Celestial Dragons, Heavenly Tribute
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Why are you leaving that last bit of wine in your cup? Planning to raise fish in there?"
"Pour another! The first one to pass out is the loser!"
"You can't beat me at drinking!"
"You'll be the one losing to me!"
Excited voices rang out now and then across the deck of the Revenge.
Barrel after barrel was emptied, as time passed from day to night, then from night to day.
Another day and night went by, and Rono's stock was nearly gone.
"You're still not drunk? Are you really only seventeen?" Roger's cheeks were slightly flushed as he looked at Rono, who remained perfectly clearheaded, and couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.
When I was seventeen, I didn't touch a drop of alcohol. This guy had been drinking for a whole day and was still clearheaded?
His combat talent was already monstrous, but even his talent for drinking was monstrous?!
And Rono was also pretty good at brewing alcohol. It was such a shame that this guy wasn't joining his crew!
Roger couldn't help beating his chest in frustration.
"Even if you brought out another barrel, I still wouldn't get drunk!"
Rono picked up a barrel of wine in front of him and gulped it all down.
The system could pick up anything, and drinking capacity was no exception.
That was why Rono could drink with Roger for a whole day and night.
Otherwise, with Rono's actual drinking capacity, one barrel would probably have put him to sleep for three days and nights.
"Yeah, right. You sure can brag." Roger thought Rono was far too good at boasting. He was nowhere near as good as him at that.
"Haha, don't believe me? I'll show you someday." Rono took a bite of roast chicken, then picked up another barrel of wine and drained it.
"Damn, we're about to run out!"
When Roger saw that there wasn't much wine left, he tossed aside the chicken leg in his hand and started drinking furiously, a barrel in each hand.
"You're trying to catch me off guard! That's dirty!" Seeing this, Rono refused to be outdone and started chugging with both hands.
After all, this was a matter of a man's dignity. He absolutely couldn't lose.
Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp~
The two drank like they were guzzling plain water, and hundreds of barrels of fine wine vanished in an instant.
"Hahaha, that was a blast! The sea is just so wonderful!"
Once their entire stock was gone, the two sprawled across the deck and fell into a drunken sleep, snoring with smiles on their faces.
"How long was I asleep?"
As his snot bubble popped, Roger woke up.
"Three days." Rono was standing in the Control Room, steering the ship as he answered.
"Where are we going?" Realizing the ship was already moving, Roger asked instinctively.
"Heh, somewhere interesting. You'll definitely like it." A faint smile tugged at Rono's lips.
"Oh?"
Roger was intrigued. He sprang to his feet and used Observation Haki to scout the area.
Not far away, there were many ships, including Marine warships, World Government escort ships, and a massive transport ship.
The transport ship was loaded with a vast amount of gold, silver, jewels, and Beli.
It was obvious what interesting thing Rono was talking about.
"Heavenly Tribute?"
"That's right. Isn't it interesting?" Rono nodded.
He had just made a huge leap in strength when he ran into a Heavenly Tribute fleet. What were the odds?
After gaining Observation Haki, Rono could sense his surroundings.
That was when he discovered something interesting: the World Government was collecting Heavenly Tribute.
Every World Government Affiliated Nation had to contribute it. It was basically a tax.
All that money went toward the Celestial Dragons' food, lodging, and entertainment.
If a country paid the Heavenly Tribute, the World Government would protect it from outside interference. But if it didn't pay, the World Government couldn't care less whether the country lived or died.
However, the amount of Heavenly Tribute was truly enormous. Even a whole country struggled to pay it.
Over time, some countries imposed excessive levies and taxes, leaving ordinary people unable to make a living, so they went to sea and became Pirates.
Some poor countries even went bankrupt as a result. The Marines wouldn't help when Pirates oppressed the people, leaving the country in misery.
In the original story, Roger's last words certainly played a part in ushering in the Great Pirate Era.
But the Heavenly Tribute bankrupted most countries, and a considerable number of people who could no longer make a living went to sea and became Pirates. That, too, was the choice of the times.
"Hahaha, Heavenly Tribute! This is too interesting! Let's get this adventure started!"
Roger grinned broadly and shouted excitedly.
Although Roger's style meant he wouldn't rob anyone even after becoming a Pirate, the Celestial Dragons were an exception.
"I wonder if there are any Celestial Dragons this time." Rono speculated. Thinking of the Celestial Dragons, he unconsciously clenched both fists and sped up the ship.
Soon, the World Government's Heavenly Tribute fleet appeared before them.
"Report! There's a sailboat ahead. It has no Pirate flag, and we don't know what it's doing."
At the same time, the fleet transporting the Heavenly Tribute had also spotted Rono and Roger.
A Marine hurriedly reported this to Hank, the East Blue Branch Vice Admiral.
The Branch Vice Admiral was also the highest-ranking Marine officer in the East Blue.
"Sink them..."
Before Hank could issue an order, several tall, masked men suddenly appeared beside him. One who was clearly their leader spoke in an impassive voice.
Judging by their clothes and appearance, there was no doubt they belonged to the spy organization under the Celestial Dragons: CP0!
CP0 was known as the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield. Some of its members even had the strength of someone at Emperor-Admiral Level.
"But... the other ship isn't flying a Pirate flag. What if it's a merchant ship, or there's nothing but civilians on board?"
Hank looked troubled. As a Marine, he still had Justice in his heart.
"Vice Admiral Hank, this is a fleet transporting the Heavenly Tribute. Anyone who appears nearby is committing a capital offense."
The voice behind the mask was utterly indifferent, as if discussing some trivial matter.
"But..." Hank looked troubled.
"The Heavenly Tribute is what God values most. If it goes missing, can a mere Vice Admiral like you bear the consequences?" The CP0 agent's voice grew even colder.
Before Hank could say anything more, something no one expected happened.
"Shigan: Yellow Lotus!"
CP0 launched a Shigan attack without warning.
Whoosh!
The Shigan pierced Hank's left shoulder, and blood gushed out in a stream!
"Ah!!"
Hank clutched his left shoulder and fell to the ground in agony.
"Vice Admiral Hank!"
The Marines around him were stunned by what they saw.
This was a Marine Vice Admiral, the highest-ranking officer in the East Blue.
They-they'd actually attacked him!
CP0 was far too arrogant!
They had no regard for the Marines at all.
"Damn it, CP0, you're nothing but a spy agency directly under the Celestial Dragons. What gives you the right to attack Vice Admiral Hank?"
"That's right, we're the Marines. CP0 has no authority over us!"
"You people, aren't you afraid of the Marines retaliating?"
Some of the young Marines who had only recently joined and still had a strong sense of Justice couldn't stand it any longer. They all started denouncing CP0.
The old soldiers nearby tried to hold them back, but it was already too late.
"Interesting... Are you trying to rebel?" The CP0 leader gave a cold snort. The next instant-
"Shigan: Ten-Finger Gun!"
"Rankyaku: Amane Dachi!"
"Six Powers: Lotus!"
Several CP0 members attacked the Marines who had just spoken without the slightest restraint.
How could those Marine recruits possibly stand against CP0? Cries of agony rang out one after another!
In less than a minute, all the dozen or so young Marines who had spoken were corpses!
Thud, thud.
Soon, the corpses were thrown into the sea.
As they watched this horrifying scene, the remaining Marines didn't dare so much as breathe loudly!
CP0's methods were truly terrifying!
Even when killing Marines from the same side, they showed no mercy!
Was this the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield?