But unfortunately, he didn't know any of them.
The connections among the six major industries aren't that close, especially with these leaders, having a phone number is already good enough.
But ever since Sage became one of the Four Emperors, those guys seemed to have gotten the news and cut off contact with Piekro, leaving Sage with nothing to ask.
"Hmm..."
Sage pushed the wine glass forward slightly, signaled Lily to refill it, then picked up the Gemstone Wine Glass and swirled it thoughtfully.
Actually, from the beginning, he knew that Piekro didn't know anything.
Few people can resist the effects of his North Star Divine Fist, and Piekro is definitely not among them. Getting him to tell the truth would be the easiest thing for Sage.
The main thing was his stubborn nature; he was always unwilling to accept this. If his own interrogation didn't work, he'd throw it to Las and let the Demon Race handle it.
But now it seems that it should be ineffective.
"What to do? Let him go or kill him? That industry, do we not interfere?" Lily asked.
"Why do I need the assassination industry?"
Sage rolled his eyes, "If I want someone dead, do I need an assassin? Anyone that would make me hire an assassin, who could that be?"
"Red Hair? Kaido? Or that lunatic Big Mom? If there's really an assassin that good, they wouldn't even be an assassin anymore, would they?"
"Stop kidding, what kind of top-level assassin does the Underworld have? Lucci and his group are the top of the top, but even they can't take down Doflamingo."
Doflamingo has his current position of dominance in both black and white fields, not initially because of his Heavenly Celestial Dragon status, but rather despite it, he encountered many assassination attempts.
Only when killing proved impossible did it turn into cooperation.
"The assassination industry is useless, should we really take part in what's commonly referred to as the funeral industry? Going around the world managing burials? If there were truly that many sources for corpses, Moriah wouldn't have to painstakingly find materials for his corpses."
Moriah's previous zombies were all dug up one by one with his claws; there's no funeral industry to speak of.
Real funeral industries are tightly knit with local contacts, requiring no outsiders. At the simplest, it's just digging a pit yourself, or at a higher level, finding a local Holy Professional to perform a ceremony.
Among the six major industries of the Underworld, the most useless is this assassination industry; it's like spending money to buy slaves, spending money to kill people brings no value whatsoever.
As for the money earned from killing... Sage despises such low-grade money.
"Forget it, just kill him, and hang the body at the port."
Sage waved his hand and said.
"Alright, I'll inform them later."
Lily didn't even ask about asking for ransom or such.
That was before entering the New World; after getting a territory in the New World, many things couldn't just be measured by money.
"Also, report back on our recent territory and situation..."
"I don't need detailed information, just an overview is fine. How to plan is your responsibility now, Lily."
Sage said, "I just need to know whether my plan is already completed."
"It's completed, now it's the finishing stage. It's estimated that within three to four months, we can achieve complete control of all known islands. The subordinates are also searching if there are any yet-undiscovered islands between them."
Lily said, "The subordinates are steadily increasing, aside from the O'hara's local guard of three thousand, there are now sixteen thousand. I estimate that the number of subordinates can surpass twenty thousand. Regarding the supplementation of population, the World Government hasn't discussed in detail with us yet, so we need to know the number to plan."
"So everything is going well?" Sage smiled and said.
Lily affirmed with a nod.
"That's more like it, Lily, you need to take charge, as the Prime Minister, your responsibilities will only increase. If you really can't manage it, come to me. Otherwise, try handling it yourself, you'll get more skilled with time." Sage nodded contentedly.
What are subordinates for? Subordinates are for this very purpose!
What does it mean to be a landlord!
Sage leaned back tactically.
A landlord is someone who controles the direction, has absolute power, and has someone else to take care of the trivial matters, while he just needs to enjoy the fruits of everyone's labor.
How big the territory is, how many people are there, how much money it costs, he doesn't care, because everything is his.
Everyone being well-off is the key, only then can he be even better!
"Since everything is steadily going well, the next step of the plan should be implemented, Lily..."
