Achieving Nothing, I Can Only Be the Pirate King

This was something Issho hadn’t seen in the big city. Although the people in those cities, especially in the Royal City, kept their respect for Sage, they seemed to value their lives more. They thought they were of little use in war, might resist initially, but if faced with an insurmountable challenge, they would consider retreating to avoid bothering Sage.

It seems now, the less prosperous the place, the stronger the faith in Sage among those who hadn’t seen him.

"Confidence that comes with great power, huh..."

Issho muttered, "Why didn’t you join the recruitment?"

"My parents didn’t allow it; I’m the only child in the family. I was planning to sneak in, but Lord Fres didn’t agree to it."

The young man scratched his head and continued, "Oh, right, Lord Fres is the chief officer of this island. He used to be under the direct command of the big lord, came from the East Sea, and later, after losing a leg, he became the chief here. If I had been in the East Sea years ago, I’d have joined the big lord’s forces too, and now I’d be in charge of a region."

"I see, thank you for the information."

Issho nodded, said no more, and tapped his blind cane as he walked around the young man toward the town. After taking two steps, he stopped, turned back, and said:

"Also, I’d like to say your idea is good. Compared to our generation, your new generation already has the qualifications to be disdainful. That’s very good, and it gave me a different insight."

With these words, in the young man’s puzzled expression, Issho walked away.

"Isn’t this fish too expensive? I remember the fish catch has been good lately."

"It’s not me who set the prices. These are the local market prices. If you think the fish is expensive, why don’t you complain about the flour and rice being costly?"

"Enough with that, those are the prices set by the big lord. Can you compare to the big lord? Discount two hundred Belly, and I’ll buy it."

"I really can’t discount that much, old man, but I can knock fifty Belly off."

"Then I’ll change shop."

"Hey hey hey, one hundred, how about a discount of one hundred Belly?"

This is an aged old man haggling with the owner of the fish stall.

"This house will be ours soon!"

"But we still have quite a few loans to pay off."

"Don’t worry, our job’s not going anywhere, the big lord is watching over us. We’ll be able to pay them! The most important thing is we have a new home now, instead of those small houses! It’s three stories high!"

"You’re right, darling, let’s work hard together in the future."

"Yes, and maybe have seven or eight kids, making things lively!"

"Pfft! What do you think I am!"

This is a young couple examining their newly built home.

Besides this, some people worry about not making money, some lament their material desires not meeting their needs, while others are content with the present, enjoying life facing the sea with spring flowers, not to mention some wondering about what to eat tonight.

Tap, tap, tap...

The unique sound of the blind cane tapping the ground as Issho walked, feeling everything around him.

Emotions, inner voices... They are abundant, and this town isn’t just home to the island’s original inhabitants but also many people who were relocated here due to local development projects.

Issho even heard of pirates who weren’t originally from the Disaster Pirates but from other pirate groups, tired of the pirate life but unable to find a safe place to retire, come to this island under disguise.

Emotions and voices each have their positives and negatives, but Issho never heard... any worries about future safety.

They don’t consider this aspect, like the young man encountered at the beginning; they only think Disaster Pirates will avenge them.

Because... they are Sage’s private property!

"No one wants to be someone’s slave and servant; hence the existence of human trafficking, but the people here do not mind it because what Sage brings them is fairness and justice... When the only figure over everyone’s head is one person and no others exist, they’re under one person and everything is equal, then the principle naturally appears."

Issho said while walking, "The sea cannot prevent the birth of kings. Where there are people, there must be those at the top. So, why not choose a good king? Perhaps in the future, this will change, but for now, this place is bright, a light that even I, as an old blind man, crave."

Bigger than the World Government, better than the World Government!

Most importantly, Sage is filled with ambition.

Having tried almost every profession, taking another career path is not impossible...

Issho sighed, "Blindness isn’t always lucky. Focusing on not seeing the ugly and desolate, I’ve forgotten there’s splendor in this world. It’s wonderful..."

...

O’hara Royal Palace, inside the grand bath.

Sage exhaled comfortably, leaning back against the pool’s edge, almost floating.

Maidens wearing thin towels swam over, offering pedicures and massages, murmuring softly, almost eager to attach themselves to Sage.

"Just a little bit more... That lake is pretty good, lots of fish there."

Fishing didn’t yield a catch of course.

The throne in the palace was quite interesting, very historical, passed down for over a thousand years, adorned with wooden jewels, a decent design, but Sage hadn’t taken it back. He’s planning to open a new residence there.

Being a landlord, one can’t have just one home.

Rarely has he seen a situation where the fish didn’t disappear after casting, an enduring memory for Sage.

"Well, the palace is nice, its location isn’t bad either, I’ll find time to renovate it into a new residence, to use as a vacation spot."

"Extravagance isn’t something a good ruler should indulge in. Your energy should be focused elsewhere now."

Just as Sage’s words trailed off, a deep voice echoed behind him.

Following the rhythm of the blind cane tapping the floor, a towering figure stood behind him.

"Oh..."

Sage didn’t turn around, chuckled lightly, "Well, finally, I’ve been waiting for you to come find me; make yourself comfortable. Someone, pamper him, soaking here alone isn’t interesting. But just this once, the palace is mine. If you want to soak, buy a residence and build yourself a bath."

"I too enjoy indulgence, this is perfect."

Issho didn’t shy away, waited to be pampered by a maid, leading him into the bath.

Issho exhaled comfortably, "It’s a pity, I can’t see, unable to witness such indulgence is a regret."

"If you wish, Hogback is on standby, finding new eyes isn’t difficult."

Sage laughed, waved to a maid carrying a tray beside him, poured a drink, handed it to Issho.

"Is that so? I might wait for a while longer; if there’s an opportunity in the future, I’ll be sure to bother him."

Issho took the drink, "Just wondering, if considered an outsider, would I still be able to do this?"

"Being a pirate isn’t necessary."

Sage shrugged, smiled, "Even as a pirate, they might not offer a bounty; after all, a Navy Admiral here, joined for only a short while, but they have pride. You can be a soldier chief or security officer, choose one. Our territory is expanding heavily. After Lily completes the statistics, I’m organizing O’hara positions anew, there’ll be a slot for you."

"What I want is people to serve me; being a pirate isn’t important."

"If I’m tired, can I leave?"

"Of course!"

Sage grinned, "Truthfully, for someone of your caliber, willing to join must have personal goals; if you quit, it implies diverging goals, then it means different directions. As long as directions match, whether you walk backward or take a detour, there are still common points. Different paths, keeping you isn’t meaningful."

"Thus..."

Issho emptied the drink, "Thanks for having me, Boss Sage!"

"Won’t let you down! Hohohoho! With you joining, this headquarters is absolutely stable!"

Sage also poured a drink, downed it in one gulp, "This way, I can be liberated, able to hassle others freely!"