"Can't handle something like this?" Alistair smiled slightly. Fear was good; the worst thing wasn't fear, but numbness, forgetfulness.
"This is just the surface."
Alistair shook his head. "You haven't seen the deeper issues."
"Let me show you the numbers."
"Take the Grand Line as an example. How many Berries does a family of four need to live on annually?"
"Let's assume a family of four needs 5 million Berries a year to live. Then they need to earn 15 million Berries to survive."
"!!!" Everyone was shocked again. That much?
While the Marines often issued bounties of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of Berries, it was largely symbolic.
Except for the Whitebeard Pirates, no other pirate crew would deliver their enemies' heads to the Marines for the bounty. They feared the Marines would wipe them out. Only the Whitebeard Pirates did this; they had the ability, the channels, and wouldn't let those who disobeyed them work for other Yonko. Killing or capturing and handing them over to the Marines was a good option, and they had the means to do so.
The high bounties were largely empty promises.
Even if there was a rush to claim bounties, it didn't matter. The Celestial Dragons had the Heavenly Tribute, a portion of which went directly to the Marines, so they could afford these rewards. The Marines were wealthy; if necessary, they could request emergency funds from the World Government.
These empty checks were a concern. The Shichibukai's strength ranged from 80 million to 200 million Berries. Later, inflation hit, and Yonko commanders needed at least 500 million Berries to even greet other Yonko commanders.
However, the prices in One Piece were remarkably stable. Arlong's crew taxed the nearby village, demanding 100,000 Berries per person—right at the limit of their monthly income. This meant a typical family of three in the East Blue earned around 300,000 Berries a month, or 3.6 million Berries a year.
This was the annual income of ordinary villagers near a prosperous area of the East Blue (the fact that Nami could travel throughout the East Blue from Cocoyasi Village to steal suggests it's a relatively prosperous area. The large-scale orange plantation provided vitamins for pirates and sailors, requiring significant capital). In the Grand Line, due to passing ships and pirate spending, income would be even higher.
Yet Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Berries, couldn't have imagined a family of four in the Grand Line earning 15 million Berries a year.
"But of that 15 million Berries, about 10 million will be taken—roughly 8 million in Heavenly Tribute and 2 million in taxes. The remaining 5 million is what the family has to live on."
"But this is a typical case, the income of a middle-class family earning over 15 million Berries."
"Have you considered the lives of those who don't earn 15 million Berries?"
Alistair's words made everyone frown, as if understanding something.
How many people in this world earn 15 million Berries?
Very few.
What happens to those who don't?
Do they pay less tax, or go bankrupt?
These people came from ordinary backgrounds. They had never earned 15 million Berries. Their outcome was clear.
Those who couldn't earn 15 million Berries went bankrupt, resorting to the sea—becoming Marines or pirates, fighting each other, while their true enemies—the ones who exploited them—enjoyed their spoils, and they fought amongst themselves.
"Who is our enemy, who is our friend? This is the primary question of revolution." With the previous groundwork laid, Alistair's words prompted serious reflection.
"This isn't just about revolution. Before doing anything, you must consider this."
"If someone is currently my enemy, but might become my friend, show mercy, even try to bring them over to fight this enemy together."
"If someone is a die-hard, firmly on the enemy's side, then eliminate them, remove them, kill them. Don't let them become obstacles to the revolution."
Alistair's eyes shone like stars in the darkness, captivating everyone's gaze.
His lecture continued.
"How many people are driven to sell their children, become pirates, and leave their homes because of the Celestial Dragons' Heavenly Tribute?"
"The number of people who die because of this money far surpasses those directly harmed by the Celestial Dragons."
"If they only took slaves, they might kill 10,000 people a year at most."
"But as long as they continue collecting the Heavenly Tribute, exploiting the world, they cause tens of thousands of people to go bankrupt, families to be torn apart, and people to be forced onto the path of piracy, becoming the root cause of this world's chaos and bloodshed."
"So, you understand why I said the Celestial Dragons are the enemy from the start, right?"
"They don't die, the world is not at peace."
"Some of you might still harbor illusions about the Marines and the World Government: the Celestial Dragons are bad, the Marines and the World Government are good, they're just tools. Once the Celestial Dragons are gone, they'll become good, a good government and good Marines?"
"This is naive. This theory is based on: 'The king is not at fault, it's his ministers. Removing the ministers will make the king good.'"
"Think carefully: the king's role is to bear all responsibility, good or bad. He shifts the blame to his ministers, bearing no responsibility himself?"
"Shifting all blame to the Celestial Dragons, does that absolve the Marines of their crimes?"
"That's your homework for tonight. Think it over, and we'll discuss it again tomorrow night."
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