If not for the mandatory requirements of the World Government, the residents of North Blue countries, such as Swallow, would work closely with Alabasta.
Alabasta's total revenue is 10 trillion Belli per year. The fact that North Blue has not opened the mobile phone market does not mean they cannot do business with it. The 500 billion Belli is indeed true. And that is Alabasta's smallest investment in the four seas.
The cigar fell out of Beckman's mouth, and he froze in shock for a moment.
"How much?!" Yasopp was in disbelief, thinking he heard wrong.
The Red-Haired was also stunned, 500 billion Belli???
"500 billion Belli," Ezekiel repeated confidently. "In other words, if you want Alabasta to leave North Blue, then the Red-Haired Pirates must pay me 500 billion Belli in cash. All the property will go to you. You'll also be responsible for the survival issues of over 700,000 residents of North Blue, plus their families. At a minimum, several million people are waiting for Alabasta to send money for food. What is even more unfortunate is that these industries are entirely unprofitable national infrastructure projects. Every year, Alabasta invests more than 200 billion Belli in them."
200 billion Belli every year!
The survival problem of millions of people!
This enormous amount of information was pronounced by Ezekiel and, of course, stunned all the Red-Haired Pirates.
"What the hell?!" - Yasopp was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he shouted:
The Red-Haired Pirates can't be fooled!
Fooled?!
Ezekiel's gaze was sharp, and his smile was utterly grim. Conqueror's Haki burst forth and immediately made Yasopp close his mouth.
Who do you take me for? What do you think Alabasta is and why is it called the Super Kingdom? Why can it compete with the World Government? Because of brute force? Any country that relies solely on military strength ultimately turns into historical dust. Strength for my country is only a necessity, but what my people strive for is wealth. 500 billion Belli might be a huge number for you, but for me, it is not worth mentioning!
Any country that relies solely on military strength ultimately turns into historical dust!
His words were quite powerful, so powerful that everyone's hearts pounded wildly.
Beckman was stunned by these words.
On the Germa ship, Reiju and Judge were in shock. In their eyes, Ezekiel had turned into a walking money-making machine.
Is this the strongest country in the world? And they wanted to defeat this country?
Your Majesty! - Hancock's eyes turned into little stars. She wasn't surprised by the amount of Belli. She was simply enamored by Ezekiel's powerful speech.
Jinbei's expression was slightly astonished. He always took his duty seriously but never delved into Ezekiel's governmental affairs. This was the most fundamental trait of a guardian. It was the first time he realized how wealthy Alabasta truly was.
If such terrifying investment figures exist only in North Blue, what about other places?
No wonder Ezekiel so easily gave King Neptune tens of billions of Belli for the development of Fish-Man Island.
Jinbei felt chills running down his spine as he understood Ezekiel's most powerful and terrifying strength.
It's not the power of ruling over Sea Kings.
It's not the abilities of devil fruits.
But it is the incomparable and frightening ability to generate wealth. Not by exploitation, but through the capacity to create prosperity.
It's astonishing!
How does he do it? He's a true genius!
And this guy doesn't seem to hoard money at all if he's investing 200 billion Belli annually into unprofitable production!
What is his goal?
The survival of millions of people?
The pursuit of sustainable development and earning even more money?
Jinbei's head was spinning. He looked at Ezekiel's back with slight envy.
Such an amazing guy, why isn't he the King of Fish-Man Island?
For a moment, he really felt a slight disgust towards King Neptune.
Ezekiel, like a great knight, is akin to a warrior leading the charge, yet he is elegant, noble, calm, and most importantly—well-funded!
"It seems you truly don't deserve to be called a King, Your Majesty Neptune!
I'm ashamed of you!"
Is five hundred billion Belli a lot?
An investment plan of 500 Belli a year, when converted to the national level on Earth in Chinese currency, is pocket change.
There are dozens of countries in North Blue, which isn't as much as it seemed. At least one-sixth of the raw materials for building the River of Life, the new city of Erumu, and all of Alabasta comes from North Blue.
In reality, even though 200 billion Belli is spent annually, it's an insubstantial aid for the development of North Blue from Alabasta. The money spent here can be doubled elsewhere.
Did he send Hancock here only because of Germa 66?
If so, why not just send Hancock or Fujitora alone? Why bring warships here and inform the whole world via mobile communications? Isn't that excessive?
But then, the World Government didn't just send an Admiral of the Marine Patrol either.
The World Government understands this is a war with a country, not just with a King, so they act accordingly.
The World Government never considered blocking Ezekiel's investments in various marine regions and even somewhat protected them because, in their view, if everything develops well, it will eventually become their own property.
After all, development is difficult, destruction is simple, and power is a necessary condition for everything.
Without King Ezekiel's own strength, even if Alabasta were several times stronger and wealthier, it would still just be a money machine for the world's powerful.