One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 207 Is the Successor Guaranteed to Do a Good Job?

Although she didn't entirely approve of the World Government, it was quite impressive that it had ruled the world for eight hundred years.

Almost none of China's feudal dynasties lasted more than 300 years.

Slave dynasties could barely last for four or five hundred years.

The Zhou Dynasty's eight hundred years of existence is highly questionable. It had long suffered from division and, in its later stages, served more as a symbolic entity than a force with real power.

However, even today, world governments still have the power to govern the entire world.

The concentration of power far surpasses that of any other country on Earth.

Roman could only exclaim that this was outrageous.

If we really have to talk about political similarities, it's very similar to Shang Yang's policies towards the people.

First, the people are weakened. If the people become wealthy, the country will become poor. Therefore, the policy advocates plundering the people's wealth to ensure they are merely fed and clothed. When the people are poor, they will strive to become rich. When they become rich, they will become indulgent, and indulgence will produce harmful effects like lice and nits. Therefore, when the people are wealthy, they are not easily exploited.

Secondly, the poor are those who struggle on the poverty line, leaving their families with no surplus grain. Shang Yang believed that if a family has surplus food, they can live comfortably throughout the year. People struggling on the poverty line, just to survive, have no choice but to cultivate more land. They have no time to think about anything else; they work diligently. They may even fawn over their superiors like dogs to obtain resources.

Third, he exhausted the people by making them work themselves to exhaustion. Shang Yang demanded that when the people were plowing the fields, they should not look around aimlessly, listen to anything else, or speak carelessly; they should just work diligently.

Fourth, keeping the people ignorant means imprisoning their minds and keeping them ignorant. Shang Yang said, "When the people are ignorant, they are easier to govern." Han Fei said, "The best policy is to restrain their minds, the next best is to restrain their words, and the next best is to restrain their actions." Modern Neo-Confucianism has taken this strategy to its extreme.

Fifth, insulting the people undermines their self-esteem and self-confidence, causing them to live in constant fear.

Although it sounds bizarre and inhumane.

However, such a harsh policy was indeed implemented, and it actually worked; the Qin state's national strength increased, and power became more centralized.

In this respect, world governments are even more extreme.

High sums of money from the heavens, privileges of the world's nobility, and widespread smuggling of slaves.

The world's nobles exploited the king, and the king could only desperately exploit the people.

The people at the bottom of society don't even have the strength to resist.

This ultimately created a world where the government is strong and the people are weak.

“What you say makes sense, but for you, as long as you have a rope, that’s enough. What kind of rope it is, whose it is, doesn’t matter, right?” Long’s voice broke Roman’s train of thought.

“That’s true.” Roman nodded in agreement. Who cares who the boss is when someone gets paid?

Perhaps some people care, but that certainly doesn't include her.

"And your navy, in the end, still leans towards justice, right!"

"You could say that." The navy is essentially a relatively clean force. Given a choice, who wouldn't want to pursue their ambitions? While not all of them do, many who join genuinely yearn for a brighter future, but often they are forced to give up due to pressure.

"So, if you had the chance to turn things upside down, would you just stand by and watch, or would you take action?"

Is this a way of making me take a stand?

"Sir, I first admit that the World Government has not done a very good job. If you are really dissatisfied and want to overthrow it, I think I can understand. But here's the question: after the overthrow, will the successor necessarily do a better job?"

That's the crux of the problem.

Every organization has problems, which is why dissatisfaction arises.

But the question is, will the new successor and the new organization be able to do a better job?

Who can say for sure?

It's not uncommon for a tyrant to be overthrown, only to be replaced by a new one.

The Den Den Mushi's eyebrows furrowed slightly; clearly, even Ryu hadn't expected Roman to ask such a tricky question.

To be honest, this idea is a bit far-fetched.

Currently, his power is far from sufficient to overthrow the World Government, so recruiting soldiers is the key right now. As for construction, that's a matter for later consideration; thinking about it now seems too extravagant.

“Ah, sweetheart, you’ve asked such a sharp question, but the leader is… if it’s him, there’s absolutely no need to worry about this.” Ivankov quickly interjected.

“That might be true for you, but I don’t know him, so I can’t agree,” Roman shook his head, indicating that he did not accept the other party’s claim that he had enough personal charm.

"Your question is sharp, but it's really too far removed from my reality. But the fact that you're considering this is because you've seen precedents, isn't it?" Long was constantly probing Roman.

"It's just a story in a book."

"story?"

"That's right, a story."

The story is very simple.

Once upon a time, there was a country where many witches were constantly committing evil deeds. They were unscrupulous, ambitious, and persecuting the people.

At this time, a group of kind-hearted girls appeared. They made contracts with magical creatures, gained power, became magical girls, and began a long battle against witches.

The ending was beautiful; the girls succeeded and received flowers, applause, and a crown.

The people strongly support them.

However, without witches, their combat magic is almost useless, and their high positions prevent them from seeing the thoughts of those below them.

Gradually, they discovered that the magic was eroding their bodies.

They found the magical creature they had originally made a contract with and asked it why.

Magic itself requires a strong heart to sustain it, but the girls who have won have lost their purpose and can no longer control such powerful magic, and will eventually be devoured by it.

The girls wept bitterly upon learning the truth.

And so some people fell into depravity.

I gave everything for the people, why should I be consumed by magic? I should have just not saved them in the first place.

Then, overwhelmed by pain and losing her inner strength, she found her face beginning to blur, her magic overflowing uncontrollably, and her body constantly changing; she became a witch.

Those who do not fall into depravity can only painfully eliminate their companions.

However, the public no longer believes in the fallen heroes and begins to distance themselves from them.

This rejection led more magical girls to fall into depravity, becoming witches who wreaked havoc on the world.

People have returned to a life of hardship and suffering.

"How do you feel about this story?"

"The initial intentions are all pure and bright, but the future outcome is hard to predict."

Just like the world government at the very beginning.

After they defeated the great kingdom, didn't they ever think about building this world and making it a better place?

Were the first Celestial Dragons really as bad as the current Celestial Dragons?

Roman thought it probably wasn't.

However, the story of the dragon-slaying hero eventually becoming the dragon himself is a topic proven by history.

A nation's rise to power inevitably leads to its decline; the transition from birth to decay is an inescapable process, one that cannot be avoided by the current historical laws.

She was very curious about how the dragon would answer this extremely difficult question.