Troops, weapons, supplies... these things are essential, and the more you need them, the closer you must be with those who can provide them.
In fact, even Doflamingo could indirectly control the Disaster Pirates, control Sage!
What he said at the royal palace gates before was not baseless talk.
Sage's advance into the New World, he was looking forward to it the most.
Thinking of this, he revealed a sinister smile, clapping his hands, "Alright, let's start the banquet, officially welcoming my partners!"
With the clap of his hands, the sound of high heels rapidly tapping on the ground echoed urgently. A figure spinning like a flower appeared from the side door, her footsteps producing a rhythmic sound.
The figure kept spinning, her movements filled with power and passion, perfectly merging with the music resonating in the banquet hall.
As the dance steps quickened, the figure gradually moved faster, finally raising a hand, tilting her neck back, showcasing intense passion with a rose between her teeth.
A typical flamenco dance.
"Danced wonderfully!"
Sage raised an eyebrow, "Almost as good as the dancer in my group, hey, Doffy, give me this woman."
"Fufufufu, that won't do, she's considered an officer here."
Doflamingo laughed, "This is the dancer, Viola."
Viola retracted her dance steps, giving a slight bow to everyone, then changed her dance style, flowing around the hall.
"Hmm..."
Sage glanced at her, saying, "You're famous for dancing here, right? Find me some bold dancing girls, how about it?"
"Fufufufu, that's not a problem. If you want, I'll arrange it."
Just picking a few dancing girls, Sage didn't mind, and as for whether someone might plant spies... Doflamingo wasn't that dull.
Such minor intelligence, Sage could directly tell Doflamingo. Some small spies, if they came in, so be it, but if they could form a troupe, it would settle this matter on his mind.
"Hohohoho! I told you coming to the New World was the right decision, isn't this troupe problem solved!" Sage laughed heartily.
"Cheers to a pleasant cooperation." Doflamingo raised his glass, along with his officers, raising glasses with Sage's side, it was like a face-to-face meeting.
But afterwards, things deviated from his expected rhythm.
He originally thought that this was a face-to-face meeting, to become familiar with each other after a formal introduction.
But Sage insisted on drinking him under the table...
"Drink! Are you raising fish? A Seven Warlords of the Sea, a king, and you don't have this measure! Without measure, you can't become a true master of the seas! Yes, drink it all! Hohohoho!"
It started well, but midway through, Sage became rowdy, forcing Doflamingo into a drinking contest.
If it was just simple drinking, Doflamingo could easily find an excuse to escape. For him, alcohol was only tasted lightly, never overindulged.
But Sage's words incited him beyond backing out.
He had no measure?
Don't be ridiculous!
Thus, the drinking continued throughout the night, indiscriminately, young and old alike, except for Renedia, a genuine child, and Law, whom Doflamingo insisted retain consciousness, only Lily and Marika escaped.
As for the others, they were all drunkenly collapsed on the dining table.
"Useless, all useless, can't even finish the drink, what measure is that!"
Sage looked at the obviously struggling group, downed his cup's contents, and laughed, "But I am very satisfied with the banquet, let's continue next time!"
Saying this, he strode out of the banquet hall, guided to the resting place within the palace.
In this intoxication, after spinning and dancing half the night, Viola finally stopped her steps, watching Doflamingo, supporting himself on the table, managing to stay upright, her eyes squinting.
She took a few steps forward, gradually approaching this man, her fingers gradually clenching.
But at this moment, Doflamingo's lips curled, that wicked smile was caught by her observation, and she swiftly loosened her fingers.
"Fufufufu... Sage, that guy, his alcohol tolerance is terrifying too."
Doflamingo suddenly laughed, turning his head to look over, "What are you planning to do, Viola?"
"Young Master, you're drunk, I'm just checking on you," Viola pursed her lips, saying.
"Fufufufu, better be... you can go now."
Doflamingo waved her away, watching her slowly retreating figure, his grin widening, pondering something...
...
The next day, Renedia officially began shipbuilding.
Their ship was different from ordinary ones; for those common twin-masted sailboats, at most accommodating forty or fifty people, it only took a few days to complete.
Skill is skill; speed is speed; they are still different.
The initial Death Star, excluding the time for material collection, took quite a while just to build.
This time, the ship required using Pluton's technology and needed to be even larger in size.
Last time, they suffered from never having built a battleship; this time, she strictly adhered to the normal ship cannon numbers.
After all, she realized... cannons were merely for show; just firing once sufficed, as long as it suppressed the opponent's naval power, having too many was pointless.
Having sailed for some time, whenever they encountered a warship, not as many cannons were needed.
This time, she planned to install over two hundred cannons, with a hundred on each side, fifty at the back, and the main cannon at the front.
And the size...
Considering giants like Stansen would join, this time she increased the size, possibly reducing the number of people accommodated.
Aiming to house two thousand people and placing life areas and residences needed by everyone on the ship.
Two thousand isn't a lot, however... to achieve it all, the ship's size would naturally be enormous.
If there wasn't enough technology, such a massive battleship couldn't even sail.
Even with Boatman Stansen and the nurtured boatman group joining, along with sufficient materials, it would still take a month.
Half a month later...
Outside Dressrosa, beneath the bridge, the water surface held many shadows, a white-haired man sat at the edge, holding a fishing rod, like a motionless statue...
Below, those huge shadows lurked on the water's surface, similarly motionless.
The shadows were the outlines of Fighting Fish, densely packed, but quietly beneath the fishing line.
Overall, it looked as if that man alone, using a fishing rod, suppressed these ferocious Fighting Fish...
"Damn it!"
Sage's temple throbbed with a vein, his fingers gripping the fishing rod tightly, but he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
No, this was already the eighth fishing rod in three days.
Stay calm, fishing requires calmness!
This half-month, Renedia was shipbuilding, and Sage was truly idle; now and then, he came here to fish.
He still couldn't forget these Fighting Fish. Compared to other ocean fish, this fierce, leaping fish group was quite the challenge to catch.
As long as they bite, that was enough; no technique needed, just bite in the water, leap out, and it was caught!
Yet they didn't bite nor leapt out of the water.
Sage's persistence, persevering for half a month non-stop, if it were a woman, she would've been out of the water by now.
But this beast, stubbornly didn't move!
Every time he brought a fishing rod, these Fighting Fish didn't move, at one point prompting thoughts of using a net... if he could enlarge it with Momo, he could just scoop them up.
But as soon as this thought arose, the Fighting Fish swiftly swam away, giving him no opportunity, until he genuinely let go of the idea... not pretending, but truly gave up, only then would the Fighting Fish return, resuming the 'you fish, I'll watch' game with Sage.
On average, he lost one fishing rod a day for two weeks, the past three days more fiercely, already the eighth in his hand.
"Sage..."
Lily's voice sounded from behind.
"I can't possibly not catch them, Lily. Fishing requires peace of mind, it's the fish being too clever, recognizing the bait and not biting, but the more it's like this, the more challenging it is!" Sage instinctively replied.
"Not that..."
Lily shook her head, "There's an issue with Renedi there, shipbuilding has stalled."