These words, carried by the battlefield's eerie silence, reached everyone's ears.
A very capable person.
Has a way.
In this desperate situation—with all the Gorosei descending, Satan Saint's heart pierced, and the Purge Order already issued—this person has a way?
Saint Mars, transformed into an Itsumaden, suddenly turned his head, his void-like bird eyes locking onto the figure on the sea.
"Uninvolved party." His voice was like grinding metal, "Get out."
No threat, no warning, just two words. A dismissal belonging to a god, unquestionable.
However, the figure on the sea—Ron—seemed not to have heard at all.
He put down his wine glass and patted the head of the Hippopotamus Sea King beneath him. The colossal ancient creature let out a long, satisfied whale song that pierced through the sea and sky, briefly overpowering even the sounds of battle.
Then, Ron stood up.
Standing atop the head of the giant beast, thousands of meters above sea level, the sea breeze made his simple clothes flap loudly. He did not look at Saint Mars, nor at any of the Gorosei, nor even at the top powerhouses on the battlefield.
His gaze fell on the edge of the battlefield—on the pirate streamers hiding behind the ruins, holding their phones, their faces a mix of fear and madness.
Ron smiled.
A very faint smile, yet one that made everyone who saw it through the cameras feel a tremor in their hearts.
"The live stream effect," he began, his voice not loud, yet it strangely penetrated all distances, clear in everyone's ears, "is good."
The next moment, he raised his right hand, casually drawing a line in the air with his index finger.
Buzz—
All live-streaming phone screens flickered simultaneously.
Immediately after, a brand new, ornate interface with a gold border and black background overlaid all live stream footage. On the interface, a line of gilded characters slowly appeared:
[Global Real-time Popularity Ranking: Elegia God-Slaying Battle]
Below, was continuously refreshing data:
Current Online Viewers: 1.78 billion
Total Real-time Donations: 342.9 billion Berries
Most Popular Streamer: "Fearless Blackbeard" (Gift Value: 5.8 billion)
Most Valuable Footage: Red-Haired Shanks' "Shinobi: Sever Fate" slash (Replay Count: 420 million)
The battlefield fell completely silent.
Even the gurgling sound of blood from Satan Saint's chest seemed exceptionally clear.
Saint Nusjuro's fangs paused mid-air.
Saint Pitou's giant sand worm mouth forgot to close.
Saint V. Warcury's Underworld Fire (Underworld Fire) froze on his bone blade.
All the Gorosei—these supreme rulers of the world for eight hundred years—for the first time, felt a certain... incomprehensible absurdity in the face of a human's casual action.
This man, in the center of the God's battlefield.
In the midst of a life-and-death struggle.
At a critical juncture determining the fate of the world.
He... was pulling up live stream data reports?
Ron looked down at the numbers on the virtual interface and nodded with satisfaction.
"A new record," he muttered to himself, his voice still clearly audible, "It seems the 'God-Slaying' theme has indeed garnered a good market response."
He raised his head, his gaze finally sweeping across the battlefield officially.
From the dying Satan Saint, to the sword-wielding Shanks, to the heavily injured Kaido, to the burning Saint Mars, to every frozen powerhouse, and further out to the bewildered Marine soldiers, the hiding streamers, and the groaning wounded in the ruins.
Finally, his gaze fell on Yamato, who was holding Uta.
"Yamato," Ron said, his tone as casual as a greeting, "How is Miss Uta doing?"
Yamato froze for a second, then quickly replied, "Sh-she's fine! Just a bit scared!"
"That's good," Ron nodded, then as if just remembering something, he turned towards the Gorosei.
He bowed slightly, a casual gesture yet imbued with a certain ritualistic feel.
"Our first formal meeting," Ron said, a business-like smile on his face, "I am Ron. Former Marine Admiral candidate, current largest shareholder of platforms like TikTok, honor of kings, and Tomato Free Novel."
He paused, then added:
"And next—"
"I am the one who will be discussing a business deal with all of you."
Silence.
Even the sea breeze seemed to have frozen.
Only the 'drip, drip' of black blood from Satan Saint's wound was exceptionally clear in the stillness.
Saint Nusjuro's massive Fengxi body trembled violently, not from fear, but from a sense of—profanity—he had never experienced before.
This man, standing atop an ancient Sea King, facing all the Gorosei, covered in the smoke of battle, with the Satan Saint whose heart was pierced and the burning ruins behind him.
He said he wanted to discuss business.
Discuss. Business.
"You—" Saint Mars' bird beak opened, dark flames churning deep in his throat, "Do you know who you're talking to?"
His voice was still cold, but the suppressed rage within it caused the surrounding space to begin distorting.
Ron, however, seemed not to hear. He raised his hand and tapped the air, unfurling a translucent virtual panel. The panel was densely packed with data streams, line graphs, and constantly fluctuating numbers.
"First," Ron's voice was calm and professional, like he was giving a project report, "let's analyze the current situation."
With a swipe of his finger, the panel split into several sections:
[Section One: Combat Power Comparison]
World Government Side: Gorosei (Satan Saint heavily injured, remaining four intact), God's Knights (unknown number on standby), CP0 remnants, Marines (Three Admirals, Vice Admiral cluster, but morale and loyalty questionable)
Resistance Side: Red Hair Pirates (all wounded), Kaido of the Beasts (heavily injured), Yamato (lightly injured), Uta (key target but no combat power), some Supernovas (all near death)
[Section Two: Public Opinion Status]
Global Live Stream Online Viewers: Continuously soaring, already exceeding 1.8 billion
Public Sentiment Index: Shock 89%, Fear 76%, Anger 63%, Expectation for "Change" 41% (new indicator)
World Government Credibility: Real-time declining curve, dropped from 92% before the war to 47%
[Section Three: Estimated Economic Losses]
Elegia Reconstruction Cost: Approximately 800 billion Berries
Marine Fleet Losses: Approximately 1.2 trillion Berries
Increased long-term governance costs due to the shattering of the Gorosei's "Immortal Myth": Incalculable
The data flickered in the sunlight, each number like a sharp knife, piercing the Gorosei's authority.
"In summary," Ron pushed up his non-existent glasses, "while the World Government still holds a numerical advantage, it has paid the following costs: One, core combatant Satan Saint is near death; Two, systemic cracks have appeared in Marine loyalty; Three, global governance legitimacy has suffered its most severe impact in eight hundred years."
He paused, looking at the ashen-faced Saint Mars:
"And your target—Miss Uta, is still alive and being live-streamed to 1.8 billion people. What will happen if you continue to act forcefully?"
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