Shanks stood alone on the figurehead of the Red Force, his red coat flapping in the salty sea breeze.
He gazed at the rolling dark clouds in the distance, a black mass visibly devouring the evening glow on the horizon.
The usually cheerful smile on his face was replaced by a deep frown, making even his iconic scar appear more pronounced.
His fingertips unconsciously traced the worn marks on his cloak, a stubborn testament from a certain boy in the East Blue many years ago.
Behind him, on the deck, the deliberately hushed whispers of the crew intermittently reached him:
"...Another village was massacred..."
"...They say they're imitating Lord Kaido's'survival of the fittest'..."
"...The children are all mimicking 'Thunder Bagua'..."
Shanks' single arm gripped the hilt of his griffon, his knuckles white.
The sea reflected his grave expression, shattered and reformed by the waves again and again. He suddenly recalled Captain Roger's dying words: "The tide of the new era will be even more turbulent than we imagine..."
"Captain." Beckman's voice came from behind him, the smell of smoke preceding him. "Just got word, the Whitebeard Pirates and Kaido's forces clashed on Jewel Island." He paused, "They were actually competing to see whose novel had more likes."
Shanks closed his eyes, the sea breeze carrying the scorched smell of a burning island in the distance.
He seemed to see countless young people rushing into battle, holding Kaido's novels high, their eyes burning with distorted passion.
The courage that should have been used to chase dreams was being corroded by violence, little by little.
"We underestimated the weight of words..." He sighed softly, his gaze firm again as he opened his eyes.
A ray of golden light suddenly pierced through the distant dark clouds, breaking through the dim sea surface.
Yasopp skillfully slid down the mast: "Boss, we just intercepted Blackbeard's men distributing altered novel chapters."
Lucky Roux, munching on a chicken leg, added indistinctly: "And... *hiccup*... they're specifically picking out the parts where Kaido praises the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Shanks suddenly smiled, a smile that invigorated the crew. He raised a hand to adjust his cloak, and as he turned, his red coat cut a dashing arc: "Beckman, prepare the Den Den Mushi." Fire reignited in his eyes, "Since they want to twist the Sea with words..."
"Then we'll use more words to write the truth into the new era!"
As his words fell, the Red Force suddenly accelerated, its bow cleaving through the waves beneath the dark clouds, heading straight into the fiercest part of the storm.
On both sides of the ship, startled seagulls flapped their wings and soared high, like countless white messengers, carrying Red Hair's resolve in all directions.
...
Marineford naturally wouldn't miss this literary feast sweeping across the entire Grand Line.
At Fleet Admiral Sengoku's behest, the Marine propaganda department sent out its elites, with Staff Officer Tsuru personally leading the charge, forming a "Marine Creative Special Squad" composed of literary generals.
Late one night, the lights in Marineford's operations meeting room were still burning bright.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses, looking at the freshly printed novel draft, a smile unconsciously curving his lips: "This opening is good—'Kaido, along with the Three Calamities, knelt in Marineford Plaza, personally offering his spiked club to the Marine.'"
"TikTok promotion is ready." Staff Officer Tsuru pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light. "The first batch will be 50 million Belli for TikTok, covering all major shipping routes in the New World."
The next morning, the entire TikTok platform was flooded with the Marine's official account's hit novel, "Dawn of Justice."
The opening featured a highly impactful scene:
-Kaido, in his Azure Dragon form, was pierced by Sakazuki's magma fist
-King's black wings were pinned to the execution platform by Kizaru's light saber
-Queen's mechanical arm was crushed into scrap metal by Fujitora's gravity field
With the Marine's generous TikTok promotion, subsequent chapters of the novel were updated frantically at a rate of one per hour:
-"The Collapse of the Dessert Empire": Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit was shattered by Sengoku's Buddha Shockwave
-"Red Hair's Demise": Shanks' griffon was broken by Garp's iron fist
-"Whitebeard's Last Dignity": Edward Newgate knelt on one knee under the encirclement of the Marine's Three Admirals
The most shocking was the final chapter, "Dawn of the Sea":
"When the last Pirate ship sank to the bottom of the Sea, the bells of Marineford echoed through the sky. Sengoku stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of the Marshal's office, looking at the Sea, now free of shadows under the morning sun, and lit a bonfire symbolizing victory..."
....
The Marine's propaganda offensive this time was unprecedented; the entire military machine was operating at full capacity for the promotion of this "Justice Literature."
In the morning at Marineford's naval port,
Fifty specially modified propaganda ships were neatly lined up.
The decks of each warship were piled high with hardcover copies of "Dawn of Justice" printed overnight, the gilded Marine emblem on the book covers gleaming in the morning sun.
The book format was chosen because many people couldn't afford a Den Den Mushi. Compared to that, cheap paper made the novel's information easier to remember and spread.
"Depart!" With Akainu's command, the fleet divided into eight formations and set sail for the major routes of the Grand Line.
At Loguetown's dock, Marine soldiers set up temporary bookstalls, distributing them for free to passing merchant ships;
On Sabaody Archipelago, officers wearing Justice cloaks personally handed out books to tourists; even the isolated islands at the edge of the Calm Belt had Marines riding sea beast mounts to deliver this batch of "spiritual sustenance."
Meanwhile,
Shichibukai recommendation videos were bombarding major live-streaming platforms.
Hawkeye Mihawk, in his castle on Kuraigana Island, coolly commented while sipping red wine: "The writing is acceptable";
The most chilling was Impel Down's new regulation.
Every morning at six, the prison's broadcast would punctually announce: "'Dawn of Justice' morning reading time now beginning."
In LEVEL1, the Crimson Hell, prisoners were forced by the Jailer Beasts to read aloud collectively; in LEVEL4, the Blazing Hell, Magellan personally supervised memorization; even in LEVEL6, the Infinite Hell, Den Den Mushi continuously played audio recordings of Marine generals reading aloud.
A Pirate with a bounty over 100 million Belli who refused to cooperate was tied to a book-shaped torture rack, his blood staining the open novel pages before him.
"These scums must repent from the depths of their souls." Akainu, during his inspection of Impel Down, watched the prisoners mechanically repeating "Marine must win" and exhaled a puff of cigar smoke with satisfaction.
Behind him, Hannyabal secretly wiped cold sweat, muttering: "This... isn't this a bit..."
"Not enough?" Akainu interrupted him, his magma fist dripping onto the ground. "Starting tomorrow, no food until the entire chapter is memorized."
At the same time,
The effect of this massive propaganda campaign was astonishing:
Long queues formed at Marine recruitment centers, training volume at local branches tripled, and even many Pirates actively surrendered.
...
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