Chapter 2: The Sea Doesn't Have a Lid On It
Sag had always assumed this woman was the leader of some nearby bandits, after all, there were so many bandits around here, you could run into a group every kilometer.
"So she's not, huh? I was just thinking, she's quite pretty and has a certain air about her, she doesn't look like a bandit. Turns out she's a princess. Wait a minute..."
Sag spotted a blind spot and looked at Lily: "You're royalty, and the one issuing the wanted poster is also royalty, so that means... dog eat dog?"
"I'm not a dog!"
Lily's teeth were practically grinding. "He is! He's a traitor! A usurper, the most evil person in the world!"
"Oh..."
Sag nodded, then suddenly pressed on her shoulder, making her veer slightly and continue walking straight.
She'd gone off course...
"It took me three days to get here from the royal city, but walking in a straight line, it won't take that long. You just bear with it a little longer. We'll push through the night, and we should arrive by tomorrow morning," Sag said.
Lily was stunned, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. She just stared at Sag, and after half an hour, she still couldn't hold back.
"Aren't you curious?"
"Curious about what?"
"About the royal family's bounty..."
"Not at all."
Sag shook his head: "I want to be a rich landlord who exploits people, not some savior who wants to meddle in everything. The main reason I asked your name was for commemorative purposes. I'm not interested in anything else."
"You really are..."
Lily sighed, "You don't seem like a strong person at all."
"After all, I never thought I was very strong," Sag smiled.
Having a cheat doesn't mean you're invincible.
Even if he didn't remember the plot very well, he still knew the famous strong people of this sea.
They were existences that could destroy the heavens and the earth at will.
Sag was good at dealing with people, but he couldn't cause large-scale damage to an island, or even change the weather.
"Is that so..."
Lily murmured, closing her mouth and silently walking forward.
There was obvious unwillingness on her face, but also a greater stubbornness.
Between the two of them, apart from silence, there was only the sound of their footsteps.
Until a more rapid sound of footsteps broke the silence.
"Stop!!"
Several people holding knives rushed out of the forest and surrounded them. The tall man in the lead said fiercely: "Hand over the money!"
These people were all dressed in rags and looked malnourished. Although they were holding knives and swords, you could clearly see their hands shaking and their eyes hesitating.
Sag had seen many of their kind in the past few days.
Bandits.
Sag sighed and said faintly: "I say, you guys, do I look like I have pockets anywhere on me? If I don't have pockets, how can I take out money? I'm poorer than you guys. At least you have knives."
"Cut the crap! That sword on your waist looks very valuable, and that woman looks like a noble!"
The bandit leader said fiercely: "Hand over the money, or I'll kill you!"
"Boss, wait, look at that woman..."
Just then, a bandit approached, took out a wanted poster that looked very familiar to Sag, and carefully compared it to Lily.
"It's her! Boss, if we catch her, we'll be rich!" the bandit exclaimed excitedly.
"One million Berries!"
The bandit leader's eyes almost popped out, and he pointed his large knife at Sag. "We want this woman. Get lost, or I'll kill you!"
"Don't..."
Lily suddenly spoke.
*Whoosh!*
At that moment, Sag suddenly disappeared before their eyes, turning into a blur that flashed in front of them.
The blur was extremely fast. In just an instant, it reappeared behind them.
And at this moment, whether it was the bandit leader holding up his knife, or the bandits with surprised expressions, they were all frozen, as if they had been petrified, completely motionless.
Sag turned around and walked to the frozen bandit leader, patting him on the shoulder. "We're all struggling. If you're going to rob, don't rob me. I'm counting on this woman to fulfill my dream."
As he spoke, he casually picked up the iron flask hanging from the bandit's waist, opened the cap, and took a sip.
"Tsk, this wine... it's really terrible!"
Sag exhaled. "You'll be able to move in half a day. Next time, be careful. You have to look at strength when robbing people."
Lily then automatically walked up to Sag, pursed her lips, and said softly, "Thank you..."
"I'm just not interested in struggling people. We're all poor. And they have no bounty. There's no point in dealing with them."
Sag asked, "By the way, does your country have the treasure of a bandit king?"
Lily was taken aback and shook her head: "I've never heard of any rumors about a treasure..."
"No treasure? Then where do all these bandits come from?" Sag said.
Lily's expression darkened, and she said in a low voice: "The taxes are too heavy. The citizens can't survive. They have no choice but to become bandits."
"Huh?" Sag was stunned.
"Don't you understand?"
Lily said excitedly, "They can't afford the heavy taxes, so..."
"So the sea doesn't have a lid on it. If they can't survive on land, they can go to sea." Sag said, "I've never heard of the Oykot Kingdom forbidding people from going to sea."
