As Don Krieg approached, seemingly having seen through his scheme, Ages ultimately remained convinced that there were no flaws in his acting.
Ages had considered striking immediately and killing Don Krieg, but Don Krieg was well equipped, already on guard, and possessed immense strength.
Ages wasn't confident he could finish Don Krieg off quickly, and if he didn't, he would have more than just Don Krieg to deal with-he would have over five thousand people to face.
Even though Ages could use the Gravity Fruit to suppress large numbers of opponents, there were limits to a Devil Fruit's use. Using its powers consumed stamina.
(The stronger a Devil Fruit User was, the greater their stamina.)
And Ages didn't currently have enough stamina to defeat more than five thousand people with the Gravity Fruit.
After Ages made his decision...
Watching Don Krieg approach step by step, Ages's little face filled with terror. He fell back onto the ground in fright, his body trembling as he stammered.
"U-Uncle... wh-what are you doing...?"
Then, with a loud wail,
Ages burst into tears. They kept falling as he wiped at them with his little hands, crying no matter how much he wiped.
"Boo-hoo... Uncle, I didn't lie to you... boo-hoo~"
Don Krieg's face remained cold. Ignoring Ages's cries, he walked toward him one step at a time.
When he reached Ages, the boy was still crying.
Don Krieg gazed coldly at Ages, slowly raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and punched at him without hesitation.
Whoosh!
His fist made a faint sound as it cut through the air.
"Ah!!"
Ages's scream rang out...
But no bloody scene followed.
Don Krieg's fist had stopped just one centimeter from Ages's face.
Watching Ages scream in fright, Don Krieg relaxed his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, and the suspicion in his heart faded with them.
In fact, from the very beginning, when the sharp-faced man had brought Ages in and told Don Krieg about him,
Don Krieg had never fully believed what Ages said.
Who was Don Krieg? He was the overlord of the East Blue, a man with over five thousand followers who used clever schemes to disguise himself as the Navy or merchant ships and attack villages and vessels.
How could a pirate captain who managed over five thousand men possibly be an idiot?
When Don Krieg learned about Ages, his first reaction wasn't to take the money, but to wonder whether what Ages had said was true.
And what made Don Krieg most suspicious was what Ages had said about the treasure. It greatly aroused his doubts.
After all, Don Krieg was the overlord of the East Blue. He had been practically everywhere in the East Blue except Navy bases.
Don Krieg had never heard of any treasure in the East Blue, which made the naturally suspicious man doubt Ages even more.
So he decided to test Ages after the sharp-faced man went out.
Ages, too, had bet correctly on Don Krieg's suspicion. Ages believed there were no flaws in his plan or his acting, and on top of that, the barmaid had described Don Krieg as
a man who liked to use his head and scheme.
So Ages decided to take a gamble, betting that Don Krieg's actions this time were a test.
The final result was clear: in this battle without gunpowder, Ages had proven more skilled and won.
Don Krieg pulled back his fist and patted Ages on the shoulder. Putting on an apologetic expression, he said reproachfully to himself,
"Ages, I'm really sorry. For a moment, I thought you were a spy sent by my enemies, and that's why I attacked. I'm really sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"I'll buy you something tasty later to make it up to you."
Don Krieg was truly a master schemer. He changed his face faster than he could turn a page, even changing how he addressed Ages as he apologized to show his sincerity.
Faced with this trick for coaxing children, Ages sneered inwardly, but on the surface he pretended to smile happily through his tears and said,
"Uncle, you said it! You can't go back on your word."
Don Krieg smiled and said,
"Hahaha, of course. I won't go back on my word."
But as Don Krieg said this, he thought disdainfully,
Kids are so easy to fool. Give them a little something, and they'll do whatever you want. Hahahaha!
The sharp-faced man might have been trash, but when it came to getting things done, appearances could be deceiving. While Don Krieg and Ages were scheming against each other, he had already passed on all of Don Krieg's orders.
Standing on the third deck, Ages looked at the densely packed pirates standing in neat formation along the shore and thought to himself,
Looks like I really did pick the right pirates this time. As long as I capture Don Krieg, it'll be the same as ridding the East Blue of a huge scourge.
As Ages marveled inwardly, Don Krieg had already taken his place on the highest deck. A surge of an overlord's pride rose in his lofty heart as he looked down at his more than five thousand subordinates and shouted,
"Everyone in the Krieg Pirates, listen up! We're setting sail to find a couple, and as long as we find them, we'll get our hands on an enormous treasure!"
"A treasure that'll let us build a fleet to conquer the Grand Line!"
Roar!
Don Krieg's words instantly stirred up a commotion in the crowd. Everyone shouted and talked excitedly.
Don Krieg waved his hand, signaling the crowd to quiet down, and said,
"Quiet! Everyone, listen up!"
"You should all have heard about this mission from Monkey. Get moving and start searching."
"Because if we get the treasure this time, I'll use it to turn you into a fleet capable of dominating the Grand Line."
"We'll head to the Grand Line, find the One Piece, and rule the world!"
Boom!
Don Krieg's impassioned words set the pirates' blood boiling, and they shouted one after another,
"Long live Chief Don Krieg! Long live Chief Don Krieg!"
Listening to the thunderous shouts of flattery from more than five thousand people, Don Krieg threw back his head and laughed.
"Hahahahaha..."