It's still better than letting that Straw Hat kid occupy Wano Country.
As for Nika being defeated, unexpected, sure—but absolutely within reason.
They only wanted to reclaim that fruit; as for the Ability User...
Eight hundred years ago they won once, so there'll be a second time.
"Two Road Poneglyphs..."
Saturn's voice was low. "Disaster is also a presence we can't ignore, but for this kind of traditional Pirate, there's no need to be overly wary. Once we capture Straw Hat, this world will remain stable."
Kaido has one, Big Mom has one; they know those two bastards have Red Poneglyphs in their hands.
At most it's just one piece becoming two—either way, they're not under the World Government's control, so there's no difference.
The passing of time, the march of history, has taught them that these kinds of Pirates are actually the least worrying, because everything about them can be traced and predicted.
Unlike that Nika who has the higher‑ups on edge, and the Revolutionary Army that's recently grown active and is now openly challenging the World Government's authority.
Sage robs people—how many Kingdoms can he rob?
Even if he robs them clean, at worst they just change the King; a member nation is still a member nation. But a country that's infiltrated by the Revolutionary Army stops paying the Heavenly Tribute, and that severely undermines their stability.
As for someone like Sage...
It doesn't matter.
Time will erode everything. And if that's still not enough...
The Mother Fire Seed is almost ready.
...
A relatively large building inside the Flower Capital.
King was the first to wake. The moment his eyelids twitched, a voice sounded at his ear.
"Not bad. You're the best‑trained one among this lot."
King's eyes snapped open and he sprang up on instinct, only to see a man with bandages wrapped around his upper body reclining on a soft couch ahead of him, smiling at him.
That face—no need to ask who it was.
They'd obviously seen the Four Emperors' wanted posters.
"Disaster!"
King shouted, then immediately saw the Wolf Fang Club placed beside him. His gaze sharpened as he exclaimed, "What did you do to big bro Kaido?!"
That was the Eight Precepts!
"No rush."
Sage waved his hand. "We'll talk when they've all woken up."
Only then did King notice he wasn't the only one in this spacious room—there were the unconscious Queen and Jack, the rest of the Flying Six as well, and he even saw Yamato, bound up with Seastone Chains.
All around them stood High-Ranking Officers of the Disaster Pirates, keeping watch.
Moriah sensed his gaze and grinned at him. "What a pity I didn't get to see Kaido one last time. I was hoping to have a little chat with him."
"Sage, Sage, Bao Huang is amazing!"
Renedia said excitedly, "She can actually link up the vision and sound of everyone carrying the eye‑paper slips. This tech is insane!"
Next to her stood a blonde girl whose face was covered by eye‑paper. Judging by her build, she seemed about the same age as Renedia.
"Bao Huang, what happened?" King asked.
Bao Huang shook her head and said crisply, "Governor Sage told me to wait. If you wait a bit, you'll find out."
"Sage, Governor?" King frowned.
Pirates surrendering isn't hard to understand; it's practically standard on the seas.
But surrendering this fast—that was what King couldn't wrap his head around.
This was the base of the Beast Pirates' power!
Big bro Kaido poured so much effort into this place!
"Your codenames are pretty interesting."
Sage chuckled. "You three All-Stars use the J, Q, K from playing cards. That unlucky bastard Doffy took the Joker card. And Bao Huang... turns out her name's based on a type of card game too. Really amusing."
Bao Huang, Kaido's former secretary, was an Artificial Devil Fruit Flying Squirrel‑type Ability User. What was rare about her was that aside from an extra tail, she didn't have any weird, ugly mutations. Among Artificial Devil Fruit users, she was one of those unique ones who kept a relatively intact human figure.
From the features of these Artificial Devil Fruit users, it wasn't hard to see they were all basically in a permanent "hybrid form" state; Bao Huang's hybrid form was just an extra flying squirrel tail.
As for her surrender...
Sage hadn't even gone looking for her; she came to him on her own.
She'd heard every word of Kaido's conversation with him back on Ghost Island, so she simply switched sides right away.
