"I am... Usopp."
Usopp, who seemed to be on the brink of death, spoke intermittently.
"Maybe it's better not to let him speak..."
Sabo wiped the sweat off his face and looked at the boxes piled up around him. "Are these Doflamingo's smuggled goods?"
"It seems so for now. They ship goods underground and then set sail through the hidden channels below."
Koala nodded and said, "We just haven't found the weapons factory..."
She took out a well-crafted flintlock gun and showed it to Sabo. "If we can find the factory that produces these weapons and destroy it, Doflamingo won't be able to trade anymore."
She had entered here earlier than Sabo, coming directly from the Toy Factory, and had broken open a wooden box, taking out a sample of the weapons.
"Have you found the smuggling list?" Sabo's voice rang out.
"Not yet."
Koala shook her head and said, "But it should be here. There are trading goods everywhere. We can..."
Bang!
Before she finished speaking, she heard a crisp sound and saw Sabo smash a hole into a box and pull out a long gun.
"Hey! Don't act so suddenly. I already have a sample. Why do you still need to, need to..."
Koala was about to get angry but suddenly froze, staring blankly at the long gun in Sabo's hand, unable to say a word.
"What's the matter, Koala?"
Robin followed her gaze and looked at the long gun in Sabo's hand, her eyes also widened with cold sweat trickling down.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
Sabo asked curiously, "I was just opening one to take a look."
"That, that is..."
Koala pointed at the long gun in Sabo's hand, thought of something, and looked around.
The boxes near this smuggling port are generally divided into two types.
One type is square wooden boxes; the sample Koala took out is that kind. The other type is rectangular, larger, and more sturdy.
She originally thought they were all the same, so she didn't touch them, but now the box Sabo smashed is this rectangular box!
And the weapons taken out of it are completely different from the ones she has.
The square wooden box contains swords and guns; the weapons are also well-crafted. But the difference is that every weapon, no matter how small, shows differences in design.
While the long guns held by Sabo and the ones revealed from the box's hole are identical, without any differences.
Most importantly, she has not only seen these guns but also possesses them!
"What's the matter?"
Sabo was a bit puzzled, "Aren't they just weapons?"
"Those are Sage's weapons."
Robin said gravely, "Doflamingo and Sage have transactions!"
Back then, she was the one responsible for negotiating business with Sage, and she had seen the weapons, identical to these.
Uniform models without any minor differences; the texture thickness of the butt and barrel was the same!
"Sage... Norton Sage? The Scourge?!" Sabo was also startled.
They aren't hostile to the Pirates, only disapproving of the evildoers. The territories under the Scourge are recognized by the Revolutionary Army.
Not that they haven't sent spies, but regardless of who goes to investigate, the only reports brought back are those of peace and prosperity. Some who returned from the investigation simply reside here, with their homes in O'hara.
At least it ensures their family's safety.
"Ah..."
Sabo recalled something and scratched his head, saying, "If that's the case, could that guy who can melt steel be Sage's subordinate? I thought he looked familiar..."
"Melt steel?"
Robin was surprised, "Could it be 'Demon' Gin? Is he here too?"
"Hey, now's not the time to discuss this. Sage is Doflamingo's trading partner? Does that mean behind him stands not only Kaido, who needs Artificial Devil Fruits, but also Sage? Could he be the mastermind behind the disputes among nations of the seas?"
They came to Dressrosa with the main mission to discover that the wars among nations are intensifying dangerously; those entities obtained a large amount of arms from unknown origins, causing dire circumstances everywhere.
Including the Flower Country from the West Sea, which suffered great losses because the enemy nation suddenly acquired a large batch of weapons, hindering the warfare.
The uprisings led by the Revolutionary Army in certain countries were also notably hindered because of this incident.
All these need to be investigated.
After thorough investigation, they found the owner of Koala's weapon unknown, but now, it's clear that half of the factors causing the sea's chaos can be attributed to that Scourge...
"Sage's goods are quite a problem." Robin murmured.
As for Sage, she's quite indifferent. Although at Punk Hazard, they were all severely injured, suffering from frostbite and explosion damage, including the ship being a third destroyed.
But that's the nature of Pirates, snatching and taking from each other. Luffy doesn't hate Sage, but he isn't pleased about being blown away at that time.
What's past is past; Luffy focuses on current battles without any strategy.
With her understanding of Sage, she thought that incident was settled, but now it's different...
Sage's goods are one issue.
If he has transactions with Doflamingo...
Koala said, "Sabo, you haven't dealt with him. That guy only has money on his mind. If you rob his goods, it's like taking his money. If you break his trading channels with Doflamingo, he definitely won't just let it go."