He had a face somewhat similar to Monkey D. Luffy's, and he wore a smile as well.
Yet the words coming out of his mouth carried the reckless bearing of a true ruthless overlord.
If Joy Boy's ideal was to bring freedom and joy to the whole world, to liberate people's smiles, and if Rocks and Teach represented the creed of becoming world overlords by any means necessary, gathering fierce comrades and cruel methods to seize the world, then Sadgeo's goal was different.
He would become stronger by any means necessary. Cruelty, power, whatever it took.
With his own absolute strength, he would "liberate" the world and create a world of joy and freedom under his control.
So...
You could say he resembled Joy Boy in some ways.
But he was absolutely not the real Joy Boy.
Sadgeo flashed a broad grin, yet the way he handled things left everyone in disbelief.
He was both threatening and tempting them.
To conquer the world, to launch an assault on the World Government, he needed the strength of Fish-Man Island, and even more than that, he needed Poseidon, the near-ocean-controlling force of the Sea Kings.
He wanted to reclaim the allies Joy Boy once had and turn them into the strength he would use to overthrow the World Government.
"This..."
Cold sweat immediately broke out across Neptune's face. He had not expected Sadgeo to be this difficult to deal with.
"Our fish-man race has always been waiting for Joy Boy!"
"You mean this guy?"
Sadgeo glanced at the already sleeping Monkey D. Luffy, then laughed again in delight.
"Stop saying such childish things!!!"
"Make your choice, Neptune!!!"
As he spoke, clumps of darkness began to gather in Sadgeo's hand.
It instantly drew everyone's attention.
"What is that..."
"Is that a Devil Fruit ability? But doesn't this giant have the same powers as Luffy..."
Only Robin, with her broad knowledge and habit of reading the papers, recognized what it meant.
"That is probably the legendary case, just like Blackbeard. A double Devil Fruit user!!!"
The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit spread from the giant's body. Endless dark matter began to seep outward, swallowing the ground, the streets, and even the civilians.
Cries of terror rang out everywhere.
The immense pressure crashed down on Neptune. The screams of the fish-man citizens tormented him, and in the end he could only shut his eyes in pain.
At that very moment, he felt a hand land on his shoulder.
"Please stop!!!"
A clear cry instantly froze the entire battlefield. Even Sadgeo paused.
Shirahoshi stepped forward. Though tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, she stubbornly forced herself to stand tall.
"I understand. I'll go with you, so please let everyone on Fish-Man Island go!!!"
"Shirahoshi!!!"
Tears burst from Neptune's eyes as he shouted her name.
"Princess Shirahoshi..."
Sanji and the rest of the Straw Hats stared at her in disbelief. In their minds, she had always been an incredibly timid and fragile mermaid princess.
"Is that so..."
"Wonderful~"
Sadgeo smiled, and all the darkness around him vanished at once.
He adjusted his straw hat, looking once more like a bright and sunny young man.
Sadgeo had successfully taken the first step in overthrowing the World Government.
He had brought Fish-Man Island, or at least half of it, under his control, and had secured the Ancient Weapon Poseidon.
"Then..."
"The remaining half of Fish-Man Island belongs to me, Sadgeo!!!"
He took out a flag and handed it to the nearest fish-man.
"Go hang it up!!!"
"Hang it... where?"
The fish-man took the gigantic rolled-up flag with some difficulty and looked up at the giant before him.
Sadgeo froze for a moment and looked around.
Only then did he realize that many of the nearby buildings had already been smashed to dust in the battle.
"This..."
Sadgeo scratched his cheek and scanned the area.
Then he spotted a factory near the island's edge that still looked intact.
"Isn't that place perfect?"
Several fish-men followed his gaze and immediately turned pale.
"Th... that's..."
"What is it?"
Sadgeo looked puzzled.
"That's one of Big Mom's sweet factories!!!"
"An Emperor?"
...
At the edge of Fish-Man Island, outside a confectionery factory, two figures were walking side by side toward the entrance.
"This time, our route was definitely the longest, gao!!!"
Pekoms grumbled, especially since the sounds of battle kept echoing in his ears, making him even more irritated.
"Mamama~ It can't be helped. Fish-Man Island is practically at the farthest edge of the New World."
Baron Tamago removed the teacup balanced atop his head, took a delicate sip, and replied with a smile.
"Besides, Fish-Man Island is far too special. Half of it belongs to Black Spear, and that man is a top-tier monster even Mama has to give ground to."
"It wouldn't be strange if, one day, he decided to reclaim the entire island."
"But Mama can't bear to give up Fish-Man Island's unique sweets and ingredients, so she invested in building this factory here."
Baron Tamago set the teacup back on his head, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"So... even if Fish-Man Island becomes unified, our factory shouldn't be affected too much. After all, it was built with our own funds."
"Even Black Spear should give us a little face. Rumor has it that, when he was younger, he nearly became our 'Big Daddy,' mamama~"
The two of them strolled casually along Fish-Man Island's edge.
They seemed completely uninterested in the thunderous commotion and violent battle sounds echoing in the distance.
"So another bunch of foolish newcomers have come to enter the New World, gao!!!"
"They probably have no idea who owns this island. They're looking for death, mamama~"
In their eyes, in the seas of the New World, aside from a few rare monsters, the Four Emperors were absolute rulers.
No matter how arrogant a rookie might be...
Boom!!!
A violent tremor suddenly shook the ground around them, interrupting their thoughts.
Then a massive shadow fell over them.
"Nani?!?"
Their expressions darkened as they looked up.
An enormous straw-hatted figure had blocked out the sky, staring down at them curiously.
"Hey!!! You two are Big Mom's subordinates, right?!"
"You're... that giant from the battle!!!"
Facing such a monstrous opponent, Pekoms and Tamago instinctively stepped back, their caution rising at once.
"What do you want?!"
Under their tense gazes, Sadgeo simply smiled as if it were nothing.
"Nothing much."
"I just want you to tell Big Mom this."
"The remaining half of Fish-Man Island is mine."
"I won't allow any other flag to exist there."
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