The sunlight shone on him, outlining his figure with a golden edge, making him look particularly dazzling.
"Retreat... retreat!" The Captain's hands began to tremble. "Someone who can use a Sea Kings as a mount is either a Shichibukai or... anyway, they're definitely a strong person."
But the intern Pirates on the ship had already excitedly pulled out their phones: "Boss! This is excellent material!"
He fumbled to open TikTok, pointing the camera at the shocking scene in the distance. "The bizarre track will definitely be popular!"
"That's right, why didn't I think of that!" The other Pirates also took out their phones one after another and started filming.
Although the Captain was scared, seeing his subordinates so enthusiastic, he also took out his phone and started filming.
Soon, their video was successfully sent with a 'whoosh'.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the traffic to explode, only to see the screen suddenly go black.
[You are suspected of posting a non-compliant video. The official account has been banned.]
[Account Ban Duration Countdown: 99 Years, 99 Months, 99 Days!]
"What the hell?!" The entire ship of Pirates instantly exploded in anger.
The intern Pirates frantically clicked the screen, trying to salvage the situation, but the screen only showed a line of small text: "This account has been permanently banned for filming forbidden content."
The Captain snatched the phone, his face ashen. "What did we film? Just someone riding a Sea Kings..."
His voice stopped abruptly, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes. He realized that they might have provoked someone they shouldn't have.
A light chuckle suddenly came from the Sea, a sound carrying a hint of teasing and disdain.
Everyone turned back in fear, only to find that the Sea Kings had swum far away at some point, leaving behind a long trail in the water.
The sunlight shone on the sparkling Sea, appearing particularly dazzling.
When the Sea surface returned to calm, only waves of wailing remained on that Pirate ship:
"My account!"
"My thirty followers!"
"The account I've nurtured for so long is gone, my goddess!"
The Pirates were all pale-faced. They hadn't expected that a seemingly ordinary filming would bring such serious consequences.
They looked at the phones in their hands. The ban information displayed on the screen was like a bolt from the blue, instantly making them lose all hope.
"...."
...
The island in the early morning was shrouded in thin mist. The sunlight shone through the mist, appearing particularly soft.
Ron stretched, getting up from the temporary bed made of palm leaves.
The giant Sea Kings was curled up in the shallow. Seeing him wake up, it immediately sprayed a small jet of water in a fawning manner. The splashing waves refracted colorful light under the morning sun.
"Quite well-behaved." Ron casually threw it a fishbone left over from last night. The Sea Kings, however, held it carefully as if it were a treasure, its eyes showing a hint of expectation.
Just then, the system's notification sound rang out in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, the number of TikTok users has exceeded 100 million!]
[Would you like to upgrade?]
"Upgrade!" Ron answered without hesitation. Immediately, a virtual screen that only he could see appeared before his eyes:
[Upgrade Completion Countdown: 0 Hours 59 Minutes 59 Seconds.]
"Need to wait another hour?" Ron's movements paused slightly. On the translucent blue light screen, the progress bar was slowly advancing.
The system's notification made him feel a bit helpless: "The system does this too? Never mind, since things are like this, let's eat first."
Soon after, the aroma of roasted meat wafted over. The Sea Kings meat on the grill sizzled, and grease dropped into the fire, sending up sparks.
Ron took a deep breath, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "This taste is really good."
He picked up a piece of golden-brown roasted meat and took a gentle bite. The rich aroma filled his mouth.
Then Ron took out his phone and started scrolling through the latest updates on TikTok.
When he saw the exaggerated follower growth curve on Zephyr's account, he whistled: "Brother truly has the potential to be a big internet celebrity."
The number of followers jumped directly to ten million overnight!
The terrifying rate was only slightly less than that of the Empress back then, showing that people's tolerance for the Marine had reached a breaking point.
In the hot comments section, one comment was pushed to the top, its likes still soaring at a rate of hundreds per second:
"How could they not know if the New Navy is good or not? They've endured the Marine for so many years, and finally a New Navy came, yet you say they're not legitimate. How could we not know if they're legitimate or not?"
Ron chuckled indistinctly while chewing the roasted meat: "The comments section really is full of talented people!"
Suddenly,
A video surged onto the TikTok hot search at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Publisher: Blackbeard Teach.
Title: So What If You're a Four Emperors, So What If You Have a Sky-High Bounty, I'm the Next Shichibukai!
"Marshall D. Teach?" Ron squinted and clicked on the video.
In the frame, Blackbeard stood beside a huge rock, next to Ace, who was locked by Sea Stone handcuffs.
"Look, this is the consequence of chasing after me, Blackbeard!" Blackbeard's voice carried a hint of smugness, and his eyes showed a bit of arrogance.
"Zehahaha!" His signature laugh made the phone tremble. "What are the Four Emperors? What's a sky-high bounty? I'm going to hand him over to the Marine right now and become a Shichibukai!"
The video ended with a still image of Blackbeard. Behind him, crew members dragged Ace step by step onto the Pirate ship.
The comments section exploded instantly. Many people hadn't expected this outcome. This guy actually survived the nationwide manhunt and even completed a counter-kill!
Captured Whitebeard's Division Commander Ace!
This is outrageous!
"Are you kidding me? Whitebeard Pirates' Division Commander is so useless?"
"To be captured alive by this ugly guy, how embarrassing!"
"And a Shichibukai? Is this guy disconnected from the internet? Now everyone is calling for the Shichibukai to be defeated."
"I think some Shichibukai are good, like my goddess, Empress Hancock~~"
"Hahaha, I've already entered Empress-sama's factory."
"Holy crap, brother, are you the security guard at the door?"
"..."
Looking at this video,
Ron's barbecue fork froze in mid-air. He looked up at the horizon. The system's countdown still had 30 minutes left.
But the sky had already darkened, not with dark clouds, but with countless News Birds flying towards Marineford.
The wings of these News Birds shimmered in the sunlight, signaling the arrival of a storm.
"Things are about to change..." Ron murmured softly, his voice carrying a hint of worry. "Could the Marineford War be coming early?"
A complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He knew that once the Marineford War erupted, it would trigger turmoil throughout the Sea.
"This is bad. It seems the phone still couldn't solve the violence in the Pirates world." Ron fell into contemplation.
He had originally hoped to use the power of TikTok and phones to let more people see the truth and reduce unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings.
However, Blackbeard's action made the situation more complicated.
The Sea Kings also seemed to sense the change in atmosphere. It nervously slapped the water surface with its tail fin, letting out a low cry.
Ron gently patted its head, comforting it: "Don't worry, everything will be alright."
-------------------------------
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