The image on the sky screen had not yet faded.
The frozen frame of Shanks’ severed arm hung in the sky, and billions of people across the entire ocean stared at that empty sleeve for quite a while.
While moving, Austin clearly did not intend to let this sentimental atmosphere last too long.
The background music shifted.
It was that same cheeky electronic sound again.
As soon as it started, everyone who had been baptized by the previous “Admiral Actor Salary List” shuddered.
“Alright, the moving part is over.” “Next, let’s talk about some details.” The sky screen replayed the footage of Shanks losing his arm, but this time the editing angle was completely different.
The camera wasn’t focused on Shanks, but on the Sea King that had emerged from the sea.
The Lord of the Coast.
It was a sea beast living off the coast of Windmill Village.
Its size wasn’t massive, and its teeth weren’t particularly dense.
In the New World, you could pick any random Sea King, and it would chew this one up like a snack.
Austin’s narration paused here for a beat.
Then, in an extremely solemn tone, he said: “Let’s seriously analyze the combat power of this fish.” A chart popped up on the sky screen.
On the left was a photo of the Lord of the Coast, mouth grinning, looking fierce.
On the right, several data points were listed.
They were all made up by Austin, but the layout was done just like a serious academic paper.
[System Notification: Lord of the Coast data overview uploaded.] Body length: approx.
12 meters Habitat: Coast of Windmill Village, East Blue Combat Record: Severed the left arm of the Four Emperors, Red Hair Shanks.
Comprehensive Evaluation: ???
“This fish severed the arm of one of the Four Emperors.” Austin’s voice dragged on.
“The Four Emperors.
Red Hair Shanks.
The man who fought Hawkeye to a draw.
The man even the Three Admirals have to show respect to.” “And he had his arm bitten off by a small-time fish from the coast.” On the screen, a close-up of the Lord of the Coast’s teeth was shown, and next to it was an image of Whitebeard shattering the atmosphere with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, with both images placed side by side.
“So, can we draw a conclusion…” A line of large text popped up on the sky screen.
It was fluorescent green, flashing, bolded, and underlined: [System Notification: Lord of the Coast Bite Force has reached Four Emperors Level.] On the Windmill Village pier, several fishermen exchanged glances.
They went out fishing every day and encountered the Lord of the Coast more often than they encountered their neighbors.
That thing was fierce, sure, but it was only that big; in previous years, fishermen had even poked it away with harpoons.
“Four Emperors level bite force?” one fisherman slapped his thigh, “Then I was chasing it with a broom just last week!” An old lady nearby interjected: “You were chasing it because it stole the dried fish you were sunning.” Luffy squatted on the bow of the boat, tilting his head as he stared at the chart for a long time.
He didn’t understand what bite force meant, but he remembered one thing.
“So…
the fish that bit off Shanks’ arm is as strong as the Four Emperors?” He turned his head to look at the sea surface; the coast of Windmill Village was as calm as a bowl of soup.
“That can’t be right.
I beat it up before I went to sea.
One punch and it went flying.” East Blue, Marine Branch 153.
This was a small Marine base stationed on an island three hundred nautical miles east of Windmill Village.
The base commander was a Commodore named Brand, who was bald and had a beer belly; his biggest workload usually involved dealing with complaints about fishermen smuggling dried fish.
The East Blue was peaceful, so peaceful that the Marine Commodore’s daily routine was even more boring than a village mayor’s.
But today was different.
When the sky screen appeared, the entire base exploded into chaos.
From Whitebeard’s death in battle to Ace’s lineage, and then to the Admirals slacking off, these Marines who had been retiring in the East Blue for years had kept their mouths agape all day long.
But after the line about the bite force reaching the Four Emperors level appeared, the base’s reaction was completely different from that of the fishermen in Windmill Village.
The fishermen were laughing.
The Marines were not.
Commodore Brand stood behind his desk, both hands pressed against the surface, his face flushed red.
“Did you hear that?” He scanned the officers standing before him, his voice trembling.
“Four Emperors level!
That fish is Four Emperors level!” The Major beside him tentatively spoke up: “Commodore, that sky screen seems to be joking…” “Joking?
What kind of joke!” Brand slammed the table, “Severed the arm of a Four Emperor!
Combat record confirmed!
You call this a joke?” The Major shrank his neck, not daring to say anything more.
A Lieutenant in the back row muttered quietly: “But that’s just a common sea beast from the coast; I even saw it while on patrol last month…” “Common?” Brand turned and glared at him: “You think something that can bite off the arm of a Four Emperor is common?
You saw it while on patrol and you’re still alive—what does that mean?
It means it didn’t even consider you worth its attention!” The Lieutenant opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but was pulled back by the person next to him.
Don’t argue with the Commodore.
His eyes lit up the moment he heard the words Four Emperors level.
Everyone recognized that kind of gleam—it was the light of someone wanting to achieve a merit.
Sure enough.
Brand rubbed his hands together and paced back and forth in the office, his beer belly jiggling.
