Chapter 295: Just Rule Makes People Filthy Rich, False Rule Only Makes Them Poorer
Chapter 295: Just Rule Makes People Filthy Rich, False Rule Only Makes Them Poorer
Donquixote Doflamingo was already laughing, and the quality of this rainbow gem indeed looked good. Many people would undoubtedly be interested in it.
"Of course, gems can be exchanged for Berry, just like gold. You don't need anyone to promote or endorse it; it can be sold directly."
However, what Sagark said next sent a shiver down his spine.
"I mean, it's as good as Berry. It has a fixed value recognized by everyone on the sea."
Sagark narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, picking up a piece of meat with bones and chewing and swallowing it, skin and all.
Just like the food in his mouth, he wanted to devour all the wealth of the sea in one go.
"There's no need to mention gold. You know about diamonds, right? I actually don't think they're worth much, but the people of the sea do. But whether it's gold or diamonds, they need to be exchanged for Berry. As for the price, it varies in different places. What I'm saying is that it's directly equivalent to Berry and can be used without the need for conversion."
"For this, I don't care how high a price it fetches. As long as it stabilizes, that's enough. For example, stabilize it at 10 million Berry and let everyone on the sea believe that this gem is worth 10 million Berry."
No matter how beautiful something is if it can be produced at a low cost, its intrinsic value is negligible.
But Sagark could make it valuable. Aside from selling it, the best way was to create a Berry gem system, just like the Berry gold system.
"Pahahahaha! What are you up to, Sagark? You actually have a way like this? Berry, Berry!"
Without needing further explanation, Donquixote Doflamingo understood the implications of this idea.
Gems?
If these low-cost items could represent Berry, the gains would be immense for anyone involved!
"It can be done!"
His lips curled up to his ears, "I can use my connections to establish the value of this gem. Set the price at 10 million Berry, and I'll provide whatever is needed! But, Sagark, I don't want a percentage of the rainbow gem production. Give me 50% of the profits!"
Compared to the prospects Sagark painted, any other type of profit was insignificant.
Wealth?
As a king himself, wealth held little value to Donquixote Doflamingo in Dressrosa. Since becoming the king, he controlled various channels rather than just wealth.
By controlling these channels, he could secretly accumulate power.
If he had this gem, it would significantly impact these channels.
With just a few gems, he could acquire those crucial resources. This deal was certainly worth doing.
Upon hearing this, Sagark laughed twice and held up a finger, "10%."
"Hey, if I take care of everything, then I'm the one putting in the initial effort."
A vein popped out on Donquixote Doflamingo's temple, "You want ten out of a hundred?"
"I can handle it all too. How about this, I'm quite generous to my partners. In terms of resources, as long as it's something I have, I'll cover half."
Sagark said, "Weapons, ships, food, I'll cover half of the total cost for buying these things. Controlling it at a cost of 20 billion Berry to turn the rainbow gem into something linked to Berry, that's fine, right?"
"40%!" Donquixote Doflamingo replied without hesitation: "You don't have business connections. Relying solely on this place will only attract people on this route and won't cause a stir worldwide. Your progress will be slow."
"10%. Even if progress is slow, my territory is expanding. It's just a matter of time." Sagark said.
"30%. Time is money, but if I help, it will speed up a lot."
"15%. The product is ready, and we have a plan. From now on, it's just a matter of execution, which can be done in various ways. It's not just your channels that can get it done. I remember that Crocodile is out there too. That guy also knows how to do business." Sagark said indifferently.
"Pahahaha! He just wants to establish a military power to preserve himself, and no one knows where he is now. It will take a lot of time for him to recover. Why waste that time? Let's compromise, 20%. I'll help you with this, and the cost will be within 20 billion Berry."
Donquixote Doflamingo laughed, "This can be accomplished within a year."
"Deal."
Sagark asked Belle to pour them more wine, then picked up his gem-encrusted wine glass and raised it to Donquixote Doflamingo, "Then, cheers to our cooperation!"
Donquixote Doflamingo laughed so hard his tongue lolled out. He raised his glass to Sagark, and after clinking glasses, he emptied his glass in one gulp. The two men locked eyes and burst into laughter.
"Whooohahahaha!"
"Pahahahaha!"
The sky was not gloomy, but under this laughter, there was a suffocating pressure that made Belle beside them feel breathless.
She didn't understand what they were talking about regarding harvesting and Berry equivalence, but she felt that her master was about to do something big again.
Lily's eyes flickered, and she remained silent, watching Sagark, who was laughing heartily.
Before this, she had also asked Sagark why he was doing this.
His answer had been about quantity.
If they wanted to sell the rainbow gems at a high price, they would need to strictly control the quantity. But if they did that, it wouldn't be considered an 'industry' on such a large territory, and it would become a chicken rib that wasn't worth Sagark's effort.
