Without a backbone, Crocodile, the hero of this desert, would naturally be admired by the masses, indirectly controlling this kingdom.
Being a king is not important; as long as the country is his, that's all that matters.
"This desert harbors a terrifying weapon that can destroy an island with a single strike. Only by gaining control of this country can I find that thing. That's why I need Alabasta's army to be completely buried, allowing me enough time to search for the weapon."
After hearing Crocodile's plan, Sage seemed somewhat disinterested, "I'm not interested in such things. Personal strength is what truly matters."
He seemed to recall that there was such a thing here, but couldn't quite remember what it was, yet it wasn't important.
Others may rely on external items, but he cannot.
With his kind of bad luck, whether he finds it or not is one thing, and whether he can use it if found is another. Instead of spending time looking, it would be better to improve himself.
Personal strength is the only guarantee that his plan won't fail. He's survived this way all along.
"Personal strength, huh..."
Crocodile's action of chewing his cigar paused slightly. Whatever he thought of made him stand frozen for a while before shaking his head, "I have my plan. Just make sure you can execute it."
"Is that so..."
Sage's eyes flashed red as he smiled, "Then let's proceed. But be careful, spending too much time in this desert can make you lose your spirit. Don't let some novice pirate defeat you, for instance..."
Bam!
Several people suddenly fell from the cage in front of them, crashing onto the ground.
"A certain spirited young pirate."
Sage looked at the Straw Hat boy who had been knocked about but stood up once again.
"Crocodile!"
Straw Hat grabbed the cage bars, yelling at Crocodile sitting on the sofa, "Fight me one-on-one!"
His face darkened, a shadow appeared in his eyes, and he slowly said to Sage, "Aren't you underestimating me…"
As he spoke, he stood up, facing the people in the cage, "Is this kind of riffraff supposed to defeat me? Don't worry, the real guest hasn't arrived yet. Once they do, I'll deal with you all together."
"Damn it! You even used a despicable trap... I have no strength left."
Luffy suddenly collapsed while holding the bars, falling to the ground again.
"It's a trap you could've avoided! Why insist on taking the pirate route when you could've gone through the VIP room?" Nami shouted at Luffy.
"Hahahaha, this is beyond my expectations, that someone would actually take such a foolish path."
Sage laughed heartily, "The sea is truly remarkable."
Earlier, Sage wondered what kind of fool would take the path marked 'Pirate', and yet someone had indeed ventured toward it.
Inside the cage, there were four people.
Besides Luffy, there was a Green Algae Head, a long-nosed guy, and a savvy orange-haired woman.
"Hey, why are you here?"
Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword, staring at Sage, "Are you working with Crocodile?"
"Disaster!"
Nami and Usopp clung to each other in fear, "It's over, why is he here, too!"
Two hundred seventy million...
This figure completely exceeded their imagination.
Luffy is only thirty million, not even reaching a fraction of their level.
"Just defeat him together!"
Luffy got up, glaring at Sage, grabbing the bars again, "You, you're really a bad guy... not again." Lacking strength, he slumped back down.
"Then don't touch it!"
Zoro shouted and then pondered, "Wait, why are you lacking strength..."
"Seastone."
Sage changed to a more comfortable position on the sofa, extinguished his cigar in the ashtray, poured a glass of wine, and spoke slowly, "A stone with ocean energy, rendering Ability Users impotent if they solely rely on their abilities."
He downed the wine in his glass in one go, stood up, "I'm leaving. Old Croc, get me some Log Pose and mounts; since you're not raiding Rain Land, I'll take my men to Albana."
"Don't call me Old Croc!"
Crocodile's face darkened, "I'll instruct someone to give you the items. Conveniently, my Special Agent group should be arriving soon. I'll inform them so you won't be obstructed."
Sage shrugged his shoulders and proceeded up the stairs.
...
After acquiring some Log Pose and several Crocodile-cars from Crocodile, Sage departed grandly with his team.
"Hey? We're not raiding anymore? I was ready to take action."
A Crocodile pulled a large box quickly across the desert, creating clouds of dust.
Inside the spacious box, Sage sat with his three companions, while Renedia sipped water obtained from Rain Land through a straw.
"No need now. I invested in Rain Land, so we can raid Albana instead."
Sage spread his arms across the sofa back behind him, appearing relaxed, smiling at the three, "Life is full of surprises, yet it's a good thing. With business channels, my dream advances further; the money we rob later will have a place to go."
"A weapon, huh…"
Lily thought for a moment, "A weapon that can easily destroy an island with a single strike. Does it really exist? Renedia, do you ever consider such questions given your skills?"
They shared Sage's intelligence, knowing Crocodile's true intention.
"I'm a shipwright, not a weapon craftsman."
Renedia shook her head, "If it's a cannon, it'd have to be a hundred times bigger than current cannons. The barrel would need to be a hundred times bigger too, and the firing speed a hundred times faster, only then could it be possible. But with such an amount of gunpowder piled up, the risk of a breach would be catastrophic. Right now, my tech just isn't enough for that."
"What a terrifying weapon…"
Marika maintained her smile, "That Seven Warlords of the Sea wants such a thing? If he gets it…"
"Nothing will happen."
Sage stabilized his leaning head, "With a force capable of destroying an island, it's not unattainable on the grand seas. That Crocodile's ambition has shrunk… I remember after failing against Whitebeard, his spirit was lost."
"Whitebeard?" Lily asked.
Sage nodded, "Yeah, seems he challenged Whitebeard before. This desert seems to attract three Logia-type but failed challengers."
One was sent to East Sea, restricted by orders from superiors.
Another also challenged Whitebeard, defeated, became his underling.
Similarly, that Crocodile challenged, failed, then became a Seven Warlords at the entrance of the front half, dreaming.
However, the current dreamer remains his partner.
And whether Crocodile will be defeated…
Memory suggests defeat, but that's only without Sage's involvement.
"Though there's the favor of Garp…"
Sage pulled back the curtain, gazing at the desert swiftly passing outside, "But with the fortune plan ahead, if necessary, I won't let Crocodile fail."
Having found a business partner, Sage wouldn't let him fail!
Five hundred million Belly isn't significant; however, business channels are paramount.
If Crocodile loses, where would he find another like this?
Seven Warlords can fall, and the kingdom is irrelevant. Sage must ensure his money has a safe place.
Anything else is of no interest to him.
Whoever disrupts his fortune or landowner path becomes his adversary.
Spared Luffy's life is due to Garp's kindness.
No choice, even pirates must have ethics.
Sage isn't the petty kind unable to keep his word; otherwise, something like Supreme King wouldn't exist.