Chapter 63: The Man Who Has Everything
Inside the dim little tavern, it was no longer just Link the merchant. A large number of people had gathered, crowding around every table within the establishment.
Among these people were some dressed like gangsters, some who didn't look like good people, and also the type who smiled like legitimate businessmen.
They represented the underworld of Loguetown. Guided by the news brought by Link, they had all gathered in this small tavern, whispering amongst themselves, bringing back the vitality that the long-silent, dark tavern should have had.
This kind of tavern should have originally been like this.
Link, at this moment, was touching a signet ring on his finger, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. "I used to be a noble too, but my family declined. This signet ring is my family symbol. The guy who got it is my enemy, I..."
"Stop, stop, stop. I don't have time to listen to your story. Hurry up and make an offer," Sag waved his hand, unwilling to listen to his nonsense.
This signet ring was the item Link had specifically requested, belonging to a wealthy noble in Loguetown.
Sag had Lily make a trip to retrieve the signet ring, looting the noble's family treasure along the way.
And this signet ring was quite plain; its commemorative value outweighed its practical significance. Link gave one million Beli as a reward.
Middlemen, they were very rich!
As for whether the item was authentic, that depended on whether the noble had fakes. Sag wasn't responsible for authenticity; that was something the customer had to verify themselves. He was only responsible for selling.
Following his words, the noisy tavern suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at each other. Link eventually acted as the representative, extending one finger. "One billion Beli. This is all the money our eighteen black market merchants could pool together!"
This amount could be considered huge anywhere.
"One billion, huh..." Sag pursed his lips, clearly somewhat dissatisfied.
"It's enough, Sag! You only have half a day, and you might not even be able to gather goods worth this one billion Beli."
Link continued, "Since we can specify the goods, weapons, gunpowder, medicine, as well as jewelry and gold, are what we need first. Other goods need to be re-evaluated. We have the least need for food and clothes. After you rob them, just deliver them outside Loguetown's range. We'll send people to take over."
Fifty percent of the cost price, requiring only bearing some risk, could yield huge profits. With the Marines responsible for blocking the port all knocked out and the existing Marines unable to stop the Natural Disaster Pirates, they could easily make a judgment.
This matter was unanimously agreed upon.
"Having some profit is always better than having none. Regarding the things you mentioned, after I've seized enough supplies for sailing, the rest will be handed over to you. But as for jewelry and gold, you'll get however much you rob."
Sag stood up, raised his wine glass to the crowd, and said, "Here's to our smooth cooperation!"
The crowd stood up, followed suit in raising their glasses. After everyone had finished drinking, Sag laughed heartily for a while and said to the owner behind the bar, "Old man! The wine's not bad. Hope you're still alive next time I come!"
With that, he led Lily out of the tavern.
The goal had been achieved; there was no need to stay longer.
Only when they reached the street did Lily finally ask, "Sag, can they be trusted?"
"Merchants, of course, need credibility, especially black market merchants. If they lose their reputation, they're worthless. Don't worry, no one would joke about their future prospects."
Sag said, then laughed again, "Lily, isn't my plan perfect? Coming to Loguetown, not only did we resupply here, but we also earned a large sum of money. This is much better than ordinary robbery! When we reach the New World and have enough funds, I can achieve this dream of being a landlord!"
"Isn't just having territory enough?" Lily didn't understand.
"Shallow! How is just having territory enough? Being a landlord isn't that simple."
Sag spread his hands. "Listen well, Lily. Even kings often aren't the ones in charge. The so-called king is just a rich, pitiful worm trapped in a castle, self-righteously thinking they control everything."
"But a landlord is different. A landlord is the master of the land. Everything belongs to the landlord! And the landlord I want to be, within my territory, should possess everything!"
"Finance, news, storage... whether it's agriculture or commerce, whatever should exist on land, will exist in my land, and it will definitely be under my rule! Everything belongs to me, and everyone will eventually serve me!"