And once again, it was time to choose materials and finalize costs. Could it be that all this effort was just to produce a few hundred gems for sale?
How much could they possibly sell for? Even if they drove up the price to that of a Devil Fruit, they wouldn't be able to sell many.
Devil Fruits were truly a rare find, whereas rainbow gems were something that Sagark could increase production of by simply expanding his workforce.
He couldn't very well spread rumors about gems across the sea.
What, like gathering seven gems to summon a dragon capable of granting any wish?
Or perhaps there were nine rainbow gems across the world, and embedding them into a sword's hilt would grant one unimaginable natural power?
Those kinds of stories might fool a ghost, but they wouldn't help sell the gems. Besides, there was no dragon, and Kaido already had a beast if that's what they wanted.
The only option was to hype up and endorse the rainbow gems, stabilizing their price.
Sagark had no interest in scams or schemes; he was above such petty tricks.
The quickest way to do this would be to drive up the price of rainbow gems in the short term, then scam people out of their resources. Once the number of gems increased and their value dropped, they could cut their losses and run.
But there was no need for that. Sagark simply wanted to create another 'currency' linked to the Berry, the primary currency used across the sea.
After all, he couldn't produce gold, but he could produce these rainbow gems.
Overthrowing the Berry as the standard currency wasn't his goal. It was already widely circulated, and even in closed-off nations that didn't use Berries, gold was used for trade, with its value tied to Berries. A stable currency had its advantages.
He just wanted to create another stable currency linked to the Berry and, by extension, control it.
As a tycoon, he naturally wanted to control everything he could get his hands on. Since he couldn't directly control the flow of Berries across the sea, he would create something new and associate it with Berries, thereby gaining indirect control.
If a single rainbow gem was considered by everyone across the sea to be worth ten million Berries, and people started carrying them around for trade, who could say he didn't have control over the currency?
Another 'gold' would have been born.
In addition to the rainbow gems, Sagark had also finalized a trade agreement with Donquixote Doflamingo for weapons and ships. For this business, he would give Donquixote Doflamingo a third of the profits.
With Renetia in control of Pluton's technology, they could easily dismantle and produce top-quality weapons and cannons.
For example, they could produce waterproof cannons and rapid-fire flintlock guns, both of which were rare and in high demand across the sea.
Most people, even the Navy, used single-shot flintlock guns and cannons that needed to be covered during rain.
This was a significant business opportunity, as everyone needed these weapons.
Sagark was also fair to Donquixote Doflamingo, asking for only half of his profits.
"Hey, I heard you only pay 40% in business taxes," Donquixote Doflamingo said with a hint of annoyance.
"Sure, and if you want, I can also take care of your personal taxes. How about I give you 40%?" Sagark replied.
That single sentence was enough to leave Donquixote Doflamingo speechless.
"Hahaha! With all this money you're making, what are you trying to do? As far as I know, pirates are content with just occupying territory. Your palace is pretty impressive, though," Donquixote Doflamingo said with a laugh.
Money loses its value when everything you desire is easily within your grasp.
Sagark already enjoyed luxurious food, drink, and accommodations. His palace even had a courtyard, and he farmed using gold tools adorned with gems—the very picture of a nouveau riche.
With his ability to produce weapons and ships, he shouldn't need so much money.
"You already know the answer," Sagark said. "I want to rule the world! I don't like this broken, run-down world. Otherwise, why would I bother occupying Garess? Taking over Honeycomb Island would have been the fastest way. By occupying this transportation hub, I can ensure that my people prosper. The more they sell, the more money they make, and the more they'll consume, making our environment even more prosperous. The more prosperous it becomes, the richer I become."
"This is the kind of world I want to rule, not one where I have to fight tooth and nail for a bottle of wine. Why can't it just come to me willingly and offer itself up?"
"Let me tell you, false and lowly rule doesn't care about the people's well-being. It only leads to ruling over poorer and poorer lands until there's nothing left to rule."
"A reasonable, long-lasting, and increasingly prosperous rule is the only way for me to gain everything in this world. You had an easy path, but you chose the difficult one. Do I look like a fool to you?"
Otherwise, he could have used his Momonosuke Fruit ability to blow up any island he didn't like—that would be a form of rule, too.
A hollow rule.
With the weapons trade settled, it was time to finalize the ship trade.
Whether it was ordinary ships or warships, Sagark would give Donquixote Doflamingo a third of the profits. Another third would be sold in Garess, and the remaining third would go to Link, who would be in charge of opening new channels.
Some things couldn't be left solely to Donquixote Doflamingo; after all, he was a landlord, not a supplier. It was crucial to maintain control over what they could.
Otherwise, who was working for whom?
However, just as he had finalized this deal and seen Donquixote Doflamingo off, an unexpected visitor arrived: Crocodile.
(End of Chapter)
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