A pitch-black straw doll emerged from the blond man's arm and fell onto the deck.
"Who are you people?"
He looked at the group and said, "How did you get on this ship?"
"You, who the hell are you!" The guy dressed as a pirate looked terrified.
"My name is Basil Hawkins."
Hawkins reached for the hilt of the sword, which turned into a straw blade that twisted and forked into dozens of sharp straw blades. "The Chief of Advisor of this ship."
Hawkins?
Many people paused for a moment.
That name... sounds familiar.
"Wait, 'Magician' Basil Hawkins?! Aren't you..."
The person dressed as a pirate remembered something and instinctively turned to look at the mast.
Earlier, he was panicked by the descending lightning, forgetting to check the sail and the flag. Plus, the storm was too intense, and he couldn't see clearly. But now, with the constant flashes of lightning, the shape of the sail on the mast became visible, revealing the design on the sail.
A starry pattern, like the night sky, and within the starry sky, was a faintly visible skull with fiery eye sockets, as if it wanted to burn the sky!
This flag is...
"Heavenly... Disaster!"
The pirate's lips quivered as he trembled out the name.
People on the ocean rarely didn't know of this pirate crew, even if they didn't before. After witnessing the Summit War live broadcast and the scene of executing the Heavenly Celestial Dragon and destroying Marineford, this pirate crew had been etched into the minds of people on the ocean!
This is the Disaster Pirates' ship!
Clang!
The weapon fell from the man's hand onto the deck, making a dull sound in the storm.
"We surrender, please spare our lives!" He was straightforward, immediately dropping to his knees.
As he lowered his weapon, many people in the crowd also lost the will to resist, dropping their weapons and kneeling on the deck.
"So what if it's the Disaster Pirates!"
But some people still weren't convinced.
The guy dressed as a bounty hunter pulled the trigger, bang bang! Two gunshots fired, bullets hitting Hawkins' head, leaving two bullet holes.
Bang!
Someone in the crowd quickly fell, with two identical bullet holes on his forehead.
"Haki, is it?"
A straw doll with the same two holes appeared on Hawkins' shoulder. He felt the power, looking surprised.
"What Sage said is true, everyone in the New World knows Haki... a refinement of willpower?"
The straw on the sword's hilt, like a nimble snake, swiftly thrust through the storm, piercing the man's throat before he could react, leaving a hole the size of a fist.
"Unfortunately, there's too little of it, enough to only cause me a severe injury once."
Hawkins didn't even glance at the person who fell, continuing, "I won't accept your surrender, just stay here. We'll discuss your fate when Sage wakes up in the morning."
"But the lightning..."
"This is your fate."
Hawkins interrupted the kneeling pirate, drawing a few Tarot Cards, "Don't worry, your mortality rate is just 20%, many of you will survive."
Rumble!
Another bolt of lightning struck the crowd, turning one person into a charred corpse, collapsing to the ground.
Yet under Hawkins' watchful gaze, no one dared to step forward and resist.
Some recognized it, some didn't.
Regardless, no one was foolish. This man couldn't be killed by lightning or bullets. Instead, their own people suffered casualties. Clearly, he was an ability user, and a powerful one at that.
Resistance meant death, but non-resistance... there was a chance to live.
Rumble!
Several bolts of lightning struck down on the deck, just barely missing them. They swallowed in unison, suppressing their terror.
Hopefully... they could live.
Until dawn broke, the violent storm barely stopped. It was unclear whether the Death Star had broken through the stormy sea or reached a climate zone near an island.
In any case, the storm ceased.
Hawkins stood there for half the night, hit by five bolts of lightning, but under the influence of his ability, all the damage transferred to these people.
He didn't care about things like lightning and fire, as long as he had substitutes. As long as it wasn't damage that could instantly kill him countless times, he could withstand it, and as he grew stronger, so would his ability to resist damage.
"Hmm... are these the people?"
As the rain subsided, Lily was the first to walk out from one of the two buildings on the rear deck, glanced at the people kneeling on the deck, and said to Hawkins, "Thanks for your hard work."
Last night, Hawkins wasn't the only one who sensed these people boarding; Lily also knew Hawkins was on it, so she went back.
He could handle that kind of lightning, but she couldn't.
Sometimes, abilities were more useful than Haki.
"I'm going to find Sage..."
Lily said, "We'll decide their fate later, but... I didn't expect the first attackers after entering the New World wouldn't be Navy but these people."
An odd bunch...
Call them all pirates, but there were some trembling, merchant-dressed individuals among them.
But if they were robbed by pirates and brought along, it didn't seem right, because Lily also saw a few clearly dressed as bounty hunters.
Quite a mixed bunch.
After glancing at these people, Lily went to the captain's cabin to see if Sage was awake.
As for Sage...
He was indeed sleeping.
It wasn't that he didn't notice; he just didn't care.
It wasn't about ignoring the attack, but with so many subordinates on the ship, he didn't have to keep watch. If a formidable enemy really attacked, he could react immediately.
But as for ordinary folks...
If someone sneaked into the captain's cabin and caused damage, wouldn't that mean his subordinates were useless?
He had just woken up, ready to resume studying his Poneglyph, when Lily pushed the door open and told him about the situation on deck.
"Huh?"
Sage froze for a moment, rubbed his still blurry eyes, and said, "Get me a glass of wine."
Bella didn't stay overnight, as she needed rest and only served and tidied up during work hours, and Sage wasn't one to exploit people incessantly.
Lily, familiar with the process, walked to the wine cabinet, opened a bottle, and poured it into a gemstone wine glass, handing it to Sage.
He drank it in one gulp, smacking his lips, then walked to the window, looking down at the kneeling crowd on the deck.
"What's going on? Someone came to rob us? I haven't even opened for business yet, and someone's opening me up for business?" He looked at Lily, chuckling in anger.
He hadn't started a single business in the New World.
Mother Steel doesn't count; it's for shipbuilding, not for money or treasure.
And now, someone tried to rob him?
"Not necessarily, last night I noticed a ship on fire approaching, but since I sensed Hawkins was awake too, I didn't go out, so likely they were seeking shelter."
Lily thought for a moment and added, "However... there are indeed pirates among them."
"Throw them into the sea to feed the fish."
Sage handed the gemstone wine glass back to Lily, took off his upper body sleepwear, revealing his muscular physique, and was about to head to the training room.
Lily nodded, then used the window to make a throat-slitting gesture towards Hawkins, who was observing from nearby.
"Master Disaster! Master Disaster!!"
This scene was also seen by the first pirate to surrender. His eyes widened as he shouted, "Please don't kill me. I'm a huge fan of yours! I have important information; you will definitely be interested, you will!!"
Sage's footsteps paused, and he laughed softly, "My fan, robbing my ship? That's interesting, alright, let's hear it then, Lily, bring me my clothes."
If he wasn't interested, well, feeding them to the fish in the sea wouldn't be the end of it.