Chapter 27: I Backed a Good Treasure!
"Fruit? A Devil Fruit?"
Gin, who had arrived, exclaimed, "Like that Straw Hat kid?"
"Straw Hat kid?"
The little girl tossed her head and shouted, "I don't know any Straw Hat or Leather Hat! You guys barged in, beat up my men, and wanted to steal my ship! Fortunately, it was finished quickly. Otherwise, if it had been stolen... how could a bunch of pirates understand the value of this ship!"
Sag was stunned. "You made it?"
"Of course!"
The little girl puffed out her chest proudly. "I'm the best shipwright in the East Sea, and the best mechanic in the East Sea, Renettia! Can't you tell? I made the rock gate on the island!"
It was impossible for ordinary people to carve out a huge secret cave inside an island that could accommodate ships, let alone turn the cliff face into a mechanism gate. Only she, with her ability to apply *dynamic* force, could do it.
"The best shipwright is a little girl? You've got quite a mouth," Gin said in surprise.
"What do *you* know, you dark-skinned, thick-lipped monkey-face!" Renettia bared her teeth at him.
"Monkey..." Gin opened his mouth, taking a hit.
Pearl raised his hand and asked, "Do you still have that steel robot? Can you make another one? I want one."
He still missed the steel robot. Although it had been destroyed by the Captain, it was still a steel robot!
Riding a steel robot, he would be the truly invincible Iron Wall Pearl!
"Shut up, you iron idiot! That iron shield is ugly as hell. Did your mom weld it on for you? It looks like a turtle shell! If you talk to me again, I'll smash you to death with my hammer!"
Renettia rolled her eyes at him, then shouted at Sag, "Anyway, the ship is gone. Soon, a lot of people will come down. Just wait for death, you idiot who almost ruined the value of this ship!"
Sag's eye twitched. Not only was she a little girl, she was also a fiery, foul-mouthed little girl...
Lily couldn't help but say, "A ship is for sailing. Apart from that, it has no value. Even the best ship is the same!"
"Oh? You're not stupid. That's right, a ship is for sailing."
Renettia unexpectedly didn't refute, but nodded in agreement. "But the sea is different. Huge waves, dark storms, sea beast attacks, combat shelling, and unlucky reefs, and that rushing current of Reverse Mountain..."
"It's a pity. Just because of the ship, they couldn't reach the end of the voyage. Just because of the ship, everyone could perish at sea... Every one of them, not because the ship reached the end of its lifespan, but just because of accidents at sea!"
She gripped the hammer handle tightly and said loudly, "The ship I want to make will never be destroyed by weather, currents, or battles! I want to make everyone sail safely on the sea! That's the value of this ship, and you pirates won't understand!"
Her words were deafening, making the pirates look at each other. What she said seemed to make sense...
"Is that why you robbed so many towns?" Sag clicked his tongue.
"Who told them not to give it to me, even if I offered to buy it with money!"
Renettia gritted her teeth. "They kept saying it was a treasure, that they wanted to hold a grand exhibition, let everyone come and see, and the price would definitely skyrocket. It's better to just steal it!"
She raised her head and said, "The Sun Sail from Compass Town has the toughness to withstand cannon fire, and no storm can tear it. Ward Town's Ironwood has the hardness of steel, and it's not afraid of reefs and rushing currents. Maniello Town's iron has the best applicability, stabilizing the ship and preventing it from breaking apart, and even if it's made into a cannon, it won't explode."
"And the materials from other towns, combined to make a huge ship, no storm can overturn this ship! This is a ship worth sailing!"
"What does that have to do with me?"
Sag smiled instead. "If anything, the more you say, the more I want that ship. After all, you robbed everywhere and put the blame on me. There has to be a price. I'll gladly accept that ship!"
This was a good thing!
Originally, he thought this ship was so big, better than a warship, so he might as well take it as a bonus. Now he found out it was a great thing!
It wouldn't be overturned by storms, it wouldn't sink from hitting reefs, it could sail safely in any current...
It was perfect for his bad luck!
Thinking of this, Sag was even happier. "After taking the blame for days, I've backed into a treasure. It's truly the treasure of Nattia!"
"It's *Nattia*! How many times do I have to tell you before you get it right!"
"Robbery..."
Renettia was stunned for a moment, then realized, "You're the black-sailed pirate who was misunderstood? I heard about that. There's a pirate crew taking the blame for us. So it's you guys. It makes sense that you'd find your way here... Whatever, I forgive you."
