A meeting of this scale, ohat would determihe course of global warfare wasn't something that could be ed up in a single day.
In fact, it stretched across several secutive sessions.
Ohird day, Nusjuro officially firmed at the meeting that the Wover would expand the scale of the uping Reverie, inviting a hundred nations to participate.
This decision would serve as a cover for the impending "War oop."
That's right, the official ame for the operation had been decided.
"The War oop"—a battle among the stro forces in the world.
…Though, personally, Cudius found the o be a bit pretentious.
At the end of the day, they were just dealing with pirates.
Was it really worthy of being called a world-shaking war?
Regardless, he still took the operatioremely seriously.
To him, this war was the prelude to a new era.
---
Now, ba his pace at Mariejois, the strategic meetings had finally cluded.
Everything that o be discussed had been covered, multiple tingens had been formuted, and now…
All that was left was to execute.
No battle ever unfolds exactly as pnned, but with the level of preparation the Wover had put into this, they were ready to handle almost any sario.
The rest would depend on performan the field.
Most of the high-ranking Marines had already left to begin preparations.
However, Sengoku had remained behind, seemingly in no hurry to leave.
Instead, he had opted to sit down for afternoon tea with Cudius.
Sipping from his teacup, the Fleet Admiral let out a sigh.
"Fifty billion Berries in funding… should be enough to fortify Marineford properly," he mused.
---
For a battle of this scale, there was no way the Marines would be expected to fund everything themselves.
Thus, the Wover had allocated an additional 50 billion Berries on top of the standard annual military budget.
This money ecifically earmarked for reparations, including the rge-scale restru of Marineford.
And depending on how things developed, more funding could still be allocated iure.
In the past, Sengoku would have celebrated such a sum.
But now?
Now, after w so closely with Cudius, he barely found it impressive.
---
Over the past few years, Calm Belt development had surged forward.
With the cooperation of the Marine Sce Division and the Water 7 engineers, the first-ever sea train lihrough the Calm Belt had been pleted.
This development had massively improved Marine logistics, redug their relian warships for transport.
Although the current rail line only ected Amazon Lily and three key resource isnds, the bes were already immeasurable.
At present, a total of seven isnds in the South Calm Belt had been successfully developed:
Two were iron-rich isnds.
One per mine.
Three were used fe-scale agriculture, serving as food supply bases for the Navy.
The final isnd… was the most valuable of them all—a gold mine.
Although gold extra was still in its early stages, even the small amount of produ so far had been hugely profitable.
With just four mining isnds, the Marine forces had already established a massive sedary ine source.
pared to that…
50 billion Berries?
Sengoku barely even sidered it a rge sum anymore.
"Hahahaha!" Cudius ughed at his rea.
"What's this? Now even 50 billion is 'too little' for you?
Marine Headquarters really is thriving, huh?"
Sengoku chuckled.
"With our current revenues, 50 billion is just about two months' worth of earnings from the Calm Belt project.
Holy? It doesn't even feel like that muymore."
Then, with a sigh, he added,
"If only we could develop the Calm Belt without restris… our progress is still painfully slow."
---
The truth was, they had barely scratched the surface.
The Calm Belt was massive, spanning hundreds, possibly even thousands of undeveloped isnds.
Even if they only ted resource-rich isnds, there were at least 500 major targets for future development.
And that was just in the South Calm Belt.
If properly utilized, the total annual ine from full-scale development could reato the trillions.
Cudius smiled.
He was well aware of the potential here.
But he wasn't about to hand all of it over to the Navy.
---
If Cudius ever fully seized power over the Wover, one of his first priorities would be redug the Heavenly Tribute tax system.
It wasn't about eliminating it entirely after all, the Donquixote liill needed a legitimate reason to collect wealth.
However, milking the allied nations dry wasn't sustainable.
Instead, he po legitimize a new financial system, ohat would keep most of the wealth cirg within the Wover's ey.
He khat gaining support from more nations required more than just military power.
Eitives were just as important.
And the Calm Belt was his financial trump card.
If he could fully develop it, the Wover could bee eically self-suffit, no longer depe on forced taxation.
Of course, that was all iure.
For now, he o keep using the Calm Belt's wealth as a means to bind the Navy to him.
Ensuring their loyalty in the ing years.
---
Hearing Sengoku's pints, Cudius smirked and casually remarked,
"Well… maybe iure, we'll get that ce."
Sengoku's eyes flickered slightly at those words.
Sengoku wasn't a fool.
He khat Cudius had been iing heavily in the Navy.
And he also khat Cudius wasn't doing it for nothing.
For a long time, he had tried to figure out what Cudius' true goal was.
At first, he had assumed that Cudius was simply trying tthen the Wover's grip on power, seg his own political standing.
But over time…
He began to suspect that Cudius had grander ambitions.
Sengoku had no doubt that Cudius was destio make history.
At times, he even wondered…
"Is he pnning a coup?"
But whenever he truly thought about it, the idea seemed ridiculous.
Why would a Celestial Dragon want to overthrow the Wover?
It made no sense.
At the same time…
If he wasn't pnning rebellion, then what was he building all this power for?
In the end, Sengoku settled on the most logical expnation.
Cudius wasn't trying to destroy the Wover.
He was trying to take over Five Elders' authority.
Of course, Sengoku still wasn't aware of Imu's existence, if he had been, his entire perception of the power structure would have been different.
Right now, all he knew was that Cudius was gathering strength, and that, somehow, Marine Headquarters had been pulled onto his side without even realizing it.
And at this point…
It was too te to back out.
The Navy was already tied to Cudius.
They had taken his funding.
They had joined in his Calm Belt project.
Even if Sengoku tried to separate himself now, Five Elders would rust him again.
If Cudius lost, the entire Marine leadership would be purged.
So now, Sengoku had only one choice.
Stay the course.
No matter what Cudius nning…
He had no choice but to see it through to the end.
***
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