Clang!
On the deck, a cold glint suddenly flashed, quickly piercing the sky and heading straight for Sage standing ahead.
Sage smiled and swiftly extended two fingers to catch the cold point.
The slender blade, about two fingers wide, was firmly clamped between his index and middle finger.
"Too simple."
Sage looked at Lily, who was trying to retract her sword, and said, "Your Soru is good, but this level of attack only works on small fry. You're a swordsman; speed alone is useless. While increasing speed, also enhance your swordsmanship's power."
"Power Shock!"
On the other side, a giant Sheep Horn Hammer came flying quickly. Sage pinched and flicked his two fingers, causing Lily to stumble backward. At the same time, he easily hopped and squatted right on the hammer's surface.
"I don't have much to guide you in your ability. You know more about power than I do. Just focus on developing your abilities. And one more thing, when will my gun be ready, Remedia?" Sage looked down at Renedia.
"It's done! I'll give it to you!"
Renedia shouted angrily, and the hammer handle she was holding twisted again, the enlarged Sheep Horn Hammer quickly shrinking back into an ordinary tool hammer, making Sage fall from it.
As soon as he landed, he heard the sound of the wind. Gin was charging from the other side like a cheetah, spinning his cane and smashing it toward Sage with force.
"Your intent is too obvious."
Sage simply sidestepped and pointed his two fingers at Gin's head.
"Kami-e!" Gin's pupils shrank, and his body started to sway like a willow in the wind.
"You're too greedy. You qualify as a pirate, but body techniques should be developed step by step!"
Sage swung his leg like a whip, striking Gin's ribs, sending him flying into the ship's railing.
Then, he retracted his foot and approached the quivering person at the back.
"I, I... I'm the invincible Pearl!"
The remaining Pearl's legs trembled as Sage approached. He closed his eyes and shouted, "Tekkai!"
Bang!
Sage's fist struck his abdomen, lifting him an inch off the ground, his body curling like a shrimp, his eyes bulging as he clutched his stomach and knelt down.
"You still need to strengthen, but... you're not afraid of pain anymore. That's encouraging."
Sage glanced at Pearl on the ground, turned around, and walked towards the throne on the deck. As soon as he sat down, a tray approached.
"Please enjoy."
Marika's gentle smile appeared beside him.
Sage glanced at her, picked up the glass on the tray, shook the liquid inside, took a sip, and said, "Nice mix, Marika. Aren't you going to try fighting?"
Marika chuckled, "Oh my, cooking is my specialty, not fighting."
"Is that so..."
Sage squinted and smiled, shaking his head.
In his eyes, this woman possessed hidden strength.
As for the others, it was mainly because he had previously mentioned they needed more practice, leading Lily and the others to challenge him, resulting in today's scenario.
It was also a good way to check their progress.
The result was...
Neither good nor bad.
Lily probably progressed the best. She used Soru well and could even initially combine it with swordsmanship. But besides speed, her swordsmanship was lacking.
However, Sage didn't know much about swordsmanship; he only understood body techniques. He had heard of the term 'Breath of All Things', which supposedly allowed a swordsman to cut through steel.
Currently, Lily could only cut through stone, far from the mark.
Renedia was too young for extensive training, and she was a mechanician and ability user. It was better for her to focus on her own specialties, like her tool hammer, which had a very complex structure. Without her abilities, it couldn't transform into so many shapes.
Gin was somewhat greedy, incorporating features of 'Tekkai' and 'Soru' into his attacks but clearly failing. His use of 'Kami-e' was decent.
As for Pearl...
Tekkai needs improvement.
"Sage..."
Lily walked up to Sage, standing slightly behind him on the left of his throne, pulled out a telescope, looked ahead, then compared it with a sea map, and said, "We should be there."
"Oh?"
Sage reached for Lily's telescope and looked through it.
Ahead in the sea, there was a dense fog. Through the telescope, he could see the massive outline of a bridge within the mist.
A section of the Bridge Kingdom's bridge had been reached.
Gin shook his head, left the ship's railing, and moved to the front of the deck.
Pearl stood up, clenched his fists, and followed behind Gin. Behind them, the remaining pirates clenched their weapons.
Further back, on the open deck steps, Sage downed the drink from the glass, placing it back on Marika's tray on his right. Right in front of him, Renedia fiddled for a moment before handing over a beautifully jeweled flintlock gun.
"Here, it's ready. I've modified it to hold six bullets, and it can fire in the rain without being affected by it."
Sage smirked, took the flintlock gun, and holstered it in the left side of his belt. He remained silent, quietly waiting for the massive Black Ship to break through the mist and gradually approach the bridge outline.
He only rose to his feet when the bridge itself became visible and said, "Our Pirates are about to expand!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped onto the air as if invisible steps led up to the immense bridge. With a few strides, he rose to a higher elevation, ascending through the fog, landing on the bridge's edge.
Snap!
A cracking whip resounded on the bridge. A man in a guard's uniform swung a whip, landing a bloody red mark on a laborer carrying materials.
"Hurry up! Don't delay the work!"
The guard then seemed to sense something, looked to the side, and saw a man standing high on the bridge's edge, looking down at him...
"Yo."
Sage raised a hand, smiled slightly, and greeted him.
Bang!
He swiftly drew the flintlock gun, pulled the trigger, and a bullet hole appeared on the guard's forehead, dropping him to the ground with a stunned expression.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sage stepped forward onto the wide bridge, casually firing three more shots, killing the guards who hadn't reacted. Then he addressed the workers in surprise:
"My name is Norton Sage, and I'm a pirate recruiting new members. You..."
The smoke from the gun's muzzle gradually dissipated, along with the dense fog covering the bridge.
"How about joining my Pirates and becoming a pirate?!"
Here was a place where people from various Non-Adhering Countries and criminals were sent to become slaves. The entire structure consisted of these people, including guards who were once criminals.
It wasn't so much a nation as a prison for enemies.
Whether civilian or not, those who were still alive here had considerable endurance, steadfast willpower, and robust vitality, even in harsh conditions and under the whip.
Some were seasoned warriors. Just a quick glance over one section of the bridge allowed Sage to spot a dozen robust individuals.
These talents, rather than being slaves, could fill out his Pirates!
They would be the solid foundation for his future ambition!