https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-152-Sag-You-re-Biting-Off-More-Than-You-Can-Chew/12610954/
Chapter 153: The Bigger the Storm, the Pricier the Fish
Chapter 153: The Bigger the Storm, the Pricier the Fish
He wanted them to buy the deeds?
The bar girls were stunned by Sag's proposal, then their faces lit up with joy, but the expression quickly faded and their eyes dimmed.
"Impossible, Sag," Link shook his head. "They don't have much money. How low can you go? Five million beri? That's still too expensive. Even if it's one million, the only ones who can afford that are these people. There are many more who can't."
He left the rest unsaid.
These girls who sold their laughter and company in the pleasure quarters should understand.
A deed was just a piece of paper. Even if Sag succeeded in his robbery, it wouldn't be of much use. The important thing was the real estate and the ownership of the properties here, and those already belonged to someone else.
The government officials and wealthy nobles who controlled this place would never let it go so easily. Even if the common folk bought the properties, they would soon be taken back.
But there was no need to say all that. Link didn't know what Sag was thinking. Perhaps he just wanted to rob the common folk of their possessions.
After all, many people lived here, and 80% of them were burdened with hefty loans just to reside in this place. If Sag wanted to create chaos, Link wouldn't stop him.
With such a large population, they could indeed extort a sum of several hundred million beri.
"Even if they had the money, no one would be willing to pay," Link added.
Sag laughed, as if reading Link's mind. He draped an arm around one of the bar girls and asked, "Who would buy something that offers no guarantees? I'm just asking about the price. Tell me, for that deed, or rather, if you no longer had to pay those hefty loans and rents, and there were no cuts taken from your earnings, how much would you be willing to pay?"
The bar girls' eyes lit up with longing, and the one Sag had his arm around said, "If that were the case, I'd be willing to give everything I have, but that's impossible. Sea robber, you are free. You sail the vast oceans and live as you please, but we are not. We are bound to this place and cannot be as carefree as you."
"Hahahaha! To be carefree and unfettered, one must either be a noble or a pirate!" Sag laughed heartily, then turned to Link and held up five fingers. "You hear that, Link? They're willing to give everything. I'll throw out a number—five billion beri."
"I won't charge per person," he continued. "I'll give you a flat rate. Give me a list, and I'll rob according to that. Deeds, property titles, or if there's nothing else, I'll just kill the owners. I guarantee there won't be any trouble afterward."
"Sag, I've already said I'm not doing this," Link refused.
"I'm not asking you to. I want you to deliver a message to the local black market traders. They'll be interested," Sag insisted, his eyes glinting. "In this world, there are more rich people than just the ones here, am I right, Link?"
As he watched Sag's sinister smile, Link's pupils contracted, and he shuddered.
Wait...
If Sag eliminated those in power here, the common folk wouldn't be able to handle all the deeds and property titles. But there was a group that could—the outsiders who had their eyes on the industries of Carnival City, those who hadn't gotten their share of this prosperous island. Not the World Government officials, but the wealthy individuals from the various kingdoms. They would be interested!
A single black market trader might not dare to offend the World Government, and a lone civilian might not be able to resist the retaliation of the nobles. But together, with the addition of these new powerful figures, it could work!
A new balance could be established! As long as the industries were sold to these new power players, they would naturally share the pressure from the World Government. Moreover, if the civilians were given their own loan-free homes, they would become a buffer against any backlash for these new figures.
The black market traders would hold the keys to the chaos on this island. On one hand, they would have the civilians who no longer had to pay loans, rents, or cuts from their earnings. On the other hand, they would have these new powerful figures, and no one would dare pursue them.
As for the loss of many immovable properties, well, they weren't in the business of renting them out anyway!
As long as they got their hands on the revenue-generating industries, they could not only sell them but also carve out a piece for themselves—a base of operations.
And when it came to connections and channels, any black market trader worth their salt would have their own network.
For an island like Carnival City, figures like Umite and Giberson would definitely be interested. And even if they weren't, as long as there was money to be made, they could resell it to Du Feld and Stucci, who would then find new buyers.
Link had no shortage of connections, and all it would take was a single disruptive force to stir things up.
Smack!
"Five billion is too much!" Link slammed his hand on the table. "If we want them to stand with us, we have to offer a low price or even give it to them for free. I can't give you that much for this part. The most valuable assets are these revenue-generating industries. I can only offer 30% for those, and even then, I'll be taking a loss."
He thought for a moment, then held up a finger. "According to Rogue Town's prices, I'll give you one billion. Add two hundred million on top of that. One point two billion beri!"
"I thought you weren't doing this?" Sag smiled.
"It's business. There's no such thing as not doing it. I'm in," Link said, his eyes gleaming with the temptation of establishing himself in Carnival City.
For a black market trader like Link, the allure of this proposal was irresistible.
Leave this deal to the local competitors? No way! He was afraid of the World Government, but there were ways around that, and he was a businessman above all else!
30% profit was worth the risk, 50% profit was worth trampling over anyone who stood in his way, and 100% profit... well, at that rate, he'd sell the rope used to hang himself!
They were in the black market; there was always risk involved! But this deal... this could work!
"One point two billion is too little," Sag countered. "This is the terminus of the sea train; the volume of traffic is enormous. Hmm... take off five hundred million. One point five billion beri."
"That's still too much," Link argued. "You won't be able to carry everything you steal. Aside from cash, the rest won't be easily spendable. A flat rate of one billion beri is already more than enough!"
Sag shook his head. "I'm the one taking the risk. It takes a pirate of my caliber to pull this off. Any small-time pirate wouldn't be able to handle it, not even for a hundred million. Just ask Hawkins about the forty billion beri!"
