"Please have mercy on us, please have mercy on those children! Give us another chance, and we will definitely work hard to earn enough money!"
But no matter how much he pleaded, it was no use; the other side remained unmoved and didn't even acknowledge him.
One by one, the villagers were arrested, and some were even executed for resisting.
A chill instantly spread throughout the old man's body, making his hands and feet stiff and his vision blur.
He felt as if he was about to faint, but for some reason, at this moment, a surge of anger welled up from within him.
However, the old man still dared not vent his anger and instead chose to continue kowtowing and begging.
And in that chaotic mind, he was still constantly searching for a solution, one sentence after another popping out of his mouth, as if he were searching for one lifeline after another.
"We are civilians of the Kingdom of Zevit, an affiliated country. According to the World Government's regulation, affiliated countries are protected by the World Government, and we are not to be captured and enslaved."
"That's right!"
At this moment, the old man seemed to remember something. He raised his head, his despair mixed with excitement and hope, as if he had truly grasped a lifeline.
Looking at Rip in front of him, he said, "And there's Ian-sama, the king of the West Blue. He... He said that no slave-hunting groups are allowed in the West Blue. You... You can't do this! The king of the West Blue won't forgive you..."
However, this time, before he could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out, piercing the old man's forehead and going all the way to the back of his head before finally hitting the ground and emitting a puff of smoke.
The previously excited old man actually collapsed to the ground at that moment.
"If you can't pay the Heavenly Tribute, you're not a civilian of an affiliated country."
Rip glanced coldly at the corpse lying in front of him, as if he had just killed not a human, but an insignificant beast.
He withdrew his gaze, blew on the still-smoking gun, turned around, and continued calmly, "And this sea belongs to the Gods. Be careful not to speak carelessly in your next life."
After saying that, he ignored them and looked at his subordinates, who had stopped because of the gunshot. He said impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and arrest these lowly commoners... No, these lowly beasts who are not even civilians of the affiliated countries."
"It just so happens that the Holy Land is in dire need of slaves right now!"
"It is an honor for these beasts, who are not even lowly people, to be able to serve the gods."
"Also, divide these slaves up. Only the best slaves are qualified to serve the gods. The average slave will be sent to the auction house. Even if they have only a little value, they are still the wealth of the gods. The worst slaves will be sent to the East Blue to build a bridge. As for the immobile trash... Get rid of them as soon as possible!"
"Hurry up, we don't have time to waste here, let's not keep god waiting!"
"Understood!"
As Rip's voice fell, the group of men in the black suits and the marine force escorting the Heavenly Tribute froze.
Without hesitation, they quickly responded and then immediately resumed their work!
At this moment, the entire island seemed to have been invaded by demons from hell, with countless desperate pleas echoing across it.
…
With the action of the CP agents and marines, these villagers were powerless to resist and were captured one after another.
Soon, at the moment when the entire island seemed to be stained red, all the villagers were captured, except for the inferior slaves and those who resisted, who were killed on the spot.
Furthermore, everything of value in the village was looted and categorized according to its worth; even the people were taken.
Thus, just like goods, they are divided into high-quality, medium-quality, and low-quality… Even though this hellish scene filled the hearts of the righteous Marines with rage, they dared not disobey the World Government's orders.
Heavenly Tribute belongs to the Celestial Dragons, and it includes various resources such as belly, gold, gems, fine wines, and delicacies.
It is also the main source of the Celestial Dragons' luxurious lifestyle and consumption. If it is not collected in full, it will cause dissatisfaction among the Celestial Dragons.
If the Celestial Dragons become dissatisfied and cause trouble, it will be a disaster for the entire sea.
Especially given the recent series of accidents, there is now a severe shortage of slaves to serve God, which has displeased the Gods. As a result, a large number of legal slave-catching permits have been issued.
According to previous regulations, the World Government would first have affiliated countries collect the money for the Heavenly Tribute, and then have them escort it to the World Government.
As for those civilians who are not recognized by them, cannot pay the Heavenly Tribute, and are driven out of the country, they will not do anything to these people; they will only announce that these people will no longer be protected by the World Government.
As for whether they will be captured and enslaved... That's none of their business.
These guys have simply lost the protection of the World Government.
Even if they are attacked by pirate crews or slave-hunting groups, the local Marines will not send any support.
Like the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue and the Kingdom of Goa in the East Blue.
However, so much has happened during this period that they have no choice but to do this in order to appease the Celestial Dragons.
Therefore, no matter how miserable, tragic, and desperate those cries sounded, they had to compromise for the sake of the stability of the sea and to prevent any further accidents.
Otherwise, if they fail to gather enough Heavenly Tribute, displeasing the Celestial Dragons, they might even resort to capturing slaves themselves… that would be a disaster for the entire sea!
"Is it all done?"
Ignoring the angry eyes of the marines, Rip stood up, looked at his subordinates, and said calmly, "Load the ship, it's time to leave. We can't be later than the others."
After giving the order, Rip looked at the corpses and blood on the ground, frowned slightly, then ignored them, turned around, and boarded the ship.
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