The next day, newspapers scattered to every corner of the sea.
On islands, on the sea surface, wherever there were people, the shadows of News Coos flew by.
In a certain sea, the Going Merry was sailing.
Carina bought a newspaper from the bag on a News Coo's chest.
Just as she unfolded it, preparing to read, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky all crowded around.
Carina looked at them, puzzled. "Luffy, Zoro, when did you get interested in the newspaper?"
In the past, Carina was always the one to read the paper and then tell everyone else. Luffy and the others had no interest in it at all.
Usopp smiled and explained, "They all want to see the report about Luo Chen."
"We said before that Luo Chen was framed. We want to see if the World Government and the Marines have revoked his bounty."
"If they haven't, how much is his bounty?"
As he spoke, Usopp's eyes were full of curiosity. Chopper and Luffy nodded quickly, confirming it.
Speechless, Carina opened the paper. The front-page headline was emblazoned: [The Fifth Sea Emperor is Born—"Godfall" Luo Chen!]
This title alone stunned Carina, Luffy, and the others.
A fifth Sea Emperor? A Fifth Emperor on par with the Four Emperors?
Seeing Luffy's envious expression, Carina smiled. "I think it's quite reasonable."
"With the strength Luo Chen has shown, the Four Emperors might not even be stronger than him."
"Even Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man, was overshadowed by Luo Chen."
"In the battle at Marineford, the only one the world will remember is Luo Chen."
"Fifth Emperor. He's earned it."
Zoro and Sanji nodded in agreement.
Usopp, like Luffy, was full of envy.
Usopp especially had a dazed look, as if fantasizing how awesome it would be if his own name followed "Fifth Emperor."
Carina's slender finger tapped the word "Godfall" as she marveled, "This epithet the World Economic News gave him is also very fitting."
Franky looked over in confusion.
Carina explained, "'God' is the title for the Celestial Dragons, isn't it? Luo Chen killed a Celestial Dragon."
"'Godfall' literally means 'a god has fallen'."
"And 'fall' also means meteor, right?"
"Look at this photo. It's the giant meteor Luo Chen summoned."
Below the headline were many lines of smaller text, accompanied by several pictures.
One of the pictures was of Luo Chen standing on the wood dragon, a giant meteor covering the entire island, falling from the sky.
Below, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Hero Garp, Admiral Akainu, Tsuru, and over a dozen Vice Admirals stared up at the meteor.
Surrounding the island, tens of thousands of Marines were fleeing in the sea, swimming into the distance.
The oppressive feeling of the meteor rushed out through the photograph.
The caption next to the photo read: [I would call this the true power of a god, a meteor sent by a god.]
Usopp looked at the lines of text and the photos, the envy on his face growing stronger. "So awesome..."
He muttered to himself. Chopper, perched on his shoulder, nodded his furry head, his clear black-and-white eyes sparkling.
"Godfall, Tony Tony Chopper!"
He shouted with a laugh, pointing his hoof at the sky, "Let the meteor fall!"
Carina, Zoro, and the others couldn't help but smile.
Usopp rolled his eyes. "If it falls, we're all dead."
Chopper laughed sheepishly.
Carina continued reading the newspaper's content.
"The World Economic News detailed a series of Luo Chen's actions after he was captured and sent to Impel Down."
"Escaping prison, appearing at Marineford, recruiting many atrocious pirates, defeating the combined force of Garp and two Marine Admirals, capturing Kizaru and Aokiji alive, summoning a meteor to sink Marineford..."
"Finally, it says here that if World Government reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, the Marine high command would have been buried under the second meteor."
"In this war, it can be said that Luo Chen, by his power alone, destroyed the entire Marine Headquarters."
"It's believed that even without Whitebeard holding down Admiral Akainu... the two meteors were completely capable of annihilating the one hundred thousand Marine elites plus all the high-ranking officers."
"The Fifth Emperor, Luo Chen, not only deserves the name, but he might even surpass the other four Sea Emperors."
"Because Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords, and the Four Emperors are known as the Three Great Powers of the Grand Line."
"And the Fifth Emperor Luo Chen, by himself, suppressed Marine Headquarters. He alone... is the fourth Great Power of the Grand Line!"
By the end, Carina's voice was already a little excited, as if she had been infected by the text, her spirits lifted.
Her pretty face was slightly red, her eyes shining with excitement. She couldn't help but marvel, "Thinking back on it now, I still feel Luo Chen is just too strong."
Sanji nodded seriously and said, "Marine Headquarters is a true hegemon-level power, on par with the Four Emperors... I mean, all four Sea Emperors combined."
He lit a cigarette, inhaling the smoke into his lungs, easing the emotion in his heart.
"Luo Chen alone destroyed Marine Headquarters. And it was a Marine Headquarters that had gathered elites from the Four Blues and all three Admirals."
"He really can be called the fourth Great Power of the Grand Line..." Sanji lamented.
Luffy grew excited all over as he listened. He laughed, "Next time we meet, I have to get strong enough! I have to have a fight with Luo Chen!"
A resolute light also flashed in Zoro's eyes. 'Starting today, training volume x10! Dumbbells and barbells, 10x the weight!'
'Also from the East Blue, also eighteen or nineteen years old.'
'Luo Chen is already strong enough to destroy Marine Headquarters.'
'And I'm still struggling against pirates with bounties in the tens of millions.'
The vast difference in strength made Zoro feel deeply frustrated, but also ignited an even stronger desire to get stronger.
Carina didn't speak, continuing to explain the newspaper to everyone.
When she reached the end, her expression changed slightly, and she looked a little worried.
"The World Government still hasn't revoked Luo Chen's bounty."
"The reason is that Luo Chen killed a Celestial Dragon and stole the Heavenly Tribute."
"Anyone who offends a Celestial Dragon, no matter who it is, cannot be forgiven."
Hearing this, Luffy pouted, dissatisfied. "Those 'celestial people' or whatever, are they really that special? If Luo Chen killed one, they must have been a bad person. And just because of them, they're still keeping Luo Chen's bounty?"
He understood Luo Chen. At his core, he was a very kind person.
Luffy had wanted to invite Luo Chen to join his crew for a long time.
But he could also sense that Luo Chen's attitude was very firm. There was no chance to invite him to join.
Carina shook her head without a word and kept reading.
She said in astonishment, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku is dead?"
Except for Luffy, who didn't seem to care much, everyone else's eyes went wide, and they all stared at the newspaper.
[Fleet Admiral Sengoku, in Impel Down's Level 6, Infinite Hell, has died by hanging.]
[A video recording before his death and a suicide note have been released, admitting to all his mistakes.]
[The massacre of Cocoyasi Village, the truth of Luo Chen's bounty... it is finally settled and has become an iron-clad case.]
"This... the Fleet Admiral actually committed suicide."
Franky's eyes widened, finding it completely unbelievable.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]