Bounty
After the Marine officers dispersed in disappointment, Leo's speech continued.
"I know many of you have questions, so I'll answer them right here."
"Human beings should be born equal."
"The Celestial Dragons are in no way superior to others, nor does it mean that we are inferior to kings and nobles."
"They want to sleep on the achievements of their ancestors, using past glory and honor to exploit us. We will not agree, and we will not accept it."
"The people of this world have been exploited by the Celestial Dragons for over eight hundred years. If nothing changes, they will continue draining away our wealth under the absurd pretext of 'bloodline.'"
"Our wealth was earned with our own hands and sweat. We will never agree to let them strip it away as if it were their right just because of the word 'bloodline,' then lie back and reap the rewards of our labor."
Leo's righteous words shook many people.
He did not approach the matter from bloodlines, legal principles, or anything else.
He simply discussed, from the perspective of interests, whether it was reasonable for the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and the kings of World Government member nations to use their bloodlines as grounds to seize ordinary people's wealth.
This directly concerned everyone's interests.
Many people might have been conditioned since childhood to obey the Celestial Dragons, or they might have been cowed by the kings' force and authority.
But mention how much tax they paid every month and every year, or how much money they got to keep, and they immediately got fired up.
It was not just them. The people of the Sabaody Archipelago and other affiliated islands thought the same way.
The taxes collected by the Celestial Dragons were not ten or twenty percent.