In the world ofOne Piece, the World Government is the only legitimate governing body with power and influence that spans across the entire world. They are the ones that make and enforce rules and regulations that should be followed by every citizen of the world.The mighty Marine, the security branch of the World Government, is there to ensure that those rules are properly implemented.
The World Government, especially the Marine, are the only ones who have the means to hunt and destroy pirates on a large scale to protect the common people. That is why the World Government and the Marine are always viewed as the good guys. What most people may not realize, however, is the fact that the World Government is actually involved in some pretty heinous activities. So here are some ofthe World Government’s hidden oppressionsthat happen all around the world.
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Heavenly Tribute
Although the World Government is the de facto governing body of the world, that doesn’t mean their protection comes for free. On the contrary, to liveunder the umbrella of the World Government, a country has to pay a hefty sum of money in the name of the Heavenly Tribute. By paying this fee, a country will be able to enjoy the protection and security provided by the Marine, and they will also be eligible to participate within the vast network of trade and informational/technological exchange between allied nations.
What the World Government doesn’t mention, however, is what would happen to those who won’t or can’t pay the Heavenly Tribute. In the simplest term, the World Government will abandon and ignore any country that refuses or is unable to pay the tribute. The fear of losing such a massive support and protection from the World Government will make the leaders of most countries do whatever they can to come up with the money to pay the tribute, even at the expense of their own citizens’ overall wellbeing.
If, for whatever reason, a country couldn’t fulfill their obligation to pay the tribute, then the Marine will immediately leave that particular country. The news of the absence of the Marine and the World Government from any particular countries will instantly spread out. It won’t take long for pirates and other kinds of criminals to overtake the country, and turn it into a criminal den. That is basically what happened onthe island of Sphinx, Whitebeard’s hometown. That’s why when you look deeper into it, the Heavenly Tribute is actually a way for the World Government to oppress a country and its citizens, without having to shoot any bullets.
Hiding The Truth About The Void Century
The World Government is not one to share key information, or any information for that matter, to the people. That is especially true for information that would shed a bad light on themselves, such as their involvement with Doflamingo’s illegal firearms trade. While a big government trying to hide the questionable things that they’ve done is not particularly new nor surprising to hear, what makes the World Government’s scary is the length that they will go to ensure nobody knows about their secret.
One of the World Government’s biggest secrets is regarding the Void Century. About 800 years before the start of the story, there’s a 100-year period that is missing from the historical record.That is called the Void Century. As it happened, that is also the time when the World Government was founded by the twenty most powerful world leaders at the time. And as it turns out, the World Government knows exactly what happened in the Void Century but chose to keep it a secret.
There was an effort by brilliant researchers, historians, and archeologists from the Ohara Island to uncover the truth about the Void Century.They roam around the world, looking for pieces of the puzzleand come really close to unveil the secret of the world. But then the World Government decided to intervene. The Marine launched the biggest and most devastating attack on their disposal, the Buster Call, on Ohara Island. In a matter of hours, they burn the island to the ground, massacre everybody on it, and wipe the island off the map. And that is what the World Government will do to anybody who dares to poke into their secret.
Indulging The Celestial Dragons
As mentioned before, the World Government was founded 800 years ago by twenty World Nobles.With the exception of House Nefertari of Arabasta, the rest of the nobles at the time decided to live in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Their direct descendants are still living at that place and retain their title as world nobles. They are called the Celestial Dragons. And the World Government will go the extra mile to indulge and protect them no matter what they do. Including engaging in slavery.
While slavery is not explicitly banned in the world ofOne Piece, it is still widely seen as a highly unethical and inhumane activity. And yet the Celestial Dragons buy and sell slaves in a heartbeat. Male, female, criminals, innocent people, giants, merman, nobody is safe from their insatiable greed. What makes it worse is the fact that the World Government actively indulges and protects this abhorrent activity. Not only that, they will actively hunt and prosecute anybody who dares to lay a hand on the Celestial Dragons.
Be it wiping a country off the map or indulging the Celestial Dragons' love for slavery, it’s hard to find information about the World Government’s unsavory activity, because they always found a way to hide and cover it up. That is why most people still view them as a benevolent organization that exists solely for the people. But once you begin tolook deeper into their history of oppression, then you’d know how dangerous and tyrannical they actually are.
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