Chapter 68: On-the-Spot Sale!
*Ka!*
Sag pulled his leg out of the ground, clenched his fist, looked at Zephyr, his fighting spirit growing stronger, his face more wanton and wild than anyone else's.
"Ho-hahahaha! So that's how it is, that's the technique!"
"Don't get too arrogant, kid!"
Zephyr took a deep breath, his figure flashed and rushed over, Haki erupted from his left fist, and he smashed down another fierce punch.
*Boom!*
A fierce sound erupted in front of the small tavern. Several bodyguards in black suits crashed through the doors and walls, leaving a large hole in the tavern.
Gin swung his tonfas, the iron balls on top spinning, and with a *pa*, struck beside Link's head, smashing a crater into the ground.
At the same time, Pearl grabbed the heads of two other black-suited bodyguards and slammed them fiercely against the wall, leaving two impact marks.
"Now then..."
Gin slung the tonfa with the iron ball over his other shoulder and looked down at Link. "The goods have been prepared for you. Where's the money?"
"Here! I'll give it!"
Link, pale with fright at this point, panicked, "One billion Beli! We'll keep our promise, we'll give it!"
The remaining black market merchants were equally terrified.
They hadn't wanted to pay initially because Zephyr had arrived.
Whether today's young pirates knew the great name of 'Black Arm' or not, they didn't care. But as black market merchants who paid close attention to intelligence, it was impossible *not* to know.
A small-time pirate from the East Blue, no matter how fierce, could not possibly be Black Arm's opponent.
Of course, they wanted to back out.
But things clearly went beyond their expectations. This group of pirates hadn't fled. Instead, they were actually robbing goods, piling them up outside the town, and now they were directly demanding money.
That 'Natural Disaster'... was too wild!
If they didn't pay...
Link glanced at the iron ball smashed beside him, swallowed hard with difficulty, and completely resigned himself to fate.
Their money was actually already prepared, packed into ten large leather suitcases. Gin swept his gaze over the devastated tavern, took off the gold bracelet from his wrist, tossed it to the old tavern owner, picked up a black leather suitcase, and led the other pirates out the door.
"What do we do now?"
Seeing the pirates leave, the other black market merchants helped Link up and asked.
The money, they had given it.
But they couldn't just give it away for nothing.
Those goods were piled up outside the town. It was useless for them to take them. That was 'Black Arm' out there. If they took the goods now, they would also be hunted down and have them confiscated.
But not taking them...
That was one billion Beli!
Link looked at the still shaken merchants, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Since Sag dares to rob on the spot, then we'll sell on the spot!"
Hoarding it was likely impossible. This time, they couldn't aim for profit, but they had to at least ensure they didn't lose money!
"How do we sell on the spot?" a black market merchant asked, stunned.
"Sell to those who need it!" Link's face revealed a ruthless glint. "They robbed high-quality supplies from the wealthy districts and commercial streets. Then sell them to the civilians at cost price! They definitely need them. Once the goods are in everyone's pockets, even if the Marines want to confiscate them, they won't be able to!"
The black market merchants gritted their teeth. "Then let's do it! Go outside, distribute the goods!"
Islands and towns were not proportional. Not every island had only one town; there were also villages and wastelands. Like outside Loguetown, there was some wasteland, distinct from the established port.
On that wasteland, a large amount of goods robbed by the pirates had already accumulated: barrels and boxes of jewelry, medicine, weapons, and even family heirlooms looted from wealthy nobles.
These heirlooms weren't particularly valuable in terms of money, only having historical value, but they were useless to pirates. What pirates valued were the purity of gold and the beauty of jewels. Things that looked truly valuable at first glance had already been moved onto the ship. What remained were mostly ordinary goods.
The black market merchants dispatched their subordinates to the wasteland, grabbed items, and rushed directly into the civilian districts.
Because of the pirate invasion, the civilians were hiding in their homes and hadn't come out, which conveniently gave the merchants an opportunity to make their sales pitches.
As for those who wouldn't open their doors...
*Bang!*
Link, leading a group of subordinates, kicked open the door of a two-story building. Before the civilians inside could scream, he first threw out several Beli bills to silence them.
"Big sale, dear customer!"
Link said with a smile, smoothly pulling a hat inlaid with rough, broken gemstones from a wooden barrel. "First, please allow me to introduce this item. This is a gem-brimmed hat. The product price..."
He glanced at the tag below the hat. "Five hundred thousand Beli! But my dear customer, today is the twenty-second anniversary of Pirate King Gol D. Roger's death! So all products are discounted! In celebration of the twenty-second year since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, this gem-brimmed hat is only two hundred thousand Beli!"
"Original price five hundred thousand Beli, now only two hundred thousand Beli! Wouldn't you like to wear a hat with gems when you go out, attracting envious gazes? Two hundred thousand Beli! The product you saw while shopping but didn't dare to buy can now be yours!"
These words clearly stunned the family of three. The man stared blankly at the hat in Link's hand, blinked, unable to react for a moment, and subconsciously said, "The Pirate King... wasn't his death anniversary seven days ago?"
"Not important! There's a custom in the West Blue where you can commemorate seven days after death too!" Link said.
"Is, is that so..." The man's head felt a bit fuzzy.
"Two, two hundred thousand?" The woman's eyes lit up instead. "Is it really only two hundred thousand?"
"Of course! Two hundred thousand Beli, and this hat belongs to your family! However, since it's the Pirate King's anniversary, it's not permitted by the World Government, you know, so no shopping receipt. No problem, right?"
"No prob—"
"No."
Just as the woman was about to speak, the man decisively shook his head.
This made Link's face stiffen, but before he could speak, the man said, "It's too expensive, not practical. Don't want that one. Let's see something else."
The corner of Link's mouth curved up, revealing a smile like a sales promoter. "Okay, customer, right here... we have everything!"
He took out a Western sword from a wooden barrel. "Like swords? I think every family needs a weapon for self-defense. After all, it's the Great Pirate Era. When pirates attack and the Marines can't protect us, we can protect ourselves. That's when you need a fine weapon."
"This sword, market price eight hundred thousand Beli. If you want it, four hundred thousand Beli can take it away. Of course, I'm not saying Loguetown is unsafe, but accidents always happen. As a self-defense item, it couldn't be more suitable."
"Think about it, carrying such a fine weapon, walking down the street, others will think you're a powerful swordsman. Small hooligans and gangsters won't casually provoke you. Besides, if you add another hundred thousand, we also have a gun-sword combo, which includes a flintlock pistol and a set of bullets. Rare opportunity, don't miss it!"
The man considered for a long while, looked at the exquisite sword, then looked at the flintlock pistol Link took out from the barrel, and gritted his teeth. "Five hundred thousand Beli is too expensive. Do you have anything cheaper..."
"Yes!"
As long as the goods could be sold, any price was possible.
Anyway, the cost of these things was negligible. Selling them at a discount from the market price, it was all profit either way.
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