There is nothing in the sea without rules, even the infamous pirates have their own rules.
So why not choose rules that are so lenient to them and make their lives better!
Old Sage is truly good to them!
Amidst the fanatical cheers, people gradually appeared behind Sage.
To the right of Sage stands Lily, clad in her battle armor skirt, with her hand pressing down on the hilt of her sword. A little further back to her right are Marika and Renedia.
On the left was Moriah, followed a bit further back by Hawkins and Urouge, with Gin, the high-ranking officer, standing behind them.
Behind Gin stood Pearl and Mute, who were captains holding high positions in the Disaster Pirates.
Including the newly joined Suleiman, because of his unique command talent and the notoriety from the Battle of Tias, he gained significant fame and was publicly recognized as an officer by his subordinates.
The Disaster Pirates, great and small, all appeared on this high platform.
"Hmm, hello, hello..."
Lily handed Sage a loudspeaker radio snail microphone, and Sage shouted a couple of sentences, with his voice spreading from the royal palace to the North District.
A louder clamor came from below.
Sage extended one hand, pressing it downward, and the noise below instantly stopped, falling silent.
From above, the crowd below was so densely packed that it was impossible to count, stretching far into the distance until they were just outlines.
The crowd was in the tens of thousands, endless. This city is a gigantic city capable of accommodating a million people, and now it's filled with standing people that can't be seen to the edge even from above.
Sage's lips curved up, "Alright, now..."
He extended his hand, gesturing for Lily to hand him the script. After feigning a glance, he handed the microphone and script back to Lily.
"Let Lily speak for me."
What's the point of looking at the script when you can't read? Just going through the motions and appearing in person is enough.
"Sword Princess-sama!"
"It's Thunder Princess!"
"Clearly, it's the Noble Knight Princess!"
There wasn't the anticipated disappointment or feeling of something amiss, because Lily was very popular in this place.
When a person performs unforgettable feats, naturally, there will be people who praise them, regardless of whether it's good or evil.
Lily personally orchestrated the death of all the nobles in the Gares Kingdom, leading the massacre herself, decimating no less than a thousand families.
Just as Lily once told Great Noble Tihana a saying from madman to Norton I, this kind of tale was propagated by people about Lily.
The frenzied monster slaughtering the righteous nobles.
Devil's offspring devouring the noble blood.
The mighty Sword Princess destroying yet another family.
Bienta Lily found her target.
The noble princess practicing justice!
Just hope she halts her formidable sword, offering mercy.
The last sentence was spoken by those nobles who hadn't yet been visited by Lily.
Reputation changes slowly over time.
Especially as Lily is quite attractive, with an outstanding demeanor, even more noble-like than the actual nobles, and she's immensely popular among the people, being the second most influential person under Sage.
By the way, Old Hawkins is the third most influential.
Though his eyebrows are strange, he's quite handsome with a melancholy demeanor that is beloved by the girls within the region.
The main thing is that he also has the golden wavy hair, benefiting from Lily's popularity.
Once Lily took the microphone, she looked at the densely packed crowd below and slowly said:
"In over half a year, we eliminated the nobles of this kingdom, returning governance to Norton Sage. Up to now, no noble dares to claim otherwise. This place effectively belongs to us, to Norton Sage, from now on, the Gares Kingdom will become history, Augustine Castle will be renamed, you will belong to a new nation, under the rule of Norton Sage alone, all of you, everything... will belong to Norton Sage!"
"Oh!!!"
Like mountains roaring and seas raging, whether commoners or stationed guards, all let out howls.
This is not bad at all!
No one felt something was off, nor considered this as usurping or domineering.
It's natural for pirates to be domineering, isn't it?
On the contrary, they felt at ease.
The name Gares, for the commoners, at times reminded them of noble rule, making it hard to sleep soundly.
The old king, Charismudini, was a person of reverence, but he is no longer, and immediately, war broke out. After ending the war, the one who brought peace to the people... is Norton Sage.
Old remnants?
Long exterminated by Lily, with not even the worms outside the door split in half.
No differing voices exist.
What exists now, as considered by Lily, is a people no longer oppressed, and who knows who treats them well, the true people.
"Sage..."
Lily handed the microphone to Sage, who took it with a grim smile, addressing the video snail and everyone present:
"O'hara!"
"My hometown, though it no longer exists, I now name this kingdom O'hara! As for the city... it will be called Storm City!"
"The old O'hara stood for knowledge alone, but the O'hara I rebuild here will have everything, knowledge, wealth, resources... whatever it may be, gathering here like a storm, then sweeping to all places!"
"Everything is here, come and take it, as long as you have the capability, as long as you serve me, then these things will surge to you like a storm! Of course, it has to come through me to you, because everything belongs to me, I am O'hara, I am the storm!"
When everything belongs to Sage, he and this nation are indistinguishable.
So, it's not wrong to say he is the new O'hara!
He is somewhat nostalgic; since O'hara is gone, just build a new one!
When he was two years old, the World Government used the Buster Call to destroy O'hara. Now, the new O'hara... the Buster Call is ineffective!
As for the Island of Knowledge, it's not impossible to achieve here.
Knowledge is the first productive force, although illiterate, the more illiterate you are, the more important it is for people to study well.
If high-caliber talents emerge, it means this place will prosper even more, and it means he can collect more taxes.
...
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Pangu Palace.
Five old men stared at the screen displayed by the video snail, each with a gloomy expression.
The Martial God of Scientific Defense, Jaygarcia Saturn, snorted coldly, "What does a mere pirate want to do? O'hara has long since vanished!"
In such a large place, there couldn't be a lack of special agents. The World Government has quite a bit of focus on Sage, and naturally intercepted the signal of such an announcement of rule, showing the footage.
The Agricultural Martial God, Shepherd Ju Peter, folded his hands across his chin, "This guy can fight Kaido and has become an unstable threat."
The Legal Martial God, Topman Warcury rasped, "O'hara... is this a provocation to us?"
The Environmental Martial God, Marcus Mars, calmly stated, "According to intelligence, this guy is an illiterate fool. The Poneglyphs snatched from Alabasta were just used for training. As for the obtained 'Pluton' blueprints, he can't build them, even Vegapunk couldn't; the 'Blast Hammer' by his side is just a boatman."
"It's nothing but a futile struggle."
The Financial Martial God, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, adjusted his glasses and coldly said, "Let him cause a ruckus; the New World isn't only about him. Since the first pirate appeared until now, countless pirates have come and gone, but we... have stood for 800 years!"
"Indeed..."
Saturn intoned, "He is not a 'D', unworthy of concern."
No matter how boisterous Norton Sage is, to them, it's all familiar.
The Four Emperors, Pirate King, Rocks, and even older pirates, going back to the first pirate... Joyboy.
Ultimately, it all turns to historical dust, while only the World Government remains!