With an intelligence network joining them, of course Sage welcomed it. Through her, he didn't even need to leave his room to know everything happening within Wano Country, which solved a lot of his early groundwork.
The door outside suddenly slid open. Hawkins and Urouge walked in, and behind them were Drake and Apoo.
Drake was in relatively good shape, just some bandages around his shoulder. Apoo, on the other hand, was miserable—bandages wrapped around him from head to toe, even his neck.
Seeing Sage, Apoo immediately bowed his head. "Governor."
Drake merely pressed his lips together, folded his arms, and said nothing.
"Heh heh heh heh... not bad, Apoo, you know how to read the room. The money you owe me is written off. I'll see how you behave from now on."
Sage chuckled, then looked over at Drake. "You too. I don't care what you really are—just do your job properly."
Drake being a Navy undercover agent or whatever—just like Hawkins had guessed—Sage couldn't care less.
He obviously had Navy moles working for him, just not in the open. This time he'd simply picked up one that was out in the open. Same deal as Kaku and the others—just as useful as them.
Pirates, as a species, are basically hot‑headed idiots who charge out to sea on impulse. If they're lucky enough not to die out there, they become Pirates. If they're unlucky and die, they become just another batch of nutrients for the ocean.
As for the Beast Pirates, most of those Pirates couldn't do a thing besides fight. Drake, on the other hand—a fallen Navy Rear Admiral—had been professionally trained by the Navy.
Command, Sailing, training... every one of those is useful.
Combat strength?
Sage wasn't short on that anymore. What he lacked were specialized professionals.
They're all undercover anyway. As Kaido's mole, Drake could get exposed and killed at any time. As Sage's mole... as long as he did his job well, Sage wouldn't even bother asking questions.
"I understand." Drake nodded, tacitly accepting Sage's words.
He didn't feel like explaining he wasn't a Navy mole or anything like that. He could still say a few words to Hawkins, but from the way Sage acted, it was obvious the man had already decided.
And with a Great Pirate like this, explanations are pointless. He doesn't need evidence for anything.
If he says you are, you are. If he says you aren't, then you aren't.
"Ah la, one of them's awake?"
The side door slid open and Marika came in carrying a tray. She handed two small plates with tea and cake to Renedia and Bao Huang, then passed a cocktail to Sage, and finally took her place behind him.
Sage took a sip and smiled. "Mm, this one's mixed nicely. Has a kind of clear, crisp taste... what'd you put in it?"
Marika said, "I added some liquor that's unique to Wano Country."
"Good. Make a note of it. Add it to our procurement list, and see if there's an even higher‑grade version we can use as a special reserve."
Sage downed half the glass in one go and nodded in satisfaction.
"Sage."
Just then, Lily walked in from outside the door. "The remaining people are under control. Both factions have been completely secured."
As she spoke, she looked at Bao Huang. "You did well."
Sage had won, but to actually take control of the Flower Capital, they didn't have enough manpower. Even though Lily had Supreme King Haki, a large portion of these forces were people who could resist it and attempt to flee.
But with Bao Huang's relayed orders, it was a different story. Many Pirates who didn't yet know what was going on continued to obey Bao Huang's commands. With Lily, Gin, and the remaining Disaster Pirates underlings coordinating, they quickly brought them all under control.
"What exactly do you intend to do?" King asked with a frown.
"What do I intend to do?"
Sage swept his gaze over the people below him. Seeing that their expressions were starting to shift, he chuckled. "Since you're all awake, I might as well say it all at once."
"Your boss was taken out by me. I had an agreement with him: whoever won would take everything. I'm the one who won, and this is the proof."
Sage patted the shaft of the Wolf Fang Club and said, "Which means you're all my subordinates now. Just like the Big Mom Pirates, I'm folding you in. You keep your Pirate Flag and become part of my affiliated Pirates. You'll continue to rule Wano Country, but under my rules. From now on, in the first half of the New World, there can only be one voice..."
He drained the rest of his cocktail and bared his teeth in a feral grin. "My voice!"