All According to Plan!

Whoosh!!

A gale howled, whipping Sage's fur-lined cloak and sending his white hair flying wildly.

On the deck, only he and Renetia remained steady. Lily and Marika managed to keep their footing, but the others were tossed about by the wind, clinging to anything to avoid being blown overboard.

Below the Death Star Ship, monstrous waves surged. Compared to these waves, the ship was like an infant in the hands of a giant, utterly helpless against their onslaught.

"How could this be?"

Lily exclaimed incredulously, "These waves... they're too big!"

She had pushed the wind and waves to their limits, but still underestimated their power.

In the East Sea, they had never encountered such a violent storm; it defied all reason.

"This is the Grand Line, Lily."

Even amidst the raging wind, Marika's expression remained unchanged, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "They say it's unpredictable, and it certainly lives up to its reputation."

"Even if it's unpredictable, it wouldn't..."

Lily started to say something, then paused, glancing at Sage. She pursed her lips and said, "Well, it's possible."

Sage: "..."

He felt slightly offended.

He looked at the raging storm, then walked to the edge of the ship and glanced behind. The waves were not only enormous but also relentless, a continuous wall of water stretching to the horizon. The storm made any attempt at maneuvering impossible.

Even Renetia's face was flushed crimson as she strained to maintain the ship's balance, preventing the wind and waves from capsizing it.

That girl is something else. Without her, a ship that could safely navigate the East Sea would have capsized the moment it entered the Grand Line.

Sage was used to this.

His past endeavors had followed a similar pattern. Initially, he'd attributed his misfortunes to bad luck, minor setbacks that could be overcome with increased investment.

If the seeds didn't sprout, he'd buy better seeds and richer soil. If the seedlings were infested with pests, he'd blame the fishing rod or the bait.

He'd spend a fortune on better bait, use a top-of-the-line rod, and attract a school of fish, even a small Sea Beast, which surfaced, gave him a thumbs-up, and then swam away.

It angered Sage so much that he snapped his fishing rod.

From then on, he learned a valuable lesson: the greater the investment, the greater the bad luck.

For instance, he acquired a ship capable of withstanding storms, only to nearly capsize upon entering the Grand Line.

But it didn't matter!

"As long as my strength is sufficient, everything will remain under my control!" Sage clenched his fist, a confident smile on his face.

A ship alone wasn't enough; what about an Ability User?

With Renetia, the ship wouldn't capsize!

Even with his terrible luck, he hadn't died. More than that, he'd finally seized his opportunity and taken the first step towards his dream.

Renetia was his subordinate! A member of his Pirate Crew. Otherwise, what was the point of forming a Pirate Crew? A lone pirate could achieve nothing.

"Sage, something's wrong!"

Renetia struggled to maintain the ship's stability, her face red. "I can't control the ship; I can't even bring it to a standstill. Something is pushing it forward!"

Her power, while unable to steer the ship out of the storm, should at least allow it to remain stationary, waiting for the waves to subside. But now, she couldn't even do that.

"Hmm?"

Sage was taken aback, then a red glint flashed in his eyes, causing him to instinctively look towards the waves. "Something's there!"

As he spoke, the waves receded, revealing a colossal, blue-green hide.

"Sea... Sea Kings!!" Renetia shrieked.

A loach-like Sea King, easily surpassing the Death Star Ship in size, was pushing the ship, which looked like a tiny black hat on its head.

Boom!

The loach leaped like a dragon ascending, lifting the Death Star Ship higher, then tilted its head, about to plunge it into the sea.

If it did, the impact would crush the ship.

Buzz! Just as the Sea King was about to descend, the wind seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lily swallowed, instinctively placing her hand on her sword hilt.

Marika's smiling eyes opened, revealing cold, moonlit pupils.

Renetia stopped using her abilities.

Only Akin seemed relatively unaffected, though his body trembled violently as he struggled to regain control, but failed.

Some of the other pirates on deck fainted.

"Eh? What's happening? What's going on?" Paru clutched her head, staring in alarm at the fallen pirates.

In that instant, the falling loach stiffened, its tail emerging from the water, momentarily suspended.

Sage's Conqueror's Haki was still imprecise. Despite his best efforts to control it, some were still impacted at such close range.

"Stop! Beast!"

Sage's right hand unleashed a torrent of black, fiery Haki, his fingers tightening into a fist, channeling all his Haki into his palm.

"Heaven-Splitting Life-Slaying Strike!!"

Boom! The Haki slammed into the loach Sea King's head, creating a deep dent. The Big Dipper Fist's ultimate technique, imbued with Haki, pierced the loach's head, striking a vital acupoint, causing a geyser of blood to erupt from the dent.

"Aooo!!"

The searing pain caused the loach to roar, creating a temporary trench in the sea. It shook its head, flinging the Death Star Ship into the air, then plunged into the depths, creating a massive splash.

The Death Star Ship, soaring through the air, remained aloft for a moment before plummeting towards the sea. It bounced violently upon impact, but ultimately stabilized.

"Whew..."

Renetia steadied the ship, then collapsed onto the deck, wiping the sweat from her brow. "That was one huge Sea King."

"It wasn't just the Sea King."

Lily drew her fine sword, Bai Lei, and gazed ahead, her expression cold. "There's the Navy!"

The Death Star Ship had landed directly in front of three warships.

Any other pirate, after all that, encountering the Navy, would feel utterly doomed! But Sage...

"Well, here they are. My original plan was to find someone at sea and steal a Log Pose."

Sage smiled. "Now, my plan has come to fruition. The Log Pose is right here!"

Bad luck? It was all part of the plan!