What did this colossal entity known as the World Government fear most?
It was not the emergence of some Great Pirate. Even the Revolutionary Army could not be considered a complete threat to its core. What it truly feared was the collapse of its prestige among the nations!
In some ways, the World Government was very similar to the United Nations on Earth. The only difference was that it possessed powerful military force, and among the Member States of the Pirate World, there were no dominant powers like the five permanent members.
Of course, perhaps such powerful nations had existed before, only for the World Government to eliminate them all later. Across the entire sea, the World Government could be said to stand alone at the top.
That was why the World Government possessed such immense prestige throughout the world. No matter how dissatisfied the other Member States were, faced with the powerful World Government that controlled the CP Organization and the Marines, they could only endure it.
But once the World Government showed weakness, those Member States certainly would not mind turning it into a near-mascot organization like the United Nations! Did they really think everyone liked having an emperor sitting above their heads?
Thus, those powerful and ambitious nations had begun testing the World Government.
For example... delaying payment of the Heavenly Tribute!
If only one or two, or three to five nations dared do this, the World Government would have crushed them long ago. But when thirty to fifty nations delayed together, the World Government was immediately caught in a dilemma.
Use military force to compel those nations to pay the Heavenly Tribute? Don't be ridiculous. Though there were only thirty to fifty nations, accounting for just one-tenth of the World Government Member States, any nation daring