The countries of the One Piece world are not like the vast, resource-rich nations on Earth that many people imagine.
Because of the world's geography and the separation caused by the sea, most countries here are simply one island, one nation.
That has given the countries of this world many interesting traits.
First, the vast majority of nations have extremely small territories. Take the Goa Kingdom from the East Blue, which is attending this Reverie. In terms of its actual land area, it is only about the size of a hundred football fields.
If that number does not give you a clear picture, then on Earth, China's Forbidden City is roughly the same size.
And yet, among the more than 130 World Government Member Nations, this was already one of the top fifty countries in terms of wealth and prosperity, a country capable of paying the Heavenly Tribute.
If that still does not make it clear, then take Dressrosa, a very famous country in the New World, and also the country Luffy and the others would later visit to defeat Doflamingo. Its area is only about fifty square kilometers, while the Forbidden City covers around seventy square kilometers.
Wenmigudan Island, which Yemu chose for his own country, the Rainbow Nation, was already considered very large, and even it was only a little over three hundred square kilometers.
This seemed extremely unreasonable. After all, in terms of size, the planet where One Piece takes place appeared to be about the same size as Earth. Yet when calculated this way, even if all these countries were added together, their total land area would still not amount to much.
The reason was simple. The largest stretch of land in this world, and also its most fertile place, was the Red Line where the Holy Land Mary Geoise stood, ruled by the Celestial Dragons. Other than that, everything else was sea and scattered little island nations.
Just how large was the Red Line?
To give an example, Fish-Man Island beneath the Red Line was, in terms of size, only a tiny dot compared to the Red Line. But looking at its cross-section, its area already exceeded one hundred square kilometers, twice the size of Dressrosa. On top of that, its overall shape was spherical, and both the upper and lower parts could be inhabited, allowing it to hold a population of over five million.
That was enough to show what a terrifyingly massive thing the Red Line was.
In other words, this world was horribly distorted. A tiny fraction of Celestial Dragons occupied more than ninety percent of the world's land and resources, while the other ninety-nine percent of the population could only share the remaining ten percent, which even included uninhabited islands unsuitable for human life.
This also led to another very interesting trait.
There were an enormous number of countries in the One Piece world.
So far, there were already more than 130 countries that had joined the World Government.
And these were only the countries among many others that could afford to pay the Heavenly Tribute.
Across this sea, whether in the Four Seas or the Grand Line, there were still countless countries and islands that could not join the World Government because they could not afford the Heavenly Tribute. Unable to receive Marine protection, they were ravaged by pirates and human traffickers.
For example, in the story, when the Straw Hat crew were sent flying across the world from the Sabaody Archipelago by Tyrant Bear, most of the islands they landed on were not World Government Member Nations.
So, with a bold estimate, the countries and islands that had not joined the World Government were likely the majority in this world. Their number might exceed one hundred, and the total number of countries altogether was definitely over three hundred.
The reason most of them had little presence on this sea came down to one thing: poverty and war.
Over the past three months, the First Fleet under the Sky Pirates, the Thunder God Pirates led by vice captain Thunder God Enel, had been recruiting people across the sea, but that was only their task on the surface. Their real mission was to learn about and understand these non-World Government Member Nations.
In this world, when the West Blue was mentioned, most people's first impression might be Ohara, Nico Robin's hometown. But there were many lesser-known countries in the West Blue as well, such as the Kingdom of Toroa.
This was a country completely poisoned by human traffickers. Human trafficking had become an open business in this city, and both pirates and slave traders had their own forces here. The one who had caused all of this was the king of this country, Trux VI.
Using the excuse of gathering enough Heavenly Tribute to become a World Government Member Nation, Trux VI turned human trafficking into a proper business in his country. Beyond that, he opened the doors to anything that could make money.
That threw the entire country into complete chaos.
This chaos had already lasted twenty years, ever since Trux VI became king.
In those twenty years, the Kingdom of Toroa had not become a World Government Member Nation. Instead, Trux VI's family had grown richer and richer, and their lives had become more and more luxurious.
It could even be said that Trux VI's family had a hand in every illegal business in the country.
Trux VI was the true dark emperor of this nation.
Of course, on this day, everything came to an end.
That morning, under the terrified gazes of the people of the Kingdom of Toroa, a sky-blue pirate ship with a huge character for "God" as its pirate flag appeared above the Kingdom of Toroa. Then countless vicious pirates descended from the sky.
But soon, the people realized something was wrong. These pirates were not targeting them, but the luxurious castle standing in the very center of the country, the symbol of Trux VI's royal power.
In just one hour, Trux VI's castle was breached. That afternoon, every member of the Kingdom of Toroa's royal family was sent to the guillotine. Under the delighted gazes of all the people, the Trux royal family's rule over the country came to an end.
After that, the pirates took over the country. That very night, they gathered all the common people, chose a new government, and handed the country back to them.
Only at that moment did the people, who had suffered for more than twenty years, realize that they seemed to have been saved. Their country had been saved.
After that, everyone's enthusiasm was stirred. The next day, with the pirates' overwhelming strength assisting them, they cleared out all the slave traders and illegal businesses across the entire country in just one day, saving countless families and giving the country a new life.
Only then did they learn where this pirate crew had come from.
"We are the pirates of the Thunder God Pirates, the First Fleet under the Sky Pirates..."
"The captain of our Thunder God Pirates is Enel-sama, who bears the name of Thunder God!"
"And our true boss is Enel-sama's older brother, the President of the Rainbow Nation, His Majesty Yemu!"