They will raise Heavenly Tribute on member states.
This will backfire and the Revolutionaries will experience a groundswell in support, possibly enhanced by Sabo’s popularity as the face of the movement.
I suspect the worst thing to happen for the WG is for Sabo and Vivi to meet up and be pictured together at some point, thereby dispelling the propaganda behind Cobra’s murder and further legitimising the cause.
Empires typically fail when they run into the red. In this instance, food insecurity will likely do the trick.