He was a typical example of someone who went to sea because he couldn't survive. If he had had any remaining wealth, he might still be trying to start a business.
Lily's eyes suddenly widened, and a strong look of surprise appeared on her face, which startled even Sag.
"You've never thought about it? No way?" Sag asked strangely.
In the Great Pirate Era, people went to sea for all sorts of reasons, and the majority of them went to sea because they couldn't survive.
These people would rather be bandits than go to sea?
The East Blue wasn't the Grand Line. The climate here was very normal. Even children could go to sea on a wooden raft.
If you can't survive, just go.
"Go to sea..."
The girl's eyes couldn't help but widen for a moment, but then she became dejected again, saying: "The Oykot Kingdom once experienced a pirate war. Everyone hates people who go to sea. They won't easily go to sea."
...
Biendetta Lily, currently sixteen years old, was the royal princess of the Oykot Kingdom and the next heir to the kingdom, if nothing unexpected happened...
Oykot was a war-torn country, especially after the navy and pirates fought a war here more than twenty years ago. It had never been stable since then, until Lily's father became king, and the country improved somewhat.
However, Lily's father died in an accident when she was born. The improved situation naturally vanished, and it became as chaotic as before. And her mother, during the kingdom's turmoil, not only didn't try to turn the tide, but instead found a new husband, becoming Lily's... stepfather!
Not long after Lily's mother remarried, she also died. This stepfather, using her young age as an excuse, naturally took over the name of the Biendetta family, became king, took over the chaotic situation, and then... it became even more chaotic!
He couldn't be said to be ambitious and talented, but at least he did nothing of note.
In short, under his rule, Oykot became more and more chaotic, with bandits running rampant and mountain bandits everywhere. Such a chaotic environment had been maintained for more than ten years.
Lily grew up in this environment. She had a strong desire to save the country, so one day six months ago, she boldly assassinated the usurper...
And then she was put on the wanted list.
And then, she was caught by Sag.
"You're pretty unlucky..." Sag said, looking indignant.
"You..." Lily saw his expression, as if he felt it was unfair for her, and her heart stirred.
Could he be willing to help her?
"A royal princess, and a royal princess who assassinated the king, is only worth one million Berries." Sag said indignantly, "She should be worth at least ten million... no, twenty million!"
Is *that* what he's unlucky about!
Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes, but the impulse in her heart was bursting out strongly at this moment.
This man might be able to...
"Stop." Sag suddenly held out his hand.
Lily was stunned, "I didn't say anything..."
"Your eyes are full of stories, and the thing I dislike most is listening to stories."
Sag waved his hand. "It's nothing more than asking me to help you regain the throne, or help the citizens go to sea, things like heavy taxes and being overburdened... I don't have that kind of time. The sea is full of people who are suffering, not just you. I'm suffering too. It would be better if you first helped the person in front of you, and let me take you in for the reward."
He had finally started his bounty hunter career, and he needed this woman to make his first big splash!
Seeing this, Lily closed her mouth and stopped talking.
The two of them walked quickly, silently disappearing into the mountain forest...
...
The next day, before the sun reached its zenith, Sag arrived at the royal city with Lily.
Oykot's royal city was like a seventeenth- or eighteenth-century medieval town, but the town was very clean. Along the streets were rows of colorful two- and three-story buildings, with shops lined up. In the city center was a large square, with a tall clock tower in the middle, taller than the city walls, a landmark of Oykot.
If you didn't look at the bandits all over the mountains, it was a peaceful town.
After entering the royal city with Lily, he found a guard to report. The guard then took Sag and Lily to the palace.
Originally, Sag had already made all kinds of preparations. This was a great princess, very beautiful, with a strong desire to save the country. She should be quite popular.
Things like the city guards seeing the princess and drawing their swords against Sag, the citizens seeing the princess and frantically trying to stop him, this kind of plot where capturing a country's princess would make him hated... none of that happened.
Instead, everyone followed behind with great interest, watching the excitement.
It wasn't until they reached the huge staircase leading to the palace that Sag finally couldn't help but ask: "Aren't you a princess? This doesn't... look like they recognize you."
"I've never left the palace."
Lily, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. She stared at the huge staircase and said in a deep voice: "Since I was little, I've been confined to the palace. Naturally, no one recognizes me. The people in the palace are all that man's subordinates... All the information I know, I heard from them... Here they come!"
Sag also looked towards the staircase. A group of figures gradually appeared on the empty, huge staircase.
They were divided into two groups.
One group was the kingdom soldiers of Oykot, guarding one person, and the other group was a group of... marines wearing white uniforms.