One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

Robert nodded: "Ask him for me, am I really going to die today?"

Chapter 42: Promises are the key to boosting employee loyalty

Ap looked embarrassed: "Morgons said that if you can manage to cross the Red Line via the Mary Geoise route, he believes you can create a big news story that will shake the New World, and he will meet you on the other side of the Red Line."

Robert frowned deeply, not because he was cowardly, but because Mary Geoise was clearly not a high-level map that someone of his rank should be visiting.

The Five Elders, the Knights of God, Im—what level of enemies are they? Now that he's gone to Mary Geoise, isn't that like a female streamer meeting her big brother offline—giving away cannons in exchange for sports cars?

"How could he be sure I really crossed Mary Geoise? And how would I contact him after I crossed the Red Line?"

Ap was even more surprised. It seemed that Robert didn't consider crossing the Red Line a problem at all, and had already started thinking about how to contact Morgans after he got there!

"It's about time. If you take the Mermaid Island route, it will take at least a week, while taking the cable car to Mary Geoise and crossing the Red Line will only take half a day."

Seeing Robert looking thoughtful, Ap quickly continued, "As for contacting Morgans, any messenger bird is his informant. Once you've reached the other side of the Red Line, just wait for him to come to you."

Robert smiled and nodded to Ap: "Mr. Ap, you've had a hard time. I hope you're not lying to me. I'm very warm to my friends, but I can be a bit petty with my enemies."

Ap quickly waved his hand: "How could I lie? This is basic professional conduct for us intelligence officers!"

Robert got up and walked outside the tavern. He could promise to owe favors to Law and Ginny, but he had no interest in continuing to befriend Apoo, a true pirate who betrayed everyone without any guilt.

On island number 24 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Karina is excitedly counting her money, her eyes sparkling.

"This is so profitable! If I had known that opening a snack shop would be this lucrative, why would I have gone through all that trouble and risked my life to scam people!"

Ah San and Da Luo and Xiao Luo sat to the side with proud expressions, their frustration at being swindled out of their money by Karina completely gone.

“Miss Karina, our income has been increasing day by day these past few days. When can the boss come over? I would like to discuss expanding our business with him.”

Karina didn't even look up: "That guy ran off with a pretty girl, who knows where he's having a good time now. We don't need to pay him any attention. Let's go deposit the money first! He said you shouldn't worry about spending money, just find a place to open a shop."

Robert's laughter rang out: "You're making up stories about me after I've only been gone a short while?"

Karina looked up and saw Robert sitting on a tree branch overhead, watching them.

Where is your wheelchair?

Robert laughed and landed on the ground: "I was just going to find a doctor to treat my injuries, okay? Now that my leg is healed, why would I need a wheelchair?"

Ah San and his companions were shocked and quickly asked, "Sir, are you injured?"

Robert smiled and waved his hand: "It's not a serious injury. It's easy to heal. Don't worry."

Looking at the beaming group, Robert asked, "Renting a shop in the Sabaody Archipelago isn't cheap, is it? Do you have enough money?"

The Indian man said confidently, "We've inquired and found that renting a small shop would only cost 600,000 Berries a month, which we can easily afford."

Robert patted the Indian man on the shoulder: "Don't rush to contact shops. Wait a few more days, there will be a riot, and the house prices will be cheaper afterwards. First, establish a foothold in the Sabaody Archipelago. In the future, we want to expand our business to the whole New World."

Ah San was full of anticipation and didn't even ask Robert how he knew there would be a riot. Even someone with hemorrhoids could figure out that the riot was something Robert was planning to instigate himself.

Karina leaned closer to Robert: "Boss, is this the big business you were talking about?"

Robert shook his head: "It's just a novelty; after a while, not so many people will be rushing to buy this snack anymore. At most, we'll make a few bucks."

Karina frowned, somewhat unwilling: "Then why did you lie to Raleigh about opening a restaurant in the New World?"

Robert shrugged: "I'm not lying to him. We're definitely going to do business, it's just not going to be a restaurant."

Robert looked at Karina and asked, "Do you have any connections in the Sabaody Archipelago?"

