Pirate: Hades! ( One Piece)

Chapter 238: Hades Arrives

"Please follow me, His Highness is already on the way."

The Kronos Kingdom had already sent a Military Officer to wait at the Port.

There wasn't much more to say; the World Government Envoy had already contacted the Kronos Kingdom's official Den Den Mushi beforehand.

So, with the Kronos Kingdom not refusing, they got straight to the point.

Hearing the Military Officer's words, the World Government Envoy's mouth twitched visibly, and his heart immediately leaped into his throat.

He had thought that he, a mere nobody, would meet with a Puppet remotely controlled by the Tartaros Royal Family.

But he hadn't expected that the one he would meet was "Pluto" Hades.

 Even without seeing him in person, he felt immense pressure.

The gazes of the two Agent behind him were focused on the Kronos Kingdom's Military at the Port.

The moment they stepped onto the Port, they felt several Strongman, not weaker than themselves, had them targeted.

This Mission was very important, but what they relied on was not Force.

They were CP0 Member, but their Strength wasn't high, only at the Commodore Level.

Currently, among the World Government's CP0 Agent, there isn't much usable combat strength.

 Due to war losses, the battle at God Valley resulted in the downfall of the entire force except the CP0 Director-General under the Heavenly King's bombardment.

This was not something to rejoice about; it meant that the Kronos Kingdom had no intention of killing them.

No one was willing to die like this.

 Being CP Agent did not mean they didn't have their own Personality.

Having been trained by the World Government, they firmly believed that the World Government represented Justice and that what they did was correct.

But who was willing to sacrifice themselves just like that?

On the West Coast of the Kronos Kingdom, about ten kilometers inland from the Western Port, was an independent Luxury Manor located in the suburbs.

This Manor was an asset of the Royal Family, and also the place the Kronos Kingdom specifically arranged for the meeting with the World Government this time.

Originally, Hades didn't need to come.

 A mere minor character wasn't worth him handling it personally.

However, in order to control the Situation, he still decided to handle it personally.

 He might even need to speak with the Five Elders.

Inside the luxurious Manor, the Government Envoy clearly had no mind to appreciate the view.

 He had seen such beautiful scenery many times; Holy Land Mariejois was even more luxurious than it.

Inside the spacious Living Room, there was ample light.

 Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window, one could see the flourishing Flower Field.

The Government Envoy sat tremblingly on the Sofa, occasionally rubbing his thighs and wiping the sweat from his brow, as he was sweating profusely.

No matter how he thought about it, he didn't know what leverage the World Government could use in this meeting.

If he were on the Kronos Kingdom's side, he definitely wouldn't agree.

To make the Kronos Kingdom agree to the World Government's demands, the World Government would inevitably have to pay a considerable price.

In fact, the World Government had already prepared.

 They had investigated the Kronos Kingdom's needs beforehand and identified some bargaining chips they could offer.

However, they didn't know if they could satisfy them.

Currently, the total trade volume of the entire World Arms Market reached 80 billion Beli.

This was calculable.

 Including those that couldn't be calculated, the total amount could completely reach 150 billion.

Without the Interference of the Kronos Kingdom, the World Government believed they could completely take 30 to 40 billion.

Currently, the World Government's annual total Heavenly Tribute amount is only about 400 billion Beli.

The share the World Government could take in the Arms Market reached one-tenth of the total Heavenly Tribute amount.

Although this didn't represent net profit, the benefits it brought were huge.

The World Government couldn't give up.

Without the Threat brought by the Rocks Pirate, the Member Nation relied less on the World Government's full support.

Due to the Chaos of the Great Sea and the losses of the various Member Nation, they also needed to make investments of funds into military construction and purchase large amounts of munitions to protect their Kingdom.

How could they still afford the huge amount of Heavenly Tribute for the World Government?

Pressure from various aspects made the Member Nation hope to reduce the share of Heavenly Tribute.

Otherwise, they could only turn the pressure towards the Lower-class Resident.

In fact, for the development of their Kingdom, many Kingdom had already done so.

Although the Threat from Pirate decreased, their lives were also becoming increasingly difficult.

The conflict between the World Government and the Member Nation was triggered again because of the downfall of the Rocks Pirate.

The World Government naturally wouldn't agree.

 While continuously amassing wealth through their Power, they were also seeking ways for self-development, trying their best to avoid dependence on the Heavenly Tribute.

If they didn't do this, the World Government would always be controlled by the Member Nation.

 The World Government was already seeking change, and the arms trade market was one of their targets.

Although the World Government controlled the connecting channel between the First Half of the Grand Line and the New World, and could collect a huge amount of toll fees annually through Red Port, this was far from enough.

The war with the Rocks Pirate led to Red Port losing its former prosperity.

With the restoration of order, Red Port would definitely become prosperous again.

After all, this was one of the only two Passage to the New World; the other Passage was Fish-Man Island.

As the Pluto Pirates controlled Fish-Man Island, they used its Strength to clear out a Passage that allowed for Safe Passage through it.

The danger level of traveling to the New World via Fish-Man Island became much smaller.

Large numbers of Pirate and Merchant Ships poured into Fish-Man Island, to some extent diverting traffic from Red Port.

In addition, the Toll Fees collected by Fish-Man Island were much lower than the World Government's, to some extent diverting traffic from Red Port.

Of course, the Deep Sea was still dangerous, and there were still so many Pirate.

 Red Port couldn't be simply replaced.

However, the Toll Fees collected at Fish-Man Island had no relation to Fish-Man Island itself.

 To be precise, it was the Pluto Pirates collecting the Toll Fees.

 Fish-Man Island itself didn't have such a thing as Toll Fees originally.

Next, the World Government also needed to clear out the New World Front.

 Only by creating a stable Sea Area would trade become prosperous, and only then would Red Port become prosperous.

Otherwise, given the current situation of Pirate rampant in the New World, basically no one would be willing to go there.

 Merchant Ships without Connections would immediately become the target of Pirate upon going there.

An Agent stood behind him.

 Besides listening to the discussion, it was also to prevent the possibility that this Envoy might be bribed by the Kronos Kingdom.

A figure descended from the sky, landing in front of the Manor's Luxury Villa.

The person who came was Hades.

"His Highness, the World Government Envoy is already waiting inside."

"Looks like they're a bit anxious," Hades said, feeling the tension inside the Living Room.

 His eyes flashed with light.

He also felt more confident.

 The gains from this meeting shouldn't be small.

He glanced at the Agent guarding outside the door and walked directly inside.

With just one glance, the Agent felt as if his heart was grabbed by someone.

 He was trembling all over, and his body felt drained, sweating profusely.

(end of chapter)