Chapter 1200 - 702: The Master Is Kind-Hearted, Can’t Bear to See His Followers Suffer (Part 2)

"But the past is the past, and having bought my ship and my technology, you won’t just be trading within the New World. This place certainly belongs to those with dreams, but dreams alone aren’t enough; you still have to eat."

"With only dreams, do you fish in the sea every day for meals? We are pirates. The main job of a pirate is to plunder first, and treasure hunting second. But either way, you need to make a move. You can’t set sail and not even have enough food, only to fight to the death in a country for a reward that’s just a banquet, can you?"

Sage chuckled, "If you all are like that, it’d be simple! I’ve got plenty of work for you, not only will I feed you, I’ll house you too!"

Upon hearing this, the other pirates burst into laughter.

What kind of silly pirates would there be...

Wait, why does Calamity use the word ’also’?

"The New World is a place to pursue dreams, so the Four Seas are capital for you to achieve your dreams. Pirates gather here, fighting to take territories, but ultimately it’s still about money and resources, isn’t it? I’m creating these conditions for you. A good portion of us came from the Four Seas, and the prosperity of the Four Seas isn’t much lower than the Grand Line, while their vastness cannot be compared to the Grand Line. After all, one single route can’t compete with the whole world."

The legend of the ultimate treasure has always existed, and whether they are dream-chasers, merchants seeing it as a business opportunity, or ordinary people wanting to witness a splendid world, they’re all here on the Grand Line.

But ultimately, it’s just a route, a route that has accumulated at least a millennium; as prosperous as it may be, it’s just a route.

The Four Seas are very prosperous, and they have the most powerful nations.

Raiding the Four Seas will definitely be more cost-effective than wandering around the latter half of the New World.

"But the countries in the Four Seas are all member nations; if you raid there and bring the goods back, I’ll face additional risk. One or two might not be much, but if you all start using the technology to cross the Calm Belt merely for sightseeing, the World Government will definitely notice me as the numbers grow."

"So, when I charge you a ’passage fee,’ it’s also a form of guarantee. After all, as you raid the Four Seas, you’ll eventually recoup this cost."

Sage’s words caused the numerous pirates to exchange glances and whisper among themselves.

The words make sense indeed; while the cost is high, the Four Seas are also prosperous. Besides, the ship isn’t a one-time consumable; a ten billion Belly ship is surely the most robust and fastest.

Even with a ’technology fee’ of five billion a year, in the Four Seas’ gentle environment, if they can’t raid five billion Belly in a year, they might as well quit—they’re pirates who’ve made it to the New World, none of whom are simple.

Raid for a few more years, and recouping the costs is certain; what you earn beyond that depends entirely on your own abilities.

"But, it’s really expensive..."

Some pirates still felt the price was steep, "If we buy the ship, for even a year, plus the credentials you mentioned, we’d have to fork out twenty billion Belly, which is more than our crew’s entire bounty..."

The pirate speaking had a bounty of over five billion Belly; he was solitary, without a fleet, following a strategy focused on quality over quantity, and his shipmates were quite formidable, but altogether they didn’t come close to twenty billion...

After so many years of piracy, the total value was there bit by bit, but the problem is, that’s from years of accumulated looting, and much of it had already been scattered out.

No one can take it out all at once.

"So, there’s always loans..."

Sage extended four fingers, "40%, ten years, borrow ten billion; repay me fourteen billion Belly or equivalent goods within ten years, that’s a very low interest rate—go ask around externally, I usually charge 40% per year."

"But I sympathize with the situation you’re facing now; I’m a kind-hearted grandee who can’t bear to see people suffer under me. I’ll loan you the principal so you can have ships and men ready to head to the Four Seas. Could you not even risk one life? I doubt that’s the kind of person you are."

The pirates chuckled dryly.

Having entered the New World, especially reaching the latter part of it, who doesn’t have their life balanced on a thread?

Preserving life isn’t that kind of preservation—what’s the point of being a pirate if you don’t take the path to riches?

