Achieving Nothing, I Can Only Be the Pirate King

The negotiation was in a deadlock from the very start.

Sage kept a sneer, while the others remained silent.

"Don’t go too far!"

But it was Sakazuki who couldn’t bear it any longer, his clenched fists were covered in fiery red magma. He lifted his head, his eyes filled with gloom, "You inherently evil brat, every condition you’ve proposed is filled with malice. Today, I will put an end to your evil..."

"Enough! Sakazuki!"

Warcury shouted: "You know that’s unrealistic!"

"This is evil!"

Akainu roared: "I do not agree with negotiating with a scourge! The World Government negotiating with Pirates, you’re completely humiliating us in the Navy! If we do such a thing, how can we face ourselves in the future!"

"What do you mean face yourselves, the Navy is merely an external organization of the World Government, understand your position, Sakazuki!"

Warcury said: "Negotiating with Sage is our decision, you just need to follow orders."

"Hmph! Do as you wish, keep stirring things up, and once the era of Great Pirates returns to the seas, you’ll be satisfied!"

Akainu took a deep breath and turned to push open the heavy doors.

"We are the Five Elders!" Peter also shouted.

"You’ll regret this!"

Bam!

The loud sound of the doors shutting reverberated, plunging the hall into silence once more.

"Oh~ disobedient subordinates."

Sage chuckled, "If they defy your will, why not just replace them with someone obedient, wouldn’t that make things a lot easier?"

"Enough! Obedient fellows... such ones are not your match, no need for discord, Sage, we have our own judgment."

Nusjuro clicked his tongue, and after a brief silence, he said: "We need to negotiate your terms, we can open up a gap in the Red Earth Continent for you, but no navigation through... Use the Sea Train, we will lay tracks and use it as a passage connecting the first and latter halves."

"Hmm..."

As if it was prearranged, Peter nodded and said: "This Sea Train will be encrypted, we will monitor the types of goods, you may conduct business, but you must pay a 30% transit fee as our ’Holy Land maintenance fund’."

"Yes, and as for the tunnel’s exit, let’s place it in Shampodi, carve out a region there for your station."

Mars also said: "As for the tax you mentioned, we can agree that in the countries you do business with, we will levy a 5% ’special consumption tax’, but 3% of it goes to us as a ’trade security fund’."

"And exemption rights."

Warcury picked up: "During non-war times, we can promise your fleets immunity from the Navy’s pursuit. However, your bounties won’t vanish, thus, we allow you to get ten islands in the domain of Non-Adhering Countries for trade."

"These are our terms."

Jalin said: "Our sincerity, Sage, as a mere Pirate, the first ever to negotiate with us... we’ve been quite sincere."

"Really? I see quite a few traps."

Sage sneered: "Pay you taxes? I never agreed to become an Adhering Country, you want me to pay taxes, how am I going to conduct myself as a Pirate? Laying tracks? Doesn’t that mean you’ll have complete control? And what of the Non-Adhering domains... a clever move, that was never yours, I go to raid it, can you still play the good guy?"

"That’s no way to negotiate, the economic vitality I’m injecting into your controlled areas, I come with the intention of mutual cooperation."

Sage bared his teeth, "The goods I bring will make people work harder, when there’s more, tax collection becomes easier, you can collect more. With people’s lives improving, fewer will join the Revolutionary Army, indirectly providing you more stability, the value in this alone is immeasurable."

"Yet you still want more... don’t be so greedy, business is give and take, you take all the benefits, and I’m just allowed to trade?"

He leaned back heavily, propping his feet up on the table, "Why not hear me out. The breach on the Red Earth Continent must be kept open, I don’t care if you don’t want others to enter, but I must have the freedom to come and go. If that’s impossible, you can set up two Gates of Justice, with management rights solely between you and me."

"No 30% maintenance fund, but the special consumption tax is agreed, as per your 5%, on this front I’ll concede, according to you, giving you 3%."

"Additionally, the most important thing..."

Sage glanced at the five elderly men, sneering, "It was you who sought me out to negotiate, not I coming to you. If these terms aren’t agreed upon, then we return to conflict, fighting until our respective objectives are fulfilled!"

He was not bluffing.

To realize his plans, he truly didn’t mind going to war with the World Government, now bothered by the Revolutionary Army.

Sage has been selling weapons for some time, not daring to claim absolute control over victory or defeat, but cutting off the World Government’s weapon supply would certainly weaken their current stance in the battlefield.

Once the Revolutionary Army finds an opportunity to cause rebellion in several Adhering Countries, failing to pay the Heavenly Tribute would further tarnish their reputation.

It’s not just a battle between the World Government and the Revolutionary Army, any progress made by the Revolutionary Army would trigger massive chain reactions.

Especially with Sage’s involvement...

The five elderly men exchanged glances, understanding the logic, falling into silence once more.