“Think of human lives as nothing more than insects. No matter how far their numbers dwindle, it's always possible for them to multiply again.”
- Saturn
A bunch of kingdoms are in active revolt, Mariejois is running out of food because of crippled supply lines, etc.
I think the CDs are more than willing to wipe up 99% of common folk on a whim. The balance of power is just a construct to keep them fat and comfy (pirates attack common folk -> common folk sign up for protection -> common folk give resources and taxes to government -> government allows pirates to exist -> repeat).
The moment they’re even slightly uncomfortable they can just wipe the slate clean.