“Everyone, think about it.
A Four Emperors level sea beast, right within our jurisdiction in the East Blue.
Right off the coast of Windmill Village.” He stopped, his eyes shining.
“If we can capture it…
no, surround and annihilate it!
Organize a large-scale encirclement operation!
Report to Headquarters, request reinforcements, and mobilize the entire strength of the East Blue!” The Major’s mouth twitched.
“Commodore, that’s just a twelve-meter-long fish…” “So what if it’s twelve meters!” Brand waved his hand, “Size doesn’t represent strength!
The sky screen said it clearly—bite force at Four Emperors level!
If we can take it down, it will be the greatest military achievement in the history of the East Blue Marines!” The more he spoke, the more excited he became, already starting to calculate in his mind how to write the report.
“The title will be…
‘Marine Branch 153 Successfully Annihilates Four Emperors Level Sea Beast, Eliminating a Great Threat for the Marines’…
No, that’s not enough.
Need to add ‘Protecting the Safety of Civilians in the Jurisdiction’…
Yes, and also mention the intelligence value of the sky screen, showing that we responded immediately…” The soldiers in the back row looked at each other.
A Private First Class quietly leaned into the ear of the Corporal next to him: “Boss, has the Commodore lost his mind?” The Corporal nudged him with his elbow: “Shut up.
Let the Commodore be happy if he wants to be.
If we can actually get a promotion from this, we’ll benefit too.” The Private First Class thought about it and felt it made sense.
On the other side, a young Second Lieutenant had already raised his hand: “Commodore!
I request to serve as the vanguard for the encirclement operation!” Brand nodded with satisfaction: “Good!
That’s the spirit!” The meeting room of Branch 153 was in an uproar.
Some were fighting for the vanguard position, some were discussing how many warships were needed, and some had already started writing drafts of the merit reports.
Commodore Brand stood at the very front, hands behind his back, sticking out his beer belly, with an expression of masterminding the strategy.
“Pass the order down: the entire branch is to enter Level 2 combat readiness.
All leave is cancelled.
Inspect the cannons, replenish ammunition, and have the lifeboats on standby.” The Major finally couldn’t help himself: “Commodore, are we really going to enter combat readiness for a fish?” “This is not a fish,” Brand said sternly, “This is a Four Emperors level threat certified by the sky screen.” The Major looked at his serious face and swallowed the rest of his words.
Arguing was useless.
The Commodore’s report was probably already written up to the third page in his mind.
The neighboring East Blue Branch 16 wasn’t idle either.
Their base was closer to Windmill Village, and the base commander was a Captain named Gray, who was shrewder than Brand, but not by much.
After hearing the information that the threat level was equivalent to the Four Emperors, Captain Gray’s first reaction wasn’t to encircle it, but to be afraid.
“The coast of Windmill Village is closer to us.” The adjutant reminded him from the side: “Captain, that fish is really just…” “Just what?” Gray looked up, “The information from the sky screen was seen by billions of people across the entire ocean simultaneously.
You’re telling me it’s fake?
What evidence do you have to prove it’s fake?” The adjutant was speechless.
He had no evidence.
Every single thing the sky screen had said so far, from Whitebeard’s death to Ace’s lineage to the structure of Impel Down, was detailed to an appalling degree.
With such an information source, who would dare to guarantee which part was fake?
What if that fish really was Four Emperors level?
What if?
Captain Gray rolled up the map and stuffed it into a document tube.
“Draft a telegram.
Send it to the Marine communication channel for the entire East Blue.
The content is as follows…” He cleared his throat.
“‘Emergency report from East Blue Branch 16: According to intelligence from the sky screen, a Four Emperors level dangerous sea beast exists off the coast of Windmill Village, codenamed Lord of the Coast.
This branch has initiated an emergency response plan; please coordinate and cooperate, all branches.'” The East Blue hadn’t had a major event for a long, long time.
And the sky screen had given them one.
Whether it was true or false.
The news spread among the various branches of the East Blue faster than the ocean currents.
In less than half an hour, at least four branches had simultaneously issued applications to request to encircle and annihilate the Lord of the Coast.
The wording was increasingly serious, and the reasons were increasingly absurd.
The report from Branch 77 even included the line: “Based on calculations from the sky screen intelligence, this sea beast is highly likely to possess a hidden Ancient Zoan lineage; it cannot be ruled out that its bite force has reached the Four Emperors level through long-term evolution.
It is recommended that Headquarters request Admiral-level combat support.” Admiral-level combat support.
To fight a twelve-meter-long fish.
The Marine communication lines in the East Blue were clogged with these reports within half an hour.
Den Den Mushi were calling out one after another, and various branches were exchanging telegrams fighting for jurisdiction.
The commanders of two branches even started cursing at each other on the communication channel; one said, “This is my jurisdiction,” and the other said, “Your jurisdiction doesn’t even have a decent artillery battery; what are you going to use to encircle it?” Chaos.
Utter, complete chaos.
All for a Sea King that was chased around by fishermen.