Hawkins paused, considering Sag's words, and then nodded in agreement.
If he were still a captain, even with this opportunity, he wouldn't choose to go against the World Government, especially with two Marine Headquarters vice admirals and their crews in the area. He didn't have the strength for that.
Pirate crews like Sag's, with over a thousand members, formidable individual strength, and no fear of the World Government, were usually found in the New World.
In the first half of the Grand Line, he might be the only one."
"You're just doing what you're good at. The local black market traders are already in cahoots with the rulers here. They won't go for your proposal. Only we newcomers, eager to establish ourselves, would buy what you're selling. Twenty billion beri, no more!" Link grit his teeth and said.
"Forget it, let's drink. I came here to relax on vacation," Sag said, picking up his cup and sighing. "This damn place has too many things you can't take with you."
"Sag!"
Link panted, staring at him intently, before narrowing his lips and saying in a low voice, "Thirty billion beri! That's all the black market traders from the East Blue have. We can't go any higher."
After all, these were immovable assets. Such investments wouldn't turn a profit immediately, and spending that amount of money would temporarily be a loss. However, if Link could get his hands on his own industries, he could quickly make that money back.
Then, he could also establish his black market business in Carnival City and firmly plant his roots here.
But thirty billion beri was the limit. Any higher, and it wasn't that they were afraid they couldn't make the money back, but that they truly didn't have that much.
"Deal! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
Sag drained his cup and laughed at Link. "We really are good friends, aren't we, Link?"
"Then I hope next time you'll sell something to your 'friends' that's low-risk but high-value," Link said, rolling his eyes.
"From a fishing perspective, the bigger the storm, the pricier the fish," Sag laughed.
Link didn't say anything. He took out a pen and paper from his pocket and quickly wrote something down.
"Sag, how you rob them is your business, but I have a request. These people must be killed. If they're not around, burn down their headquarters. I'll take care of the rest."
Soon, Link filled the page with names and handed the list to Sag.
Sag took it and pretended to look at it seriously, nodding gravely before passing it to Hawkins.
"By the way, who are the three richest people in this city?" he asked.
"The list has introductions!" Link gritted his teeth. "What were you looking at just now?!"
He was illiterate, so he just glanced at it to give them face.
"Uh..."
Before Sag could speak, one of the bar girls timidly spoke up, "Sir, if you're really going to do this, can you start with this bar?"
At this point, Sag and Link's conversation had shocked all the bar girls.
Some of them didn't believe it, thinking that these drinking customers were just bragging. In a pleasure quarter like this, it was normal for customers to boast.
People could claim whatever identities they wanted when they were out and about.
On the other hand, those who did believe it were mostly the bar girls sitting closer to Sag, and for some reason, they trusted what Sag said. But the more they trusted him, the more fearful they became.
And amidst that fear, there was also a hint of excitement and agitation.
If what he said was true...
Then, would they no longer be in debt?
And if this bar was included...
Then, would they no longer have to pay a cut of their earnings?
Sag found this interesting and laughed, "Hmm, that's intriguing. Why would you suggest that? Logically, you'd either want to report me or pretend you don't know anything. Yet, you're offering suggestions as if you want to be my accomplice. Be careful, or someone might take you for a partner-in-crime."
The bar girl trembled under Sag's gaze and became fearful, but soon, she took a deep breath and said firmly, "I don't want to work here. My family's mortgage has long been paid off, but my father is seriously ill, so I borrowed a large sum of money from the boss. I've already repaid that loan, but it was a high-interest loan, and I can't seem to get out of debt. If he's gone, I can break free from this place!"
"Whether you're ruthless pirates or black market traders looking to sell out the local traders, I don't care. As long as you can really do it, I'm willing to pay!"
Some people worked here out of a livelihood, while others were simply in debt. Whether that debt was due to their own greed and decadence or because of family emergencies like an ill parent or a sibling's education didn't matter.
Sag didn't care about the reasons either.
The most important thing was that his idea was correct.
Many people would be willing to pay for something like this.
Robbery didn't always mean stealing physical goods to make money. Sometimes, intangibles could also be valuable.
"Link, look, business is here. I'll make the call. This person is worth a hundred thousand beri. Make sure you collect from her, right?" Sag laughed.
"Absolutely not!" The bar girl shook her head firmly. "If it can be done, I'm willing to pay more!"
"Sag, this bar's owner is on the list," Hawkins said, glancing at it. "He controls half of the businesses on this entertainment street. He's upstairs right now."
The list included detailed information about the primary targets, and one of the addresses matched this place. The owner also engaged in loan sharking and the sex industry.
"You three, go into action according to the plan. If there are people, kill them first, then burn the place down. If no one's there, just burn it," Sag ordered Bellamy, Palu, and Myott.
"Leave it to me, Captain Sag!" Bellamy licked his lips menacingly, finished half a bottle of wine in one go, and left with Palu and Myott.
"Ajin, these people on the street are yours to handle. Don't let any of the rich folks go," Sag instructed.
"Yes, Captain Sag," Ajin nodded and also left the bar.
"Alright! The party's over!"
Sag stood up, his voice booming throughout the nightclub, causing the customers who had been there since morning to fall silent and turn towards him.
"Drinking is always enjoyable, but enjoyable times are fleeting. My lucky friends, I am honored to inform you that you are the first targets of my robbery since I, Norton Sag, landed in Carnival City!"
Sag bared his teeth in a grin, and in the dimly lit building, intentionally designed to highlight the neon lights, he curled his lips into a sinister smile:
"Now, let the robbery begin!"
(End of Chapter)
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