Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The Room of Authority.
"The balance between the Three Great Powers is the foundation of our rule over this world. Stripping Doflamingo of his Warlord status could very well trigger a chain reaction among the other Warlords."
"True, but Lord Imu personally issued the order. What choice do we have?"
"The most critical issue right now is that if Doflamingo leaks that secret, it could trigger massive turmoil across the entire world."
"Why not just kill Doflamingo?"
"If that were possible, we would have done it long ago. But how can you be certain that 'thing' is still in his hands, and not hidden away with someone else as a safeguard?"
"This won't work, that won't work... then what do you suggest we do?" the blonde Five Elder demanded, slamming his hand onto the table in frustration.
In this world of pirates, how did the World Government maintain its grip on power?
Their method was actually quite simple: they farmed pirates.
The strategy was straightforward. First, they allowed pirates to run rampant, then they established the Marines and preached the gospel of so-called "Justice."
However, this justice was selective; it was only extended to the affiliated nations of the World Government.
Countries plagued by piracy were left with only two choices.
The first was to build a powerful army of their own to resist the pirates. But in a world where strength is everything, an ordinary army is nothing more than ants before a true powerhouse. And those powerhouses were either absorbed by the World Government or were in the process of being recruited. After all, the World Government's resources were far too vast, and the conditions they offered were infinitely better than those of any ordinary nation. Those who weren't absorbed generally became pirates.
Under these circumstances, those nations were forced into the second option: join the World Government and become an affiliated nation.
Once they did, the Marines were obligated to provide them with protection. But becoming an affiliated nation meant they had to pay a prescribed annual Heavenly Tribute. Furthermore, because of the existence of the Marines, a portion of this tribute had to be allocated as military funding.
Yet, the share going to the Celestial Dragons could not be reduced.
So, what was the solution?
The answer was simple: the annual Heavenly Tribute was nearly doubled.
This led to another inevitable result. With the exception of a few wealthy nations, the vast majority of affiliated countries struggled just to scrape together the Heavenly Tribute, let alone build an army. Even the nations with a slight surplus could, at most, establish a small land force. As for a money-sink like a Marine, no nation could afford it.
And so, the World Government achieved its goal.
Ninety percent of the world's nations became affiliated members. More importantly, because of the Heavenly Tribute system, these countries had no spare funds to develop their own military strength. The more desperate they became, the tighter they clung to the World Government for survival.
Most crucially, as long as pirates continued to ravage the seas, no affiliated nation dared to leave the World Government. If they did, the consequences of losing the Marines' protection would be catastrophic.
This strategy had maintained the status quo for centuries.
However, the emergence of Gol D. Roger—and specifically his final words before his execution—shattered this equilibrium. The number of pirates skyrocketed, increasing tenfold or more. Even with the Marines present, many affiliated nations were still raided or plundered.
This was a dangerous sign. These nations had joined the World Government specifically for protection. If the World Government could no longer protect them, it would only take one nation leading the charge to exit, and a domino effect would occur, causing the entire ruling system to collapse instantly.
To counter this, the Five Elders conceived a new strategy.
They recruited a group of powerful pirates and granted them legal raiding rights. In exchange for this privilege, these pirates had to align themselves with the World Government. When necessary, they were even required to answer the call and hunt down other pirates alongside the Marines.
By doing this, they weakened the pirate forces while simultaneously converting a portion of that strength into an asset for the World Government. This addition and subtraction restored a semblance of balance to the world. At least outside the New World, the Marines were once again able to dominate through this equilibrium.
This was why the Five Elders viewed the balance of the Three Great Powers as the cornerstone of their global rule. If the Warlord system collapsed, this fragile balance would be broken, and the World Government would once again find itself in a highly disadvantageous position.
"I have an idea," the curly-haired Five Elder suddenly spoke after several minutes of silence.
"We stabilize Doflamingo first. Tell him that his Warlord status is being revoked in name only, but in reality, we will order the Marines not to move against him. Everything will remain as it was before."
"That's a good plan, but Lord Imu's order..."
"Lord Imu's order was to strip him of his Warlord status. Doing this doesn't actually violate the order," the curly-haired Five Elder interrupted the long-bearded Five Elder.
The others thought about it... and realized he was right.
Lord Imu only said to revoke the status; he didn't specify what had to happen after the revocation.
It was perfectly viable.
"Then I will contact Doflamingo shortly."
"When you contact him, warn him as well: he is not to move against Sean Campbell again. Otherwise, even we won't be able to protect him."
"Understood, I'll tell him. But I wonder what the relationship between Lord Imu and that Sean is? Every time something involves Sean..."
"That is not our concern. Watch your tongue!" the blonde Five Elder snapped, but before he could finish, the curly-haired Five Elder cut him off.
"Do you think Lord Imu's affairs are something we can discuss casually?" the curly-haired Five Elder said sternly. "You must be tired of living."
Hearing the warning, the blonde Five Elder immediately realized his mistake and fell silent.
'''
The Grand Line.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Doflamingo had actually been stripped of his Warlord status?
This was... completely unexpected.
Sengoku immediately summoned several other high-ranking officials to discuss how to take down the Donquixote Family. Such a golden opportunity had to be seized immediately. If the Five Elders changed their minds and reinstated Doflamingo's status later, the chance would be gone.
Furthermore, once Doflamingo was dealt with, Dressrosa could become a new, vital strategic stronghold for the Marines within the New World.
The Marine leadership quickly hammered out a comprehensive plan.
But just then, a call came through from the Five Elders.
"Sengoku, I am relaying the latest orders from the World Government!"
"Although Doflamingo has been stripped of his title as a Warlord, the Marine is not to move against him without the World Government's consent."
"Is that clear?"
'What the hell?'
'His status as a Warlord was revoked, yet we can't touch him?'
Sengoku had a string of curses running through his mind, though he knew better than to voice them.
But the orders of the World Government were absolute—at least, they were for Sengoku. Despite his deep frustration, he had no choice but to nod.
"I understand!"
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku remained silent. Inside the conference room, the high-ranking officials and the several Vice Admirals assigned to the operation stared silently at their Fleet Admiral.
Some shared Sengoku's resentment, while others hoped he would take a firmer stand and push forward with the planned operation.
Minutes passed in heavy silence until finally...
"The operation is canceled. Everyone, return to your posts!"