The sunlight outlined him with a golden edge, making him look almost divine.
"Retreat… retreat!" The captain's hands trembled. "Anyone who can use a Sea King as a mount is either a Shichibukai or... anyway, definitely a monster."
But the intern pirates on deck were already frantically pulling out their phones. "Boss! This is perfect viral material!"
One of them fumbled to open TikTok, pointing his camera at the absurd scene in the distance. "The weird track trend is gonna blow up with this!"
"That's right, why didn't I think of that?" The others all whipped out their phones and started filming from every angle.
Even the terrified captain, seeing his crew so fired up, reluctantly pulled out his own phone and hit record.
Whoosh. Their video uploaded successfully.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the traffic to surge...
Screen goes black.
[You are suspected of posting non-compliant content. The account has been banned.]
[Ban Duration Countdown: 99 Years, 99 Months, 99 Days]
"What the hell?!" The pirate ship instantly descended into chaos.
The intern pirates furiously tapped their screens, trying to refresh, but only a single line of text remained:
"This account has been permanently banned for filming forbidden content."
The captain snatched a phone, his face pale. "What did we film? Just a guy riding a Sea King…"
His voice suddenly cut off. A look of horror flashed in his eyes. He realized—they had filmed someone they absolutely shouldn't have.
A light chuckle echoed across the sea, teasing and full of disdain.
Everyone turned in panic... only to see the Sea King had long since vanished into the distance, leaving a long ripple trailing in the water.
Sunlight glinted across the ocean, the waves sparkling like a mirror.
As the sea calmed once again, only the wails of despair echoed from the pirate ship:
"My account!"
"My thirty followers!"
"The FYP I built brick by brick for so long is gone! My goddess!"
The pirates sat pale-faced, staring at their phones in disbelief.
They had no idea a simple filming session would bring such catastrophic results.
The ban notice on the screen was like a death sentence. Hope evaporated on the spot.
...
Early morning mist blanketed the island. Sunlight filtered through the haze in soft golden beams.
Ron stretched lazily as he rose from a temporary bed made of palm leaves.
The giant Sea King lay curled up in the shallows. When it saw Ron awaken, it excitedly sprayed a tiny fountain of water, sending refracted rainbows into the sunlight.
"Well-behaved." Ron casually tossed it a leftover fishbone from the night before. The Sea King caught it gently, like it was some sacred offering. Its eyes shimmered with anticipation.
Just then, the system notification rang in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! TikTok user count has exceeded 100 million!]
[Would you like to upgrade?]
"Upgrade!" Ron responded immediately. A translucent interface appeared in front of his eyes, visible only to him:
[Upgrade Completion Countdown: 0 Hours 59 Minutes 59 Seconds]
"An hour wait, huh?" Ron paused mid-stretch. The blue progress bar crawled along the screen.
He sighed. "So this system has loading times too? Fine, whatever. Guess I'll eat first."
Soon, the aroma of grilled meat filled the air. Sea King meat sizzled on the rack, oil dripping into the flames and sending sparks skyward.
Ron took a deep breath, a contented smile curling at his lips. "This stuff is seriously underrated."
He picked up a golden-brown strip of meat and bit into it gently. Flavor burst across his tongue.
Then he pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the latest TikTok updates.
When he saw Zephyr's absurd follower spike, he let out a low whistle. "He really has what it takes to be a major influencer."
The account had skyrocketed to ten million followers overnight.
That kind of growth hadn't been seen since Hancock went viral. Clearly, the public's patience with the Marines had reached its limit.
At the top of the hot comment section, a pinned post was still racking up likes by the second:
> "How could we not know if the Neo Marines are good or not? We've endured the Marines for years. Now that someone new shows up, you're telling us they're not legit? You think we can't tell?"
Ron chuckled while chewing. "Comments section's really got some philosophers."
Suddenly—
A new video exploded onto TikTok's trending board, climbing so fast it looked like a glitch.
Publisher: Blackbeard Teach
Title: "So What If You're a Yonko? So What If You Have a Sky-High Bounty? I'm the Next Shichibukai!"
"Marshall D. Teach?" Ron narrowed his eyes and tapped the video.
In the frame, Blackbeard stood beside a massive boulder. Next to him was Ace, bound tightly in Seastone handcuffs.
"Look at this! This is what happens when you try to chase me, Blackbeard!" His voice dripped with arrogance, his eyes full of self-satisfaction.
"Zehahaha!" His trademark laugh made the camera mic tremble. "What's a Yonko? What's a sky-high bounty? I'm turning him over to the Marines and becoming a Shichibukai!"
The video ended on a freeze frame. Blackbeard's grinning mug as his crew dragged Ace toward their ship.
The comment section instantly exploded. No one expected this guy to not only survive a global manhunt… but land a counter-kill.
Captured Whitebeard's Division Commander Ace!
> "Are you kidding me? Whitebeard's commander just got bagged like that?"
> "To get caught by that guy? Ace, what are you doing?!"
> "And he wants to be a Shichibukai? Bro, read the room. Everyone wants to abolish them right now."
> "Some of the Shichibukai are still cool tho—like the Empress."
> "Haha, I already got a job at Empress-sama's factory."
> "No way! You're the security guard at the gate?"
> "..."
Ron held his barbecue fork mid-air, staring at the video.
He glanced at the system countdown—30 minutes to go.
But the sky had already begun to darken, not with clouds, but with swarms of News Birds flying toward Marineford.
Their wings shimmered in the light, casting a shadow that stretched across the sea.
A storm was coming.
"Looks like things are about to shift…" Ron murmured, his voice laced with unease. "Is the Summit War starting early?"
A complicated look crossed his face. He knew the coming battle would shake the entire world.
"This is bad. Looks like the phone alone still can't fix the violence in this world…"
Ron fell silent.
He had hoped that by using TikTok and smartphones, more people would see the truth. That maybe, just maybe, it would reduce conflict and chaos.
But Blackbeard's stunt had flipped the chessboard.
Even the Sea King beside him seemed to sense something. It slapped its tail nervously against the water, letting out a low whine.
Ron gently patted its massive head.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "Everything will be okay."
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)