Boom!
On the calm sea surface, a startling thunder roared, and dark clouds instantly covered the clear sky, stirring up gusts of wind and pouring rain.
"Water is falling from the sky!"
On the deck, the members of the Demon Race who were learning basic knowledge raised their hands towards the sky, displaying excitement.
The demons, who couldn't wait to dive into the ocean for a swim, were even more thrilled to see the rain.
Everything in the world was novel to them.
The intoxicating wine, the delicious food, the wondrous flintlock guns that could shoot bullets... everything made them curious, curious enough to exclaim loudly.
Of course, it wasn't just these demons making noise.
In the captain's cabin, Sage sat on a throne made of gold, shifted his position, and reclined comfortably, saying, "A throne really has its charm."
The golden throne acquired from Anu Country was placed in his captain's cabin.
Of course, sitting on pure gold wouldn't be comfortable, so he covered it with a fur skin.
The skin of the bull beast they had killed last time still had plenty left over after being skinned.
"There's already a Jewelry Throne in the first-floor banquet hall and a Golden Throne in the second-floor captain's cabin. Next time, we'll grab another one to put in the third-floor conference room. And how about I get each of you a throne too?"
Sage laughed heartily.
In the captain's cabin, besides Sage, there were only two blondes with big waves.
One was Lily, standing by his side, casually organizing information and not responding to Sage's words.
The other was Hawkins, sitting on the sofa playing cards by himself. He paused upon hearing this and said, "You're the captain, you decide."
"Next time you say that, remember to close the door."
Sage rolled his eyes and said, "What are you playing there, summoning the Blues Eyes White Dragon or something?"
Hawkins hesitated for a moment. "What is that? If it's about abilities, it still needs development. Maybe I'll be able to summon something in the future."
"No worries, keep at it."
Sage waved it off and instructed, "Lily, fetch a bottle of wine from my wine cabinet, the one called... what was it called..."
Lily casually took out a bottle of wine, saying, "Romanie."
"Yes, that's it."
Sage took the wine bottle, popped the cork with his thumb, and poured it into a gemstone wine glass. "Where's Renedia?"
Marika went down to make snacks, which Sage knew.
But Renedia, ever since they left Anu Country, had been out of sight since morning after staying overnight.
"She's in the cabin building a motorcycle and pondering how to modify the ship," Lily said.
The Death Star definitely needed modifications.
Having too many cannons made it difficult to operate; each needed at least three people. Even if all the cannons weren't manned, gunners could move between the ones on both sides, aiming in only one direction according to the enemy's ship position, without needing everyone manned.
But no matter what, the previous 380 cannons required at least 400 people to operate.
Sage currently had over 1,200 crew members, which already exceeded the standard quota. According to the standard 1,000 people, he would need to allocate nearly half to operate the cannons. Although firepower was strong, personnel allocation couldn't be like this.
So the cannons were reduced to 200; the number of front and rear main cannons stayed the same, with 70 on each side, making it possible to operate with about 200 people.
But the space left by the removed cannons still required modification, something Renedia was doing whenever she had time.
"Let her modify it then. After all, with no experience building warships, proper modifications now will help in building a more spec-compliant ship when we switch ships later." Sage laughed.
"Switch ships?"
Hawkins glanced sideways and said, "This ship is great; do you plan to switch ships?"
Unless absolutely necessary, pirate ships, being the symbol of a pirate crew, wouldn't be replaced easily.
A pirate crew has two important things: one is the flag, which symbolizes the captain, and can be improved but not replaced. If replaced, it means the captain has changed, and it's no longer the original captain-led pirate crew.
The ship is a pirate crew's emblem, and if the ship is lost, it severely impacts morale. Voluntarily switching ships is no different from destroying the ship, and even if it gets to the point of needing replacement, it still lowers morale.
Unless absolutely necessary, switching ships isn't done lightly.
"There's no such plan; I'm not particularly concerned. If there are better options, then switch... Old Hawkins, ships are built for sailing. People need ships, not ships controlling people," Sage said nonchalantly.
He wasn't too concerned about switching ships.
He wasn't very concerned about ship spirits either.
Indeed, pirate ships are the spiritual symbol of a pirate crew, and even new ships retain the old one's emblem.
Like that fool Teach.
He remembered that when this guy made it big later on, he didn't forget to place that piece of wood on both sides of the ship.
As for the emblem of the Death Star...
Boom!
Another thunderbolt exploded, lighting up the ship's interior through the cabin windows.
It wasn't a storm.
It was Renedia!
With her around, Sage could have any ship he wanted, as long as there were enough materials.
If they really had to switch ships in the future, Sage wasn't worried about morale. With a few key members, the demon race crew that could now form a solid base, and the veterans from the East Sea, they could set sail at any time.
Not enough crew?
Just recruit more.
They could recruit a group of pirates in Demon Valley Town, and elsewhere, they could still recruit pirates.
The bigger Sage's reputation grows, the more elite recruits he could get, and this was something he didn't worry about.
"How long until we reach the City of the Spring Queen?"
Sage took a sip of wine and asked Lily.
"We should arrive by tomorrow."
Lily thought for a while and her expression became strange, saying, "Sage, I need to remind you that the City of the Spring Queen is on a rainy island..."
From the intelligence given by Doflamingo, this island rained year-round, and everyone often carried umbrellas, with sunny days being rare.
"So what?" Sage asked in confusion, "Rain is rain, what's it got to do with my heist?"
Lily smiled faintly: "It should matter, your storm..."
"What do you mean my storm? Let me clarify again, it's not mine, it's naturally formed. I just had a bit of bad luck, so the storm happened to be on my side." Sage emphasized.
"Alright, your bad luck..."
Lily said, "Maybe it will lead to unexpected situations."
Sage smiled confidently, "Why would I care about that? Strength can suppress everything, Lily."
With that, he looked at Hawkins and said, "Old Hawkins?"
Hawkins shook his head: "Nothing can be divined without encountering events. I'm not someone who can predict, but..."
He reshuffled the Tarot Cards, laid a few on the table, and said, "The chance of a successful heist is 99%, and the current probability of an accident is 20%, so it should be fine."
"See, Lily, just like that, my plans never fail. Even if we enter the rainy island, storms can't destroy us!" Sage laughed heartily.
"I'm not worried about ourselves; I'm worried about..."
Lily said, "The City of the Spring Queen."
She wasn't concerned about the plan failing, but knowing Sage's luck, even in a tropical desert climate, would invite rain and storms. Once they reached the rainy island...
They wouldn't be in trouble because the Death Star was strong enough.
But for the City of the Spring Queen, who knows?
A successful heist?
Of course!
Even in ruins, they could successfully pull off a heist.