The battle was over and all that was left was to address the crowd of future believers.
I had already gave an introduction to them mid battle but actually convincing them that I am a god is gonna be a bit challenging.
Even my fantastical powers won't mean much to anyone in a world where devil fruit users exist.
This is something I've been thinking about since I decided to follow this path.
I first had to think about the state of this world.
The world already has "gods", the world nobles.
For 800 years the people of this world have been told those pigs are gods.
But I and several others know the truth.
However that also brought me further down the rabbit hole of my spiraling thoughts.
I know there is a higher power than the celestial dragons. There's the five elders that command all aspects of their government.
But even they have a superior.
Imu.
This person is shrouded in mystery. It is a death sentence for anyone to have knowledge of the real rulers of the world.
But what really confused me is why...
Why would such a figure prop up the fat pig celestial dragons as 'gods' to the public while they remain the ruler in secret?
I had many dots to connect because if I want to be recognized as a god in the hearts of the mortals of this world, then I would inevitably have to bring down the false gods.
I came up with a theory on the reasons Imu set the world the way he did is because of Nika.
If Nika was truly a deity, then he must have had divinity. And if he had divinity, then his powers could also grow stronger with faith.
After the void century where the world government erased all traces of thier enemies, practically no one even remembers Nika or Joyboy.
My theory is still being fine tuned in my mind but I believe the reason the celestial dragons were given free licence to act as they pleased was an attempt by Imu to tarnish the very concept of gods. This was done as a preventive measure to stop belief of gods completely.
By letting the nobles do as they please, they would obviously generate a lot of resentment in the people towards beings that call themselves gods.
The reason that Luffy was able to develop his powers and eventually awaken the Nika devil fruit probably isnt just because he got stronger through training.
If we watch his journey from the beginning, we see his devil fruit abilities do develop even though he did practically no training whatsoever until the time skip.
One could argue that he developed them by fighting strong opponents, but I believe that's only part of the reason.
Luffy and the Straw Hats were always saving people.
I think he was able to generate faith from all the people he saved or liberated.
He always said he wasn't a hero, he was a pirate but that didn't stop people from seeing him as a savior.
Perhaps faith doesn't have to come from religious fervor, but can come from simple reverence.
So that's where I've decided to start. To have a journey similar to Luffy's, but of my own making.
I won't deny I'm a demi god but I also won't go out of my way to prove it.
Taking the route of a "hero" will be first. If I go around and spread the holy word of Maui, going door to door like a jehovah's witness, the world government would quickly catch wind of it and the nobles may order an Admiral to go out and suppress me as a heretic.
This is why, I will spread my name first to be known, staying just under the full attention of the World Government, then later when I've acquired enough strength and support, I'll start manipulating things to be recognized as a god.
Perhaps backed by the Revolutionary Army, I can prop myself up as the figurehead leading the charge against the false gods.
I had these thoughts swirling in my head as I walked over to the locals.
Genzo stepped forward hesitantly to meet me.
It seems Gyarados's intimidating presence is very strong.
"Hello sir, on behalf of everyone, I'd like to thank you... Maui, right?"
"Yep, that's me. And you're welcome! I've left a few bounty heads over there for you guys and the loot Arlong had stashed away belongs to you villagers as well."
Genzo was taken back by my generosity and looked like he might shed tears of relief and joy.
Some of the other villagers that heard me did cry out of happiness. Perfectly understandable given how much they went through.
""Thank you!""
Many of the them thanked me over and over, but after that they raided Arlong Park and divided the loot to the ones that needed it most.
That money will go to improving thier farms and basic repairs of thier village.
They have lived for a long time under Arlong's boot and suffered much.
Now they have been freed from his tyranny and given reparations.
I noticed a marine warship in the distance and could make out a little mouse man observing everything with binoculars.
It seemed Gyarados's intimidating presence is, once again, very strong.
It seemed because of our presence the marines won't dare to make a move.
They have probably never seen a sea king that can traverse the land. It almost makes me want to laugh when I think about how confused other people in the future will be.
What? You think you can escape Gyarados by hiding on land? Good luck! This giant blue danger noodle can fuck you up no matter where you go.
The marines didn't make a move now, but I had a feeling that the second me and Gyarados leave, that mousey marine captain will come in and confiscate all the wealth because of some made up bullshit reason.
So I've decided to leave just before the Straw Hats arrive.
I'll let Luffy handle it and take the bounty in my place for killing that mouse.
That night, I partied with the villagers until the sun came back up.
I probably drank 3 barrels by myself. And yes I can get drunk, but I have to want to, and I can sober up in an instant. I'm just built that way.
During the party everyone warmed up to Gyarados when they realised he just looks mean. He was a big softie that just happens to violently rampage from time to time.
I played my guitar and others played their instruments while others danced.
I also spend some time flirting with Nojiko. It was just light hearted banter that didn't lead anywhere.
She talked about alot of things like her likes and dislikes, funny things from her past and about her rambunctious sister.
She was a little sad that Nami couldn't be there to witness Arlong's death but swore to tell her about it in full detail when she returns.
I slept on Gyarados's back with a bottle in hand at some point when the suns light was just starting to peak over the horizon.
Me and the villagers celebrated like drunken teenagers and I bet most of those old timers will wake up swearing to never drink again.
[A/N: I'll admit I'm not up to date on one piece lore. I took an extended break from the anime and manga after the wano arc. So most of what I know about Imu is from fanfics and reddit.]