Sage raised his eyebrows with an excited expression, "I have a Plan, huh!"
Lily slightly furrowed her brow, "What do you want to do?"
Sage's plans have always been... well, crude.
Even though they would eventually be completed, the effort required would depend on how grand his Plan was and how many tasks there were to accomplish.
Just the plan set before entering the New World took over a year to complete.
And now another plan...
She thought for a moment and said, "I think we should first solidify those territories, digest them well, and currently, we're not fully prepared for a war with the other Four Emperors..."
"Not that."
Sage waved his hand with a smile, "I'm talking about the follow-up issues after digestion. The territory is huge, although I'm enjoying it, but the people below, still seem lacking to me. Even though they're well-fed and have plenty of entertainment options, it's still not enough..."
"Simply put, I find the current lifestyle not good enough, not prosperous enough. If they're not prosperous, I can't enjoy even more exciting things."
The more prosperous a place is, the more it offers to enjoy.
"Look at them now, they're living quite comfortably, so comfortable that they've started becoming complacent. After all, they're eating well, and their lives aren't bad, but if this continues, development will stagnate. I can't just enjoy the current things forever..."
He clicked his tongue and bared a mouth of sharp white teeth at Lily, grinning sinisterly: "Lily, it's not enough!"
"Dancing Girls? Musician Corps? Goldfish fishing rods, golden hoes for farming? Or is eating and drinking all top-notch? I'm beginning to get tired of it, just a little, but it won't take long before I'm completely bored!"
He spread his arms wide, an expression of mild madness on his face, "These things aren't satisfying me anymore, Lily! I want more! More! More!"
Human desire is hierarchical.
Well-fed, no longer needing to worry about being full, only then can one have the energy to think about other things.
But desire is also limitless. Once one layer is satisfied, another appears, each higher than the last.
And Sage... is a man whose deep desires surpass even what the Devil Fruit he consumed could provide.
He's been like this from the start.
From having money, to having territory, to expanding that territory, and now, wanting prosperity, wanting even more excitement.
These "mores"...
They require great effort to realize!
"Economic foundation determines the superstructure, Lily, I'm no longer satisfied!"
Sage's eyes widened, staring straight at her, "So, I want to make a big move!"
Lily paused for a moment and subconsciously looked down, suddenly a faint blush appearing, stumbling over her words.
"This, such a thing, shouldn't, shouldn't... you can't say it like that, I, um..."
She closed her eyes and stomped her foot, "Before that, at least we need to spend..."
"Right! I just want to spend money! You get me!"
Sage slapped the table, excited, "I want to spend money, spend more money!"
"I want to do major infrastructure projects, I want to improve public happiness, I want Storm City, I want O'hara, I want all of my territories to be ablaze with lights and colors, I want them all to become prosperous, then I can obtain more things, enjoy more pleasures!"
What about his hometown?
Not to mention martial prowess, but in terms of prosperity, it's certainly more impressive than those at sea.
All kinds of Ushioni-type figures exist there.
Sage now wants these kinds of Ushioni-type figures.
He wants to be in a grand city, wants people around him to show more creativity because of prosperity, wants to be the center of attention, enabling him to enjoy his place even more!
Whatever is fun, bring it on, whatever is joyful... bring it on!
Of course, the basic morals of humanity are necessary, Pirates have their code of conduct, and Sage is even more particular.
So...
"I want to open a bank!"
Sage shouted, "No, call it a Gold Bank! My Plan is to first open a Gold Bank, and then use that money for major infrastructure! Hmm, what's with your expression?"
He looked at Lily, whose expression seemed off, and asked.
"Nothing."
Lily returned to her cold self, casually saying, "I just saw a bouquet of flowers that was quite nice, continue talking."
"Open a Gold Bank, funded by me to attract everyone to store their money here. The main business is to do infrastructure, stimulate domestic demand, promote production, improve creativity, and..."
Sage showed a malicious grin: "Loan sharking!"