Chapter 254

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Three days later, Abel, having returned to the Blue Sea laden with wealth, received an unexpected contact from Doflamingo.

He was instructed to meet up with Trebol directly—the family had completed the reorganization of the North Sea and was about to fully venture into the Grand Line.

It was finally time to take this step, which was no small feat.

However, Abel did not expect Doflamingo to make such a grand move.

From March to May each year, approximately 170 allied nations of the World Government pay the 'Heavenly Tribute' to the Celestial Dragons.

This 'Heavenly Tribute' could be seen as an additional form of taxation, or as a protection fee paid to the Celestial Dragons.

Only by paying this fee to become a World Government allied nation will they receive the protection of the Marines.

Otherwise, even if a nation were to be annihilated by pirates, the World Government would not dispatch a single soldier, not even to take a second glance.

So, how much is this 'Heavenly Tribute' exactly?

It amounts to one-tenth of the total annual income of all residents in each World Government allied nation!

A typical small nation with an annual income of around 20 billion Berries would have to hand over 2 billion Berries.

And that is the minimum—no less!

As for the larger nations, they usually have to pay 10 billion Berries a year in 'Heavenly Tribute'.

So, how much 'Heavenly Tribute' do the 170 allied nations of the World Government pay each year?

This number ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 billion Berries!

This means that the Celestial Dragons, without lifting a finger, have a pure income of nearly 6,000 billion Berries annually.

And typically, the Celestial Dragons don't need to spend money.

They simply take what they like.

Anyone who dares resist is captured as a slave.

The rare occasions when the Celestial Dragons do spend money are generally in auction halls purchasing slaves and precious items like Devil Fruits.

However, the actual owners behind these auction houses are often the Celestial Dragons themselves.

This is akin to shifting wealth from one hand to the other, amassing vast fortunes.

If it were only this, it wouldn't quite bring the lower class to a standstill.

The tragedy lies in the cumulative exploitation.

Although the 'Heavenly Tribute' is specified to be one-tenth of the income, the Celestial Dragons would never deal with these "ants." Each year, the 170 allied nations prepare the 'Heavenly Tribute' and hand it over to the World Government and Marine escort ships, which then transport it to the Holy Land of Mariejois.

What consequence does this lead to?

The 'Heavenly Tribute' paid by the common folk must first pass through the hands of the nobles and royal families!

Can we expect wolves not to eat meat or dogs not to eat filth?

Those with a bit of conscience might take just a point or two extra, giving the common folk a chance to survive.

But the greedy nobles and royals dare to inflate the amount of the 'Heavenly Tribute' to fifteen percent, twenty percent, or even more!

That's the real suffocation of the people.

Revolts and rebellions caused by the 'Heavenly Tribute' are numerous each year.

If the Celestial Dragons are the original source of evil, then these rapacious nobles and royals are the complicit culprits, leeches!

This is why in some nations, while the people are nearly starving, the nobles and royals remain disgustingly wealthy.

Even when rebels arise, vast numbers of Marines are sent to help them quell the uprisings.

Doflamingo, having spent a fortune last year, finally obtained from a Marine officer a part of the route taken by the escort ships transporting the 'Heavenly Tribute'.He had had enough of the daily battle of wits and hiding with Crane.

He wanted to take a step that would make the whole world focus on him!

So, when Doflamingo finally revealed his real plan, all the executives present were shocked by his audacity.

"Seizing the Celestial Gold? The Celestial Dragons will never let us get away with it!"

Jora's makeup was scared off; this was far more dangerous than killing a few marines or destroying a few marine bases.

One misstep could mean total ruin.

Among those present, only a few top executives knew that Doflamingo also came from the Celestial Dragons and vaguely understood that Doflamingo seemed to have some secret weapon in hand to perfectly tie up any loose ends, which is why he dared to target the Celestial Gold.

But the others were unaware, and naturally, they felt uncertain.

"My rough plan is to lay an ambush along the section of the route map I've obtained and, when the escort ship appears, immediately approach at the highest speed. We'll catch them by surprise with a boarding action and seize all the Celestial Gold."

"The naval officer in charge of transporting the Celestial Gold this time is very likely to be one of the three vice admirals from the Marine Headquarters. The absence of an admiral in the escort means an opportunity for us!"

Just three vice admirals from Marine Headquarters might indeed offer a chance.

But

"I want to know why we're stealing the Celestial Gold. The family shouldn't need so much money for its development now, right?"

Gladius timely expressed his confusion.

Doflamingo immediately laughed, "Fufufufu, we have only one true purpose in seizing the Celestial Gold - the Shichibukai!"

"The Shichibukai?"

"Exactly, I intend to use the opportunity of seizing the Celestial Gold to negotiate with the World Government and the Marines. The Celestial Gold is not our goal; our aim is to secure a seat among the Shichibukai, obtain the right to legal privateering, and openly expand family business and territory."

With these words, all the executives present were astounded.

While many saw the Shichibukai merely as lapdogs of the World Government, Doflamingo's plan turned it around, using the special status and position of the Shichibukai to legalize all his crimes.

What a wild idea!

"So now there's only one problem left: how to ensure the World Government won't settle scores after the fact?"

"After all, we're dealing with the Celestial Dragon's Celestial Gold! Just one word from them, and the Shichibukai title could be revoked. We can't bet everything on the Celestial Dragons' 'benevolence.'"

Doflamingo smiled confidently again, "If I am assured enough that the World Government will agree to my terms, I will ensure there is no chance for a later reckoning."

"Any other questions?"

Everyone shook their heads, their opinions clearly unable to sway the young master Doflamingo's decision.

And it seemed he didn't make this decision impulsively; it was evident he had thought it through and considered all consequences.

What else could they say?

Of course, to support him unconditionally!

Even Abel didn't make a sound because he knew that one day Doflamingo would do this, just not so soon.