Karina tensed up as if under stress: "Hey, you're not up to something again, are you? Don't tell me I don't have any connections here, even if I did, I wouldn't play along with your nonsense. This is the closest place to Marine Headquarters!"

Robert pressed his palm down: "I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I just need to go to the other side of the Red Line to meet someone. I don't want to make too much of a fuss, so I'm going to ask you if we can go through legal channels."

Karina said seriously, "Boss, you're a wanted criminal now, a major criminal with a net worth of over 4 million. Do you really think you can escape Mary Geoise?"

Robert replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, going through Mermaid Island is too slow. I need to cross the Red Line as soon as possible."

Karina shook her head: "You're being reckless. From the G2 branch all the way to Enies Lobby, you've always been taking risks. Now you're going to Mary Geoise. This is suicide!"

Robert pulled Karina onto a bubble and flew to the top of the tree.

"Kalina, now it's necessary for me to describe to you the grand blueprint for the future development of our team!"

Karina clung tightly to the tree trunk: "Was it really necessary to climb this high?!"

Robert said seriously, "There are some things that must not be heard by anyone!"

In fact, given the coverage of his mental field, it would be difficult for anyone to get close enough to eavesdrop, even on the ground. Climbing to a high place was more about using his fear of heights to make Karina more likely to believe what he said.

When people are in danger, their attention will be unconsciously diverted, and their logic will naturally deteriorate.

"First of all, let's talk about our goal. I never thought about becoming the Pirate King. From beginning to end, my goal has only been to become a rich man."

Karina frowned; Robert's style of doing things didn't seem like that of someone content with the status quo.

"If you were content to make money peacefully and steadily, you wouldn't act so aggressively. That might fool Raleigh and the others."

Robert interrupted Karina: "No, I'm not lying to you. If it weren't for the accident, I would never have become a pirate. I would have really found a small country in the relatively safe seas and run my business peacefully."

His eyes suddenly turned fierce: "But this world isn't just about having money. Karina, having a lot of money but not the ability to hold onto it will only make you a pig in other people's eyes who just eats everything. Once you get fat enough, you'll eventually be eaten."

Karina was speechless for a moment. She couldn't agree more with what Robert said: in this world, the more money you have, the more dangerous it is if you don't have the corresponding power.

Robert exuded a powerful aura: "So now that I'm a pirate, there's no need to do honest business anymore. Our goal is—"

"Become the king of the underworld!"

Chapter 43: My funeral is next month, everyone remember to come.

If you want to attract a group of capable people to work for you, the prerequisite is to make your employees believe that your ambitions are aligned with their dreams.

Karina always says that Robert is a gambler, but in reality, she is the one who is a gambling madwoman. Despite her own weakness, she dares to take big risks and scheme against the King of Gold, Tesoro.

What Robert used to attract her was his own strength, which could provide her with protection, but this attraction would be offset as his own danger increased.

So now Robert is preparing to make a grand promise to completely win Karina's heart.

“My bounty is too high, Karina. This $4 million bounty is both a signboard and a noose around my neck, so I have to take it off.”

Karina frowned and said, "What you did on Enies Lobby has made you an enemy of the Navy. Even if it's just to save face, they won't withdraw your bounty."

Robert nodded and said, "That's why I decided to play a big game, and the first step is to cross the Red Line to meet a very important business partner!"

Karina looked at her suspiciously: "Hey, you're not planning to go and deliver the message yourself, and lie to me that the business partner is Whitebeard, are you?"

Robert hadn't intended to deliver the message himself, so of course he wouldn't admit it now: "What white beard? You'll be shocked when I tell you. The person I contacted this time is one of the kings of the underworld—the King of News, Morgans!"

Karina's eyes lit up, but then she asked doubtfully, "It's already good enough that he doesn't make up more news to increase the bounty, let alone help you get rid of it?"

Robert held up three fingers: "This brings me to my plan. To become the king of the underworld, there are three prerequisites."

"First, we need sufficient strength. This is not enough for me alone. We need to find a group of powerful enforcers to serve as a security team for our future wealth."

"The second is a stable territory that can be called a base, preferably in the New World, where naval forces cannot reach it."

