Shun returned to his ship after looting Ochoku's treasures.
Nothing particularly impressive, no legendary weapons or Devil Fruits. Just piles of gold and glittering valuables that he knew Nami would lose her mind over.
"I never really noticed before, but with Arc of Time, a lot of my abilities are basically JoJo references now. Healing by rewinding time is straight-up Crazy Diamond, maybe I should go hunt down some kind of explosion-type power next?" Shun mused as he strolled back toward the area where the remaining Marines were still clashing with the last of the pirates. Only he and Garp were standing apart from the fighting.
"Is Ochoku dead?" Garp asked in his usual gruff tone, crunching on a rice cracker.
"Yeah," Shun answered casually, already pulling out a Den Den Mushi.
"…"
Bere bere bere bere,
Gotcha.
"Yes?" A voice that was clearly trying (and failing) to sound deeper answered.
"It's me. I sent some pictures through the special Den Den Mushi you gave me. Write something good. And make sure you mention the fight lasted exactly six minutes and nine seconds."
"W-What?! Hey! Somebody bring me the pictures that just came in!" The voice turned away for a moment, shouting at someone else before coming back. "Yes! Yes! This is gonna be the biggest headline of the decade! How about: 'Hakuryuu of the Marines Takes Down Legendary Rocks Pirate Veteran!'?"
Morgan's excitement was practically leaking through the receiver.
"I'll leave the wording to the professionals," Shun said coolly before hanging up.
"…Morgan?" Garp raised an eyebrow, still chewing. "What the hell are you scheming behind the scenes now?"
"I'm just making sure the world knows how today's raid went. And how the veteran pirate Ochoku met his end."
"…"
Garp was speechless.
'Is this really how the new generation of Marines operates?' he wondered, suddenly feeling like an old man left behind by the times.
Shun shrugged. "If you take someone's life, you should take everything they had and put it to good use. That's the best way to respect the dead, right?"
Garp blinked. Somehow, that actually made a twisted kind of sense. Or maybe not. He wasn't sure anymore.
"Anyway, looks like this is gonna drag on for a while. It's already past six. I'm leaving the cleanup to you guys." Shun glanced at the ongoing skirmishes. The Marines had the upper hand now, the pirates were more focused on fleeing than fighting, but there were still far too many of them. Rounding everyone up would take hours.
POP,
With his trademark sound, Shun vanished.
"…"
Only Garp remained, standing alone on the deck.
——
Meanwhile, on Shun's side.
"Nami, I brought souvenirs~" Shun appeared on Weatheria with a grin.
Over the past year he'd done some training with the girls. Nami still couldn't use Armament Haki at all and had only barely gotten a shaky grasp on Observation. Robin, on the other hand, showed average talent for both.
'Well, everyone has their own strengths. Not everyone needs to be a frontline fighter,' Shun thought.
He had tried transferring abilities to them through the Paw-Paw Fruit's power, but for some reason it simply didn't work.
'Not sure what the logic is, but whatever. I can steal, but I can't give. Not a huge issue.'
"Shun!" ×2
"You seriously don't have anything better to do? You come here all the time now," Nami teased.
'Ah, right. Because of the time difference, it probably feels like I'm showing up constantly from their perspective.'
"Today's different," Shun said with a playful smile. "I'm here to take you both out on a date. Staying cooped up training all the time has to be boring, right?"
He handed over a treasure chest stuffed with Ochoku's loot.
Nami's entire attitude flipped instantly. She practically sparkled. And before Shun knew it, he got a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Fufufu~" Robin chuckled at the shameless display. "So, where are we going for this date?"
"Hmm, how about Gran Tesoro," Shun started.
Bere bere bere bere,
"Ah, sorry, gotta take this one." He raised a finger apologetically.
Gotcha.
A firm voice came through the receiver.
"Mr. Shun, everything's prepared on our end. Please come as soon as possible."
"Got it." Click.
Shun turned back to the girls with a mysterious smile. "I'm gonna need your help with something."
Without waiting for questions, he grabbed both their arms and teleported straight to Sabaody Archipelago Grove 13.
