Chapter 514: The World Shifts Under Live Broadcast
Whitebeard had originally thought that once Ryuunosuke arrived, he would exchange a few greetings, then immediately step into Laugh Tale.
But looking at him now, cup in hand and no urgency in his eyes, it did not feel like he planned to enter at all.
"Ryuunosuke, you brat, are you not going in?"
Whitebeard finally asked outright.
Speculation did nothing. He wanted to hear the answer from the man himself.
"We will not go in yet."
Ryuunosuke swirled the wine in his cup and spoke calmly.
"Ace has already gone ahead. We will wait for him to come out and tell us what is inside."
Whitebeard stared at him, surprised.
Ryuunosuke had gone to great lengths to build up this live broadcast, making the entire world watch as he sailed toward Laugh Tale.
Yet now that he stood at the very doorstep of the final island, he chose to wait outside.
The people watching the broadcast were probably already in an uproar.
And the one most anxious at this moment was likely Morgans.
If Ryuunosuke really stayed anchored here, Morgans had no idea how he was supposed to spin the next headline.
"That is strange."
"Ryuunosuke, did you come all the way here just to set foot on Laugh Tale and prove you are the Pirate King?"
Whitebeard asked bluntly.
Ryuunosuke raised an eyebrow.
"Uncle Whitebeard, do you really think I came here only to chase after a title?"
At that, Whitebeard's expression turned awkward.
He was the one who had insisted to Morgans earlier that Ryuunosuke would never be obsessed with an empty name like Pirate King.
Now the same man was challenging him with that very question.
Even Whitebeard was not entirely sure what he himself believed anymore.
"Yes, I do not think you are after a mere title," Whitebeard admitted.
"But you did not come all this way just to divert everyone's attention."
"Are you trying to lure powerful pirates here so you can crush them?"
He glanced at the holographic projection showing the fierce battles raging nearby and spoke again.
"With what your people are doing to those pirates and those Guardians, I would be more inclined to think this is just another of your whims."
"If I were the one acting against them, I would really have no idea what you are plotting."
Ryuunosuke smiled slightly.
"The people of this world are completely cut off from one another."
"Even though the World Government links most of the major nations, there are still problems."
"Ordinary people have no way of knowing what is happening at sea."
"I want more people to see what our lives as pirates actually look like."
"It is not just mindless burning, killing, and looting like they imagine."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted out over the ocean.
In truth, Ryuunosuke's first thought when he came up with the idea of live broadcasting was simple.
It was the fastest way to make the world remember his name.
In his previous life, live streaming had always been the quickest way to gain fame.
Now, he had an even more explosive topic.
He was sailing to Laugh Tale itself.
Naturally, attention had surged.
And that world spanning attention was being quietly converted into pure reputation points on his panel.
The total might not have been as concentrated as when he conquered islands or took territories, but the sheer number of people watching made up for it.
People all over the world were gradually becoming his fans as they watched his broadcast.
The Den Den Mushi cameras captured everything on the Eternal Ship and on the surrounding seas, letting even those in tiny villages see distant horizons they never knew existed.
No matter the method, Ryuunosuke was reaping a staggering amount of fame.
It suited him perfectly.
And the words he had just spoken to Whitebeard were half cover, half truth.
"Why not let the whole world open its eyes and really see?"
Whitebeard fell silent.
What Ryuunosuke had just said completely overturned his understanding of him.
Until now, he had thought Ryuunosuke was just a monster with immense strength who wanted to display that strength across the seas.
As for liberating slaves and clashing with the Celestial Dragons, Whitebeard had assumed it was mostly pride and a desire to make a point.
He had never imagined Ryuunosuke would have such thoughts about the world itself.
Indeed, before this, most people on the seas…
Had never had any chance to see beyond the borders of their own little lives.
For them, simply surviving was already difficult.
Those who had never seen the wider world would never understand what life could be.
At the very least, what Ryuunosuke was doing would give them knowledge.
That knowledge would awaken their longing for freedom.
It might even slowly chip away at the roots of ignorance and blind obedience.
Compared to what the Revolutionary Army was doing, what Ryuunosuke was now accomplishing through this live broadcast was on a completely different scale.
"What is wrong, Uncle Whitebeard?"
Ryuunosuke raised his cup again, eyes flicking between the rapidly climbing reputation numbers on his panel and the older man's distant expression.
He had tossed out a reason he had come up with on the spot, and somehow it had struck Whitebeard this deeply.
Maybe he really was still inexperienced.
"Hey, old man, drink."
"Are you raising sea kings down there?"
Ryuunosuke laughed and drained his cup in one gulp, then poured himself another.
"Gurararara."
"You brat, you are actually urging me to drink."
"You had better have more of that life essence ready for me."
Whitebeard laughed loudly and raised his oversized bowl again, drinking deep.
…
"From today on, I am a loyal fan of the Dragon Hunter Pirates!"
In a bustling plaza somewhere far from the Grand Line, a man stood before a huge live broadcast screen, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"It was Captain Ryuunosuke who showed me that there are such beautiful places in this world!"
"It is not just the scenery."
"It is fights like that!"
Another man beside him clenched his fists, his eyes burning.
"I really envy that kind of life."
A man is a boy until the day he dies.
Faced with this kind of romance that belonged only to pirates sailing a boundless sea, they could not help being drawn in.
If they had even a scrap more strength, many of them would have rushed to sea that very day.
"Who says women are weaker than men?"
"Look at her. The captain of the first division of the Dragon Hunter Pirates is a woman!"
A young girl, eyes shining, had become a diehard fan of Najenda.
Her cool, commanding presence in battle was simply mesmerizing.
Across the world, regardless of age or gender, the name on everyone's lips was now the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Of course, alongside the excitement, there were also voices in panic and anger.
"Damn it, what is that Dragon Hunter Pirates crew trying to do?"
"People are starting to question our rule everywhere!"
"If this keeps spreading and we cannot calm the situation, riots are going to erupt!"
In a lavish hall of a small kingdom, a nobleman spoke through gritted teeth, face pale.
They had long treated commoners as the lowest rung of society, tools to be bled for taxes and labor.
Now, with the world's eyes widening, the tide was turning in a direction they could no longer control.
"It is not just our kingdom."
"Several other countries that maintain good relations with us are facing the same problem."
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should carry out reforms ourselves."
A minister stepped forward and offered his proposal.
This wave was already rising.
If they chose to ride it instead of being crushed beneath it, they might still gain something in the end.
If they chose to stand against the tide of ordinary people all over the world now…
And worse, do so while those people had terrifying forces like the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Revolutionary Army behind them…
Then one day, when they were forced to change, the nature of that change would be nothing like a peaceful reform.
Since transformation was coming sooner or later, it would be better to move first.
At least then they could be the first ones to taste the soup.
Across the seas, there were other kingdoms with the same thoughts.
Some had already begun quietly adjusting their systems, lowering taxes, loosening harsh restrictions, and tentatively giving commoners more room to breathe.
The key now was whether they could endure and persist through this storm of change.
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