One Piece: King of the World-Chapter 393: King of the World!

At this moment, inside the World Summit venue, the Five Elders had already been "escorted to rest" by Claudius, placed in a room not far from the main hall.

The assembled royals sat in complete silence. Hardly anyone dared to speak, though a few exchanged nervous glances, unease evident in their expressions.

In stark contrast, Claudius' group remained relaxed, chatting and laughing, as if none of these events were of any real concern to them.

"So far, everything has gone smoothly. If things are proceeding as planned, the suppression should be completed by now, right?" Sengoku stroked his beard and smacked his lips.

Claudius took a sip of tea before responding, "I'd say it's about done. But the lack of movement from the Void Throne is a bit surprising."

"Does it really matter whether this so-called Imu exists or not?" Sengoku's gaze darkened slightly.

"It's best to stay prepared," Claudius murmured.

Before long, a figure entered the conference hall—Spandine.

He swiftly approached Claudius, bent slightly, and whispered, "Your Highness, all suppression efforts are complete. However, there's still no response from the Void Throne. How should we proceed?"

Claudius nodded and said, "Leave it alone for now. Since your part is done, it's time for me to handle these royals."

"Understood!" Spandine quickly replied before leaving the hall.

As Spandine departed, Claudius stood up, sweeping his gaze across the entire assembly. A slight smirk played on his lips as he stepped onto the central podium, the very spot where the Five Elders had been presiding just moments ago.

Every royal in attendance turned their eyes toward Claudius.

Clearing his throat slightly, he spoke: "Does anyone have any objections to the two proposals put forward?"

The moment his words fell, not a single person dared to respond.

A joke, surely? Even the Five Elders objected just now—and where did that get them? Arrested on the spot! If they, mere rulers of affiliated nations, dared to speak out, what would happen to them?

At the same time, many present gained a newfound understanding of the Donquixote name. They had long heard rumors of the clan producing some rather... peculiar individuals.

But this? This was on another level.

Astounding. Admirable. Insane.

"Well, it seems no one has any objections," Claudius said with a grin.

He continued, "In that case, the proposal to reduce the number of Celestial Dragons is officially passed under the highest authority of the World Summit.

Effective immediately, all members of the Celestial Dragons except for the Donquixote family are stripped of their status.

They will no longer enjoy any privileges as Celestial Dragons!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Claudius didn't bother to check whether anyone approved or not. He simply moved on to the next topic.

"Now, let's discuss the structure of the World Government's authority. The Five Elders are old. It's time for them to step down. But if they retire, how should the resulting power vacuum be filled?" Claudius asked in a calm tone.

The kings of the affiliated nations exchanged glances.

What was there to discuss?

Wouldn't the decision ultimately rest with Claudius Saint?

"I believe that since the identities of the other Celestial Dragons have been revoked, the only remaining true Celestial Dragons belong to the Donquixote family," King Neptune spoke up.

"Saint Claudius, as the patriarch of the Donquixote family, stands as the highest-ranking Celestial Dragon—the only one of noble status remaining.

It is only fitting that he assumes the responsibilities of the former Five Elders and becomes the supreme authority of the World Government, is it not?"

The moment Neptune finished speaking, Sengoku stood up.

"Marine Headquarters fully supports the new government under Claudius and the World Government."

Following him, Garp, Tsuru, Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and other top Marine officers all rose to their feet, echoing his words.

At this point, even the dullest of minds could see that the entire Marine Headquarters had submitted to Claudius.

Within the massive structure of the World Government, the Marines were merely one of many powerful organizations.

In terms of authority alone, they weren't the highest-ranking faction.

Institutions such as the World Government's senior officials and the chief executive officers held greater bureaucratic influence.

But there was one undeniable fact—

The Marines possessed the most formidable military power.

And now, they had pledged allegiance to Claudius.

Who else within the World Government had the strength to resist?

Even those with political influence held nothing but hollow authority without military backing.

Claudius acknowledged Sengoku and the others with a nod, then turned his gaze back to the assembly.

"In that case," he declared, "I, Donquixote Claudius, will assume the highest authority of the World Government and reorganize its various institutions."

"The administrative departments will be restructured to better serve the allied nations of the World Government."

"Does anyone have any objections to this new government?" freewēbnoveℓ.com

Silence.

Then—

"Alabasta approves," Crocodile was the first to raise his hand.

"Amazon Lily approves," Hancock followed.

"Dressrosa approves!" Doflamingo chimed in.

One by one, more nations gave their approval—Germa Kingdom, Fish-Man Island, and others—until all 100 votes had passed in favor of Claudius assuming control.

At that moment, through the authority of the World Summit, Claudius legally and officially seized the highest power of the World Government.

Of course, one lingering threat remained, one that had yet to be addressed.

When all was said and done, further arrangements would be necessary to eliminate it completely.

As this realization settled in, Doflamingo grinned.

"Since the highest authority of the new government is now concentrated in a single person, it wouldn't make sense to continue using the title of 'Five Elders,' would it?"

Following Doflamingo's comment, several royal figures began eagerly proposing titles.

"Indeed! Saint Claudius' power far exceeds that of the Five Elders. A new title is needed!"

"How about 'Heavenly Dragon King'?"

"No, no, 'God-King' sounds more fitting!"

A wave of sycophantic suggestions flooded in—"Heavenly Dragon King," "God-King," "Supreme Lord of the Celestial Dragons"—each title more extravagant than the last.

But Claudius rejected them all.

Why?

Because they all sounded ridiculous.

Then, a voice from the crowd suddenly spoke up.

"How about 'King of the World'?"

"After all, he is now the ruler of the World Government, the king of all 173 member nations!"

For a brief moment, silence filled the hall.

Then—

Crocodile smirked. "I like that."

Seeing Crocodile, one of Claudius' direct subordinates, approve of the title, the other royals quickly followed suit.

"Yes, yes! 'King of the World'! Only Claudius deserves such a name!"

"The supreme ruler of the World Government, our lord and sovereign!"

The title quickly gained unanimous approval.

At that moment, Claudius declared, "Then so be it. I, Donquixote Claudius, from this day forward, assume the highest authority of the World Government, as the King of the World!"

The assembled royals erupted in praise.

But while Claudius outwardly accepted their reverence, his thoughts were already moving ahead.

Next… it was time to deal with these so-called 'loyal' rulers.

"Moving forward, we shall begin discussions on the formation of a new government."

"We will restructure taxation, drastically reducing the financial burden on allied nations, and implement new laws and policies."

A brief pause.

Then—

"Let's begin with the tax reforms."

***

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