A lawless zone. Shakky's rip-off bar was nearby, but that wasn't their destination today.
"Ah! Over here! We're right here!" A noisy voice called out from a short distance away.
"What the, who's that bird? And what's with the giant Den Den Mushi?" Nami asked, clutching her new treasure chest protectively.
"I'm about to give the world its first live interview."
"Huh?" ×2
Even Robin looked genuinely puzzled.
"You'll see soon enough. Anyway, Nami, here. Take this bracelet."
"It's pretty…" Nami tilted her head, admiring the gold band studded with emeralds.
"It's a little magic item I made. It can change your appearance for about five minutes. I've already registered one."
"I still have literally no idea what's going on…" Nami muttered.
Shun patiently explained the lines she needed to deliver.
"Alright. We're ready on our side too. Morgan, start the live broadcast."
"Yes sir!!" The infamous bird was practically vibrating with excitement.
No one had ever dared use a projector-type Den Den Mushi for a worldwide live interview before.
It took insane resources, and even more authority.
Luckily, Shun had plenty of both.
Soon enough, the very first live worldwide interview in history began.
——
In the Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral's office.
"Fleet Admiral!!" A panicked marine burst in without even knocking.
But Sengoku didn't scold him for the rudeness and simply asked with a sigh, "What happened now?"
"That… Honorary Admiral is doing a live interview that's streaming to the whole world!" the marine reported in a rush.
"W-what?! Didn't that brat go to catch pirates just this morning?" Sengoku was shocked. He thought he had already seen everything life had to offer when Shun killed a Celestial Dragon. But this?
'Well, it's not as bad as the previous incident,' Sengoku thought, calming down a little before hurriedly following the marine into a room with a large dendenmushi.
On the screen stood a pale white man with white hair, white eyebrows, white eyes, white clothes decorated with black paw patterns, standing right beside the infamous bird.
"Hello, everyone around the world! This is the world's first live interview! I'm Morgan from World Economy News. Today I'm accompanied by none other than Hakuryuu of the Marines, Sengoku Fleet Admiral's grandson, Honorary Admiral Shun!!" Morgan announced with excitement.
Seeing it was his turn, Shun raised the microphone.
"Hello everyone, I'm Shun. An ordinary marine who works tirelessly every day so civilians around the world can live in peace."
"…"
Sengoku was speechless hearing that righteous speech. If he didn't know Shun's usual behavior, he wouldn't have doubted it for a second.
"Today I'm here to answer a few questions and explain about the dangers of the world I've been trying to suppress, and the cases I've successfully resolved," Shun said, then lowered his microphone. It was Morgan's turn again.
"Thanks for the introduction. Now let's begin our first question. There are rumors going around that you're currently the strongest man in the world. Is that true or false?" Morgan asked.
"It's true," Shun nodded and added, "Next question."
"…"
Sengoku felt his face turning red with shame as he sensed the gazes from the surrounding marines who were also watching the broadcast.
"Ah, there might be doubters. Do you have any proof, like a picture, that shows your strength?" Morgan asked what everyone wanted to know.
"What a coincidence, I actually do have some!" Shun said and pulled out two pictures, showing them to the camera dendenmushi.
When Sengoku and the marines saw them, they were stunned. The first picture showed the completely destroyed Beehive Island, the infamous pirate haven. The second picture showed Ochoku, half-burned to death, being held up by his throat by Shun, his face full of terror.
"!!"
"This man… could he be the infamous pirate from the Pirate King's era… Ochoku?!" Morgan asked.
"But this picture is without a doubt real… He was supposed to be a pirate just below Sea Emperor level… How strong was he?" Morgan continued.
"Ah, I'll give you the details later so you can publish them in your newspaper. People are busy, so let's move on to the second question," Shun said.
"Excuse me then. Next question. This is the one people are most curious about! What is your ability?" Morgan asked, genuinely interested even though he was following the script Shun had given him.
"It's just an average Paramecia devil fruit called the Plunder-Plunder Fruit," Shun said.
'So that's what it was… but is it really okay to reveal this to the whole world?!' Sengoku started worrying unconsciously.