"Calamity, you lend regardless of how much? Aren’t you afraid I’ll run off?" asked a skeptical pirate.

"Hahaha! No one has ever failed to repay me. If you manage to run off truly, I’ll admit you have great skill. Ultimately, this business speaks through power; if you really can escape without paying, so what if I acknowledge it?"

Sage laughed heartily, "But you still need to pay the down payment. I can’t not profit at all; consider it as an admission fee or a ticket, three billion Belly entry fee, alright?"

"Alright! Then it’s settled! I’ll pay the money! I’ll pre-order a vessel right away. Sign me up for three years of the technology! Give me the credentials, and once I have the ship, I’ll lead my crew to the Four Seas!" declared the pirate decisively.

This statement triggered a chain reaction, with scores of pirates signing up consecutively.

No matter the personal thoughts, amidst the multitude of pirates’ registrations, everyone tagged along.

Those short on funds would grit their teeth and head back to find their buried treasure locations to gather the sum.

For pirates, the most common way to store treasures involves burying their stolen loot on an uninhabited island; the treasure maps are drawn in convoluted ways that only they can comprehend.

Those treasures are the fruit of their labor over many years, but for the sake of a greater future, it must be dug out.

"Get someone to sign them up, let them stay afterward—being invited here, I’m definitely more than willing to host a meal."

Sage waved a hand, took a puff of his cigar, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and left the banquet hall with a smile.

The plans went smoothly.

"Oh la la..."

On Sage’s way out of the banquet hall, Kuzan leaned against a wall in the corridor; upon seeing Sage, he couldn’t help scratching his head, "Quite the buzz; I wonder, are there no smart people among the pirates?"

"How could there not be? You’ve battled pirates for years; if they were all fools, pirates wouldn’t be such formidable foes for you."

Sage chuckled and pulled out a cigar box from Lily, tossing a cigar to Kuzan.

After accepting it, Kuzan naturally followed in Sage’s steps.

"But intelligence can’t compete with the greater trend, you know? What is the greater trend? My current path is the greater trend. Even smart people realize, the three billion Belly entrance fee essentially covers the ship cost; I’m still making a profit. What about the technical add-on fees, enhanced wind-driven mechanisms, and embedded Seastone? They equate to zero costs in my case. Some even know the price of my raw materials; the cost is cheap, and three billion Belly is absolutely profitable."

"The rest is pure gain. Those whose expressions seem off but still choose to register—don’t they understand? They go to the Four Seas, rather than calling it looting, it’s more like working for me. I eat the meat, they sip the scraps—after all, the goods leave from me. The merchants in Four Seas’ black market can’t swallow them whole, perhaps the broader Underworld has this capacity, but they’re too scattered."

"Ultimately, the benefits fall to me, but so what? Everyone is heading in this direction; even if they know what’s wrong, so what? If they don’t do it, others will; when others are making money here to reinforce their arms, the ones who sit idle will be eliminated."

"Lying flat? A pirate’s lying flat equals death; over time, you’ll collapse, so they’ll also accept my proposal."

Sage clamped the cigar between his fingers, smiling back at Kuzan, "See, haven’t we solved a lot of New World’s pirate issues this way? They’ll use the money they earn to arm themselves and their domains. When the time comes, these guys will be unified with us."

Kuzan pressed his lips together, "And what about the Four Seas..."

"That’d be the Navy and World Government’s concern; I’m just a pirate, indeed merely a landlord of O’hara..."

Sage’s wide grin revealed an array of white teeth, uttering words that sent shivers down the spine, "I’m only one person, but as a kind-hearted landlord, it pains me to see my people suffer."

Therefore...

Those not with him aren’t of consequence.

"It’s better than certain benevolent ones, who can’t stand people dying in front of them."

Lily added, "Some things are necessary costs; the larger something is, the more it must be so."

Sage was stunned, bursting into laughter.

A grandee kind-hearted enough not to bear people dying in front of him.

So they should die far away.

Such individuals possess far greater destructive power than him!