"Where is the evidence? Don't slander me! Do you think I don't dare to hit you? I'll go to war if I have to!"
The King of Giant Horn reacted even more fiercely, a string of words poured out of his mouth, summarized as...
[I see it as an uninhabited island], [Whoever occupies it owns it], [Go tell that to my newly bought weapons], [We're all trying hard to live].
He focused on being unreasonable and unwilling to listen to advice, which made the Antelope King's face turn red, but he was completely unable to refute.
He wanted to say something but held it back, finally turning to the Five Elders, crying out, "Pirates are about to attack my main island, please send the Navy quickly, I can't hold out anymore!"
There are wars between member countries, it's just that under the framework of the World Government, the Navy is obligated to protect the kingdom from pirate invasions.
Wars between major countries, wars where major countries act as proxies for smaller countries and neighboring small countries, are happening all the time.
Except for 'legitimate' wars between countries, any form of forcing a king to abdicate is illegal. Once a king abdicates, if they appeal to the World Government, there is a chance to regain the throne.
As for what chance...
It mainly depends on the Five Elders' mood.
For example, the Solube Kingdom once ruled by Kuma was overthrown, and the original king was elected by the local people, but soon the World Government brought the Navy and struck.
Meanwhile, the previous Drum Kingdom, which changed kings, seemed fine and instead renamed to the Sakura Kingdom and continued being a member country.
Wapol finally relied on commerce to rebuild the kingdom and joined the World Government again.
Countries in the North Sea were arguing, and those in the West Sea were not to be outdone. Countries accused each other of colluding with pirates and buying weapons not authorized by the World Government.
The East Sea and South Sea were also in a constant squabble, complaining about rebellions in their territories, local rebels defying tax collection, and even incidents of assassinating kings.
In the first half of the Grand Line, in Paradise, things were even more miserable. Several countries accused each other of violating trade agreements, hoarding supplies for smuggling, and even harboring people to avoid paying the Heavenly Tribute.
In simple terms, pirates explode in the northwest, a revolution starts in the southeast, and in the center of the first half of the Grand Line, everything happens, along with smuggling without paying taxes.
Chaos reigned.
Listening to this, Akainu's forehead veins throbbed as he instinctively gripped the armrest of his chair.
"Enough!"
Before the Five Elders spoke, Akainu shouted first, pressing against the noisy screen.
"What collusion with pirates! Where are the weapons coming from! Where does the smuggling route on the Grand Line lead to!"
All crucial questions, mainly targeting the trade issues in the northwest and the Grand Line. As for the Revolutionary Army, there's no need to ask, they're already trying hard to suppress them.
Akainu asked the right questions, but the arguing kings suddenly unified in silence as if they had agreed upon it.
In that instant, the noisy environment had a moment of peace.
"Is it a natural disaster? Is it O'hara!"
Akainu answered himself, gritting his teeth, "Are the pirates sneaking in under a natural disaster's orders? Are the disappeared locals their doing? Did you buy your weapons from O'hara? Did you smuggle all your supplies to O'hara?!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Fleet Marshal Sakazuki, you misunderstood! We're talking about pirates that drifted over!"
"Yes, I mentioned them smuggling supplies and resisting taxes, but I didn't do it."
"Nor did I, it's just slander from an opposing party that holds a grudge against me."
The kings explained in a cacophony.
Arguing to the point of wanting each other dead, but when asked, none would admit it.
What natural disaster, what O'hara...
They claimed not to know.
"Fleet Marshal Sakazuki, this is merely a quarrel between our member countries; it has nothing to do with a pirate. Just because you are Navy, doesn't mean you can shift all conflicts onto the pirates, no matter how notorious that guy is, he's just a pirate."
The King of the West Sea Flower Country, a man in small round sunglasses with long, comma-shaped whiskers, said calmly, "What you're talking about is not the same as what we're discussing. We're here to discuss the issue of the Heavenly Tribute."
Turning to the Five Elders, he continued, "We have no intention of violating the membership agreement, but this time the nations that paid the Heavenly Tribute have been heavily robbed. I don't want you to misunderstand, so could you send stronger Naval forces to specifically escort our Heavenly Tribute?"
The Heavenly Tribute from the Southeast Sea, due to the Revolutionary Army, rarely makes it successfully to the escort fleets on the Grand Line.
"Sorry, there's no way to send more manpower now. The Revolutionary Army is a chaotic factor that must be eradicated in advance."
Warcury glanced at Kizaru, thought for a moment, but still shook his head, "At the moment, we can't spare any extra hands..."
"Just leave it for this year."
Nusjuro said, "Pay it together next year, as for those that have been paid... considered successfully paid, and we'll bear the loss."
Akainu wasn't wrong. They don't actually care about Belly, only about control. Now, Kizaru can't move; he, as a mobile force, can support any region in danger. Akainu sits guarding both Marineford and Mary Geoise, defending against another Revolutionary Army raid on Mary Geoise, while simultaneously guarding Marineford from pirates and the Revolutionary Army coming to aid from that direction.
Unable to move no matter what, they had to put it off.
When they heard it was being postponed, all the attending kings collectively sighed in relief, unable to contain their delight.
Only Akainu, whose fists clenched once more.
"We appreciate the World Government's tolerance and understanding, we'll firmly uphold our responsibilities as a member country. After all, both the Revolutionary Army and the chaotic pirates are great threats to our kingdom. We will also do our utmost to deal with the Revolutionary Army and pirates, preventing them from threatening the order we have jointly established." The Flower Country King said sincerely.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Peter said a word of thanks, then looked at the other kings on the screen, saying, "Even though the Heavenly Tribute isn't collected, the Navy will still act as usual, striving to eliminate those pirates and unruly Revolutionary Army."
Waiving a year's Heavenly Tribute was enough to satisfy those kings. As for pirate pillages and Revolutionary Army riots, these were things that had already happened; if they could have been solved, they would have long been addressed.
Now, with news everywhere, everyone knows the World Government is currently too busy to worry about themselves, so no one would foolishly ask for more support.
However, it wasn't everyone, only those strong countries. The medium and small kingdoms were still eagerly demanding the World Government to solve their problems.
But whenever asked for specifics, they all changed the topic, avoiding mentioning natural disasters and O'hara!
What kind of power does Sage have!
If it's purely about military strength...
Even in a power struggle, the World Government should be the biggest force!
"I will take my leave now."
The King of the Flower Country exchanged a few pleasantries with the Five Elders and proactively closed the Radio Snail communication, leaving the other kings to continue the meeting.
His objective had been achieved...
...
West Sea, Flower Kingdom Palace.
The king, having turned off the Video Snail, softly exhaled, a smile just forming at the corners of his mouth when a voice rang beside him.
"I told you, they can't bother you now."
The King of the Flower Country looked to his side to see a man in a white suit, a black rose on his chest, wearing a top hat with a pigeon perched on his shoulder, a moustache under his chin, calmly sitting there, tapping his fingers on the table.
Lucci!
He knew this person.
A powerful country wasn't just talk; besides military strength, their intelligence was also strong, deeply involved in various industries, including the Navy, pirates, underworld, and even the Revolutionary Army... they had their people.
This former World Government intelligence officer and CP Organization's genius, he definitely knew.
Lucci even met him personally.
All for cooperation with O'hara...