As for Warcury, he was the Judicial God of War. Each of the Five Elders had their respective fields of responsibility, and they usually refrained from interfering in each other's domains.
Of course, that division was only rough—after all, the Five Elders wielded supreme authority, and theoretically, there was no matter they couldn't get involved in.
In many cases, such as the collection of the Heavenly Tribute, the Five Elders had to work together, urging the affiliated nations to submit their payments.
They coordinated with the World Government to collect taxes, dispatched the Navy to escort the tribute, and finally sent it to Mariejois. The ultimate division of the Heavenly Tribute with the Celestial Dragons was handled by Saint Nasjuro.
Though said to be paid to the Celestial Dragons, in essence, the Heavenly Tribute was a form of protection fee extorted by the World Government from the rest of the world.
"We really do need to be mentally prepared. Kizaru isn't like Sakazuki—that 'hardliner.' Once he becomes Fleet Admiral, our influence over the Navy will likely shrink significantly..."
Saint Nasjuro spoke lightly, resting a hand on his sword. Though most Celestial Dragons were spoiled scum, anyone qualified to become a Five Elder was elite among elites.
They weren't blind to the reality that, beneath his tough rhetoric, Sakazuki was just a watchdog for the status quo.
The Five Elders were more than happy with a Fleet Admiral like him—but they didn't care about his opinions.
On the other hand, Kizaru, the so-called "neutral slacker," had always been their main concern.
To them, Kizaru showed no reverence for the World Government, nor any genuine commitment to upholding its order.
In other words, if the day ever came when the World Government was about to be overthrown, Kizaru definitely wouldn't fight to protect it.
Putting such a troublesome figure in charge of the Navy was like undermining the World Government from within—something the Five Elders would never normally agree to.
Except for one thing: Pure Gold.
At the end of the day, the Five Elders were still human. Holding enormous power, they feared death more than anyone else.
Never mind that Kizaru was just a potential threat. Even if he were a confirmed spy for the Revolutionary Army, they would still wait until after he handed over the Pure Gold before eliminating him.
"In any case, I don't want to see him. Cancel the celebratory banquet for the Fleet Admiral promotion. Once the ceremony is done, just get him out of here!"
Warcury snapped irritably. The thought of having to deal with Kizaru for the next several years—or even decades—made his blood pressure spike.
Even though the Pure Gold could preserve his youth, the fact that Kizaru looked younger than his own grandson made everything feel bleak.
"Then let Kong handle the reception. They're old acquaintances anyway..."
Nasjuro thought about it and decided it was best not to make the situation more unpleasant than necessary.
Even if they knew full well that Kizaru wouldn't be as obedient as Kong, nor as cooperative as Sengoku, they still had to maintain a decent relationship.
The Navy needed the World Government—but the World Government couldn't afford to lose the Navy either.
Soon, they would obtain the Pure Gold of eternal youth, and no matter how annoying Kizaru was, it would only be for a few more decades.
"That's a good idea. And we should still give him the proper respect... Mars, you'll need to reach out to the Celestial Dragons too. At the very least, some of them should attend the promotion ceremony."
Saturn nodded. Their issue wasn't with the Navy—it was with Kizaru. They needed the Navy's pro-World Government faction to see that they still had the Government's support.
"You're putting me in a tough spot, Saturn. The Celestial Dragons have absolutely no fondness for Kizaru. If Kong hadn't protected him back then, he would've been executed for insulting them."
Saint Mars sneered. He was the most indulgent toward the Celestial Dragons among the Five Elders, which was why he had their unwavering support.
Of course, considering that the Five Elders themselves were the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, Mars's behavior was hardly surprising.
"If Kong hadn't protected him, we wouldn't be talking about 'Fleet Admiral Kizaru' right now—we'd be dealing with 'Emperor Kizaru' the pirate."
Nasjuro added slowly, leaving Mars momentarily speechless.
Kong was no soft-hearted Fleet Admiral like Sengoku. For him to shield Kizaru even under pressure from the Celestial Dragons, there had to be a damn good reason.
Back then, Kizaru wasn't just the youngest Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters—he had also just defeated the Admiral candidate Delocas, earning the title of a Navy monster.
And with the unique power of the Glint-Glint Fruit, not even Marshal Kong himself could've guaranteed he could take Kizaru down.