"Thirdly, find a target that can be overthrown and replaced. The total business volume in the underworld is only so big. Instead of working hard to develop new businesses, it's better to find an existing force to replace it!"

Karina was intrigued by Robert's words: "Who is your target?"

Robert shook his head: "Not my target, but the target I chose for you—Don Quixote Doflamingo."

Karina nearly fell off the branch: "Couldn't you have picked someone weaker? And what do you mean by 'picking a target for me'? What are you doing, hiding behind the scenes?"

Robert chuckled and said, "Of course I'm here to back you up. Do you think these underground businesses can operate peacefully without strong support?"

Karina breathed a sigh of relief: "I understand. If you want to join Whitebeard's forces by passing on Ace's message, then this is indeed a good opportunity. Alright, alright, I won't stop you."

Robert looked at him strangely: "I'm not joining Whitebeard's pirate crew. He's so old. Once he dies, his crew will immediately fall apart, so..."

"I actually prefer to join the Navy!"

Karina really slipped this time, and if Robert hadn't pulled her up, she would have fallen off the tree.

"You're insane! You're really insane! That's not called joining the army, that's called surrendering!"

Robert smiled and rubbed his face a few times, making his eye sockets appear deeper and his cheeks thinner.

"Could you fix my eyebrows again? If I grow a beard, will no one recognize me then?"

As his mental attributes improved, Robert was able to precisely manipulate electrical currents, tightening or relaxing local muscles to create an effect similar to cosmetic surgery.

Karina was speechless with shock at Robert's crazy plan. She had long forgotten why Robert had initially gone to see Morgans. Robert himself steered the conversation back to the topic.

"The navy is the largest and strongest violent group in the world, and the best protective umbrella for all black industries. But the current Marshal Guo is an old coin. Many of my plans are difficult to realize under his rule, so I need to find a way to take him down first."

Karina was now speechless. She suddenly felt that she was several levels below Robert. The people Robert mentioned were not at her level, yet they were either talking about cooperation or getting rid of him.

"So I have to orchestrate a major event that would force even the Fleet Admiral to resign, like inciting one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard, to attack Marineford, resulting in the Marine Headquarters being razed to the ground!"

When Robert learned that Ace had gone to confront Blackbeard, he knew that the Marineford War was ultimately inevitable.

But instead of being disappointed, he became even more enthusiastic.

As the most important watershed event in the world of One Piece, it would be a real shame not to participate.

But now that I've become a variable, wouldn't it be a waste of my time travel if the plot isn't changed?

It's certain that Marineford will be reduced to ashes, and Sengoku will inevitably bear the greatest responsibility according to the established course, voluntarily resigning from his position as Fleet Admiral. This is something Robert neither wants to change, nor can he easily change.

But if Akainu wants to take over as Fleet Admiral, he'll have to ask himself if he agrees!

"If Sengoku steps down, the new Fleet Admiral will have to be chosen from the three existing Admirals. Kizaru is such a lazy bum who slacks off all day long even when he's an Admiral, so he'd definitely be adamant about not being the Fleet Admiral. And Akainu is a bastard who has a deep grudge against me, so the best scenario would be to put Aokiji in the position!"

Karina was trembling a little. Robert, a pirate, kept talking about deciding who would be the Fleet Admiral, and he had so many successful precedents.

They said they were going to visit the G2 branch, so they blew up G2; they said they were going to visit Judiciary Island, so they blew up Judiciary Island.

Now that he's directly saying he wants to blow up Marineford, Marineford is now open for bidding and preparations for reconstruction!

"Boss, should I go get to work now? You don't need to explain your plan in such detail to one of my subordinates; I'm a little scared..."

Robert gripped Karina's arm tightly, staring intently into her eyes: "Wait, there's still one more crucial point I haven't finished saying: how do we resolve my bounty!"

Karina just wanted to end this as soon as possible: "So how do you want them to drop the bounty on you?"

Robert narrowed his eyes: "First of all, I can't let people associate my future self with my current identity, but my Devil Fruit ability has already been recorded by the Navy, so I need a grand farewell!"

"I will die in Marineford in the presence of the whole world!"