Shanks took the bottle of sake offered by his crewmate and gulped it down, saying, "Words are like seeds."
The sake dripped down his chin. "Even if they fall into a crack in a stone, they will one day sprout."
Just then, a crewmember on the lookout shouted, "Kaido's Onigashima is broadcasting fireworks to celebrate!"
Everyone rushed to the live broadcast, only to see Onigashima's fleet on the horizon launching fireworks dyed in Kaido's iconic colors. Each shell exploded, forming the words "Strongest Creature" in the air.
"That's just like him," Yasopp shook his head helplessly.
Shanks, however, burst into laughter, raising his sake bottle to toast the distant fireworks: "A toast to Kaido's 'literary achievement'!"
The crewmates were first stunned, then burst into laughter, raising their own cups.
Benn Beckman shook his head but also raised his cup. He looked in the direction of Dressrosa and muttered softly, "What is that guy Ron planning, exactly?"
...
In Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office on the highest floor of Marineford, Akainu's roar made the glass windows hum.
"Absurd!"
He slammed his fist on the solid wood desk, and scalding magma instantly melted a large hole in the heavy desktop, causing documents and data to fall into the lava and turn to ash.
The Justice plaque on the wall was shaken askew, and Sengoku's goat was so startled it spat out the document it was chewing.
"Sakazuki, calm down," Sengoku pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the award announcement on the projection screen. "This result is actually very valuable for reference."
Akainu's temples bulged with veins, and his eyes under the brim of his cap blazed with fire: "How can trashy novels like Kaido's get first place? Have people gone mad?!"
He pointed at the screen showing Kaido's live broadcast—the drunken madman was throwing Marine novels into a brazier for fun.
Staff Officer Tsuru calmly tidied up the scattered documents: "Data shows that 63% of Marine soldiers aged 18-35 secretly liked Kaido's novel."
She pulled out a confidential report. "There are even three remote branches whose morning exercise slogan has been changed to 'Thunder Bagua.'"
"What?!" Akainu's magma fist glowed red again.
"Perhaps we should adjust our propaganda strategy..." Sengoku mused, stroking his chin. "Since the public likes simple and direct..."
He picked up the original manuscript of the Marine novel, tearing off large sections of preachy content. "Then let's give them something more exciting."
Fujitora stood by the window, his blind eyes "looking" into the distance: "Violence begets violence, hatred breeds hatred... Is such a victory truly worth pursuing?"
"Shut up!" Akainu's roar shattered the last intact piece of glass. "Justice doesn't need indecision! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I suggest rewriting the novel immediately! I want to see the Four Emperors' heads hanging on the Marineford city gates!"
Kizaru appeared in the corner of the office at some point, leisurely trimming his nails: "How terrifying. But since the Fleet Admiral said so..."
Golden light glowed from his fingertips. "Should we write in the other Four Emperors too? Write about them begging the Marine for forgiveness?"
Akainu's magma began to overflow from the corners of his mouth: "Write it exactly like that! And also, immediately seal off all Marine branches that are spreading Kaido's novel!"
"No," Tsuru calmly interrupted. "That will only make underground dissemination more rampant. Instead..."
She revealed a meaningful smile. "We find someone to write a few 'Tales of Kaido's Crushing Defeat' and overshadow him with more exaggerated plots."
Just then, the office door was violently pushed open. A messenger reported in a panic: "Rep-report! Kaido just said on his live stream... he's going to write 'Akainu's 100 Ways to Die'!"
Akainu's magma instantly erupted, engulfing the entire office in flames.
In the midst of the chaos, Sengoku protected his goat, shaking his head helplessly: "Well, now we've successfully made the Four Emperors start literary creation..."
...
The entire world seemed to be put on pause by this news. From the easternmost Dawn Island to the Ohara ruins in West Blue, from the cloud kingdom of Sky Island to the coral forest of Fish-Man Island, every corner was discussing the same topic—Kaido had obtained early reading rights to the final chapter of "Pirate King."
In the underground conference room of the Revolutionary Army Headquarters in Baltigo, the heavy atmosphere was almost palpable.
Under the dim yellow light, Dragon's coffee cup had been suspended in his hand for a full three minutes, the brown liquid no longer steaming. "Isn't this equivalent to foreseeing the future, since everyone knows that book is about facts!"
Dragon's low voice echoed between the stone walls, his eyes under the brim of his hat glinting dangerously. "If Kaido knows the truth of Laugh Tale..." This sentence was like a huge boulder, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
Sabo suddenly stood up, and the steel pen in his hand snapped in two with a "crack," ink splattering across the world map covering the entire long table.
The azure sea was instantly stained with a blotch, precisely covering the location of Onigashima.
"We must get that information!" Sabo's voice was hoarse with excitement, his golden hair particularly dazzling under the light.
But the next second, as if suddenly remembering a terrible truth, he slumped back into his chair, his fist slamming heavily on the table, "But that's Kaido..."
The conference room fell into a deathly silence. Even the usually optimistic Koala bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Belo Betty's cigarette had burned down to her fingertips, but she was oblivious.
"How about..." Hack tentatively began, his frog-like palm leaving wet marks on the table, "we send a spy..."
"It's useless," Dragon finally put down the already cold coffee cup, its bottom clinking crisply against the stone table. "Kaido isn't a fool; King by his side is even more vigilant than CP0."
Sabo stared at the ink stain on the map, then suddenly gave a bitter smile: "It's truly ironic. We, the Revolutionary Army, dare to declare war on the Celestial Dragons, dare to attack Mary Geoise..."
He looked up, his eyes full of unwillingness. "Yet no one dares to snatch a book from Kaido's hands."
Dragon slowly walked to the wall, his fingers tracing the names of past Revolutionary Army martyrs: "Because we all know the cost of angering Kaido."
His fingertip stopped on a name—that of the East Army captain who disappeared near Onigashima three years ago.
"However, it's not entirely without a solution."
Koala suddenly began to sob softly: "Are we just going to watch Kaido know everything? What if he..."
"Wait," Sabo suddenly straightened up. "Do you remember Ron? That former Marine..."
A spark of hope rekindled in his eyes. "How about we find him and negotiate with Kaido together?"
...
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