But without going to sea, they will pay more taxes in the Oyekot Kingdom, and sooner or later they'll end up in the mountains as bandits.
Being a bandit or going to sea...doesn't necessarily make one a pirate!
Anyway, it won't be worse than it is now!
Among the bandits, someone moved first, running madly towards the port, sparking a fuse-like effect; once the first person acted, the rest followed suit and headed uniformly towards the port.
Some citizens didn't know what was happening, but seeing many people running to the port, they followed suit, and more and more people joined the crowd heading to the port.
Seeing this scene, Ennio's mouth curled into a smile, followed by a serious expression as his round body hurtled towards Sage like a heavy cannonball.
Sage steadied his stance, slightly turning his body. As this guy approached, he swiftly sidestepped, his hand striking out like a snake towards Ennio's temple.
"North Star Strike Down Finger!"
Snap!
Ennio directly twisted his collapsing right arm to block Sage's acupoint strike, Sage's fingers penetrating into his arm.
"Hah!"
Ennio's eyes widened, his left hand grabbed Sage's wrist and flipped him upwards.
Bang!
Just as Sage's finger left his arm, Ennio's right arm exploded, with flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
Ennio didn't even flinch, he pressed his feet down and used Moon Step to leap into the air, then unleashed a chaotic kick with "Rankyaku: Riot!"
Slash slash slash!
A massive barrage of slashes descended from the sky, striking the soldiers and navy, cutting down most of those who were pursuing the citizens.
The remaining navy and soldiers looked to the sky, thinking it was done by the white-haired kid due to their perspective.
Ennio's desperate attack gave Sage the chance to find a flaw; he was not polite at all, his fists turned into hundreds of shadows swiftly striking Ennio.
"North Star Hundred Split Fist!"
No Haki protection this time!
Countless fists hit Ennio, creating several dents in an instant, but at this moment, he gritted his teeth and endured the incoming blows, his head collided with Sage's chest, dragging him down rapidly.
Bang!!
The two fell from the air, and Ennio crashed into the ground creating a big dent, while Sage spun a few times before landing steadily.
This time, Ennio didn't get up.
His body was as mutilated as if hit by a dump truck, twisted beyond recognition, only his chest's rise and fall showing he was still breathing.
Sage looked at the dented Ennio and said, "There's a heavy price for making me take the fall."
"Cough, cough cough!"
Ennio coughed out a few mouthfuls of thick blood, took several deep breaths, baring his teeth: "I don't understand what you're saying, I just wanted to capture you and sell you."
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Sage pointed to the people robbing boats at the port, "You've been planning all along, right?"
There are many ships at the port, only a few are merchants'. When he arrived, he saw these docked ships, some even gathering dust.
The Haki, ships, and this 'King's' inexplicable statements, along with his deliberate killings of the navy and soldiers...
Sage was no fool, he naturally saw through it.
Whether bloodshed or otherwise, that fat and ugly face wasn't as detestable now, and Ennio slowly closed his bared teeth, his muddled eyes swiveling towards Sage.
"Angry? That I defamed you as a pirate..." he suddenly said.
Sage sighed, "The Arlong Pirates are gone, that's a fact. I have bad luck, can't find other drifting pirates, this profession is clearly unworkable. Even if you didn't pull this off, I intended to be a pirate next."
"Oh? Never thought about becoming navy? With your kind of man, you'd certainly make a name in the navy."
"Forget it. My temperament is wrong, can't bear constraints. I've heard the navy has no freedom at all, fighting pirates needs superior orders, besides..."
Sage hesitated, "Anyway, I'm not suitable."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Hey, not going to kill me?" Ennio called out.
Sage didn't turn back, saying calmly, "You're already dead."
Ennio chuckled, lifted his face to the sky, letting the increasingly heavy raindrops fall on his face, his eyes again muddled as his vital signs began to drop...
Boom!!
Thunder roared, raising a storm and rain, along with cannonballs exploding on the water before the port.
Cannonballs?
Sage looked towards the port, seeing the silhouette of a massive ship approaching from afar, getting closer.
"Navy warship! It's a navy warship!!"
Someone at the port shouted, causing the people preparing to snatch ships to panic and halt.
"Cough cough cough!"
Ennio coughed violently, supporting his body with his left arm, slowly crawling up.
"No setting out to sea!" Ennio shouted loudly.
...
"Ennio, they all say it's the Golden Lion who barged in here, inciting war between the navy and pirates, causing the country's decline, but I know it's not. The taxes from the sky have always been heavy, citizens can no longer bear it, I want to change this country, please help me!"
The man with hair shining like the sun reached out to Ennio...
...
He looked at the people at the port, his voice growing stronger, veins bulging in his neck as he screamed hoarsely, "No setting out to sea! No robbing my ships to sea! What will I do without your tax money!"
That voice made more people look this way, noticing their increasingly pitiful king... After a brief pause, they quickly resumed from panic, unfurled sails, changed course, and accelerated leaving the port.
This king who held no deterrence, with his soldiers suffered heavy losses, instead solidified their determination to set sail.
"No, you can't..." Ennio's pupils contracted, struggling to straighten his body, moving his legs.
...
"Ennio, I beg you, please take care of Lily..."
Lying in bed this time, a woman weakly pleaded...
Followed by increasingly heavy taxes and those nonsensical nobles...
No matter the attempts for change, the taxes from the sky can't be reduced.
No matter the tyranny, those nobles merely leech off the kingdom.
Even if Lily became a king, she'd end up like her parents, either dying or being stripped of status.
Being stripped of status...
It was no longer thirty-something years ago, but Ennio knew the horror of those guys well; they didn't care about allied nations, much less non-allied ones.
This country is beyond saving!
But the people can still be saved!
Those who want to save this country, those who wish to protect Lily, must let her, let them...
...
His steps were slow but now displayed unusual determination, staggering bit by bit towards the port, muttering:
"No setting out to sea! I said no..."
The ships setting out to sea were getting faster, Ennio's body suddenly swayed and his eyes grew murky, vague, only the anger-filled face gradually lifted in a crescent, shouting with all his strength:
"Set sail!!!"
Bang.
Ennio fell to the ground, his eyes dimming from muddiness to darkness, his life ceased, but the smile on his face was eternally frozen.
Sage walking towards the port heard the noise, shrugged, murmuring, "Should have died explosively... The physique of a strong person truly isn't ordinary."
If I'm to take the fall, then so be it. Bounty hunter indeed can't be done, other than becoming a pirate, there's nothing else I can do.
Just...
"I haven't boarded a ship yet, hey, I haven't boarded one yet!!"
Sage looked at the port, empty of any ships, a bit stunned.
So many ships, yet not one left?
Oh, there's still one...
The large warship was slowly docking.
"Sage, get on board! The navy is coming!"
A voice reached his ears, he turned his head to see Lily hanging from a sail, swiftly sailing on a small boat amidst the wind and rain, her hair flying wildly.
"What are you doing?" Sage asked.
"Setting sail!"