She continued, "There's no ship now. Murdoch took that ship. He promised me that as long as the ship was finished, he would make the ship famous, and let the whole world know about it."
"Once it's famous, many people and valuable materials will come. At that time, I can teach people while I build, and there will be many ships, and I can give you one."
Renettia waved her hand. "You guys leave. Come back when I've made a name for myself. This matter is settled."
"That won't do."
Sag glanced at the straight, ascending staircase beside him and smiled. "I'm going to ask the king here for compensation..."
"Seriously... If you die, I won't care. Murdoch is the King of the Nattia Kingdom, with more than two thousand soldiers."
"It's Nattia! Why do you keep saying it wrong!" Lily couldn't help but shout.
"Ah... it's all the same. Does it have any other meaning?" Renettia asked, not understanding.
Lily was momentarily speechless. She really didn't know what it meant, but she just felt that it didn't sound good coming from Sag's mouth.
As a righteous princess knight, she instinctively didn't want to hear that word.
"Anyway, I've already sent the ship up. If you still want to rob it, just wait for death."
Renettia said, then took out the microphone again. "Hey, Murdoch, why aren't you coming down yet? Is it hemorrhoids? You old pervert, I told you not to get too close to those guards."
"I'm not a pervert! I'm not close to the guards! And I don't have hemorrhoids! Also..."
A roar suddenly came from the microphone. "I'm not old!!"
Soon, the roar subsided, and a cold laugh came out. "Hehehe, I heard everything, and I saw the ship. You did well, Renettia. You're right. These black-sailed pirates will die here... along with you!"
*Boom!!*
A loud noise came from above the stairs, and iron-studded stone steps collapsed from above, crashing to the ground, raising smoke filled with the smell of gunpowder.
It was blown up!
"Hmm?"
Sag looked up and narrowed his eyes, sneering, "Blowing up the bridge after crossing the river? That's what kings like to do."
(TN: Blowing up the bridge: to burn one's bridges. idiom, means cutting off one's means of retreat)
"Old pervert! What do you mean!" Renettia's expression changed.
"I'm not old!"
The microphone roared again, and then suddenly chuckled. "Renettia, you are indeed a genius, but you are also a fool. Such a ship, how could I possibly hand it over to the world? Only by using it myself can I maximize the benefits!"
"Why! Didn't you say you would make it famous, let the world know, so that everyone can sail safely!" Renettia shouted.
"You're as naive as your master!"
The voice in the microphone was indifferent. "The materials needed for such a ship take twenty or thirty years to grow. The price is expensive and the cycle is slow. Your master waited for so many years, and he was executed by me and still couldn't wait. How could it be possible to let the whole world use it?"
"How could those civilians sailing on the sea afford such a ship? And how long would I have to wait to wait for the completion of the next ship? Too slow!"
"Master..."
Renettia's body swayed, and her face suddenly turned pale. Her pupils turned a large patch of red. "You said my master died in a shipwreck while collecting materials! It was you, you old pervert, who killed my master?!"
"I'll say it again, I'm not old! Bastard! I'm only forty years old, very young!"
The microphone roared again, then returned to a low voice. "That guy always wanted to make the technology public. But at that time, those materials hadn't matured yet. I didn't want people to steal the materials first. There was no other way, I had to execute him."
A ruthless chuckle came from the microphone. "I want this ship just because of the black-sailed pirates! Think about it, speed so fast that even warships can't catch up, not afraid of storms and shelling. With it, I can let the pirates rob all over the East Blue! And what makes me happiest... is you, Norton Sag!"
That voice gradually became furious: "I've already heard your name from the Marines. The pirate riding a black-sailed warship, Norton Sag, robbed several towns, and even destroyed a kingdom! Your existence perfectly fills the gap in my plan!"
"I've always been thinking that no matter how I hide, the traces of my black-sailed pirates will still be discovered. But now it's different. As long as I act in your name, the Marines won't notice me. No matter how much I rob, they will think it's you. It's perfect cover!"
"And the final step to complete this plan is for you to die here. No one will know where this ship came from, and the black-sailed pirates will forever become your code name, and also my help! Hahahaha!"
*Boom!!*
The sound above became louder. As a cloud of black smoke permeated down, the entire secret cave rumbled. The strong tremor made Gin and the others stagger, and then their eyes widened.
The surroundings were cracking...
---
You can support me on patreon and can read upto 20 chapter ahead on patreon.com/Devmaya
---