"Nicholas, are you serious?"
After a long silence, Dragon finally spoke, looking at Nicholas with a serious expression.
Everyone else also stared into Nicholas' eyes. They say eyes are the window to the soul, and they wanted to see if they could detect any hidden intentions in Nicholas' gaze.
"Of course."
Nicholas said calmly.
But from his peaceful eyes, no one could discern anything.
"If you think the world is flawed, then build it yourself. And I hope that while you're building this new world, you'll consider ordinary people more. I don't want us to overthrow the Celestial Dragons, only to have some new 'Celestial Beings' rise in their place."
"We won't become Celestial Dragons. Don't underestimate us."
Akainu, surprisingly, was the one who spoke up.
But Nicholas merely smirked at Akainu's comment.
"You won't, but what about your next generation? Do you plan on living forever? Oh right, the ability user of the Op-Op Fruit is still alive, right?"
Nicholas' words left everyone momentarily embarrassed.
Only Akainu and Sengoku remained calm, as neither had descendants. The scenario Nicholas described simply couldn't happen for them.
"..."
"That's why I don't expect the Celestial Dragons to completely vanish from this world. Everyone has a bit of a Celestial Dragon inside them; they just lack the power. Take the great pirates of the New World or the royalty of various countries—how are they any different from the Celestial Dragons when it comes to the common folk?
All I hope is that when you establish a new government, you set up a proper framework that minimizes the chances of new Celestial Dragons emerging. Special privileges will always exist to some extent, as class differences are inevitable wherever humans exist. But at least make sure these privileges are restrained and not used to oppress ordinary people without consequences."
Nicholas' words brought silence once again.
As the top figures of the sea, they all easily understood the truth in what Nicholas was saying.
After speaking, Nicholas slowly stood up, towering over the others.
In that moment, everyone felt a terrifying pressure from Nicholas, like being crushed under the weight of the deep ocean at ten thousand meters below sea level.
A thick, suffocating sense of oppression engulfed them, making it hard to breathe.
Nicholas spoke in a calm tone, "Although I have no interest in sitting on the throne of the world, I absolutely do not want to see the filth of the Celestial Dragons rising again. Do you understand?
So, from now on, the title of 'pirate' will disappear from this world. Royalty will no longer have absolute power. And all the filthy rats hiding in the underground world will be eradicated.
This is a new world. What it will become depends on how you build it."
"..."
Beside him, Dragon hesitated to speak.
Sengoku and Garp maintained calm expressions.
Roger stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Shanks stared at Nicholas, a strange glimmer in his eyes.
As for Akainu, he spoke directly: "I'll personally wipe out those rats in the underground. I hope this world really turns out the way you describe it."
For Akainu, regardless of everything else, at least Nicholas' decision to eliminate pirates and underground dealings, making the sea truly peaceful, was something he found satisfying.
"Alright, let's go to the banquet. There's still much to do afterward."
With that, Nicholas took the lead, heading toward the banquet.
"Nicholas..."
Dragon was about to say something but eventually held back, standing up to follow the others toward the banquet.
"Nicholas!"
"Nicholas!"
Even before they entered the banquet hall, Nicholas spotted an excited Neptune, Queen Otohime, and a visibly thrilled Shirahoshi.
It was impossible to miss Shirahoshi, given her size.
"Neptune, you're here."
Nicholas greeted Neptune warmly.
"Nicholas, are you injured?"
While Nicholas was speaking with Neptune, Shirahoshi peeked out from behind and asked with concern.
Earlier, while they were still underwater, she had sensed the fear from the Sea Kings. Later, she learned that Nicholas had been fighting a terrifying foe.
"Shirahoshi, don't worry. Do you think I'd get hurt? How does it feel to finally be on land?"
"Happy! But…"
As she spoke, Shirahoshi's mood visibly dimmed.
Seeing her downcast expression, Nicholas felt a bit puzzled. After all, the girl had always dreamed of seeing the surface world, so why the sudden sadness?
"Shirahoshi was saddened by the devastation she saw on the battlefield."
Noticing Nicholas' confusion, Queen Otohime quickly explained.
Nicholas immediately understood. For them, the aftermath of war was no big deal, but for Shirahoshi, who had never left Fishman Island, the sight must have been overwhelming.
It's like throwing a teenage girl from a peaceful era onto a battlefield strewn with corpses.
"Nicholas!"
Just then, a voice filled with excitement rang out, and Nicholas saw a man he had been meaning to find: the King of News, Morgans, who controlled the world's largest news agency.
Not only had Morgans arrived, but judging by the huge hot air balloon parked nearby, it seemed he had brought his entire news agency with him.
At that moment, as Morgans greeted Nicholas, a stream of reporters with cameras poured out of the balloon, taking pictures of everything in sight—even the pets once owned by the Celestial Dragons waiting to be dealt with weren't spared.
