Deep beneath the sea, in Laugh Tale, as the light emitted by the Tone Dial faded away, a sudden burst of laughter abruptly filled the place.
"Ahahahaha… Wh-what the heck was that?!"
"Oh my god! So this is Joy Boy's…? I mean, that dance is practically exactly the same as the goofy dances Luffy does at banquets!"
"What?! My dancing is way better than his!!!"
"That bastard! How dare he dirty Nami-san and Robin-chan's eyes! Once I enter the underworld, I'm definitely going to beat him up!"
"Interesting. So the king from eight hundred years ago had this sort of personality too. Now I'm starting to understand why he was able to do something like that."
"…"
"…"
The laughter continued for several minutes before gradually dying down.
In truth, although Joy Boy's dance was ridiculous, Luffy and Usopp had danced similar goofy routines more than a few times when they were messing around.
It was just that Red and the others had only just finished reading the Poneglyphs, and in their hearts, they had formed the image of an ancient man who was upright, righteous, and unbending.
Yet immediately afterward, the dance Joy Boy displayed shattered that image completely.
Contrast was what stirred people's emotions the most.
Some things were simply like that. The hidden added value behind them was often the most precious part.
After laughing, Red and the others did not waste time because of Joy Boy's dance.
The enormous Merry once again raised its rainbow-colored soap coating and plunged back into the deep sea.
Their journey there had been full of bumps and difficulties, but now that Merry had memorized the route, it took only half a day to return to the surface.
Looking at the blue sky appearing before them once more, everyone among the Straw Hats inexplicably revealed a relieved smile.
"Nami!"
Just then, Red suddenly called out.
Nami immediately replied, "Here!!!"
Red smiled faintly. "Get ready with Robin. Hand the contents of the Poneglyphs over to Morgans. And while you're at it, tell him…"
"A new king has already been born!!!"
"No problem~!" A glint flashed in Nami's eyes. She immediately called out to Robin, and the two women went straight into the cabin, heading toward the office area.
…
…
Several days later.
Without the slightest warning, a piece of news that shook the world was published as the front-page headline of the World Economy News Paper and many affiliated newspapers.
The Straw Hat Pirates… had found the final island, Laugh Tale!!!
The news was like a heavy bomb, instantly detonating the entire pirate world.
For a time, newspapers from the World Economy News Paper and every paper associated with it were completely sold out.
There were even countless people lining up at newspaper stalls, waving Beli around and insisting on buying the freshly printed papers!!!
To the people of the world, it was not surprising that the Straw Hat Pirates could become the new generation's Pirate King.
After all, even the Pirate King Roger and his crew back then had displayed far less power and influence than the Straw Hat Pirates possessed now.
But not being surprised was one thing.
Them actually becoming the Pirate King was another matter entirely!!!
No matter what, they had to buy several copies of today's newspaper.
In the future, it might become some kind of collector's treasure. Maybe it would even sell for an astronomical price.
Because of this, several machines in the printing plants of the major newspapers broke from overuse, and even the conveyor belts were worn to the point of throwing sparks.
However…
When these newspapers truly reached everyone's hands, the people of the world were once again drawn in by the contents printed inside.
This time, the Straw Hat Pirates did not hide anything at all.
After all, Joy Boy and the others from eight hundred years ago had sacrificed everything solely so that the truth of history could be revealed to the public and serve as a warning to the world.
With their great skill and bold hearts, Red and the others had no need to conceal anything. They directly chose to make the truth of history public.
This not only included the history of the Lunarian rule over humanity, but also recorded the power of the Solar Crystal, which contained supreme might.
Of course, the only difference was…
Red had the newspapers publish that they had already obtained the Solar Crystal, preventing even more ambitious people from taking desperate risks and heading to Laugh Tale for the sake of this divine object.
Although without the four Road Poneglyphs, it would be extremely difficult to reach the entrance of Laugh Tale, if too many people tried, accidents would inevitably happen.
So Red simply declared that the Solar Crystal had already been obtained by them, eliminating the possibility of such incidents.
However, because the amount of text recorded on the Poneglyphs at Laugh Tale was far too large, and because today's biggest headline absolutely had to be the grand celebration of the Straw Hat Pirates becoming the Pirate King…
Morgans and the others decided to serialize the contents of the Poneglyphs, dividing the full story of the Void Century into seven chapters and publishing them over the course of one week.
