Chapter 174: The Great Sea's Difficult Situation, Years of Hardship

Chapter 174: The Great Sea's Difficult Situation, Years of Hardship

After Iskandar Island got on the right track and the Iskanbel Family completely grasped control of the entire Island, the Pluto Pirates also reduced the time they spent on Iskandar Island.

Their Cadres took turns being stationed on Iskandar Island and the surrounding Sea Area.

 Having learned his lesson, Kaido was clearly low-key for a period.

 Not wanting to rely on Charlotte Linlin, Kaido latched onto "Tyrant Dragon" Zak, becoming friends with Zak and calling each other brothers.

 He continuously gathered intelligence within the Rocks Pirates, his fundamental goal still being to become stronger.

A section of the coast on Honeycomb Island has been contracted by the Pluto Pirates to serve as a fixed Base.

 This is also the Area from which Hades first left Honeycomb Island.

As the Pirate Paradise, Honeycomb Island has many entertainment facilities, but strength is the fundamental basis of everything.

 The empty coast is the training ground for the Pluto Pirates.

What's different is that a fleet of Marine warships is anchored by the shore.

 In the eyes of the Pirates on Honeycomb Island, Hades has another title: "Warship Wholesaler."

During the war, Titan didn't know how many warships he plundered.

 Besides the intact ones, there were also many scrapped ones.

 Some Pirates would buy warships from Hades.

 With a little modification, they become high-quality pirate ships.

 Anchoring in the Port of Honeycomb Island and sailing on the Great Sea is truly a unique sight.

But for the Marines and the World Government, this is absolutely a disgrace.

 Every time they encounter one, it becomes a primary target for the Marines.

 Although the Marines are very low-key now, there are still some Marines active in the New World Front, as long as they don't conflict with the Rocks Pirates.

And Hades' main customers are not Pirates, but the Kingdoms, various Factions, and Underworld Forces in the Four Seas.

Besides arming their own Maritime Military, they also have the idea of directly studying Marine warships to obtain relevant technology, then imitating them themselves to build their own unique warships.

The World Government has always guarded the construction of warships very strictly.

 The foundation of the World Government is its Member Nations, and maintaining its control relies on the Marines.

 With the protection of the Marines, these Member Nations don't need to waste money researching warship construction or cultivating Marines.

Warships are the Marines' most powerful weapon for deterring the Great Sea.

 If every Kingdom had its own Marines and warships, capable of protecting themselves, then what would they need the Marines for? What would the World Government be for?

For the vast majority of ordinary Member Nations, and even the majority of non-World Government Affiliated Nations, warship technology is extremely precious and hard to come by.

 Especially non-Member Nations, without the Marines' protection, they need a strong navy even more to protect their Kingdom.

 Possessing a fleet with strong firepower is enough to eliminate the threat of half the Pirates.

 For the vast majority of Pirates, especially in the Four Seas, warships are very deterrent.

Originally, the World Government had the influence and control to curb this situation as much as possible.

 But now, the World Government is clearly unable to do so.

 The Marines' military strength is severely insufficient, the maintenance of Intelligence Organizations is affected, and they also lost a large number of Agents during the war.

With the Marines unable to protect the Member Nations, the Member Nations' self-armament is inevitable.

 How can the World Government stop it?

Having consumed a lot of its foundation, the development of the Marines, recruitment, warship construction, and all other aspects require money.

 Moreover, the World Government is still negotiating with the Member Nations about increasing the heavenly tribute.

As the beli devaluation, it has caused a considerable impact on various Member Nations.

 There is also a beneficial part, which is that the amount of heavenly tribute they submit remains the same as before.

The World Government had mentioned this during the war, but it was completely ignored.

 The Member Nations hadn't even blamed the World Government for the losses they suffered, so how could they increase the heavenly tribute? Furthermore, the devaluation of the Beli was originally the World Government's own doing.

After the war ended, this matter was put on the agenda, but it has been continuously delayed.

 The World Government has no choice; the Member Nations control the World Government's economic lifeline.

 They used this method to control the Marines, but they never thought they would suffer such a situation themselves.

Under these circumstances, it is even more impossible for the World Government to restrict the Member Nations.

 If they cannot even restrict the Member Nations, let alone those Kingdoms that are not Member Nations.

The World Government has no right to manage them at all.

Under this situation, the World Government's influence is declining, and its control over the World has undoubtedly decreased.

 The New World goes without saying, but the Four Seas, which have the most Member Nations and are the most vast, are even more so.

This impact is caused by multiple factors.

 There are also internal conflicts within the Marines.

 The Marines' defeat, the Four Seas Faction suffering heavy losses, and negative emotions erupted after brewing for a period after the war ended.

This has left Steel Bone Kong, who has become Fleet Admiral, somewhat overwhelmed.

 The Four Seas Faction still holds a dominant position in the Four Seas, especially among the middle-level Cadres.

They themselves have connections with many Member Nations.

 After the conspiracy theory fermented, many Marine Cadres left the Marines and were recruited by those Kingdoms, contributing to the construction of the Kingdom's navy.

Within the World Government, the voice of the Member Nations is undoubtedly becoming increasingly important, and their influence is growing.

 Certain demands cannot even be ignored by the Five Elders.

For example, asking the Marines to clear out a Pirate Crew that has plundered a Kingdom's villages and Small Towns, or robbed a Kingdom's merchant ships.

 Important figures of the Royal Family visiting other Kingdoms require the Marines to send people for escort.

The World Government cannot refuse these demands, and the Marines even less so.

The state is declining.

 The World Government never thought during the war that this war, which had been stable for three years and could have ended, would collapse at the last moment.

The losses incurred in a short period were even greater than the total over three years.

 If the order to retreat had been given earlier, the current result wouldn't have happened.

 Unfortunately, there is no regret medicine.

Undoubtedly, the Member Nations' voice in the World Government has increased, and Holy Land Mariejois, as the political center of the World, has entered a period of decline.

In a sense, the World Government and the Marines are linked by destiny.

 The World Government's control comes from the Marines, and the stronger the Marines are, the stronger the World Government is.

Until the Marines regroup and rebuild their strength, this situation will continue.

 And everyone knows what truly counts as regrouping and rebuilding strength.

That is to overthrow the great mountain that is the Rocks Pirates.

During this difficult dark age, before seeing the dawn, both the World Government and the Marines must grit their teeth and persevere.

(end of chapter)