Seeing Nicholas appear, many of the reporters eagerly wanted to rush up and interview him.
However, noticing that their boss, Morgans, had already approached Nicholas, they wisely held back. Instead, they turned their attention to Sengoku, Roger, Shanks, Akainu, Neptune, and others, eager to interview them.
After all, any interview with these figures would be explosive news.
The Pirate King Roger, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Red-Haired Shanks, Admiral Akainu, the King of Fishman Island, and the world's most beautiful mermaid princess—interviews with any of them would have been front-page news on any other day!
"My dear Nicholas, you sure know how to surprise people! To think you managed to topple the World Government—what a colossus! I can already imagine the world's reaction tomorrow when they see the news!"
Morgans spoke with a fanatical excitement. This was undoubtedly the biggest news story he had ever handled. The World Government had fallen, and even the Celestial Dragons, claiming to be the descendants of the creators, had been ousted from their home.
He could already picture the global shock when people opened their newspapers tomorrow.
The thought made him so excited he almost couldn't contain himself.
Morgans had never dreamed that he would witness such an unprecedented event firsthand and be the first to report it!
"Morgans, you sure got here quickly. Perfect, I need your help with something."
Nicholas smiled at the overly excited Morgans.
He knew that for the aftermath, he'd need Morgans' vast news network to assist.
Although he hadn't reached out to Morgans yet, Morgans had come on his own, proving why he had built the world's number one news agency.
"My dear Nicholas, it's an honor to be of service!"
Morgans' heart raced at the prospect of helping Nicholas.
He had witnessed Nicholas' strength, enough to topple the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. If he could cling tightly to Nicholas' coattails during this historic shift, his World Economy News would remain rock solid no matter how chaotic the world became.
Morgans' face lit up with a smile.
"Nicholas, please feel free to give your instructions!"
Taking a deep breath to steady his excitement, Morgans looked at Nicholas seriously. It seemed that no matter what Nicholas asked, he would do it without hesitation.
Nicholas' request was simple: he needed Morgans to use his vast network to set up live broadcast equipment as quickly as possible and broadcast a message to the entire world.
While the World Government had regional branches everywhere, since they had just overthrown the government, taking control of those branches would take time.
So, for now, Morgans' World Economy News was the best option.
Although a bit rushed, that's the nature of the news business—delivering the first scoop to the world.
Soon, the phones in the main office of Morgans' World Economy News began ringing off the hook.
It was relatively easy to set things up in the allied nations, as Morgans had established many branches in cooperation with the World Government.
But it was more challenging in non-allied nations and remote islands, where chaos reigned. Even Morgans, with his global reach, had only set up offices in the capitals of these non-allied nations.
As for remote towns, his news agency had no presence.
After all, maintaining every branch cost a lot of money, and even Morgans couldn't afford to have eyes everywhere.
"Not enough."
Morgans thought about Nicholas' request to broadcast globally and began brainstorming.
"Damn, do I have to rely on those people…"
Morgans furrowed his brow tightly.
This was an exclusive scoop, and the thought of sharing it with those other guys made Morgans feel quite reluctant.
But thinking of Nicholas, Morgans gritted his teeth and picked up the Den Den Mushi on the desk and dialed.
"Hey, Morgans, what are you calling so late for!?"
As soon as the call connected, an irritated man's voice came from the other end.
For every news reporter, Morgans was the person they hated the most. The presence of the World Economic News put so much pressure on them that they could hardly breathe. Especially since several world-class newspapers had been squeezed out by Morgans' company and reduced to mere regional papers.
And now, thanks to the massive reproduction of news birds, even their local territories were being gradually encroached upon by Morgans' empire.
It was no wonder that nobody had a good attitude toward him.
"My dear Hearst, I have some good news to share with you. You saying that really hurts my feelings."
Morgans said slowly. Honestly, if it weren't for Nicholas' request, he wouldn't bother talking to these losers.
"Good news? Something so good that you'd think of me? If you pull out the spies you've planted in my news agency, I'll thank your whole family! Don't think I don't know that the last headline was leaked by someone you planted!"
Hearst responded with frustration. The last time his paper had an explosive scoop, before they could publish it, Morgans' World Economic News beat them to it.
What was worse was that Morgans' paper didn't even make it a headline—it was placed somewhere insignificant.
"That was a misunderstanding. I told you that my people had already submitted the news before you got it."
Morgans said earnestly.
"Screw you, when did you ever tell me that!?"
Hearst cursed out Morgans, frustrated at his blatant lies.
"Oh, I didn't? Well, I'm telling you now. Anyway, let's put aside those small matters for a moment. I have some major news about Nicholas. Interested?"
"Nicholas? Albert Nicholas!?"
Upon hearing Nicholas' name, Hearst's tone immediately changed.
"That's right, Albert Nicholas."
"Alright, Morgans, I'll admit my tone was a bit harsh earlier. So how do we cooperate?"