And during that week, the people of the world finally experienced what it meant for each day to feel like a year.
The first thing they did after opening their eyes each morning was immediately put on clothes, rush to the nearest newspaper stand, buy the latest issue, and read the serialized historical story printed inside.
This was perhaps the one week in all of pirate-world history when people loved reading books and newspapers the most.
When the history of the Void Century and everything that had happened before it was read in story form, the entire world abruptly fell into a strange silence.
Humans in ancient times had actually lived in such miserable conditions?
There was actually such a miraculous treasure in the world as the Solar Crystal?
The mighty Devil Fruits had been born in that way?
The current master of the world was a treacherous villain who had betrayed his allies and risen to power by stabbing them in the back?
Mm…
That last point, however, did not surprise too many people.
After all, under Red's suggestion, the World Economy News Paper had revealed plenty of minor internal scandals about the World Government over the past two years.
For example, Saint Saturn being abandoned by Imu as a disposable pawn after invading the Pokémon Sea, or the lofty Five Elders being nothing more than handy tools to Imu…
With one incident after another piling up, Imu's image had long since ceased to be so towering and terrifying.
However, knowing these things was one thing. Even if they were given a hundred times the courage, no one would dare point fingers at the higher-ups of the World Government.
Unless…
The World Government was already on the path to destruction.
…
…
"We should have known!!!"
"We should have known!!!"
Inside the Room of Flowers, which had undergone emergency repairs within the ruined Pangaea Castle.
Imu stared at the seven consecutive issues of the World Economy News Paper before them, and a terrifying aura erupted from their Rinnegan-like eyes.
Although the World Government had always listed Morgans and the newspapers under his command as contraband, every single issue of the World Economy News Paper was something the World Government's interior bought the moment it was released.
It was not to display authority. They simply wanted to see what news that bastard had published this time that might shake the foundations of the World Government.
But this time, Morgans had clearly gone far too far!
Who among the Five Elders did not know that Lord Imu had always cared greatly about face?!
Yet these newspapers had vividly carved Imu's image as a cowardly, ungrateful traitor onto their pages and made it public for all to see.
Now, it would be difficult for Lord Imu not to fly into a rage!!!
But the remaining four Five Elders had no way around it.
With something this big happening, they could not possibly avoid reporting it to Imu.
They simply had not expected…
That their ancestors had once had such a relationship with Imu.
According to the newspaper's contents, the ancestors of the Celestial Dragons had clearly been the greatest contributors to Imu securing the throne of world ruler.
Even the first generation of the Five Elders had been able to sit at the same table as Imu. Even if they could not be said to have been equals, they had not been much lower either.
Yet the Five Elders of today bent and scraped, kneeling the moment they met Imu. They did not even dare raise their heads too high, for fear of angering their Lord Imu.
Compared like this, Lord Imu's image really was exactly the same as what the newspapers described!!!
"We can hear your voices!!!"
Whoosh…
An aura like a dark gale suddenly pressed down over the Five Elders' heads, causing a layer of cold sweat to instantly seep from the foreheads of the Five Elders, who had been lost in thought.
"Th-this… this… this…"
The Five Elders hurriedly pressed their heads hard against the ground, their voices trembling as well.
Fortunately, perhaps because Imu considered that there truly was no one left to use, they ultimately did not make the ruthless decision to directly kill these useless fools before them.
What mattered more right now was still the contents written in the newspapers!
Imu had never imagined that a pirate crew that had only made its mark in the world for two and a half years would actually possess the Solar Crystal, something they had searched for over more than eight hundred years without the slightest clue!
In truth, Imu had never known that the Solar Crystal had already been sent by Joy Boy and the others to the distant future eight hundred years later.
They had only believed that Joy Boy had hidden the Solar Crystal somewhere.
Because of that, during the early days after the World Government's founding, Imu had spent a long period in anxiety and unease.
After all, in order to consolidate their rule, the promise they had given the eighteen royal families was that, in the future, they would use the Solar Crystal to grant them power equal to their own and eternal, limitless lifespans.
At first, Imu had merely used the excuse that the Solar Crystal had not accumulated enough energy to stall for time.
