"You ought to know this much: without the backing of these obscenely profitable global trades, the World Government's finances would be in serious trouble."
Saint Nasujuro's tone was grim, unusually direct.
And he was right.
The World Government might look righteous and dignified on the surface, but those so-called Heavenly Tribute payments barely covered the living expenses of the Celestial Dragons those spendthrift parasites who burned money like it was paper.
Let alone covering government salaries, naval military budgets, scientific research funds, or the countless other miscellaneous expenses...
That's why, in nearly every lucrative industry across the world, the shadow of the World Government loomed large.
Entertainment and gambling, funerary services, "special" hospitality, logistics, propaganda, moneylending, warehousing, arms trading, brokering...
As the behemoth that had ruled the world for over 800 years, the World Government craved the profits of these industries just as much as anyone else. They had long since sunk their claws into them, harvesting wealth from the shadows.
In fact, many of the top dogs in the underground world owed their rise not to cunning or power, but to the secret backing of the World Government.
Back when Ozz first began dipping his toes into the underworld, the World Government's "representatives" had already started sending out distress signals behind closed doors.
But compared to their shady businesses, turning hostile against Ozz was clearly the worse option it would've been bad for profits.
So they turned a blind eye.
And it was precisely that silence that made the representatives think they'd been abandoned discarded pawns. With nothing left to lose, they quietly pledged allegiance to Ozz.
So, when Ozz made his initial offer, many of the big bosses in the underworld chose to bend the knee.
What the Five Elders hadn't expected was just how greedy Ozz would be.
He actually dared to aim for total control of the underground.
"You're overthinking it, Nasujuro."
Saint Vochuli spoke up calmly from his seat on the sofa.
"Ozz isn't stupid. He knows he can't swallow the whole cake. Even we the World Government can't do that.
A monopoly on global enterprise?
That would instantly make him the enemy of the entire world."
Because in this world, even with its absurd disparity in individual power, the force of capital was still immense.
Tamper with everyone's profits, and even if they couldn't kill you, they'd never let you live in peace.
"Ozz doesn't want to own everything he just wants oversight, not possession. If that's the case, then fine. Giving him a sliver of power won't make him a threat.
Sure, our earnings will take a hit but only a small one. We can live with that."
It was a fair point. The other Elders exchanged glances, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Contact Ozz again. I trust he'll be willing to give the World Government some face."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
After all, they were the rulers of the member nations. If negotiations were on the table, a peaceful resolution was always preferred.
When they couldn't eliminate the man causing problems, their only option was to eliminate the problem itself.
But of course, how much of the underground business they were willing to concede would require more detailed discussion.
Not that Ozz wasn't already prepared for that.
He never intended to pocket the entire underground economy.
What he wanted was to establish rules and collect fees.
Trying to seize everything for himself? That would just push people to revolt. He wasn't stupid enough to do that.
Still, it was tempting to wonder…
If he did manage to take it all just how much could he make?
A trillion? Ten trillion? A hundred trillion?
Thanks to the intel from Morgans, Ozz had a rough idea of the underground economy's total scale.
Even if he only took a 10% cut of the profits he'd never be able to spend it all, not in one lifetime, not in ten thousand.
By then, the title of "the world's richest man" would be indisputably his.
Ozz was very satisfied with that prospect.
Just then, his den den mushi rang.
He reached out, and in his hand appeared the same snailphone used to contact the Five Elders.
"Gentlemen of the Five Elders," Ozz greeted them with a warm smile, "Sashi buri dana."
But the Elders had no time for pleasantries. One of them got straight to the point:
"Ozz, let's not waste time. We're all busy men.
We're calling to hear your position on the profit distribution in the underground market."
No one here was an idiot no need for roundabout talk of conferences or meetings. These were top players. They always cut to the heart of the matter.
"Looks like someone's been whispering in your ears,"
Ozz chuckled, completely unfazed. After all, with this much money on the line, even the Five Elders couldn't ignore it.
"Don't worry, gentlemen. Let me lay it all out for you:
The lion's share of profits will stay where they belong. As long as no one stirs up trouble or breaks the rules, I'll only be taking a small cut."
That answer eased their minds a bit but they pressed further.
"How small?"
"Five percent of the net profit. Reasonable, isn't it?"
"..."
The five exchanged glances and fell silent.
Five percent didn't sound like much… but the base figure was astronomical.
That tiny cut could easily mean hundreds of billions less in annual revenue just for the World Government.
Still, after a moment of consideration, they nodded. Painful, yes but not fatal.
And with Ozz's organized oversight, the chaotic underworld might even grow. If the total pie got bigger, losing a slice wasn't so bad.
"Fine. But we want assurance that our market share remains secure."
"Naturally," Ozz replied with a smile. "After all, who would dare steal from the World Government?"
The Five Elders' faces darkened at that.
Who would dare steal their money?
Wasn't the guy smiling at them right now already doing just that?
The conversation remained polite, even friendly. Both sides had made concessions for mutual gain.
But the Five Elders were no saints.
Their fangs were simply tucked away for now.
"Bero bero bero bero…"
Before long, another call went out from the Chamber of Power.
Click.
"This is Marine Headquarters. Fleet Admiral Kong speaking."
Inside his office at Marine HQ, the call cut through a room full of strategists analyzing the Battle of Totto Land. Everyone went still.
The moment Kong saw who was calling, he rose sharply and stepped outside to take it.
"Elders, sirs…"
But the warmth from earlier was gone. The Elders now spoke with the chill of authority.
"Kong. This is just to inform you of something."
"Please, go ahead."
"Due to special circumstances, next year's naval budget will be cut by several hundred billion. Begin preparations for cost reduction immediately."
"...Understood."
Kong clenched his jaw. As much as the order stung, he could only accept it.
When he returned to the room, he saw Garp that damn fool munching happily on senbei again.
He instantly snatched the rice cracker from his hand and roared:
"EAT, EAT, EAT that's all you ever do!! Garp! Your salary's getting slashed in half next month!!"
"HUH?!?!" Garp shouted in disbelief.
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