He clenched his fist forcefully and grinned, "But those things can't be obtained by robbing; they can only be built by oneself. For this, more funds are needed. As long as I have enough money, I can achieve my ultimate dream. Understand, Lily?!"
No matter what profession he pursued, Sag always wanted to reach the pinnacle of that profession to achieve his landlord dream.
To exploit people, you need something to exploit, right?
He had no interest in being some chieftain or the like. If he was going to do it, he'd be the richest landlord, having everything, everything better than others, preferably everything at the top and belonging to him. That was his ambition!
Fishing and farming, passing life easily was fine, but for fishing, he wanted to use the most expensive fishing rod to catch the world's biggest fish. For farming, he needed a golden hoe to cultivate the best land. Easily, of course, meant enjoying the world's top services easily!
Just like the saying 'If things really don't work out, just go back to the countryside and farm.' The feeling of an ordinary commoner saying this and a billionaire saying this was completely different.
He was the former now, but he wanted to be the latter!
Looking at the excited Sag, Lily opened her mouth, but hesitated, thinking for a long time before saying, "It seems it's not that simple..."
"Of course, it's not that simple, so we have to take it step by step. We don't have territory yet, we haven't even entered the Grand Line, let alone the New World," Sag laughed loudly.
*No, it's not about the Grand Line.*
*It's about the bad luck.*
*Sag... seemed to have had money initially, but it was because he wanted to start businesses that he became penniless.*
*With this luck, if he still insisted on starting businesses...*
*Maybe simply buying a piece of land would be an easier way to achieve the goal.*
Lily pursed her lips, but ultimately didn't say these words out loud.
Because she felt it would be useless to say it.
"Let's go, Lily. Let's see what the lads have robbed," Sag laughed and led Lily towards the bustling area of Loguetown.
At this time, Loguetown was becoming increasingly lively. The shop doors on the commercial street were all broken. The goods inside seemed to have ideas of their own, no longer wanting to be imprisoned by shop windows; they broke their cages one after another and rushed towards the embrace of freedom.
Similarly, the treasures and Beli in the wealthy district didn't want to be buried in dark safes and storage rooms. They wanted to circulate freely in the world, called upon the messengers of justice, and were taken away by people.
The pirates robbed one spoil after another, stuffing them into boxes or wooden barrels, and ran excitedly towards the ship at the port.
"Captain! Captain!"
Several pirates saw Sag and ran over excitedly. Leading them was the three-meter-tall mute man Sag had first recruited at Bridge-Top Kingdom.
He was dancing with joy, pointing at something. Other pirates displayed a cloak, and one of them shouted, "Captain! This is a good thing we found, dedicated to the Captain!"
It was a fur cloak, very long, reaching down to Sag's calves. It was entirely black, but the tips of the fur had a hint of scarlet. It was unknown what material it was made of, but it looked very exquisite.
It looked very expensive at first glance!
Sag's eyes lit up. He took the cloak and draped it over his shoulders. "Not bad, I like it very much!"
It was just right. During his fight with Garp, the 'Sword Mountain Cloak' he had confiscated from Krieg was gone. Now, changing into a precious fur cloak matched his status.
"Good job!" Sag praised them, then continued, "Put more important supplies on the ship. When the ship is full, put the rest of the things outside Loguetown. I just struck a deal; someone will acquire our goods on the spot."
"So all of you, get busy! How much money you can share depends entirely on yourselves. More work, more gain. Hurry up, and pass the word to the others along the way."
"Yes! Captain!" The pirates answered and quickly ran off to relay the message.
"That's why I like these people. They have drive, and their willpower is strong."
Sag pointed at the running pirates and smiled, but then suddenly froze. A red dot inexplicably flashed in his pupils, and he subconsciously looked towards the port.
"Oya..."
"Sag?" Lily asked strangely.
"A group of people is coming to block us. The timing isn't right... Are they the reinforcements called earlier because of those small-time pirates?"
Sag shook his head with a smile and headed towards the port. "Let's go, Lily, back to the port. Right now, I don't need anyone blocking my grand plan to get rich!"
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