Regarding the invitation from the Disaster Pirates, Barnaby was of course willing.
The pirates in the New World are not easy to mingle with, and any well-known pirate wanting to establish a foothold at sea must inevitably face the Four Emperors.
Those unrenowned pirates, although nobody cares about them, are having a miserable time. They wouldn't dare provoke the Four Emperors, and renowned pirates look down on them. Saying they're adventuring in the New World is flattering; they're not even as good as lackeys of a grand pirate crew without bounties.
Now that a grand pirate crew is inviting him, only a fool would refuse.
This is the Disaster Pirates!
The ones who killed a Heavenly Celestial Dragon and destroyed Marineford!
"I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you! Master Sage, this is wonderful!" Barnaby exclaimed excitedly, "My men would certainly be willing too, it's an honor to serve under Master Sage!"
"Then do your best. Those people are yours to handle. Let those willing to join, join, and those who aren't, be thrown into the sea. Can you do that?" Sage instructed.
"Absolutely no problem, Master Sage! We are just temporarily united, I know what to do!" Barnaby replied seriously.
"Go on." Sage waved his hand, letting Barnaby attend to the prisoners.
Out of over a thousand prisoners, a third were merchants, a third were bounty hunters, and a third were pirates. Barnaby originally had only a few dozen under him, the rest were temporary recruits, and all accepted Sage's invitation.
They all had the same thought—this is the Disaster Pirates. With such a large crew in need of capable personnel, they were naturally willing.
And this opportunity comes only once.
Besides the few dozen bounty hunters who accepted Sage's invitation, the rest hesitated, with the most hesitant being the merchants, who not only engaged in trade but also belonged to certain countries and forces, making it impossible for them to agree.
So they were thrown into the sea to feed the fish.
Sage never forced anyone into service. If willing, join; if not, so be it.
Barnaby, given the order, was quite clever. He knew what the pirate crew needed; it was better to eliminate unstable factors at this time than keep those likely to abandon ship.
A total of three hundred and seventeen people joined the Disaster Pirates, bringing Sage's crew to over twelve hundred.
With new pirates joining, a banquet must be held to celebrate the Disaster Pirates gaining more hands.
Amidst a lively atmosphere, the Black Ship sailed with the wind, continuing toward its target.
Two days later, the Death Star reached a small island.
The storm only paused for half a day before starting again. Even upon reaching the island, it didn't stop.
This was no magnetic island, just an ordinary island with a small town.
"Listen up."
On the deck, a female pirate held an umbrella over Lily, who faced the three hundred new pirates gathered and said:
"You're aware of our rules. We don't rob the poor, and in this wealthy town, there's only that largest estate you need to target. Bellamy, keep an eye on them."
In the rain, Bellamy flashed a sinister grin, licking his lips as he fiercely glared at the pirates before saying, "Leave it to me, Lady Lily."
"We will adhere to the rules, Lady Lily, and certainly won't break the tradition of the Disaster Pirates!" Barnaby declared earnestly.
Every pirate crew has its own way of doing things, and being seasoned pirates, they understood this all too well.
Plus, the treatment in the Disaster Pirates is much better; you can eat and drink freely, just follow orders. And the accommodations, though stringent even on the sea, are still better than any other ship.
On a regular pirate ship, some officers, at best, lay out mats in the cabins, but this ship is different; it has dormitories!
The cabins are all rooms, with four beds in each, soft beds!
On the Death Star, so stable and barely swaying, the rooms aren't much different from those on land, making for an exceptionally comfortable sleep.
Being a pirate is all about comfort, after all.
Not to mention, the captain shares the spoils!
In the past, the captain took the lion's share during robberies, while the robbers only got a portion from the leftover loot. But not now; the captain only takes half, leaving the rest for them!
Having both money and comfort, reaching this level of piracy is truly unique.
They definitely made the right choice joining in!
No one opposed Sage's orders anymore; in fact, they were full of enthusiasm. Robbery? They'll certainly do it beautifully for Master Sage!
"Then let's move out."
At Lily's command, the pirates cheered, and as they laid the gangplank, they charged down towards the town.
She glanced at the excited pirates, shook her head indifferently, and turned to step into the captain's cabin.
Aside from the robbery, this was also a test of the newcomers' ability to follow rules. Any who couldn't would be dealt with here to avoid future trouble.
Regardless of how promising their words were, it's all about their actions. Sage detested such discrepancies, and Lily didn't want another Roshio incident.
What difference does it make if they were the first to join? In the face of adversity, breaking the rules is just as bad, if not worse, than fleeing in battle.
"Sage..."
Upon entering the captain's cabin, Lily started, "Is this the time for the rules to change?"
Sitting at his desk, legs crossed, Sage swirled a drink in one hand while biting a cigar said, "They must change. With more people, the old way of sharing won't do. There's not much to share in small scale robberies like this."
Blowing out smoke, he adjusted his posture, saying, "At most a few million Belly, I take half, you take a cut, and with over a thousand people... you pick up more along the way. Act according to the time, change as needed, old rules that don't fit should be replaced with new ones."
Back when they first started, with just over a hundred people, the old sharing method worked. It was fine along the Grand Line, as they targeted economically strong towns, with enough loot for everyone. Sage hadn't planned to stay long then, so the rules didn't change.
But here in the New World, he plans to settle, and with his goal of at least thirty thousand troops, not everyone can take a full share.
This is a good opportunity to revise the rules with the new recruits aboard.
Food and drink are provided, but for future robberies, people will be chosen for the task. High-ranking officers keep their loot shares, while crew members like chefs or navigators will receive salaries, paid by Sage.
The rest, lesser officers, get a slightly higher salary but lose their loot share. To get a loot share, they must lead a raid.
Ordinary combatants earn money only through robbing.
Although they lack territory yet, Sage is paving the way for future developments.
This model will also stimulate initiative among the crew members.
No one objected to this rule. These subordinates have been through hard times and are not clueless; they know the previous pirate ship rules.
Sage is merely proposing what larger pirate crews do, and everyone is used to it, plus he's asking for less of a cut.
Some even preferred fewer people to share with, and allowing independent actions means they can earn more.
"Roar!!"
Suddenly, from outside the ship came a loud roar, its vibrations causing the ship to tremble slightly.
Lily's eyes narrowed as she looked through the window towards the island, seeing dozens of dispatched pirates flung away and scattered.
From this height, the pirates were clearly blocked by an almost equal number and battling fiercely.
At the center, a figure stood roaring defiantly.
"So this is the New World?" Lily tightly gripped her sword hilt, squinting slightly, "The intensity is certainly high."
It's their first time encountering such resistance in a small town after numerous robberies...