The tavern suddenly fell silent, everyone holding their breath.
Just then, the door was violently kicked open, and a burly man in a Marine cloak stood at the entrance, the Moonlight casting his long shadow.
"It's a pity," the Marine Admiral sneered, drawing his sword, "your Lord Kaido, I'm afraid, didn't write this chapter." A flash of sword light, and the one-eyed Pirate's phone fluttered down, landing precisely on the page describing the Marine's defeat.
The tavern immediately descended into chaos, but amidst the clash of blades, the new Pirate could still be heard laughing madly: "Long live Lord Kaido! The weak should die!" His shouts were finally drowned out beneath the collapsing beams.
In the distance, another tavern lit up.
The same scene, the same fanaticism, was being repeated in every corner of the New World.
Kaido's violent aesthetic thus took deep root in the Sea through the clamor of taverns, the transactions of the black market, and even the roars of battlefields.
On the other side,
"Now this is what you call a true Pirate!" A Pirate Captain with a face full of scars slammed his hand on the table and roared, his crew members behind him raising their glasses in agreement. On the tavern wall, a projection screen was playing Kaido's latest updated chapter:
"Kaido's spiked club swept through thousands, Sengoku's Buddha Shockwave was forcibly dispersed, Garp's Iron Fist was vulnerable before the dragon scales…"
Such scenes unfolded on countless islands.
....
In a dark ship cabin in the Florian Triangle,
Five young Pirates who had just set sail sat around a flickering oil lamp.
Their dirty fingers carefully turned the pages of a handwritten copy of Kaido's novel, their eyes gleaming with a pathological fanaticism, because they couldn't afford phones, only these paper copies.
"Look at this part!" A boy with a bandana pointed to the passage describing Kaido's solo fight against a Marine Admiral, his voice trembling with excitement, "'The moment the spiked club swung, space was torn into pitch-black cracks'... This is simply the realm of a god!"
His freckled companion immediately pulled out a small notebook to record: "We'll do the same! Tomorrow, when we raid the merchant ship, if anyone dares to flinch…" He made a throat-slitting gesture, and the others nodded in agreement, their eyes no longer showing the naivety of newcomers, only the distorted ferocity twisted by the violent novel.
And in the New World's famous "Pirate Market," the law of the jungle was spreading at an astonishing speed.
A Pirate Captain with a bounty of 80 million Beli had just executed a traitor in the manner described in Kaido's novel—throwing the person from a thousand meters in the air, euphemistically calling it "experiencing Lord Kaido's freefall."
"This is the rule of the new era!" He lectured his subordinates while stepping on the corpse, the novel in his hand open to the chapter "The Strong Dominate the Weak."
The surrounding Pirates not only showed no aversion but applauded and cheered.
Even more unsettling was that even long-established great Pirates began to imitate.
"Skull Crusher" Saldo, with a bounty of 320 million Beli, recently specifically captured ten swordsmen just to recreate Kaido's "One-Club Style" fighting technique.
Blood and flesh flew on the training ground, yet he held the novel, comparing it, and shook his head in dissatisfaction: "Still lacking a bit of momentum…"
"Do you see? This is reality!"
....
On the deck of a certain Sea,
Killer sneered, his voice under the mechanical mask having a metallic quality: "What 'inheriting will,' 'chasing dreams'…" He pointed to the nearby Pirates arguing over whose novel was more exciting, "On this Sea, what ultimately speaks is this—"
"Shanks' outdated dream theory…" Killer sneered, watching Kaido's novel surpass 300 million clicks, "should have been eliminated long ago."
The night wind blew across the deck, and on the dim screen of the phone, a passage from Shanks' novel depicting Roger entrusting his Straw Hat was faintly visible, now slowly sinking into the pitch-black seabed.
...
Within the gloomy fortress of Hachinosu, Blackbeard Teach's massive body was deeply entrenched in his throne.
Under the dim light, his latest model of video Den Den Mushi projected news of the literary battle between Kaido and Shanks.
The cold light of the screen reflected on his stubbled fat face, especially the characteristic missing tooth, which appeared particularly sinister in the interplay of light and shadow.
"Zehahaha…"
A deep laugh echoed in the stone hall, as Teach's fingers traced an exaggerated description in Kaido's novel,
"The Dark-Dark Fruit swallowed the entire sky, even the sun's light was erased."
A glint flashed in his eyes, "Kaido has helped us a great deal!"
In the corner of the hall, Van Auger wiped his long gun, raising an eyebrow at the remark: "Captain, are you saying…"
"Don't you understand yet?" Teach suddenly stood up, his heavy leather boots thudding against the ground.
He grabbed the newspaper from the table, pointing to the fervent comments from Kaido's fans, "Now the entire New World is discussing the 'Dark-Dark Fruit Invincibility Theory' in Kaido's novel, isn't this our best publicity?"
Shiliew, puffing on a cigar, smiled sinisterly: "Interesting. Let those fools think the Dark-Dark Fruit is really as powerful as it's written in the novel…"
"Exactly!" Teach spread his arms, a dark aura emanating from him, "Burgess! Doc Q! Go pick out all the chapters in Kaido's novel that praise the Dark-Dark Fruit and print them into pamphlets."
He revealed a cunning smile, "Especially the description 'even the Tremor-Tremor Fruit bows in submission,' bold and red!"
Laffitte elegantly twirled his cane: "To distribute them for free? That's not like your style, Captain."
"Zehahaha…" Teach patted his round belly, "Free is the most expensive! When everyone believes the Dark-Dark Fruit is invincible…" His eyes gleamed with greed, "that's when we harvest!"
The next morning, the docks of Hachinosu were piled high with brand new pamphlets.
The cover prominently featured Kaido's personal signature (forged) and the striking title: "On the Absolute Dominance of the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Several fierce-looking Pirates were distributing them for free to passing ships.
"Take it! It's the truth certified by Lord Kaido!" Burgess rudely shoved a pamphlet into the hands of a passing merchant ship Captain, "Remember, the strongest Devil Fruit in the New World now is—"
"The Dark-Dark Fruit!" The surrounding Pirates unconsciously shouted in unison, completely oblivious to the insidious smiles of the Blackbeard Pirates members in the shadows.
And on the highest terrace of the fortress, Teach held a cherry pie, enjoying the good show he had directed.
Below in the harbor, Pirates were already discussing forming teams to search for a second Dark-Dark Fruit.
"A man's dreams will never end." Teach chewed on the sweet filling, scoffing as he looked into the distance, "Zehahaha… Now their dreams will be written by me!"
...
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