When Sipher met him, he was still a warrior in the army, a very responsible warrior, and back then Sod was very strong. Sipher believed he would become famous sooner or later.
Just didn't expect it to be in such a way...
As the kingdom's strongest 'William', renowned throughout the kingdom.
"I know him, he's a man who values vows, also a gentle man."
Sipher smiled and said, "He swore an eternal vow of protection, yet he couldn't stand by and watch the kingdom become a desireless nation and thus be destroyed. Especially after the old king's death, the kingdom split and wars broke out. On one hand was the vow, on the other hand was emotion... It must be exhausting to live like that."
The constraints of the vow forced him to protect William. The bond of emotion made him reluctant to win.
So it remained in a stalemate... until Sage arrived.
"I come to duel you. If you win, you gain victory. If you lose, I will throw your corpse into the sea."
Sage remembered the words William spoke when they first met, and the inexplicable fatigue he sensed in battle...
He understood; it wasn't confidence, but an anticipation, an anticipation of being defeated, so that he could fulfill his vow without betraying his emotions.
So Kaido's final retreat was actually a mistake?
That's really...
"Boring."
Sage said, "Turns out he's just a warrior bound by chains..."
He walked to the heavy sword nearby, picked up the electric white heavy sword, and tossed it to Lily.
Pa.
Lily caught it with her raised hand, a red dot flashed in her eyes, and in shock, she flung the sword to the side.
Crackle.
Watching the electric sparks leap off the blade, Lily understood, "I see, perhaps it can pair well with my White Thunder."
"Lily, I'll leave this to you, I'm heading to Timadon, and also..."
He bent his knees slightly, aimed in the direction of Timadon.
"Bury him."
He didn't like such people, but he had the basic respect for the strong.
Boom!
A smoke ring shot into the air, carrying Sage's figure disappearing.
"Let the people taking refuge outside come in, distribute the supplies properly."
Seeing Sage disappear, Lily thought for a moment and said to everyone, "Also, find that Guard Captain, have him organize the personnel and prevent chaos at this time."
Saying this, she looked at the surrounding mess and sighed lightly.
Her plan was completed quite well on this side, but Sage was still a bit unlucky.
Otherwise, Augustine Castle should have been intact. It had already been fought to this state, the damage was too severe.
A prosperous city damaged like this, who knows how long it would take to rebuild.
Smoke rings in the sky appeared one after another. In no time, Sage used Moon Step to cross the sea between the two islands and arrived at Timadon.
From the air, this island appeared as an extremely flat plain, with only forests and some village towns as elevations. There, by the shore, a military camp was stationed and easily visible.
Boom!
A smoke ring rose from above the camp, revealing Sage's figure. He leapt onto the smoke ring, looking down from above.
In the camp, groups of soldiers either stood or sat, their expressions peaceful, completely lacking the sharpness soldiers should have. Upon seeing the newcomer, they merely looked up, seemingly having no intention to act.
Wooden, or...
Living corpses!
"Your leader has been defeated by me, Norton Sage. I am about to rule this country. You have one chance; move away, farm if you should, live as you should, now... flee!" Sage shouted loudly.
Yet the camp below offered no response, merely looking up, then each raised their weapons aiming at Sage above.
They understood, but lacked the related desire.
They even lacked the desire to run.
A desireless kingdom, without external intervention, might be peaceful... but definitely lacks vitality.
A kingdom without vitality is bound to perish.
"Looks like the choice is made."
Sage shook his head, his left hand placed against his right palm, suddenly lifting it high to the side as Haki with black sparks condensed in his palm into a ball of black fire.
He didn't have time to persuade or govern here, merely five thousand people, eliminating them would leave no future troubles!
Sage flung his hand forward, launching a massive black fire pillar, casting a gigantic shadow over the camp.
Destructive Death Light? That's from a bit of his dark humor; this move should be called...
"Annihilation Slash!"
Boom!!!
Since the Chronology of One Piece year 1453, May 29th, when the old king unified Gares, elevating the nation to unprecedented heights, sixty-seven years passed, the Gares Kingdom fell to 'natural disaster', with no one resisting.
...
"Fufufufufu!"
Dressrosa, Royal Palace.
Doflamingo leaned against a chair, his pink feather coat casually thrown to the side, emitting creepy laughter with each shoulder shake.
At this moment, he held a microphone in his hand, looking at the radio snail in front of him, his lips twisting into an exaggerated arc.
"To actually win, Sage!"
World Desire City, in the New World, absolutely considered a 'strong' nation, even during internal conflicts, its army's numbers and its warriors would not be underestimated. Not to mention ordinary pirates, even someone as strong as the Four Emperors wanting to conquer there would have to give it serious thought.
And now, it was conquered by Sage who had just entered the New World!