"As the name suggests, it can plunder someone's fruit ability. But there's a limit of only one. If I plunder a new one, the previous one disappears," Shun began his smooth bullshit.
"Hm? But didn't you display multiple abilities?" Morgan asked the question everyone watching had in mind after seeing him use so many powers during the Marineford war.
"Yes. There's actually a next level for devil fruit abilities called Devil Fruit Awakening. It's a stage only one in ten million can reach. Even the Sea Emperors were never able to achieve it," Shun paused for a moment, signaling it was Morgan's turn.
"So you're saying you've reached that stage?" Morgan asked incredulously.
"Yes. I was actually weak once. My fruit's plunder might seem strong, but the condition to activate it was brutal for a weak child. The target has to be near death. Well, let's talk about that later. For now, Devil Fruit Awakening…" Once again he gave the floor to Morgan.
"Yes, everyone wants to know how you did it!"
"Hmm, it was simple for me. Just push your limits. Devil Fruit Awakening is a natural phenomenon that triggers when the user's body and mind finally catch up to the power of the devil fruit."
Shun said, then added, "Alright, next question."
"Yes, with your Devil Fruit Awakening, how many fruit powers can you accumulate now?" Morgan asked, still shocked even though he had seen the script.
'Are you really okay with sharing this with the whole world?!' That was the thought running through almost everyone's mind at that moment.
"After awakening, my limit is now sixty-nine!"
"!!"
"By the way, I currently have only thirty-two abilities collected."
"W-what?! That many?" Morgan went completely off script.
"Ah, but some of them are weak abilities."
"Only some of them?!" Morgan was still off script.
"Cough cough," Shun had to remind him. After all, the two of them had a deal.
"Excuse me, next question," Morgan quickly recovered.
"What is your favorite food?"
"Hmm, my favorite food is…"
Morgan and Shun started bantering about small talk after that crazy topic.
——
'You bastards, do you think favorite food is a topic worth talking about right now?!' Sengoku was seething, not with anger but pure frustration.
'Why is this crazy brat revealing everything to the whole world?!'
Sengoku thought he had started to understand Shun. He had even assigned Hina to his team to keep some control over him…
——
"Next question. What is your end goal? Your dream?" Morgan asked.
"Hmm, goal? Dream?" Shun pretended to think deeply, even though he had prepared all the questions himself.
"My goal is…"
"The world…"
"Pfft— Cough cough," Each new topic made Sengoku's heart ache more. But Shun wasn't finished.
"Peace!"
"Huh? Peace… World peace!" For the first time in his life, Morgan reacted completely unprofessionally, even though he had seen the script.
'So how are the rest of the viewers reacting to this?' Morgan sighed and continued.
"Cough cough." With a fake cough, Morgan went on.
"Ah, our interview time is almost over. Do you have anything else to say to the people watching all around the world?" Morgan followed the script again.
"I do," Shun said and continued.
"Today, when I fought Ochoku, I asked him a few things about a man called Golden Lion Shiki. Ah, some people might not have heard of this guy. He's rumored to be second only to the King of Pirates," Shun said and paused for a moment, letting the information sink in.
"Now that there's an empty slot in the New World, this man should be the one best suited for it, according to the rumors. That's why I've been investigating him, searching for his whereabouts. However, he's very good at hiding. To bring peace to the world, I worked without sleep…" Once again Shun paused.
"However, I worried for nothing! Ochoku, on his last breath, confessed everything, that the Golden Lion Shiki is just a fraud!"
'Huh? What now?!' Sengoku was dumbfounded once again. Shiki was a man he and Garp had to team up to defeat…
'A fraud?!'
Meanwhile Shun continued.
"It was obvious from the start. Those rumors and his so-called 'feats', it was clear he was a fraud. Let me explain."
"Hm. First, his so-called feats. Second only to Gold Roger. Almost beats the Pirate King. In the battle at Marineford, almost beats the Marines Garp and Sengoku but loses and gets put in prison. And his last known feat is that he escaped prison." Shun paused. People watching started to understand where this was going.
"All of his feats are losses. In his third feat he cut off both his legs so he could run. Running away is all he can do, huh? Running away in tears is his biggest feat! And those rumors, who can say he wasn't the one spreading them?!" Shun said in a loud voice.
