Lucci?
Sage was taken aback for a moment and scanned his subordinates, only seeing Jabra and Kumadori... and Owl, whose mouth zipper was forcibly pulled shut by Jabra.
Others, including Lucci, Kaku, Blueno, and Kalifa, had disappeared.
"Captain, captain..."
Seeing the gaze directed at him, Jabra awkwardly released his hand, but before Owl could run out, he kicked him aside and exclaimed:
"We've been recruited by the World Government; they restarted the investigation and deemed the destruction of Enies Lobby not our doing!"
"Damn Jabra!"
Owl yelled angrily, "You promised this secret would be revealed by me! You even said it would be more explosive after Lucci left, so why did you speak first?"
"Shut up! Who told you to blab about my breakup secret everywhere? I did it on purpose!" Jabra rolled his eyes.
"Recruited? Your entire crew?"
Sage was momentarily stunned, "CP0?"
"Yes, Captain Sage, when we entered Mary Geoise, Guernica found an opportunity to contact us..."
Jabra smiled, "You once promised that if we had a choice, you wouldn't stop us."
"So now we've stayed, split into two teams—one led by Lucci, the other by Jabra—ostensibly reporting to you that we've 'betrayed' the World Government to serve you, but secretly collecting intelligence about you, heh-heh-heh!"
Owl rushed out and finished in one breath, then relaxed, showing a relieved expression, "Finally said it..."
Sage just quietly watched them without speaking, until looking at the three made their scalps tingle and even subtly tremble; he then smiled and gestured to Jabra.
"Captain?"
Jabra cautiously approached.
He patted Jabra's shoulder and said with a smile, "Next time, don't hide it from me... Lily."
Zap!
A cold light suddenly gleamed, striking all three almost simultaneously in the chest, sending them flying onto a deck not far away.
Sage didn't even look as he turned and walked into the captain's cabin.
Holding his chest, Jabra struggled to raise his head in disbelief, "Hey! We had an agreement..."
"Using the blade."
As he looked up, Lily had already sheathed her sword and told them, "Sage is satisfied with your choice, but dislikes your attitude."
"This matter should have been discussed with Sage earlier, not hidden until now. Sage agrees with your actions, but hiding it for so long deserves punishment. Tell Lucci they're also involved; it will be the same when they return."
"Alright, continue preparing your tasks. Since you're splitting into teams, do according to your plans."
Lily looked up at the sky that was gradually darkening, furrowing her brows, "Everyone, brace yourselves, a storm is coming!"
Boom!
As soon as she finished speaking, the rapidly darkening sky sparked a thunderbolt, its lightning descending from the clouds and splitting into segments that flashed on the sea near the Death Star.
The fierce wind whipped up huge waves, making the sea uneven like an earthquake, raising raging tidal waves.
The sky was as black as if it would engulf everything, including this Black Ship, and the rolling waves seemed to form the mouth of the ocean, chomping all targets to bits!
"What a storm! Is this the New World!" struck by the wind and rain, Urouge was surprised, "The intensity is just too high."
"Heh-heh-heh-heh, long-lost New World!"
Moriah spread his arms, laughing eerily, "Experience it well, the so-called New World is a stage for the strong, countless masters showcase their skills here, leading to the current transformations. Fights of Ability Users can change the environment, and clashes of Haki users can alter the weather, so the New World's climate can't be assessed by common sense, much wilder than the first half!"
"This is only the most basic; if you can't overcome these, you'll surely fail. Don't fear, hold fast your resolve, only then can you conquer this vast ocean!"
However, he soon realized something was off.
He intended to impart some experience and say words of encouragement, but except for a small portion showing fear, tightly clustering around the Super Rookie Urouge, the others all looked calm.
Some even showed disdain.
The folks of the Disaster Pirates, one by one, how is their will so strong?
Even Renedia, such a young child, was now calmly chewing a lollipop, hands in her pockets, standing under the umbrella held by Mute.
"Renedia, you're good too, but can you tell me why you're not afraid?"
Moriah had raised children; Perona was brought up by him, and he knew the habits of kids. No matter how strong, at this age, they should only be pretending and feigning bravery—it's natural since they're still children.
But her emotion was entirely off—not pretense or feigned toughness, it was more like... used to seeing it, so numb?
"What's there to fear..."
Renedia pouted, "We've experienced this intensity daily in the first half, the New World's environment isn't that scary at all. I thought there'd be meteorite falls or something, made me tense up for a moment, hmph."
This is just Sage's storm.
Already used to it.
With this strength, they could sail as usual and also ensure smooth navigation of the ship.
"Not checking the ship anymore, call me if there's an issue."
Finishing the words, Renedia entered the ship cabin to study Pluton's Blueprint.
Moriah: "..."
Daily experiences?
The weather in the first half may be variable, but aside from heading directly into a high-intensity storm eye, it wouldn't have such intensity.
But the question is, can they really dive into storm eyes daily?
Even if you want to, you have to encounter one.
Moriah blinked, suddenly a bit puzzled...
Hawkins came over, intending to pat his shoulder, but due to height issues, the 2.1-meter Hawkins could only reach Moriah's 6.97-meter waist level; it was thanks to his short legs...
"You'll get used to it."
A rare hint of embarrassment showed on his face, and he quickly left.
...
"CP0... will gather our intelligence later, should we let Jabra and the team pass on some false information?"
Lily entered the captain's room, finding Sage already seated on the throne, legs crossed, holding a gem cup, watching the storm outside through the window.
"No need, what intelligence can our Pirates have worth hiding? Besides, it's not just them as Special Agent here, as we grow, new agents will come, fake messages serve no purpose."
"Moreover, Lucci isn't debarking, count the spoils with him, get some money from me, intelligence is also to be given to me. Supporting subordinates' work is what a captain should do."
Sage took a sip of wine, smiling, "Lucci and the team were meant to be used this way, not knowing the World Government's intelligence, a Special Agent loses half its use. Now it's fine, with us regaining world intelligence, we can create more perfect plans!"
Lucci staying with him was welcome; as a Special Agent, professionalism was a given. He was just about to seize territories, later using them specifically for intelligence monitoring would be excellent.
Being all CP0, as Jabra and the team transmitted information, they'd also receive Lucci's intelligence, which was a good thing for Sage.