Part of me kind of wonders if this was a situation kind of like Flevance, Law's hometown? Did the World Government just make a excessive demand KNOWING that these people would rebel, in order to create a excuse to wipe them all out? In order to stop the spread of this fog-borne plague that effected the country? The World Government might be trying to keep the truth of all these diseases from all over the world a secret from the general population, in order to avoid a panic or rebellion. So, whenever a entire island catches some sort of plague, they find some excuse to wipe out everyone on the island, in order to avoid it from spreading to other islands, over time. It's like burning plague villages. It's monstrous, but it also helps keep anyone else from getting sick.
...Mind you, it REALLY doesn't make sense to send in ground troops in that sort of situation. Since you're exposing your own troops to the very virus that you're trying to contain. But, the World Government doesn't really care about the Marines, anyway, and could quietly dispose of anyone who fights on these island later on. But, a Buster Call would still work better, if that was the situation. So, I'm not sure if that idea makes total sense. I think it's possible, but it's maybe not the best explanation.
Although, I suppose the World Government could have been trying to stop something else from happening. Like the birth of a new Demon King, like Tot Musica from Film Red. I've talked a little about this before:
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...ncident-was-a-singularity.73794/#post-6378324
Demon Kings seem to form from the negative emotions and desires of people. Basically the same as Devil Fruits, but probably from a different set of emotions. Negative emotions instead of positive ones, that sort of thing. I think Saturn and Imu were worried that all these battles and deaths and grudges would eventually turn into a Demon King. Which would be a bad thing, supposedly.
Maybe it's not so much the virus or toxin that the World Government is worried about spreading. Maybe it's literally the "bad vibes" CAUSED by the disease that's their real worry? Maybe if a group of people suffer for too long, it gives birth to a new Demon King? So, the best thing to prevent a literal killer kaiju from attacking the rest of the world is to wipe those people out quickly, before their suffering is prolonged for too long? Stopping their negative emotions from building up and coalescing...by any means necessary.
And it's not like the World Government can just announce to the whole world "Hey! Stop being afraid or depressed! Because if you get too afraid or too depressed a giant monster comes to life and kills not just everyone on your island but every other island in the surrounding area!" Because, I imagine that news would make people...pretty afraid and depressed. So, that WOULD be the kind of thing the World Government would have to keep secret, for everyone's own good.
So, asking for 1000 slaves may actually serve more than one purpose. The Celestial Dragons probably do want their slaves, they go through enough of them fast enough that they always need a fresh supply. But, it may also be a way to split up the population, so that all this despair doesn't all gather in one place. Lowering the total population of the country means lowering the total amount of negative emotion "pollution" in the area, which would lower the risk of a Demon King forming. In theory....if we make a LOT of assumptions, admittedly.
Now, my original theory was that you need STRONG people clashing against each other in order to actually give birth to a Demon King. Like the situation we saw back on God Valley. And I'm not sure if anyone on Esperia really qualifies for that. But, maybe given a lot of time, weaker people can form one too? Or maybe this is just the wrong track to go down, entirely. We know Oda has some sort of plan for something like Demon Kings, but who knows what he has in mind?
So, I don't know. We could find out there's another reason the World Government did this. But, I think the most likely answer is still the simplest one. The World Government wants it's payment, and it wants it NOW. They don't really care that much about the people who serve them. So, if someone disobeys them, it's just easier to wipe them out than to try and negotiate with them. Nipping any form of rebellion in the bud before it starts. I do think there was some unexpected escalation here, once they found out about Shuri. But, that likely came after the original demand.
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...-slaves-they-wanted-shuri.84033/#post-6738994
As for this not making sense economically....you're not thinking like a rich person. They aren't reducing their income, they're reducing their expenses. Sending Marines to protect a island costs the Government money. If a country can't pay up, it's "cheaper" to cut them loose, than to support them until they can pay again. Investing in the future is only something they do when it benefits them. And Esperia was deemed mostly surplus to requirements. It's like a big company that shutters a formerly profitable studio. Think of Esperia like a movie studio or a video game studio that a giant corporation bought, that produced a flop. Sure, it made you money in the past. And if you give them a little time, maybe they could make you money again in the future. But, what matters is NOW, not THEN. It's short sighted, but it is based on real-world psychology of the rich and powerful.
We'll have to see what happens. I would be interested in a revelation that there's some deeper reason the World Government escalated things this far. There are things we could find out that would help build up to the finale. But, it could also be just as simple as being impatient for their money. Chances are, we will learn a little more about this as the story continues.
