King Ocreus III of Orenfence sat upright on his throne and spoke cheerfully.
"Everyone has worked hard lately to prepare the Celestial Tribute. However, though there's still a month until the Levely, the taxes collected so far are far from enough to meet the tribute amount."
"So, all ministers must act swiftly in the coming days. Should anyone's negligence lead to a shortfall in the Celestial Tribute, I'll have no choice but to take it from the households of those present here!"
As soon as Ocreus III finished speaking, a minister stepped forward from the crowd and bowed.
"No need to worry your majesty, we will surely gather the Celestial Tribute within a month!"
"That's easier said than done, Minister Luke!"
A middle-aged man in the ministerial ranks spoke up at an inopportune moment.
"This year, unless every one of us here contributes our family's wealth, it will be very difficult to gather enough! Many commoners can't even feed themselves, let alone pay taxes!"
"What's so difficult about that?" Minister Luke tilted his head toward the middle-aged man and said gravely.
"If those commoners can't pay their taxes, sell them off!"
"Alas!" The middle-aged man sighed and shook his head. "Those commoners aren't worth much. To gather the Celestial Tribute, I've already collaborated with human trafficking groups in the North Blue, but for some reason, they've driven prices down this year. Commoners under ten are practically worthless; only those between fifteen and fifty can fetch any decent price."
"Puhaha, Minister Colon, could you have been swindled by the traffickers? The batch of tax-defaulting commoners I sold recently fetched quite satisfactory prices!"
"That was then," the middle-aged man named Colon turned to the speaker and continued sighing.
"What you all don't know is that since a new Marine Fleet Admiral took office this year, not just the North Blue, but naval branches across all three seas and even the Grand Line have been cracking down hard on human traffickers."
"What's going on?"
"Isn't the Marines' job to catch pirates? Why are they suddenly arresting trafficking rings?"
"Damn it, how can the Holy Land keep tolerating such reckless behavior from the Marines? The only reason human traffickers exist is because the Celestial Dragons enjoy keeping slaves!"
Watching the suddenly uproarious crowd, Colon sighed once more before speaking up.
"What you all may not know is that the Marines aren't just cracking down on human traffickers—they're not even bothering with trials or imprisonment like they do with pirates. Anyone caught trafficking is executed on the spot... According to a long-time associate of mine in the trade, the Marines still show some leniency toward pirates, but for traffickers, it's zero tolerance. No trial—just a beheading right then and there!"
"Damn those Marines! They're cutting off our livelihood!"
"Without the slave trade, how are we supposed to gather the Celestial Tribute? We've already taxed every lowborn outside the capital for decades—some towns even a century ahead! There's no other way but to sell these wretches now!"
"Are we really expected to pay out of our own pockets? Absolutely not! I have so many servants to maintain—the daily expenses are enormous!"
"Same here. You wouldn't believe it—my wife demands new clothes every single day. She refuses to wear anything twice! And the food—she's so picky! Half the ingredients have to be shipped in daily from distant ports, and they must be perfectly fresh. The slightest hint of staleness, and she throws a fit. It's impossible!"
"Ugh, tell me about it. My wives are just as bad!"
Seated calmly on his throne, King Ocreus III showed no irritation at his ministers' complaints.
Only after they had vented their grievances did he rise with a leisurely smile.
"Ah, it seems life is hard for all of us. But don't fret. If these lowborns have outlived their usefulness, let's take a page from the White City's past—drive them out of the Kingdom of Orenfence and let them fend for themselves. That way, we'll owe at least half less in Celestial Tribute."
At this, the entire room lit up with relief and admiration.
In unison, they cried.
"Your Majesty is brilliant!"
"Let it be done!"
King Ocreus waved magnanimously. "Now, back to the music! Back to the dance!"
"Your Majesty—urgent news!"
A frantic voice echoed from the palace doors.
Moments later, a royal guard captain rushed in, dropping to one knee before the king.
"Your Majesty—its a disaster! A massive birdcage has appeared in the sky—out of nowhere!"
"A birdcage?"
King Ocreus blinked. "Why panic over a birdcage?"
"Your Majesty, this cage... it's already enveloped the entire Kingdom of Orenfence!"
The captain lifted his head, despair in his eyes.
"And the one who cast this cage over us... is... is Donquixote Doflamingo!"
"WHAT?!"
The revelation struck like thunder.
Every face in the hall—including King Orcus's—twisted in horror.
The king, who had just retaken his seat, shot back to his feet while livid.
"What in the world is happening? Didn't Doflamingo join the Marines? Why is he suddenly in the North Blue?!"
"Your Majesty, stay calm—!" Minister Luke stepped forward once more while speaking calmly.
"There's no doubt about Doflamingo's allegiance to the Marines. Since he now serves them, we can directly contact the Holy Land and have the Five Elders issue orders to Marine Headquarters."
Colon interjected, "Minister Luke, we still don't know what Doflamingo's true intentions are with this move!"
"Whatever his reasons, do you think he'd dare disobey orders from the Five Elders?" Luke tilted his head towards Colon.
"Has Minister Luke forgotten that the current Five Elders no longer consists solely of the original Five Elders? Two of them are former Fleet Admiral Sengoku and ex-Admiral Zephyr!"
"That's easily solved!" Luke gave a cold smile before addressing King Ocreus III.
"Your Majesty, didn't you have a rather pleasant meeting with Lord Ethanbaron before? You could attempt to contact him."
"Yes, yes, exactly!"
King Ocreus III nodded repeatedly.
A palace maid beside him immediately knelt before him holding a Den Den Mushi.
Seeing this, Ocreus dared not to delay.
As king of Orenfence Kingdom, he knew Doflamingo all too well.
Though he didn't understand why Doflamingo had appeared in Orenfence, seeking the Holy Land's protection couldn't be wrong at this moment.
Soon, the Den Den Mushi connected.
"Who is this?" came a deep voice through the snail.
King Ocreus III composed himself and spoke respectfully.
"Is this Lord Ethanbaron?"
"I am King Ocreus III of Orenfence Kingdom—"
"Don't know you!"
Before Oculus could finish introducing himself, the other party decisively threw out these three words and terminated the call.
*****
Simultaneously.
In the Chamber of Power's communications room, the staff member who had received Ocreus III's call rushed straight to the Chamber after hanging up.
"Ethanbaron-sama!"
Upon entering, the staff member knelt on one knee before Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, who was conversing with Jaygarcia Saturn and Topman Warcury, and reported excitedly.
"Your foresight is divine! King Ocreus III just tried contacting you. Upon hearing his name, I immediately terminated the call!"
"Well done!"
Ethanbaron surprisingly praised the staff member before adding.
"From now on, reject all calls coming from Orenfence Kingdom."
The staff member departed with the order.
After watching the staff member close the Chamber doors, Ethanbaron suddenly exploded.
"That bastard Ocreus! Contacting me now—does he want to get me killed?"
Hearing this, Warcury and Saturn's facial muscles twitched slightly.
Through CP0, they'd already grasped the situation.
They knew full well that anyone connected to Orenfence Kingdom at this moment would face Orion's ruthless extermination.
Ethanbaron's outburst was actually restrained—had Ocreus III stood before him now, he'd likely have personally bound the king and delivered him to that young Fleet Admiral.
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