Hearst's attitude made a 180-degree turn. Right now, anything related to Nicholas was the hottest news on the seas, a guaranteed boost to newspaper sales.
After all, it's all about making money.
"Okay, no problem. I'll immediately arrange for our tech team to sync the livestream with your network."
Hearst quickly agreed after hearing Morgans' plan.
"Alright, time is short. You better have everything ready before sunrise on the Red Line."
Morgans hung up without waiting for a response, immediately turning to contact other newspaper owners.
By sunrise tomorrow, they needed to ensure the livestream reached every corner of the seas.
The newsroom quickly mobilized.
...
"Begin!"
Morgans sat at the broadcast control panel in the mobile newsroom, his eyes fixed on the screen.
What would unfold next would be remembered by history, and he would be a witness to it.
Morgans' voice was transmitted through the Den Den Mushi to the staff at the scene.
Almost simultaneously, Nicholas' figure appeared on the screen.
He stood at the forefront, with Belin by his side. Behind them were Vista, Brook, Simon, Vegapunk, Katy, Jinbe, Yamato, Urouge, and others.
In addition to them, there were the Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Marine Hero Garp, the three Marine Admirals, Pirate King Roger and his crew, the entire Red-Haired Pirates, Revolutionary Army leader Dragon, and many of his key members.
Each and every one of these figures appearing on the screen caused a massive reaction around the world.
"It's starting!"
Morgans stared at the screen, excitedly clenching his fist at the sight of Nicholas and the other big names of the sea.
Meanwhile, across islands, nations, and towns all over the world, mobile projection Den Den Mushis were transmitting the live broadcast to everyone.
The image of Nicholas on the screen instantly stirred countless hearts.
"It's Albert Nicholas...!"
"And the Fleet Admiral and the three Admirals! That's Pirate King Roger!"
"Did they actually do it!?"
"Where is that? Is it on the Red Line!?"
"Who are those people? Are they from the Revolutionary Army?"
"What's going on? Did the World Government and the Celestial Dragons really fall!?"
People gathered around screens worldwide, their minds racing as they recalled the Navy's previous declaration and various news reports before the war. A bold thought occurred to many.
Could they have really succeeded?
As everyone watched nervously, Morgans' voice came through the broadcast.
"At this moment, we are all witnesses to history!"
The dramatic tone of his voice instantly made everyone watching the broadcast hold their breath.
The world seemed to go silent at that moment.
Everyone was waiting for Morgans' next words.
And Morgans' voice continued to echo.
"The World Government and the Celestial Dragons are now a thing of the past. We are here to witness the dawn of a new era!"
As Morgans' words finished, the screen quickly cut to Nicholas and his companions.
"The Celestial Dragons are finished, and the World Government has been overthrown…"
"The World Government is really gone?"
The explosive news delivered by Morgans stunned everyone, leaving minds buzzing with shock.
Many even questioned if they were hallucinating.
Had the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, who ruled the world for over 800 years, truly fallen just like that?
Fear quickly began spreading across the seas.
Without the World Government's control, the oceans would surely descend into chaos.
But before panic could spread further, Nicholas began to speak again.
"The age of pirates is over. From this day forward, there will be no more pirates."
"All underground industries will also cease to exist."
"Royal families in all kingdoms will become mere symbols and no longer hold any real power."
"Furthermore, all taxes imposed by the World Government and the Celestial Dragons will be abolished. Future taxes will be discussed and set anew."
...
With each statement, Nicholas' words shook the hearts of people all over the world.
At the same time, his announcements sent shockwaves through the underground world and the wider world at large.
Many people began to call for retaliation against Nicholas, furious that he was cutting off their means of income.
After all, even the World Government couldn't do anything to them, so how dare Nicholas speak such bold words?
However, before they could take any action, the Marines and the Revolutionary Army had already begun sweeping operations to clear out underground trade across the globe.
...
"From this moment on, the world will no longer be divided. We will unite the thousands of islands into one."
As Nicholas' voice fell, he floated into the air, followed by the Den Den Mushi's camera.
Soon, the camera zoomed in on the Red Line.
Countless people watched through the eyes of the Den Den Mushi, their gazes following Nicholas toward the towering Red Line.
Eventually, the collective focus of the entire world centered on a single figure.
It was Nicholas.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see his next move.
Before the Red Line, with the first rays of sunlight breaking over the horizon, Nicholas extended his hand toward the towering wall in front of him.
Without saying a word, the massive Red Line began to rumble.
And then, before the stunned eyes of the world, the landmass that divided the seas began to slowly split apart.
Seeing this, whether ordinary people, revolutionaries, or marines, all were left speechless.
They watched in shock as the Red Line slowly parted, revealing the widening sea behind it.
Finally, a massive channel, dozens of miles wide, appeared before everyone's eyes.
As sunlight bathed Nicholas, he stood, illuminated like a god.
At that moment, Nicholas seemed divine.