Only when the eighteen kings had all reached their twilight years, and their descendants had failed to produce any strong individuals due to their extravagant lifestyles, did Imu dare to lay their cards on the table and secretly deal with the eighteen kings.
As for the other royal families, even if some of them guessed the truth, faced with Imu's overwhelming strength and the luxurious lives before them, they ultimately said nothing and simply enjoyed the foundation their ancestors had built for them.
In any case, Imu was all alone. As long as they served Imu well, the world would still belong to their eighteen royal families.
This was also something that had happened during the Void Century, yet had not been recorded in any historical document or Poneglyph.
From then on, all the high-ranking Celestial Dragons only knew that Imu held a mysterious and powerful "national treasure."
As long as they possessed it, the Celestial Dragons would forever remain undefeated, and they would continue to rule this planet for all eternity.
Who could have imagined that the legendary national treasure of the Celestial Dragons had never been in Imu's hands from the very beginning?
No wonder Imu had needed to wait for Vegapunk to invent the "Mother Flame" before they could activate that battleship in the sky.
So it was not that Imu did not want to use it.
It was that Imu could not use it~
In the Five Elders' hearts, some small emotions could not help but stir once more.
But in the next instant, endless agony instantly descended upon their bodies.
Along with it came Imu's gaze, which was constantly considering whether there were still any new Celestial Dragons they could use, and whether they should kill these outrageously disloyal fools in front of them!
They… knew too much… and thought too much…
After occupying high positions, it truly would cause these servants, who should have been groveling and submissive, to develop thoughts they should never have had.
Imu activated their ability, constantly using demonic power to ravage the souls of the Five Elders, as though they truly intended to wipe them all out in one go.
Only in the end, Imu still gave up.
The current World Government had already been battered by the Straw Hat Pirates to the point that the old had fallen and the young had not yet risen.
The new candidates for the Five Elders whom Imu had originally favored had all died at the hands of the Straw Hats and their group.
Had Imu known it would come to this, they would have abolished these few Five Elders long ago and replaced them with new people.
With the help of that fresh blood, they absolutely would not be as constrained as they were now.
Failing to clean out this batch of Five Elders in time was perhaps what Imu regretted most at this moment.
And what they regretted second most…
Was that they had not realized sooner the nature of the strange power carried by the Straw Hat Pirates…
Was that not the same all-purpose power as their own, originating from the Solar Crystal?!
Traveling through eight hundred years of space-time?
In Imu's eyes, that was all a smokescreen created by the Straw Hats.
The Solar Crystal must have been hidden somewhere by Joy Boy, then accidentally obtained by the Straw Hat Pirates.
Add to that the fact that the bastard who ate the Nika Fruit also bore the name of D…
It made sense!
Everything made sense!!!
Imu was filled with bitter regret.
Why had they not thought of this sooner?
Had they known it was like this, they would have directly seized the Solar Crystal from the Straw Hat Pirates and used the power of wishes accumulated within it over eight hundred years to strengthen themselves once more.
When that time came, whether it was Joy Boy's reincarnation or the power of Nika, none of them would be Imu's match.
The Revolutionary Army and pirates that now annoyed the World Government would also turn to ash in an instant.
The only question was how much energy still remained within the Solar Crystal now.
No—
The overjoyed Imu's expression suddenly froze.
The World Government as it stood now… could really seize the Solar Crystal from the Straw Hat Pirates?
"It seems… we must personally take the field~!"
Chaotic, murky light spread through Imu's eyes. As pitch-black demonic flames surged violently outward in all directions, they swept past the trembling Five Elders and the others, instantly burning away the pain within their bodies.
"A bunch of trash!!!"
Imu, who had never treated the Five Elders as human beings, cursed them harshly. Then they immediately continued:
"Mobilize all forces under the World Government at once, including those pieces of garbage who want to become Celestial Dragons."
"All forces are to move out. Follow us…"
"And attack the Pokémon Sea!!!"
"As you command, Lord Imu!!!"
The Five Elders, freed from their agony, did not even have time to gather their senses. After hearing Imu issue a new order, they hurriedly scrambled up and responded at once.
However, in the next second, as they came back to themselves, shock abruptly appeared in their eyes.
As one, they lifted their heads.
"Ah!?"
(End of Chapter)