"Don't lose your temper, Sage."
In the sky, Kizaru transformed into yellow light and flashed in front of Sage, pointing at Aramaki, "I'm here to take him back."
"But he's my spoils of war."
Sage sneered, "You think you can just take him away? I'm not giving you that much face."
"Oh~ such a scary expression."
Kizaru chuckled, "But even if I give him to you, Blackbeard wouldn't act like this. He's solidifying his power right now and wouldn't easily offend us. After all... he is a Navy Admiral."
This wasn't a lie. That guy Teach, although quite a gambler, has a clear understanding of the situation. If he really wanted an Admiral, he wouldn't risk being targeted by the Navy to transfer abilities.
"Moreover, I'm here as a representative from the higher-ups. Didn't you agree to our terms?"
He took out a small Radio Snail and placed it in his palm. The sound of a successful connection came from it, and the Radio Snail mimicked the image of an old face with a scar at the corner of its left eye.
"Calamity... Norton Sage, hello."
The Radio Snail emitted a calm yet contemptuous voice.
Upon hearing the voice, Sage paused and looked at the Radio Snail itself.
"Though your status isn't enough to hear my voice, I'll make an exception for you. Compared to your sister, you, as an O'hara Survivor, have done well by not delving into the forbidden."
"According to our agreement, you disrupted Jekai's plans against you, so this matter is over, and no one in the New World will trouble you for what you've done."
"Oh..."
Sage grinned, "I was wondering who's being so arrogant with me, turns out it's you. Which one are you? What Star?"
The Radio Snail paused and said, "You seem to know us well. Just as you think, I am indeed one of the Five Elders, the 'Martial God of Scientific Defense', Saturn, Jaygarcia Saturn. You should address me as Saint Saturn."
"I'm not part of your World Government, don't expect me to call you any kind of saint or god."
Sage said, "I'm a Pirate, not your subordinate. Don't talk to me with that tone."
There was a brief silence on the other side of the Radio Snail before it spoke again, "As expected of the craziest Pirate in recent years. Well, you haven't met me and don't know my power. For your rudeness, I can let it pass."
"Since you agreed to the terms, we'll proceed according to the agreement... Ryokugyu must come back. A Navy Admiral is not your target for humiliation. Of course, we will provide compensation."
"You can't become an affiliated Kingdom, but we will purchase your goods at a premium. You must have noticed; Doflamingo is working for someone. We can bypass that line and deal with you directly..."
"Hahahaha!"
Before the Radio Snail could finish, Sage burst out laughing as if hearing a ridiculous joke.
"An affiliated Kingdom? You want me to pay tribute? I told you, Marika, didn't I? To these guys, the Heavenly Celestial Dragons mean nothing."
"Ah, it seems that way."
Marika walked over from a distance, smiling, "They don't even care about the Heavenly Celestial Dragons? I wonder what the World Government truly values..."
Since its founding, all legal principles of the World Government prioritized the Heavenly Celestial Dragons, yet now they seem indifferent, which is surprising.
"The terms you mentioned don't mean anything to me. I'm someone who values the spirit of the contract. Doflamingo is my partner—as long as he doesn't fall, he remains so. Forget about those conditions."
Sage waved his hand. "I'm not like you rats in the gutter. The terms I agree to don't have ulterior motives. Since this old monkey has arrived, let's proceed with the agreement."
This guy's words are full of traps, like giving up the line with Doflamingo and making premium purchases. Isn't that clearly abandoning collaboration with Doflamingo?
Are they trying to make Sage break his promise?
Such things are beneath him.
"According to the agreement, until my power expands to a certain limit, we'll stay out of each other's business. I won't touch the Four Seas, and you don't cause trouble on my turf."
"But this doesn't include his price..."
He pointed at Aramaki, who had relaxed and fallen unconscious since Kizaru's arrival, "I'm a Pirate. Of course, anything extra requires something extra in exchange."
"What do you want?" the Radio Snail asked in a deep voice.
"A lot."
Sage smiled, "The most important, population... like those from the Cloud Mountain Kingdom. Those that the affiliated Kingdoms don't need, but I want the people and don't want to pay. What do you suggest?"
"Oh? A man like you needs those burdens? Very well, this also benefits us. We can promise you that."
The Radio Snail's words made Kizaru lower his head slightly, a strange light emanating from his sunglasses, his thoughts unknown.
For the World Government, this would certainly be beneficial. Sage takes in those suffering from famine, and by having more people, more goods are produced, which will find their way to the World Government, so it's not a bad deal.
They aren't the Navy. As long as no taboos are violated, in the eyes of the World Government, no one is truly an enemy.
"The second, alloy."
Sage said, "I know there's been a new 'Wapolmetal' recently, but it's heavily controlled. We want a channel for it. Of course, not for free; we will pay."
That alloy, even Doflamingo can't get much of it. If Sage wants more, he'll have to open another channel.
"Okay," the Radio Snail replied.
"Third..."
Sage's mouth curled up, "The control rights of the Peacekeepers, the topmost, first-level control rights!"
"Oh~"
Kizaru subconsciously puckered his lips, "You know about that too? Very strange…"
"Impossible, Calamity!"
The Radio Snail flatly refused, "Though I don't know how you learned about the control rights, it's absolutely impossible!"
"Don't rush, I'm not asking for all of it... Didn't that guy Zephyr take a batch of this stuff before he left? I just want that batch!"
Sage spread his hands, laughing, "Otherwise, I'll personally ask Vegapunk! You don't want him to have trouble right now, do you?"
The Peacekeepers, deemed 'battleship' counterparts in humanoid form, are as costly as a large warship, and as powerful as compressing a warship into a human form.
They might not be sufficient for high-level battles, but they are quite enough for island defense against Pirate raids.
They have several levels of control authority, which Sage happens to be aware of.
The fourth-level authority chip allows whomever receives it to command the Peacekeepers.
The third-level is possibly a disciple of Kizaru, although Sage couldn't recall.
The second-level belongs to Vegapunk.
And the first-level...
Belongs to the Five Elders.
After eliminating Zephyr, Sage learned from intelligence that the old man took a batch of Peacekeepers with him, but where they are remains unknown.
He's unaware, but the World Government surely can track them. He wants just that batch.
For the World Government, they're probably considered lost assets, they might not even want to bother finding them, since no one can use them.
Rather than letting them sit, it's better to give them to him.
These are still quite useful for cleaning-up operations.