At that moment, the Five Elders were utterly stunned.
What the hell was Claudius doing?
Was he out of his mind?!
As a High Celestial Dragon, how dare he utter such blasphemous words?!
Despite their shock, those who had been prepared in advance wasted no time.
As soon as Claudius finished speaking, Doflamingo immediately stood up.
"In the name of the King of Dressrosa, I second this proposal!"
"In the name of Amazon Lily, a newly joined nation, agrees to Saint Claudius's proposal!" Boa Hancock raised her chin, her voice haughty as always.
"The King of the Desert, Crocodile—in the name of the King of Alabasta, I second this proposal!" Crocodile added with a sneer.
The room fell silent for a brief moment before all eyes turned toward King Neptune.
Neptune took a deep breath, then raised his hand.
"I, the Great Knight of the Sea, Neptune—in the name of Fish-Man Island and as the ruler of Ryugu Kingdom, I second Saint Claudius's proposal!"
With these four powerful figures speaking in support, the room descended into stunned silence.
But soon, a few bold royals followed suit.
"I, Vinsmoke Judge, in the name of the King of Germa Kingdom, second this proposal!" Judge suddenly declared.
Among the many rulers present, Judge was an exceptionally ambitious one.
Originally, he had only attended this summit to make an appearance.
After all, Germa Kingdom, though under the banner of the World Government, had always been treated with indifference, neither fully accepted nor truly valued.
So Judge had never held a favorable opinion of the World Government.
And now? He had stumbled upon a golden opportunity.
A faction within the World Government, led by none other than Donquixote Claudius, was shaking the very foundations of the system.
How could he not take advantage of this?
His Germa Kingdom had no real loyalty to the World Government. For the past few years, Judge had grown increasingly disappointed in them. His ambition to restore Germa's former glory had only intensified.
And if the World Government was in turmoil…
Then what did he have to fear?
So, without hesitation, Judge decided to stir the waters even further.
Claudius looked at Judge curiously upon hearing his words.
Judge responded with a slight nod, his expression calm.
"The Kingdom of Rommel, seconds the proposal!" At that moment, an elderly king suddenly spoke up.
This was none other than Cavendish's father, the ruler of Rommel Kingdom.
For reasons unknown, he had chosen to support this radical proposal.
"The Sorbet Kingdom, seconds the proposal!" another king declared.
The Sorbet Kingdom had once been ruled by Bartholomew Kuma, who later left to become a pirate.
Ever since, the kingdom had held deep-seated resentment toward the World Government.
And now that a powerful figure was openly challenging the system, they had no reason to hold back.
"The Kingdom of Prodence, seconds the proposal!"
King Elizabello II finally spoke up after a moment of contemplation.
He was the man who wielded the legendary King Punch—rumored to have the strength to take down a Yonko in a single blow.
Of course, that was just a legend.
The reality was that, despite its formidable power, even Bartolomeo had survived its impact. The idea of it taking down a Yonko was pure nonsense.
At this point, Nusjuro, the bald-headed elder, looked visibly furious.
His gaze darkened as he glared at Claudius.
He didn't care about the kings who had seconded the proposal.
To him, they were insignificant.
What truly infuriated him was Claudius himself.
In a deep, ominous voice, Nusjuro demanded,
"Claudius, what do you think you're doing?!
This is not a matter to joke about!"
Claudius calmly took a sip of his tea.
Then, with a smile, he replied,
"My lord, please rest assured."
Nusjuro narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
But before he could respond.
Claudius set down his teacup and spoke again.
"This time, I am dead serious.
And I mean every single word I just said."
BANG!
Nusjuro slammed his hand against the table.
"CLAUDIUS, DON'T GO TOO FAR!" he roared.
But Claudius ignored him.
Instead, he turned to face the gathered rulers, his lips curling into a faint smirk.
"What's wrong?
Does this proposal not align with your interests?
Or is it that you're too afraid to speak up?"
As his gaze swept across the room, some of the struggling nations, the ones teetering on the brink of financial ruin, unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute—gritted their teeth.
Then, one by one, they stepped forward and raised their hands.
They seconded the proposal.
Soon, the number of supporting nations rose to twenty-six.
Most of the remaining kings remained silent.
They did not approve the proposal, but they also did not oppose it.
Instead, they simply observed the situation.
After all…
The World Government had held absolute power for 800 years.
Even though Saint Claudius was a powerful figure, this sudden upheaval was too shocking.
Moreover, no one could tell whether this was all just a political ploy.
What if Claudius and the Five Elders were actually working together?
What if this was a trap to flush out those who secretly opposed the Heavenly Tribute?
If that were the case…
Then anyone who spoke up now would be eliminated later.
The Five Elders still didn't fully understand Claudius's motives.
But when they saw that the situation had somewhat stabilized
And that only twenty-six nations had seconded the proposal.
They felt slightly relieved.
At least it hadn't spiraled completely out of control.
"Claudius," Nusjuro said coldly.
"Whatever you're plotting, it ends here.
Your proposal has not been accepted."
But Claudius simply laughed.
"No, my lord.
I believe this proposal has been accepted."
"Hmph! Stop twisting the truth!
Out of the hundred kings present, only twenty-six nations voted in favor.
That means the proposal is rejected!" the bearded elder scoffed.
Claudius, still smiling confidently, replied,
"No, my lord…
The votes at this summit are not counted that way."
Then, turning his attention back to the gathered rulers, he spoke in a cold, commanding tone.
"The kings who supported the proposal just now have seconded it.
But now that I've finished speaking…
Who dares to object?!"
A heavy silence filled the hall.
None of the remaining rulers spoke.
They did not dare to approve it outright…
But they also did not dare to oppose Claudius.
Because at this moment, no one knew for sure.
Would Claudius emerge victorious?
Or would the Five Elders crush him?
It was too soon to tell.
So why take unnecessary risks?
After all, even if they didn't openly support the proposal.
If it passed, wouldn't they still benefit?
And so, in the face of Claudius's unwavering authority,
Not a single king dared to object.
The Five Elders' faces darkened.
They finally realized.
Claudius had planned this from the very beginning.
And now, grinning at the Five Elders, Claudius declared.
"See, my lords?
That's the result.
Now, shall we move on to discussing the details?"
The Five Elders sat in furious silence, their eyes burning with rage.
They had underestimated him.
Badly.
***
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