One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

Boom!

Lightning flashed through the dark clouds, stirring up an even stronger storm, causing the waves to churn like a tornado, rocking a merchant ship precariously.

"Reef the sails! Quickly, reef the sails! Turn the helm to the right, hurry, don't let the big waves capsize us!"

The captain, responsible for command, shouted wildly on the deck amidst the heavy rain, directing the sailors to reef the sails and pull the ropes, trying his best to maintain control of the ship that seemed on the verge of capsizing in the tumultuous waves.

Just ten minutes ago, the captain had been cursing in his heart; the sky had been clear and sunny, everyone was enjoying delicious food and singing songs. How could everything change so suddenly? As a part-time navigator himself, he understood weather patterns and had seen no signs of a storm. How had this sudden tempest appeared? This was the East Sea, not the legendary Grand Line known for its unpredictable weather. It was just an ordinary sea area, with no strange currents or skies that changed in an instant. Anyone with sailing knowledge could navigate smoothly.

And as the captain of a merchant ship, he certainly had sailing knowledge.

Most captains possess some sailing skills, and some are even quite adept.

The captain of this merchant ship had that level of skill, but he never expected such a massive storm to suddenly arise, turning the sky as dark as night.

Fortunately, his timely commands had stabilized the situation for the moment.

"The wind direction is fine, turn the helm to nine o'clock, then pull the canvas tight, make sure to hold on tight, don't let go! If the wind catches the canvas and it blows open, we're done for!" the captain ordered methodically.

If they could use this strong wind to sail out of the storm's range, they would be safe.

The sailors, following the captain's commands, pulled ropes and turned the helm.

Boom!

Another thunderclap erupted, illuminating the dark region momentarily. A sailor on the mast's lookout suddenly froze, fear in his eyes as he looked sideways. The rope slipped from his hands, causing the partially controlled sail to be blown open by the storm, even tearing at the edges.

"Hey! What are you doing? Didn't I say to pull the rope tight? You—"

The captain instinctively shouted towards the mast's lookout, but as soon as he finished speaking, he froze.

In the brief brightness brought by the lightning, a massive black ship, several times larger than the merchant ship, suddenly appeared alongside it, shrouding the entire merchant vessel in darkness along with the storm.

The black hull and sails resembled stars in the night, but within that canvas, hidden among the stars, was a gigantic skull, as if it were devouring the entire starry sky.

At the highest point of the mast, the flag bore the same pattern as the sails. "Starry Skull Flag!" the captain stammered.

A terrified sailor asked, "Captain, do you recognize this flag?"

"No, I don't recognize it."

The captain shook his head, but the fear in his eyes grew stronger. "But I know who this Black Ship belongs to!"

He certainly didn't know the flag; he had never heard of the Starry Skull Flag. However, he was aware of a figure who had recently gained notoriety in the East Sea.

The Natural Disaster, who had destroyed three kingdoms, sailed on this enormous Black Ship!

Moreover, according to rumors, whenever the Black Ship of the Natural Disaster appeared, a massive storm would follow!

He had previously thought this was just gossip; after all, what ship could sail in a storm? But today, he had seen it! The more one disbelieved, the more they would turn that doubt into the greatest trust upon witnessing it firsthand.

There was no denying it. He could see clearly that while they were struggling to reef the sails, the other ship had its canvas wide open, letting the storm fill it without fear of being torn apart.

The most crucial reason was that on the side of this towering ship, illuminated by the flashes of lightning, stood a group of people, their blades glinting in the light. Among them was a dark-skinned man with a headscarf, holding twin crutches, who sneered in the direction of the merchant ship.

They had come to rob; what was there to doubt?

...

Death Star Ship, first-floor banquet hall.

Sage sat on the throne, watching as his subordinates brought in boxes one after another. Beside him, Lily was counting and then said, "We left enough food and water for the merchant ship to return; that little bit is of no use to us."

Just as Sage had no interest in robbing the poor, he was also not interested in forcing people to death.

He was a pirate, here to loot, not to kill.

How much could food and water be worth? Leaving it for the merchant ship to return, then waiting for their next voyage to continue robbing was much better.

Once people were dead, they could create nothing.

Akin, following Sage's instructions, also left food and water behind while robbing the rest. With only about two hundred people on the merchant ship, the food and water they needed to return wouldn't be much; the rest was taken by Akin.

As for the loot, it was quite satisfactory.

"One thousand boxes of tea, one thousand boxes of sugar, one hundred boxes of silver tableware, thirty boxes of precious silk."

Lily continued, "The rest consists of various supplies, a small amount of iron, food and water, and two boxes of gold coins."

Among the boxes displayed in the banquet hall, two were opened, revealing gleaming gold coins that made the eyes of the surrounding pirates light up.

This is what piracy is all about.

There aren't that many treasure ships, nor are there ships laden with gold and silver treasures. Only the ships responsible for transporting Heavenly Gold carry such things, but those transporting Heavenly Gold are heavily protected; merchant ships are much easier to rob.

Sage waved his hand, "Leave one box of gold coins, put it in my treasure room, and divide the rest. If you can't divide it, sell it in a town."

The ship in the storm was, of course, Sage's Death Star Ship.

After departing from the repaired island, that damned storm had returned, and no matter how they sailed, they couldn't shake it off. Fortunately, the crew was used to it; after all, this finely crafted ship wouldn't capsize due to a storm. They would sail as they always did.

The wind direction was actually favorable for their destination, so there was no need to adjust; they could just sail through the storm.

As for encountering a merchant ship, to be honest, Sage hadn't expected it. He thought his luck would make it hard to find a merchant ship, yet he had indeed come across one.

As the first merchant ship he had captured in his pirate career, Sage felt it was quite significant.

As for the spoils, he could take what he wanted, and anything he didn't want could be sold to a black market dealer in town.

That's how piracy works; they rob the goods transported at sea. These goods are not something pirates can eat or wear; they can't live on tea and sugar, can they?

Ultimately, they still need to be dealt with.

There will be one more update after midnight; sorry, I caught a cold and am not feeling well.