. Soon, all the soldiers fell, their armor smashed to pieces. Even those who had lost the ability to resist were smashed in the chest or head by Gin with an iron ball.
*Bang!*
Only after smashing the last soldier's chest, crushing half of his body into the sandpit, did Gin slowly stand up. As far as the eye could see, there was no one standing.
The blood on his face was washed clean by the torrential rain. He flicked his staff, put it back behind his waist. That expressionless face, against the backdrop of these fallen soldiers and the gloomy sky, was like a ghost preying on lives.
The civilians' pupils contracted, showing expressions of fear.
'Man-Demon' Gin.
Mistaken names didn't exist, but miscalled titles did. The existence that had made a name for himself on the sea, of course, wouldn't be soft-hearted in battle.
Especially since the people here weren't his benefactors, he had even less scruples.
"Your speed has improved a lot. The training these days has been effective," Sag nodded. "In a while, you should be able to master 'Soru'. Good job."
"Yes, Captain Sag! I will redouble my efforts and live up to your expectations!"
The 'ghost' feared by everyone lowered his murderous head to Sag at this moment, very submissive.
"Then, continue my proposal."
Sag said, "Your cooking is very good. My ship is short of a cook. You're very good. Come aboard."
Bridge-Top Kingdom, of course he knew about it. The giant bridge built in the East Blue. The people living in that place were slaves and criminals from all over the world. Once they went there, it was actually no different from death.
For a chef of this level, it was too wasteful to die.
Marika glanced at the fallen soldiers, and then at the head on the beach, pursed her lips, and said, "You're not an ordinary pirate, are you?"
A subordinate proudly shouted, "My captain is the overlord of the East Blue! Norton Sag, with a bounty of seventy million Berries!"
"Seventy million..."
Marika's eyes widened slightly. "Although I haven't been following the news recently, that price is too high in the East Blue... You said you wanted to rob the king before. Is that how it came about?"
Facing the existence that was obviously the king's guard, he directly killed them without hesitation or regard for the consequences.
If that were the case, a bounty of this level wasn't impossible.
"That kind of thing doesn't matter. What's important is that I'm interested in you. I like robbing kings the most. Since you are also a king, and you don't have any loot, then you yourself are the loot. Come aboard with me."
Sag waved his hand and said, "Correspondingly, I will give your people 'protection'. Come aboard together and become my subordinates. You don't have to suffer here."
Although this group of people was malnourished and looked like they had no combat ability, most of them were even old, weak, women, and children.
But Sag didn't care about this.
Pirates themselves were free, doing whatever they wanted. A chef who cooked well and brought a hundred or two 'burdens' was completely acceptable.
Besides, if their physique wasn't good, they could train. No one was a strong person from the beginning, they all grew step by step.
Even if they were old and lacked growth potential, there was also a miraculous power called Devil Fruits on the sea, which could make people grow rapidly.
It wasn't strength that mattered most. The most important thing was actually will.
No matter what you did, unless it was impossible, and you really failed, you had to have the determination and will to cultivate deeply in it.
Being a pirate was the same.
On the sea, those who didn't have the determination to put their heads on their belts wouldn't live long.
Sag could see that this group of people actually lacked this will.
Like him, who had done all kinds of work, but failed at everything, clearly unlucky to the extreme, but still didn't give up his dream of being a landlord... regardless of the size of the dream, people like him were really very few.
This had nothing to do with strength. Even if Sag was an ordinary person, he wouldn't give up this dream and would find a way to fight against this world.
But this group of people was different. They weren't fighting, they were just enduring...
This group of civilians lived on the beach, stubbornly rebuilding their homes after the high tide, staying in one place and living tenaciously. It seemed very powerful, but in reality, once Marika was gone, they would probably immediately reveal their true nature.
Although he had only just met them, he could see that this group of people had barely managed to unite because of Marika's existence.
But for this chef who cooked delicious food, Sag could make an exception and give them protection. If they really couldn't adapt to pirate life, he would just let them disembark if they wanted to go to other towns.
"No, it's no use..."
Before Marika could speak, a fisherman raised his hand. He seemed to have mustered up his courage and said, "We can't be pirates, Captain. Thank you very much for your willingness to take us on board, but we still have families. If we don't go to Bridge-Top Kingdom, our families will suffer."
"That's right..."
Marika sighed and said, "We can't choose freely. The price is something civilians can't afford. The people living here are just ordinary people who can't afford the taxes..."
Shallow Sand Kingdom was not a member nation, so it had no human rights in the eyes of the World Government.
But this kingdom was not born naturally, it was formed later.
On this landmass, this place of Shallow Sand Kingdom was originally a large beach, formerly belonging to the 'Deep Forest Kingdom' behind them. This group of people were also once people of the Deep Forest Kingdom.
Shallow Sand Kingdom was a territory leased by the Deep Forest Kingdom. This country would expel people who couldn't pay taxes and drive them to Shallow Sand Kingdom. This way, they would automatically change their nationality and become members of a non-affiliated country, losing their human rights on this sea.
Without human rights, then naturally anything could be done.
The Deep Forest Kingdom's resources were not outstanding. The only thing it had in abundance was its population. In order to cope with the Celestial Tribute, they would select people from Shallow Sand Kingdom and sell them to Bridge-Top Kingdom in exchange for money.
But even so, no one was willing to go to sea, because they couldn't pay the taxes alone, but their families were still in the Deep Forest Kingdom.
If they escaped, their property would be confiscated, and their families would replace them and go to Bridge-Top Kingdom.
And because they were from a non-affiliated country, they would be sold as slaves by others at sea, and there was no way to go to sea.
Even that wasn't all. Even in Shallow Sand Kingdom, they didn't even have the qualification to bring tools.
This place was still lent by the Deep Forest Kingdom, so they had to collect rent. Every year, they would come here to collect money. If they didn't have money, the people of Shallow Sand Kingdom would be in debt, and they would be legitimately taken as slaves without any excuse.
Marika came under this environment.
She wasn't in debt, she just simply... couldn't stand it.
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