"…"
No one could find words to say at that moment. Shiki was a legendary pirate, but… he was a fraud?!
"When Gold Roger and Whitebeard were alive, Shiki was thriving. After all, he could beg for help from them! But as soon as Roger dies, he disappears? When both his rivals are gone, shouldn't he show up and challenge the seas to become king?" Shun let out a big sigh.
"We were fooled! Shiki, although he claims to be second only to Roger… couldn't claim any spot in the New World and gained nothing. And in the end he even cut off both his legs to run away in tears and went into hiding. Don't you think his life is so empty? Shiki will hide and die as a loser! It's fitting for a big fish in a little pond.
Well, in the end, what I'm trying to say is that Shiki is just a loser from the previous era!" Shun smiled and finally concluded his speech.
"…"
——
Meanwhile in the New World.
"Shiki is just a loser from the previous era!" The Whitebeard Pirates remnants watched the live interview in a city square.
"…"
"Those words… sound way too familiar," Ace said with a dark expression.
"Maybe it's a standard line taught to Marine Admirals to rage-bait pirates. Hahaha~" Marco laughed along with the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Compared to the original timeline, things were much better for them this time, thanks to Ace surviving. Marco also looked bad during the Marineford war, but his strength was top tier, even stronger than King, Queen, or Katakuri.
So they didn't feel any real hatred toward Shun.
Ace couldn't laugh with them. He felt ashamed of himself and of the weakness that couldn't back up his pride.
So he trained. Ever since he was sent to Orange Town by Shun's paws, Ace had become like the third protagonist of the story. The first was obvious. The second was Blackbeard. Though he was third, it wasn't a bad position at all. He was a man full of potential. He had learned armament haki in just a single day. Nowadays he spent most of his time strengthening his haki.
"He's a man our pops was grateful for. Let's see what he's planning to do with this," Ace said seriously and joined the party.
——
"Worororo! This brat is interesting!" Kaido said, as usual drinking sake.
"…"
'Kaido-san… he was getting mad just a moment ago seeing this arrogant marine. But now that Shiki's being exposed, this marine suddenly becomes interesting?' Queen thought to himself but didn't dare say it out loud.
——
"Mamamama~" Big Mom laughed in her weird way.
"Strongest man in the world? Stupid brat! Come to the New World!" Big Mom screamed mockingly.
"Someone! Bring me a cake!!"
"Yes!"
——
"Captain… what should we do?" A newbie named Rockstar asked a man with red hair.
"He's a troublesome guy… why right now? There's only a little time left…" the red-haired man said mysteriously and answered,
"Nothing… for now."
——
Back at Shun's side.
"Well, calling someone a fraud without proof isn't professional. So of course I have a witness to Golden Lion Shiki's real feats. He's a man who watched him from the closest seat. The witness we have tonight is very special…" Shun said and signaled for the guest to come forward.
Seeing this, Nami, still confused, followed Shun's guidance. After all, she had already accepted the bribe!
Nami, with her face changed by the magic bracelet from the Fairy Tail world, stepped forward and stood next to Shun and Morgan.
"Hello, thank you for agreeing to be on this interview," Morgan greeted politely, showing his professionalism.
"Haha, don't need to be so polite," Nami replied in the voice of a handsome old man.
"The witness is none other than the Pirate King's right hand! Silvers Rayleigh!"
"!!"
——
"W-what?! Rayleigh?" A pineapple-headed guy said in shock.
"Rayleigh-san?!" ×2 The red-haired guy and a red-nosed guy shared the same shock.
"Dark King Rayleigh?!!"
"…" The marines surrounding Sengoku were getting restless and asking questions, but after so many shocks in such a short time, Sengoku eventually stopped thinking.
——
"This man is here because he owes me a lot of money," Shun said ruthlessly.
'Rayleigh, you smirked at the wrong man,' Shun thought to himself with a smile.
"Ah, everyone don't worry. This guy is like a subordinate to me now. He quit piracy a long time ago. But he will speak with complete honesty. Isn't that right?" Shun said and placed his elbow on Rayleigh's (Nami's) shoulder.