A being with admiral-level strength turning against the World Government and Navy would be a disastrous scenario.
Marshal Kong's ability to protect Kizaru might not have been possible without the Five Elders' covert approval.
Even Saint Mars had tacitly consented at the time. To now hold it against him would not only seem hypocritical—it would make him look petty.
"Understood. There will be Celestial Dragons in attendance at the promotion ceremony."
Seeing the bigger picture, Mars couldn't keep pressing the issue, though his expression still held some frustration.
"Also, about this year's budget—Sengoku submitted a report two months ago. To cover the Navy's losses from the Summit War, next year's budget needs to increase by thirty percent…"
Warcury reminded them. The Five Elders had already discussed this once: a 30% budget increase was acceptable in order to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates.
Even though their long-term plan involved limiting the Navy's military expansion, they still had to ensure the Navy could maintain stability across the seas.
It wasn't hard to imagine how devastating the Navy's losses were after the Summit War—even a 30% increase might only stabilize the situation.
But Warcury bringing it up again now clearly implied that something had changed.
Kizaru replacing Sengoku as Fleet Admiral meant he wouldn't be as understanding about the World Government's financial strain.
Forget 30%—even a 50% increase might not be enough to satisfy Kizaru.
"Impossible! Thirty percent was already the Celestial Dragons' limit. If he wants more, let that bastard go ask them himself!"
Mars cursed aloud, shooting Warcury a sharp look.
He couldn't help but suspect that Warcury might be secretly colluding with Kizaru—or at the very least, had some kind of unspoken agreement with him when it came to funding.
Mars, who enjoyed closer ties with the Celestial Dragons, had more influence than his peers—but that also meant every Celestial Dragon-related headache fell on him.
A 30% Navy budget increase might not sound like much, but considering the Navy's size—with over a million personnel, hundreds of branches, and thousands of warships—even a 1% increase could bankrupt a small nation.
That 30% increase had already cost Mars dearly; he had to pull strings and siphon from the Celestial Dragons' own share to make it happen.
And now Warcury actually expected him to find even more money? Utter lunacy!
"Don't look at me. The Holy Army's budget is untouchable. The Land Forces' budget has already been slashed to the bone—and even that little bit isn't enough to cover the Navy's teeth. If we cut anymore, even someone as mild as Kong will start flipping tables."
Nasjuro turned away. And everyone knew better than to touch the CP agencies' funding.
In a sense, the Cipher Pol organizations were the Five Elders' private army and treasury—they wouldn't touch that budget even if the army starved.
"The internal government budget is also extremely tight..."
Saturn shook his head. Though nowhere near as large as the Navy, the World Government was also a bloated and unmanageable beast.
Over the past 800 years, countless senior officials within the government had created a massive, tangled web of interests.
Untangling it was practically impossible.
Even the Five Elders wouldn't dare disrupt this web—not because they lacked the power, but because many of the threads led back to them or their direct subordinates.
"...Looks like we'll have to squeeze the member nations a bit. I'll notify the kings—the Heavenly Tribute will increase by... let's say 30 to 50 percent?"
Saint Peter shrugged, flashing a cold, gleeful smile.
No one even considered the possibility of saying "no" to more funding. After all, if they could give away the position of Fleet Admiral, what was a little extra money?
Before the Pure Gold, every obstacle must be cleared.
No matter how much the citizens of the member nations suffered, they must not delay the Five Elders' dream of eternal youth!
"And then there are the non-member nations. The World Government has been far too lenient with them these past few years..."
Saint Saturn spoke calmly,
"The only consequence of refusing to pay the Heavenly Tribute is losing naval protection. Apparently, that's still not enough to scare those trash into submission."
Even for the sake of acquiring Pure Gold, the Five Elders couldn't afford to bleed the member nations dry—which meant they had no choice but to shift the burden onto the non-member nations.
"Agreed. In that case, I believe it's time to remind the kings of the member nations."
Saint Peter nodded knowingly. There were bound to be kings dissatisfied with the size of their territory who'd be delighted to hear such news.
Even those uninterested in expansion would become more proactive in paying tribute—no one wanted to risk losing member nation status and becoming prey for others.
The other Elders simply smiled. Saint Peter was still a bit too young—these unspoken truths didn't need to be voiced so plainly.
°°°
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