After a hurried farewell at Shampodi, they hadn't met again. Sage wouldn't intentionally pay attention to these people, nor could he if he wanted to.
Some memories can't just be recalled at will.
If Robin hadn't come on behalf of the Revolutionary Army, he wouldn't have remembered where these people had gone.
"Our Captain has already set a time to meet, Sage, speaking ill of others isn't nice," Robin said with a smile.
"I'm not interested in that."
Sage chuckled, "I'm a [Four Emperors], that Straw Hat isn't qualified for my opinion yet. Let's talk when he reaches my level."
He knocked on the table, and Bella, who had been standing by, skillfully served a Gemstone Wine Glass and opened a bottle of red wine.
"Musini, at least five hundred thousand Belly a bottle. This wine has an 1482 quality, market price three million Belly. Want a taste?"
Red wine isn't always better with age; it can spoil over time.
The so-called vintage refers to the year when the wine's quality was best and gained its reputation, so whenever there's wine with a similar quality to that year, it takes on that vintage's name.
Otherwise, how could there be so many wines from the same year for people to drink?
He didn't care if they wanted it or not, and let Bella pour a glass for everyone, except for Renedia.
The latter rolled her eyes at him and obediently drank juice.
"Three million Belly..."
Koala looked at the poured wine, shrank back a bit, "One bottle could buy three tons of rice."
"Tch, how bitter!"
Sage sneered, "Rice isn't that expensive here with me; I'll give it to you at five hundred Belly a pound."
Prices are tricky, but Sage was sure they couldn't be tied to his hometown, since resources differ.
In this sea, the cheapest things are fish, fruits, things like potatoes, while grains and flour are more expensive.
Having farmed, Sage recalled that rice in East Sea was roughly 1.2 million Belly a ton, and on the Grand Line, it was pricier, up to 1.6 million Belly.
Flour is about three times cheaper than rice; in this sea, rice is a luxury.
Even now, Sage's territory mainly subsists on bread, fruits, and fish.
Back in the day, Sage's first bounty of seventy million Belly would just buy a few dozen tons of rice.
Prices are magical, like the sea.
But it's different now; his stomach carries the appetite for rice, unaffected by bread, so every meal must have rice. His people even sometimes buy rice for a change.
Thanks to the Little People Race, they cultivated a batch of exceptionally good rice, called 'tribute rice,' exclusively supplied here.
That's why many merchants come here; just dealing in rice alone yields a 20% to 60% profit margin.
Of course, foreign merchants don't enjoy this because taxes are so high. Though not on every item, grains are on the list, and foreigners pay a 70% value tax, making it unprofitable for outsiders.
To enjoy a 40% income tax break is simple: join here, invest, and create jobs.
There's certainly bound to be oddities along the way; no one can handle everything perfectly, but as long as his territory develops steadily, it's fine.
The 70% is just a guise to create a sense of difference.
He's not afraid of merchants finding other ways; with his size, he doesn't mind a little, but if they get discovered, it won't be fun.
Upon hearing Sage's words, Koala couldn't help but ask, "Five hundred Belly is still expensive! Isn't there cheaper grain?"
"Kalifa, check if lunch is ready."
Sage gestured to Kalifa, and after she left, he laughed, "No rush, I like to talk while eating."
Before long, Marika led a group of chefs who wheeled in carts, and maids and chefs together set a lavish table, making Koala feel dizzy.
She's had grand meals, Ivankov is also an excellent chef, but she hasn't seen such diverse and obviously prized ingredients.
Are pirates this extravagant?
Aren't they a bunch who only care for meat and booze?
The fanciest Big Mom only fusses over desserts, right?
"Try this first, a supply from below, the finest Beluga caviar, a special quality, one serving each."
Sage scooped up a spoonful, smiling broadly, "I have three favorite things: plundering, pleasure, and business. Since you've come to my place, I'll do my relatives a favor. Tell me what you want?"
"Food, weapons, warships, clothes, medicine..."
Robin leisurely listed, "What people need and what's needed to wage war, we need it all."
"I have it all!"
Sage laughed heartily, "I have everything here!"
Even in terms of medicine, he has plenty, thanks to Hogback, a genius surgeon with unique insights into pharmaceuticals. Although not a scientist, crafting medicine is a vital skill for doctors on the sea.
They made this technique into an industry, distributing it with the island's products. They have quite a lot of medicine here.
"Weapons are the most important,"
Robin said, "We lack a large batch of weapons, but... as for Belly, we don't have much, can it be cheaper, Sage?"
Weapons are incredibly costly and have the highest prices.
A lousy sword is fifty thousand Belly, and a gun is even pricier.
Why is the Navy the largest overlord in this world? Because their weapons... are truly unlimited!
Teach, that guy, is still fretting; he has Sage's part of the weapon supply, but nothing to exchange.
Though he's a pirate who can steal anything, the biggest issue is...
"Oh, I don't want money."
Sage chuckled, "What's Belly? Just paper. I want the corresponding resources. Give me equivalent resources, and you can get what you want."
What's the economy?
A money game?
No, it's a resource game.
Domestic demand or infrastructure, all prosperity is built on vast resources, and with that simple paper, they can achieve shared prosperity.
That's why Teach is so miserable.
With Sage's current status, money holds no use for him; it's more about creating banking in the future, as a financial stabilizer for people.
So he doesn't want Belly, though he does want Gold, but there's not much; mainly Teach's looted resources have been deposited with Sage for weapons.
Making a Great Pirate work as if employed.
"Lily."
Sage picked up a piece of meat with the bone, took a big bite, and called out.
Lily nodded, put down her fine dining spoon with pumpkin soup, thought for a bit, and said, "Stone, wood, coal, iron ore, and population, we need it all."
Sage curled his lips into a satisfied smile.
Massive infrastructure requires a vast amount of resources. The people under Sage's territory have jobs, leaving no extra labor for these suddenly growing demands; he once intended to buy from Doff and Old Sha, but now there's another channel.
And, most importantly, the population.
Lily is so useful...
She immediately knows what he wants.
The population promised by the World Government hasn't arrived yet, and Sage can't rely on just that.
Now there's an additional option.
"Aren't you, the Revolutionary Army, trying to liberate countries? Those who can't afford to eat, I see you can't take care of them all, so send them to me; I'll feed them."
Sage looked at Robin and Koala and said, "Even those resources can be postponed a bit. As long as you give me people, anything you want, you can have!"
Robin hadn't reacted, but Koala's eyes lit up, and she jumped up, excitedly asked, "If we send people here, can they live like those under your rule?"
Sage, taken aback by the sudden excitement, nodded and said:
"Of course, anyone who comes to me, as long as they're willing to work, will be treated the same."
He's known as the spendthrift overlord!
With money in place, resources in place, everyone can generate economic value, the cycle making everything more prosperous.
Why not give money in such a win-win situation?
Thinking of this, Sage chuckled briefly, flashing a toothy grin, then said in a deep voice: "After all... I am the nation!"