One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

In the dim little tavern, it was no longer just Link the Merchant, but a large crowd gathered, each person crowding around every table in the tavern.

Among these people, some were dressed like thugs, some looked like bad characters, and there were those who smiled like respectable Merchants.

They represented the underground world of Log Town, drawn together by the news brought by Link, whispering among themselves, breathing life back into the long-silent dark tavern.

This kind of tavern was meant to be like this.

At this moment, Link was fiddling with a signet ring on his finger, a look of nostalgia in his eyes as he said, "I used to be a Noble, but I fell from grace. This signet ring is the symbol of my family. The one who got it is my enemy, I—"

"Stop, stop, stop! I don't have time to listen to your story. Just make your offer," Sage waved his hand, not wanting to hear his nonsense.

This signet ring was the item Link specifically wanted, coming from a wealthy Noble in Log Town.

Sage had sent Lily to fetch the signet ring, and along the way, she had looted the treasures from that Noble's home.

The signet ring was quite plain, its sentimental value far exceeding its actual worth. Link offered one million Belly as a reward.

A second-hand dealer, very wealthy! As for whether the item was genuine, that depended on whether that Noble had any fakes; Sage didn't guarantee authenticity. This was something the customers had to verify themselves; he was only responsible for selling.

As he spoke, the noisy tavern suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, and it was Link who took the lead, raising a finger and saying, "One billion Belly, that's all the money we can gather from the eighteen Black Market Merchants!"

This amount was enormous no matter where it was mentioned.

"One billion?" Sage curled his lips, clearly not satisfied.

"Enough, Sage! You only have half a day, and it's uncertain whether you can gather enough goods worth this one billion Belly."

Link continued, "Since we can specify the goods, weapons, gunpowder, medicines, and jewelry gold are our top priorities. Other goods need to be reassessed; we have the least need for food and clothing. Once we've looted, we just need to get it out of Log Town, and we'll send our people to take over."

With a cost price of fifty percent, they only needed to bear some risks to reap huge profits. Given that the Navy stationed at the port was all knocked out and the current Navy couldn't stop the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew, they could certainly make a judgment.

This matter was agreed upon by everyone.

"Having something to gain is better than having nothing. The items you mentioned, after I've secured enough for sailing, the rest will be handed over to you. However, for jewelry and gold, whatever you loot is yours."

Sage stood up, raised his glass, and said to everyone, "Here's to our successful cooperation!"

Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and after finishing their drinks, Sage laughed heartily and said to the tavern owner behind the bar, "Old man! The wine is good. I hope when I come next time, you're still alive!"

With that, he took Lily and left the tavern.

The objective had been achieved, and there was no need to stay any longer.

It wasn't until they reached the street that Lily couldn't help but ask, "Sage, can they be trusted?"

"Merchants need credibility, especially Black Market Merchants. Once they lose credibility, they're worth nothing. Don't worry, no one will joke about their future."

Sage said, laughing again, "Lily, my plan is perfect, right? Coming to Log Town not only allowed us to resupply but also to make a huge profit. This is much better than ordinary robbery! Once we reach the New World with enough funds, I can fulfill my dream of becoming a big landlord!"

"Isn't having land enough?" Lily asked, confused.

"Shallow! Just having land isn't enough; being a landlord isn't that simple."

Sage spread his arms, "Listen well, Lily, even a King has many who can't call the shots. The so-called King is just a wealthy fool trapped in a castle, thinking he controls everything."

"But landlords are different; landlords are the masters of the land. Everything belongs to the landlord! And the landlord I want to be should have everything in the land that belongs to me!"

"Finance, news, storage—whether it's agriculture or commerce, anything that should exist on my land will exist, and it will definitely be under my rule! Everything belongs to me, and everyone will ultimately serve me!"

He clenched his fist tightly, gritting his teeth, "But those things can't be taken; they can only be built. For that, I need more funds. As long as I have enough money, I can achieve this ultimate dream. Do you understand, Lily?"

No matter what profession he chose, Sage wanted to reach the pinnacle of that profession to fulfill his dream of being a landlord.

To exploit others, one must have something to exploit, right? He wasn't interested in being some chieftain; he wanted to be the richest landlord, having everything, being better than everyone else, ideally at the top of everything and owning it all. That was his ambition!

Fishing and farming, living a leisurely life is certainly fine, but when fishing, he wants to use the most expensive rod to catch the biggest fish in the world. When farming, he wants to use a golden hoe to cultivate the best land, living leisurely, of course, means enjoying the world's top-notch services!

Just like the saying, 'If all else fails, go back to the countryside to farm,' the feeling of a commoner saying this is completely different from that of a billionaire.

He was currently the former, but he wanted to be the latter! Looking at the excited Sage, Lily opened her mouth but hesitated, thinking for a long time before saying, "It doesn't seem that simple."

"Of course, it's not that simple, so we have to take it step by step. We don't even have land yet; we haven't even entered the Grand Line, let alone the New World." Sage laughed heartily.

No, it wasn't about the Grand Line.

It was about bad luck.

Sage seemed to have started off wealthy, but because he wanted to start a business, he ended up with nothing.

If he still wanted to start a business, perhaps simply buying a piece of land might be an easier way to achieve his goal.

Lily pursed her lips but ultimately didn't say this out loud.

Because she felt it wouldn't help to say it.

"Let's go, Lily, and see what the little ones have looted."

Sage laughed heartily and led Lily to the bustling area of Log Town.

At this moment, Log Town was even more lively. The doors of the shops on the commercial street were all broken, and the goods inside had their own ideas, no longer wanting to be imprisoned in the display windows. They broke free from their cages and rushed into the embrace of freedom.

Similarly, the treasures and Belly in the wealthy district didn't want to be buried in dark safes and storage rooms; they wanted to circulate freely in this world, calling for the messengers of justice to take them out.

Pirates looted one trophy after another, stuffing them into boxes or barrels, excitedly running towards the port ships.

"Captain! Captain!"

A few Pirates saw Sage and ran over excitedly, led by the three-meter mute who was the first to be recruited by Sage in Bridge Kingdom.

At this moment, he was so excited that he was dancing, pointing at something, while the other Pirates displayed a cloak, one of them shouted, "Captain! This is a good thing we found, dedicated to the Captain!"

It was a fur cloak, long enough to reach Sage's calves. It was entirely black, but the tips of the fur glimmered with a hint of crimson. It was made of an unknown material but looked exquisite.

It looked very expensive at first glance!

Sage's eyes lit up as he took the cloak and draped it over himself, "Not bad, I like it!"

Just right, when he fought Garp, the 'Sword Mountain Cloak' he had seized from Klique was gone. Now, with this valuable fur cloak, it suited his status.

"Good job!"

Sage praised them and continued, "Put more important supplies on the ship. Once the ship is full, leave the rest outside Log Town. I just made a deal; someone will buy our goods on the spot."

"So get to work! How much you can earn depends on yourselves. The more you work, the more you earn. Go on, and pass this message to the others."

"Yes! Captain!" Several Pirates responded and quickly ran off to relay the message.

"This is why I like these people; they have drive and strong willpower."

Sage smiled, pointing at the running Pirates, but suddenly froze, a strange red dot flashing in his eyes as he instinctively looked towards the port.

"Oh?"

"Sage?" Lily asked curiously.

"A group of people is coming to block us; the timing seems off. Is it the reinforcements called because of those little Pirates earlier?"

Sage shook his head and smiled, heading towards the port, "Let's go, Lily, back to the port. We don't need anyone blocking my plan to get rich right now!"