One Piece: Tainted Throne

With such strength, the forces of the North Sea were far from capable of resisting. Even pirate crews without bounties exceeding a hundred million wouldn't dare to raid the Heim Kingdom lightly.

Unfortunately for them, they had encountered the Germa Kingdom. Despite having a significant numerical advantage, the Heim Kingdom's army was nothing more than a rabble compared to the fearsome forces of Germa.

Even the captain of the royal guard was no match for Vinsmoke Judge. After just a few exchanges, Judge skewered him with his spear, ending his life on the spot.

As for a nation exceeding 100,000 square kilometers, there were only a handful in the entire world—fewer than ten. Only ancient countries like the Alabasta Kingdom and the Land of Flowers possessed such vast territories.

If the Minister of Commerce could secure the throne of Heim Kingdom for just five billion Berries, it would be an unimaginable bargain.

"The others—I doubt they'll remain idle."

"The Minister of the Army has also prepared two billion Berries as an offering for you! But compared to the Minister of Commerce, it's far too little."

"Military nobility is naturally poorer than their commercial counterparts."

Romantis had anticipated this outcome.

However, rather than their offerings, he found something even more surprising—these two were not here to pledge loyalty but to buy him off with money.

For eight hundred years, what impression had the Celestial Dragons left on the allied nations? Did the nobles of these kingdoms truly believe that Celestial Dragons only cared about Berries?

None of them showed allegiance. How was he supposed to tell who was truly on his side? How could he ensure their loyalty?

Romantis pondered for a moment. The Celestial Dragons, aside from collecting the Heavenly Tribute from allied nations, rarely did anything for them. Their only connection to these nations was through that tax.

In that case, it wasn't surprising that Heim Kingdom's ministers were scrambling to collect Berries in their bid for the throne.

"What about Princess Audrey? What is she doing?"

"She has made no moves thus far."

"Oh? She's rather composed."

"My lord, the royal treasury was already surrendered to the Germa Kingdom by the previous king in exchange for his life. The royal family no longer has any wealth."

"Baruch, do not be short-sighted. Compared to Berries, the loyalty of the next king is far more important."

"Understood, my lord."

"Keep watching. I want to see which one of them will surprise me the most."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, the Minister of Commerce, Fort, wasted no time after returning to the royal capital. He immediately reached out to the kingdom's wealthiest merchants, seeking their support.

Heim Kingdom was located along a major trade route, boasting a prosperous economy centered on commerce and fishing. Within its borders, wealthy merchants were abundant.

As the Minister of Commerce, Fort had strong ties with these merchants.

It didn't take long to strike a deal—Heim's wealthiest traders agreed to back him in his bid for the throne, and in return, Fort promised them lucrative rewards once he became king.

Seeing chest after chest of treasure being delivered by these merchants, Fort smiled with satisfaction.

With five billion Berries in hand, convincing the Celestial Dragon to grant him the throne was now within reach.

Some might think that, given how the World Government placed bounties exceeding a hundred million on some pirates, Berries must not be worth much. But that was far from the truth.

For an average citizen, ten thousand Berries were enough to sustain an entire family for a month. Any pirate with a bounty exceeding a hundred million was a dominant force in their own sea.

Very few people, aside from the Marines, had the capability to capture such dangerous pirates. Even then, Marines did not receive bounty rewards—they served under the World Government and weren't entitled to them.

Thus, while high bounties made pirates seem like walking treasure troves, the reality was different. These numbers were more about gauging threat levels than actual monetary rewards.

Five billion Berries—it was a fortune comparable to the bounty of a Yonko. A sum too tempting to refuse.

As a Celestial Dragon, Romantis himself received less than five billion Berries annually from the Heavenly Tribute.

The annual tribute collected from allied nations was divided into three portions—one for the Celestial Dragons, one for the World Government, and the last for the Marines.

Among the Celestial Dragons, this tribute was further divided among the nineteen noble families, with each Celestial Dragon receiving a share based on their status.

As for the portions allocated to the World Government and the Marines, those were distributed at the discretion of the Five Elders.

Given this, Fort was confident that five billion Berries would be more than enough to sway Romantis.

"Lord Azor, this is everything we have. I heard that Fort has gathered five billion Berries with the backing of those merchants. Even if we sold everything we owned, we still wouldn't come close to that amount."

Unlike Fort, who was basking in confidence, the nobles supporting Minister of the Army Azor were overcome with despair.

Those merchants had too much money.

The Ministers of Commerce and the Army represented the two major factions of Heim Kingdom—the merchants and the military.

On Earth, no matter how wealthy a businessman was, they would never dare to challenge the military.

But this was the world of pirates.

Anyone bold enough to do business here had the power to defend themselves; otherwise, they would have long been plundered by pirates. Their sailors were not weaklings.

Meanwhile, the kingdom's army had little to offer besides numbers.

Anyone with real strength had set sail. Who would willingly waste their life serving in a stagnant military force?

As for a navy?

The World Government already had the Marines—what use did allied nations have for their own naval forces?

"Don't worry. If we encounter pirates, the Marines will come to our aid immediately!"

That was what the World Government always told them.

Yet, even the superpower known as the Land of Flowers (Kano Country) didn't have an official navy. Their so-called Eight Treasures Navy (Happo Navy) had to resort to banditry and was even classified as pirates.

In truth, the Eight Treasures Navy was the Land of Flowers' military force, yet they dared not use the title of "navy" and had to operate under the guise of piracy.

Even if the merchants' sailors were weaker, they had the means to escape. If things went south, they could simply set sail and flee. It wasn't like the army could swim after them.

Despite the concerns of his subordinates, Azor remained calm.

He had already made his decision.

Fort might have wealth, but Azor had strength.

While his neighbor stockpiled grain, he stockpiled weapons. That made his neighbor nothing more than his granary.

Fort had gathered five billion Berries?

Then all Azor needed to do was seize it before he could present it to the Celestial Dragon. As long as he secured the funds before Fort did, everything would be settled.

The Celestial Dragons only cared about Berries, not the people offering them.

Azor immediately ordered his men to keep a close watch on Fort while assembling his elite soldiers. He could not afford failure.

If Fort took the throne, Azor would no longer have a place in Heim Kingdom. His only option would be to set sail and become a pirate.