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Chapter 123: A Landlord's Gotta Collect Rent
Chapter 123: A Landlord's Gotta Collect Rent
Donquixote Doflamingo scowled, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses fixed on Sag, devoid of murderous intent.
As a veteran pirate, he knew the rules of the sea.
He had lost.
Likewise, Sag truly had no intention of taking his life.
At this point, there was no point in making empty threats.
It was better to focus on practical gains.
Doflamingo paused, his furrowed brows relaxing as he laughed, "Fine, you win. What now?"
Sag boldly spread his fingers, "I'll give you 500 million Belly and countless amounts of gold. Help me make more money!"
Excluding the collectibles in the captain's room, his treasury currently held over 700 million in cash and a vast amount of gold and jewels, all of which could be liquidated.
Doflamingo's eyebrows arched, "Hmph, that's it? And then?"
Sag was taken aback, "What do you mean, 'and then'?"
"Aren't we supposed to be partners?"
Doflamingo inquired, "What do you desire? What is your goal? Is it the Shichibukai position? There's a vacancy, and if you want it, I can make it happen without the need for a head. Or perhaps you lack weapons? I have connections for that too, and they're of high quality."
Sag: "..."
"Don't worry about those things!"
Sag waved his hand dismissively, "500 million is enough. Just help me make more money!"
"Is your reason for seeking a partnership with me solely for financial gain?!"
Doflamingo was seething, his body trembling with rage, "And you call that a large sum?!"
If it weren't for the sincerity in Sag's eyes, he would have thought Sag was mocking him. Here he was, a Shichibukai, the King of Dressrosa, the leader of the underground world, and this man had the audacity to challenge him, thinking he had some grand plan or great ambition.
And it all boiled down to money?
That was it?
What could 500 million Belly even accomplish? He could offer that much as a bounty in the underground world whenever he felt like it!
"What I desire, you cannot give. So, money it is."
Sag leaned back into the sofa, puffing on his cigar, "That's all there is to our partnership. However, if I establish any industries in the future, I'll sell them through you."
He truly had nothing else to offer Doflamingo for a partnership, except money.
After all, without a territory of his own, he couldn't pursue his landlord ambitions. That would only be possible once he claimed land in the New World.
But he didn't need Doflamingo's help with acquiring territory.
Out on the high seas, bloodline and heritage mattered deeply. Kings were kings, nobles were nobles, and commoners were commoners. The psychological scars of slavery were forever.
There were those who defied authority, but they mostly became pirates.
Among pirates, strength was paramount. Even so, it wasn't easy for a pirate to seize a large territory.
Take Dressrosa and the Wano Country, for example—they were acquired through Flamingo's cunning schemes and his own identity.
Even someone as powerful as Kaido couldn't take over Wano Country; he had to settle for installing a puppet ruler.
Sag couldn't offer a large territory, but a small one he could take himself.
As for ruling from the shadows, Sag had no interest in such schemes.
Why would he want to be a landlord in secret? That defeated the whole purpose. He wanted to rule openly, to let the world know of his dominion, to enjoy the fruits of his labor proudly—that was Sag's true objective.
"Industries?"
Donquixote Doflamingo paused, "Hehehe, alright, you seem to have a plan. In that case, I can offer a collaboration. I'll provide you with information and support out at sea. Once you venture into the New World, I also have the connections to distribute your 'industries.' In return, whenever I encounter troubles or have requests, you must help me. Of course, I'll aid you as well."
No matter who it was, he always found a way to collaborate.
Even someone as powerful as Kaido still needed him to sell weapons.
Tasco, despite stealing the fruit from him, was still cooperating.
These people all had their interests to consider.
And so did Sag—a man who could defeat him and possessed immense ambition, even declaring his intention to rule the world.
He could be an ally, whether it was to bring down those in power or to deal with Kaido.
Upon hearing this, Sag looked over with profound meaning, gazing at Donquixote's smile that was gradually turning sinister. He stood up, took a cup from the desk in the captain's room, grabbed another bottle of wine, and returned.
He poured himself a glass of the gem-filled wine and then poured one for Donquixote. Holding his cup up, he slowly said, "Deal!"
"Hehehe, a pleasure doing business!" Donquixote raised his cup, clinked it with Sag's, and burst into laughter.
As for the sincerity behind that laughter, only time would tell.
But Sag didn't care, nor was he concerned.
As long as he had a place to store his money and could even make more, he was happy.
Donquixote didn't linger after finishing his drink. He strapped the five hundred million Belly and the gold from the treasury into a bundle and flew away.
Such an individual, even if severely injured, was not someone the average person at sea could afford to offend.
Regarding this, Sag was relieved and content.
"Lily!"
In the captain's room, Sag called out to Lily with a hearty laugh, "Finally, the money is out! The treasury can now hold new wealth! Otherwise, it would've been filled to the brim, giving me a headache!"
"Are you really that carefree about that guy?"
Lily asked, "After all, he was your enemy not long ago, and you beat him so badly."
"It doesn't matter," Sag replied as he leaned back in the boss chair behind the office desk. "The gold alone, converted to cash, is worth nearly three to four hundred million Belly. I'll calculate it as ten billion, so with Donquixote taking that, he owes me ten billion. That's my principal."
"For joint ventures in business, I won't lose out. Whether he loses is his problem. My money must profit, and it has to be a substantial gain. We'll calculate it based on a 40% interest rate. With the ten billion Belly he took, he'll owe me four billion in interest next year. The principal isn't returning, and I'll collect interest from him every year. The same goes for Crocodile; with the five hundred million Belly he took, he'll owe me two hundred million in interest!"
Crocodile is in jail; where is he going to get the money to pay you back? And...
"Loan sharking?" Lily questioned.
"Isn't it normal for landlords to engage in loan sharking?" Sag chuckled. "Only the wealthy can afford to pay such substantial interest."
The poor?
Sag had no interest in their meager struggles.
However, he was very interested in the rich.
Whether it was through plunder or business, the wealthy were always more lucrative.
Especially someone like Donquixote, who controlled various business channels and even had his own nation.
Once he obtained his own territory, this money could become the capital investment for his industries!
(End of Chapter)
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