East Sea, on the deck of the gigantic Black Ship.
Sage held a bottle of wine in his left hand, lounging comfortably yet awkwardly on the throne, squinting his eyes, enjoying the warmth brought by the sunshine.
The weather is nice today, he's basking in the sun outside.
As for the subordinates...
Pearl was still being beaten by the pirates, Gin likewise received similar treatment to Pearl, except one was still yelling and screaming, while the other was gritting his teeth silently, and under the strikes of the iron rod, one could even hear a slight bouncing sound from Gin's body, like the collision of hard objects.
Seems like he's starting to get the hang of it.
"Sage!"
Lily suddenly appeared, holding a newspaper, with a solemn face, "Today's newspaper..."
Sage glanced up, took the newspaper from Lily's hand, and his face suddenly turned serious, "Hmm..."
He nodded, making a sound of admiration, "Quite nice!"
"Nice about what?"
Lily was taken aback for a moment, leaned in, following Sage's gaze to the newspaper, there was news about a beauty contest, with a photo beneath it, various women in revealing outfits displaying their figures generously, providing a feast for everyone's eyes.
Lily: "..."
"You're just looking at this?"
"What else to look at?"
Sage tossed the newspaper aside, "I can't read, just looking at the pictures is enough. Lily, next time don't bother showing me this, pictures are nothing, need to see them in person."
"That's not it!"
With a burst of veins showing on her temple, Lily handed over the three Wanted Orders left behind when the newspaper was taken away, right up to Sage's face, "We've been wanted, Sage!"
As these words were uttered, the pirates who were still training all stopped, and collectively looked this way.
"Where, where!"
Renedia ran over from who-knows-where excitedly, "Do I have one? What's the bounty?"
Sage pushed away the Wanted Orders, conveniently taking them in hand, took a glance and was stunned.
He looked at Lily in surprise, "Thirty million?"
Having only killed a Navy Branch Colonel, logically it shouldn't reach this price, it must have included the issues with the two kingdoms and the plundered towns, that's why it reached this amount.
"Seventy million Belly?!"
Renedia peered over as well, saw the bounty amount and exclaimed.
"H-how-how much?!"
Even Pearl, battered and dazed, jumped in shock at hearing this amount.
As for the other pirates, they were wide-eyed, not drowned but equally at a loss.
"Is it high?" Lily asked.
She had no concept of bounties, only knew that Sage and herself would surely be wanted, having never encountered sea-related rumors since childhood, now practicing Sailing Techniques, it's slowly aligning theory with reality, becoming proficient.
"Of course it is!"
Renedia was different, though only ten years old, she had been exploring the seas with her mentor since childhood, gathering materials and reporting on shipwrecks, familiar with the East Sea.
"No pirate in the East Sea has ever exceeded twenty million! Your thirty million is already considered high, especially for a first-time bounty, Sage... seventy million? Never heard of such a bounty in the East Sea before, only pirates in the Grand Line might have, and they must be extremely dangerous characters!"
This bounty, unheard of.
Gin and the others were even more shocked, they were seasoned pirates, having raided many towns and merchant ships, and only amounted to twelve million and seven million respectively, even for captains, there wouldn't be such a huge leap.
But now... seventy million, it's unimaginable.
After the shock, everyone was even more worshipful.
"The captain is indeed powerful, with a first bounty of seventy million, we are the undisputed East Sea Overlord!" one pirate shouted excitedly.
"East Sea Overlord! East Sea Overlord!" other pirates echoed.
Sage shook his head with a smile: "Seventy million... The World Government sure gives face, is this amount wishing me dead?"
He wasn't really flustered, from the moment he first killed the king of Oykot, he knew he would certainly bear a bounty.
Killing the king of a member kingdom, not having a bounty would be strange.
Just this bounty amount was beyond his expectations.
However...
He looked at a Wanted Order apart from himself and Lily, showing a photo of a boy with a Straw Hat, grinning cheerfully.
"Monkey D. Luffy..." Sage murmured.
Seems like he's also just been placed on a bounty...
"Luffy? Is that the one with the Straw Hat? He's become famous too..." Gin looked up at the sky, showing a look of nostalgia.
The boy who defeated Krieg's leader, was a good man.
"Is there anything noteworthy about that Straw Hat?" Lily asked upon seeing Sage's odd expression.
"No..."
Sage handed the Wanted Order to the eagerly reaching Renedia beside him, "It's not important, just a fellow traveler."
"Sage, why isn't there a title?"
Renedia tossed away the Straw Hat's Wanted Order, glanced at his and Lily's, asking, "Being wanted, shouldn't there be a title?"
"Who would go about crowning themselves with a title? What kind of idiot would do that." Sage said, "This stuff, either by physical appearance or by acting style, people on the sea naturally call them that, having a title doesn't change anything, as long as it refers to oneself."
The Wanted Order only has names, no titles.
"Am I not included?"
Letitia disappointedly handed the Wanted Orders to the pirates eager to view them, then clenched her fist, "Next time I'll definitely be included!"
"You think it's something good?"
Sage shook his head, "Our pirate crew now, is the most eye-catching in the East Sea, me seventy million, Lily thirty million, Gin and Pearl together nineteen million. The whole value has reached one hundred nineteen million, surpassing a billion pirate crew...and it's in the East Sea, not a good thing."
A pirate crew exceeding a billion in the East Sea, with an average bounty of three million...
The Navy will definitely send heavy forces.
In the World Government realm in the East Sea, sooner or later they'll be eradicated.
"Plans can't keep up with changes..."
Originally thought even if wanted, the price wouldn't be too high, able to stay in the East Sea for a while longer, at least let him master Haki, enhance the subordinates' strength, then head to the Grand Line.
But now with this bounty, it's definitely not good to stay, only heading to the Grand Line, that chaotic place, won't attract the full attention of the Navy.
In that case, can only set off to the Grand Line.
"Lily, how far to the next place." Sage asked.
Lily thought for a moment, and said: "According to the Sea Map layout, three days time, we can reach 'Shallow Sand Kingdom'."
Sage took a few gulps of wine, looking at this boundless sea: "Then let's dock there, get some supplies, recruit some subordinates, and go forth to the Grand Line!"