Before the start of this year's World Summit, over 170 participating nations, along with smaller member regions like Water 7, had begun their delivery of the Heavenly Tribute.

  For nations uo meet their tribute obligations, expulsion from the Wover awaited. Meanwhile, numerous other nations, waving their treasures in hand, were eagerly trying to join the system, seeking the bes of membership.

  Uhe 50 tries officially attending the World Summit, the colle of Heavenly Tribute began earlier aended much longer, sometimes spanning up to half a year.

  About a month after the World Summit cluded, the joint operatioween Marine Headquarters and Cudius—dubbed the "Sky Isnd Gold Expedition" finally came to an end.

  All the gold from Sky Isnd had been transported down to sea level. When its total value was finally assessed, it far exceeded the initial estimates of Cudius and Sengoku.

  At first, the two had estimated that the treasure of the Golden City on Sky Isnd would be worth at least 50 billion berries. Both felt this was a servative yet satisfying number.

  However, ohe gold had been delivered, CP-X and Marine Headquarters anized an expert team to evaluate the treasure over two weeks. Their clusion? The total value of the haul reached a staggering 500 billion berries—ten times the initial estimate.

  To be fair, it wasirely Cudius and Sengoku's fault for uimating the value. Based solely on the weight and purity of the gold, the treasure was worth approximately 300 billion berries.

  But much of the gold wasn't just raw material, it was crafted into intricate artifacts with over 400 years of history. Items like s, jewelry, and scepters carried immense historical and cultural value. The legendary reputation of the "Golden Land" only added to their worth.

  Still, much of the gold had been used as simple building material—bricks, walls, and decorations which cked signifit historical value. Otherwise, the Golden Land's total value could have easily exceeded a trillion berries.

  This realizatio both Sengoku and Cudius feeling a tinge ret.

  The treasure, valued at 500 billion berries, lit evenly between Marine Headquarters and Cudius. Each party walked away with 250 billion berries worth of gold.

  At Marineford, in a secret harbor used by the Stific Division, 25 old warships sat docked. On the decks of these ships, rge piles of gold y under vas covers, awaiting distribution.

  Ihe harbor, Marine leaders led by Sengoku ied one of the warships. When the vas ulled back, the dazzling brilliance of the gold beh lit up the surroundings, leaving the group momentarily stunned.

  "This…" Fleet Admiral Kong murmured, his expressioraying his astonishment. After a moment of posure, he gestured to the other warships in the harbor and asked, "Are all 25 of these warships filled with gold?"

  Sengoku grinned, his excitement barely tained. "Yes, Fleet Admiral. Every single one of the 25 warships is loaded with gold, both on the ded in the cargo hold."

  Garp stepped forward, reag into the pile and pulling out a handful of gold s. Smag his lips, he said, "Even though our annual military budget is worth more than this, it's no wonder people lose their minds old when they see it in person."

  Marine military expenditures reached hundreds of billions of berries annually, so these leaders were used to hearing such figures. But seeing a literal mountain of gold in front of them was something else entirely.

  "With this amount of gold," Sakazuki muttered, his gaze intense, "a hundred new warships would no longer just be a dream!"

  Tsuru, the Chief Staff Officer, remained posed, though her calm demeanor now was in stark trast to her rea when she first saw the Golden Land on Sky Isnd. "Having the gold is ohing," she said. "But the question remains, how do we liquidate it? We doly have an abundance of accessible els for cashing this out."

  Gion, toying with a gold bracelet she had picked up, nodded. "She's right. We 't move too much gold at ohout drawing attention, and finding the right buyers will be a challenge."

  Kong turo Sengoku. "What did you and His Highness discuss about this?"

  Sengoku's grin widened. "It's actually quite simple. For the warships we need, we trade directly with gold s. The Tom Shipbuilding pany in Water 7—owned by His Highness— hahe transas. That alone will take care of a rge portion of the gold. As for the rest, well, we use it as wages for Marine personnel or exge it for military expenses in smaller amounts, ensuring it doesn't attrauch attention."

  Zephyr nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. With an anization as rge as ours, digesting the gold internally shouldn't be too difficult, as long as we're cautious."

  "The's start with the warships," Kong cluded. "The rest be dealt with ter as needed."

  The versation shifted to the topic of developing the Calm Belt. The preliminary pn had been finalized, with both Cudius and Sengoku agreeing to use Amazon Lily as the focal point of operations. From there, the Marines would begin expanding their influence across the Calm Belt.

  Meanwhile, in Mariejois, Cudius was lounging in his courtyard, holding a phone snail as he spoke with Dofmingo.

  "So, cousin, how do you like the gift I sent you?" Dofmingo's voice came through the snail, ced with amusement.

  Cudius's gaze rested on the golden cloow ad his courtyard. With a chuckle, he replied, "It's excellent—but tell me, why are two of my ships missing?"

  The truth was that the Marine's share of 25 old warships had been handed over to Cudius without hesitation. Sihese ships were sted for deissioning aru to protect their teology, gifting them to a Celestial Dragon like Cudius posed no risk.

  "Furufurufuru… Two ships missing? Oh, that. If I recall, they seemed to have sunk halfway during transport," Dofmingo teased, his tone dripping with monoce.

  Cudius smirked but didn't press the issue. "Fine. Just don't draw too much attention when you're spending. I o keep things low-key on my end. You uand?"

  "Rex, cousin," Dofmingo assured him. "In the underworld, no one's going to question the ins of gold."

  Satisfied, Cudius shifted the topic. Pig up a piece of paper from his table, he lowered his voice. "By the way, take note of this. The st batch of Heavenly Tribute will be transported from…" He whispered the details to Dofmingo, who quickly jotted them down.

  "Furufurufu… Cousin, after this job, I should finally bee one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, right?" Dofmingo asked with anticipation.

  "Of course," Cudius replied with a grin. "And after that, you head to Dressrosa. The Wover will tacitly approve your cim, provided you handle everything ly."

  "Don't worry," Dofmingo said fidently. "I'll make sure it's fwless."

  After ing up the versation with Dofmingo, Cudius turned his attention to Tesoro, roached him respectfully.

  "Yhness, you wao see me?" Tesoro asked.

  "Yes, Tesoro," Cudius said with a smile. "How's your training ing along?"

  Tesoro's eyes gleamed with fidence. "I think I really have a knack for this, just as you said, Yhness."

  "Hahaha, good. I like fident people," Cudius said. "In that case, it's about time I send you out to handle something important."