"…"
Nami, who had already been told what to do earlier, was doing her best to stay calm. One moment she was training and laughing with Robin, the next she was offered a treasure chest, and now she had to get bullied in front of the whole world?
"Cough, everyone, I saw the man called Shiki from the first day he started his piracy," Nami began speaking in her new handsome old man's voice.
"At first, he was just a ship cleaner for the Rocks Pirates. He spent almost a decade cleaning ships. However, he isn't a man without luck. He saw one of the crew finding a devil fruit. What did he do next? He stole it and gulped it down in one go. Even with his pretty strong new ability, he was still a ship cleaner. Until the day the Rocks Pirates disbanded.
When we thought Shiki's life couldn't get any worse…
Shiki started wandering from tavern to tavern, spreading rumors that he was second only to Roger, that he was the one who created the tsunamis and earthquakes that were actually Whitebeard's. We from the old generation knew about his antics, but we didn't have the heart to interrupt…" Rayleigh finished his confession.
'Nami… with the power of a bribe she's terrifying!' Shun thought, then swiftly took over the conversation.
"So… with that confession, our interview today is coming to an end. The goal of today's interview was to tell the world that today is a day worth celebrating. A wicked pirate, Ochoku, has been burned to death! And a generational fraud, the man who fooled the world, has been exposed! Two less threats in the world!"
Gotcha.
Finally the dramatic live interview ended.
"Good work everyone!" Shun said to everyone who had worked on today's live interview: Morgan and his subordinates, and Rayleigh.
"Good job, Nami," Shun said and tried to hug her… but was grabbed by the throat instead by Nami, whose five-minute transformation had just worn off.
"Rayleigh helped us back on Sabaody Island. What are you making me do? Also resting your elbow on my shoulder, it hurts!" Nami was furious… until Shun pulled out another treasure chest.
"!"
"Don't worry, Rayleigh won't find out it was you," Shun said, calming Nami down.
"You're right!" Nami took the treasure chest, and her face instantly lit up with smiles.
"Fufufu~" Robin, who had watched the whole charade until the end, came over and asked.
"But is it okay? Won't Shiki come for revenge? And revealing your abilities…"
"Hm? That's the whole point. I said all of that on a live interview that's streaming to the entire world," Shun smiled and held Robin's hand.
"As for revealing my secrets… if I remain mysterious and unknown. No one will follow me."
'And not like it was the truth.' Shun thought to himself
Morgan who was still listening, finally understood why Shun went this far.
"More importantly, Shiki… His fruit is one of the strongest fruits. I want it, but the guy is nowhere to be found." Shun just shrugged and continued.
"Today is just the beginning of building up my reputation. Provoking Shiki was just a bonus. In a year, the whole world will turn upside down."
"…"
Seeing Shun, who rarely acted serious, speak like this, Nami and Robin couldn't help feeling nervous.
"Well, you two don't need to feel nervous. It won't affect you negatively. It'll actually make your lives easier," Shun smiled mysteriously.
"Alright, let's go start our date. There's a famous singer's concert nearby here in Sabaody Archipelago."
"Famous singer? Who?" Nami asked.
"His name is…"
"Soul King."
——
Meanwhile, high in the East Blue sky, an enormous island floated.
On this island, three unique figures were watching the live interview that had been streamed to the whole world.
One was a literal gorilla wearing pink suits, the other was a scientist with clown makeup.
Sandwiched between the two weirdos was a man with golden hair that grew longer than his entire body. There were three unique features about him: first his long hair, second his legs had been replaced by swords, and third, a ship's steering wheel was completely pierced through his head from the top.
This unique trio had been joyfully watching the live stream. They even laughed at Ochoku's death. But now… things had become very awkward.
'Shiki is just a loser from the previous era!'
'Shiki is a ship cleaner.'
'Shiki is the one who ran around spreading his own rumors.'
"Sengoku's grandson!!"
"Rayleigh!!"
"I'll kill you both!" The Golden Lion Shiki had never felt this angry in his entire life. He even felt like his long-lost haki was reawakening… or maybe not.