Kampas Town wasn't small—and on this island, there were even more villages and towns scattered about. But none of them were coastal.
Naturally, pirates only raided coastal areas. Going inland? That was just asking to get surrounded.
Water, food, salt, planks and nails for repairs—whatever Sager could get his hands on, he took. All of it was packed into barrels and crates and hauled back to the ship by his crew.
Strangely, there was no conflict between Sager's crew and the townspeople.
How much can a single ship carry?
Even if the town was stripped bare, it wouldn't be hard to fill up a ship.
And the locals didn't seem to mind. Why? First, they'd already been wrecked by pirates before. Second, these people had just been saved by Sager's crew. Giving them some supplies as thanks? It seemed only fair.
The town mayor eyed the half-wrecked ship anchored at the dock and spoke up.
"Captain… we don't have anything too valuable right now, but if it's a ship you want, we can spare one."
"Old man, do I look like I'm asking?"
Sager's eye twitched. "Don't insult the pirate profession like that. I may be down on my luck, but I still take pride in what I do."
Being unlucky didn't mean being unprofessional!
"What I want, I take. Hand over the ship." Sager shook his flintlock pistol for emphasis.
Being offered something? Absolutely not.
Taking it himself? Perfectly fine.
"We'd need to wait until the cargo vessels return. Right now, we've got no spare ships," the mayor said, shaking his head. "But if you give it some time…"
"Captain!!"
A shout rang out from the port. A panting pirate sprinted over, pointing at the sea with trembling hands.
"N-Navy! A warship's coming!"
BOOM!
Before his voice even finished echoing, cannonballs screamed in from the distant sea—hitting the ship dead-on.
The ship, already hanging by a thread, exploded into flying splinters and shattered mast. Its hull broke clean in half, drifting apart like debris on the tide.
The pirates who'd been guarding the ship jumped into the sea and swam frantically for the shore.
"MY SHIP!"
Sager's eyes bulged as he watched the wreck sink before his eyes.
That was his freshly stolen ship!
And now it was gone?!
The warship plowed through the wreckage, pulling up to the dock as a group of Marines leapt ashore, weapons drawn and voices roaring.
"This is the Navy's 23rd Branch! I am a Branch Major—pirates, you're under arrest!"
The lead Marine charged in, taking down a fleeing pirate with a swift strike. Two others flanked the fallen pirate, rifles aimed at his head.
"Captain Sager, what do we do!?" Gin crouched slightly, gripping his iron-shod cane tight.
"What do we do…?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets whizzed through the air, some striking pirates and dropping them on the spot.
A few were headed straight for Sager—one was about to slam into his chest when he calmly lifted his arm, pinched two fingers together, and caught the bullet in midair.
The bullet clinked softly as it hit the ground.
Sager stared at the advancing Marines and smirked.
"My ship's gone… then I'll just take their warship. BOYS—COUNTERATTACK!"
"YEAH!!"
The pirates roared in unison and surged toward the Marines.
In numbers, they were at a disadvantage—the Marines outnumbered them at least two-to-one. And in raw power, most pirates were on par with the average Marine—or a bit weaker.
But when it came to elite combatants… the Marines didn't hold the upper hand. Any pirate with a bounty wasn't going to be a pushover.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
More bullets flew—but they slammed harmlessly against a massive shield.
Paru stood tall, his giant round shield ringing as sparks flew. He flung out a handful of glowstones, igniting flames across the ground to block the Marines from chasing the retreating pirates.
"I am Invincible Iron Wall Paru! I can even tank your cannons! Cool, right? Pretty slick, huh?" he grinned, his teeth catching the light.
His back shield had been broken by Gin, but his front one still held strong. More than enough to block bullets.
Whoosh!
A figure darted past Paru like a pouncing leopard—Gin, charging full speed at the Marines. His cane's iron ball gouged a deep trench in the ground before he suddenly swung upward.
CRASH!!
The pavement shattered, and the leading Marines were flung into the air.
Gin straightened, spinning the cane with a whoosh before slinging it over his shoulder, smirking at the remaining soldiers.
Shing!
But before he could get cocky, a silver flash streaked past in a zig-zag pattern, cutting straight through the heart of the Marine formation.
It was Lili.
"Piercing Sky—"
With a flourish, she spun her slender sword, then slowly sheathed it.
All around her, the Marines stood frozen—motionless.
Click.
"Slash."
Splat!!
As her blade clicked into the scabbard, fountains of blood erupted from the Marines' bodies. Their eyes rolled back as they crumpled to the ground.
"CHARGE!!"
The sight electrified the pirate crew. Those who had been fleeing turned with newfound fire in their eyes, weapons raised, throwing themselves back into the fray.
Steel clashed, bullets cracked, flames roared. Sager walked calmly through the chaos, his cloak fluttering in the breeze. Every step he took pushed the Marines back further—until finally, the last of them lay collapsed by the docks.
Against those three, the Marines never stood a chance.
"I'm a Navy Major! I won't back down!" the last officer shouted, though his hand trembled as he pointed his flintlock at Sager.
Sager glanced at him—didn't even bother drawing his weapon.
He just stared.
"I-I…" the major stammered, but under Sager's calm, heavy gaze, he couldn't pull the trigger.
Sager smiled faintly and walked up the gangplank of the warship.
"Boys."
He didn't look back. "Load up the supplies—we're setting sail!"
The Marine major slowly lowered his gun. He couldn't fight. Not now. Not with his wounded comrades lying all around him.
So instead, he shouted after Sager:
"The Navy won't let you get away with this!"
Sager gave a quiet laugh and shook his head.
As if not stealing the warship would've earned him a pardon.
He was a pirate. Getting attacked by the Navy came with the job.
There was never going to be peace.
The pirates loaded the stolen goods from Kampas Town onto the warship, unfurled the sails, and cast off into the sea.
The vessel was a standard patrol ship—room for eighty, not large, but a hell of a lot better than their busted old tub.
It even had cannons.
Sager sat in the captain's quarters, grinning as he popped open a bottle of rum.
The ship came with solid provisions—after all, it was stocked for Navy use.
He had liquor. He even found cigarettes.
Gulping a few swigs, he lit one and exhaled a long, slow breath of smoke.
"Haaaah…"
He almost wanted to cry.
It had been so long since he could just sit and drink like this.
For the past few years, he'd been grinding just to survive—never starving to death, but never quite full either. Always stuck somewhere between hunger and just-enough.
Otherwise, why would he have stolen liquor from those mountain bandits back in Oicott?
He raised a glass toward Lili, who was flipping through navigation charts in the corner.
"Want a drink? Oh—wait, right. You're underage. Never mind."
Lili didn't even look up. "So what's next, Sager?"
To her, stealing a warship wasn't a big deal. That was pirate life, after all.
Besides, they were already wanted criminals. What difference would another offense make?
Hell, maybe a higher bounty would just boost Sager's reputation.
"We keep robbing," Sager said, cigarette dangling from his lips. He leaned back in his chair.
"Eating and drinking's great, sure. But we haven't made any money. If one town's broke, we find another. Sooner or later, we'll hit paydirt."
Pirates weren't just out to eat and drink. They set out to sea to get rich. Even the dream of finding the One Piece was just a glorified treasure hunt.
His crew might've been a band of outlaws, but some of them had families.
No one risks their life at sea unless they're desperate.
Sager wanted money for his dream.
His crew wanted money too.
So yeah—they were going to keep robbing.
Because you can't pay your men with dreams.