This Era Is Called Red Nose (Riding Emperor Clown's Popularity)

Unlike the Marine Headquarters, which relies entirely on government grants and has a very ample budget, the Galley-La Shipyard is not a combat force directly under the World Government.

They are a self-financing private enterprise, so the food in the guesthouse canteen is naturally quite ordinary.

It was only because Teach's favorite cherry pie was available that he was able to live so comfortably and happily here.

But no matter how much I love cherry pie, after eating it for two whole months, I started to crave a change.

Teach carefully examined the stranger in front of him, confirming that he wasn't some dangerous individual with a bounty of over a hundred million, and then happily began to eat and drink with Ma Qiao.

That's why so many people say that Teach is the man in the One Piece world who is most like a pirate.

Look at what other pirates do after they become sea emperors!

Whitebeard is going around claiming sons; Big Mom is trying hard to have a son; Kaido keeps engaging in suicide performance art; Shanks is throwing parties all day long; and King Luffy is constantly shouting that he wants to become the freest man on the sea.

The freest man?

In Ma Qiao's opinion, the freest man isn't the Pirate King, but the Banana King.

A real man should sleep with another man.

If you don't even dare to do it with men, what kind of freedom do you claim to have?

In contrast, Teach's pursuits were much more normal.

They gathered a large crowd, indulging in food, drink, and entertainment, showering the world with money, and recruiting beautiful women.

He even once planned to capture Miss Bonney from the Worst Generation and make her his bandit wife.

This aligns with Ma Qiao's understanding of pirates.

Of course, Teach's methods and ambitions are also extraordinary.

The famous filial son Lü Fengxian once said, "How can a great man remain subservient to others for long?" But Teach pretended to be a son for nearly thirty years.

You could say he's a guy who's ruthless to his enemies, ruthless to his benefactors, ruthless to his partners, and even more ruthless to himself.

But at this moment, he presented himself to Ma Qiao as a warm, cheerful, and guileless middle-aged man.

"Hahaha!"

Teach put a large piece of crispy pig's ear coated in thick honey into a slice of bread, making a simple pig's ear pie, and then popped it into his mouth.

"This is absolutely delicious! Hahaha, Ma Qiao, you're a genius!"

"Teach brothers, you flatter me. This isn't my doing; it's my chef, Tahm Kench, whose cooking is truly excellent."

Ma Qiao pointed to Tahm Kench, who was dressed in Five-Star Chef Skin, and was brushing a special honey sauce onto the crispy fried pig ears.

"What a tall Fish-Man!" Teach exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

Teach is 3.5 meters tall. Tahm Kench is much taller than him, so he truly deserves the title of "tall and imposing".

Fish-Men are a very common race in the Grand Line, especially in the New World in the latter half, and are one of the slaves that nobles love to bring with them.

Teach had no interest in whether Tahm Kench was the young man's slave, but he was very satisfied with his cooking skills.

'If I manage to find the Dark-Dark Fruit and become a powerful pirate, I might consider raiding Fish-Man Island and capturing a few Fish-Man chefs.'

Teach silently placed capturing Fish-Man chef after finding a young, beautiful, and powerful wife as his third goal after his rise to power.

Although Teach had already devised a wicked plan for the future in an instant, he still maintained a friendly demeanor and raised a glass with Ma Qiao.

Ma Qiao also intends to get close to this pirate, the world's most ambitious man.

As they clinked glasses and exchanged toasts, the two seemed to have become inseparable friends.

After eating a piece of extremely high-calorie braised meat, Ma Qiao, while mentally instructing Garen, who was dozens of nautical miles away, to do a thousand more sets of push-ups, asked casually, as if it were just a casual remark.

"Teach brothers, judging from your attire, you must be a pirate. Are you also here in Water 7 to buy a ship for your captain?"

Teach swallowed the pig ear pie stuck in her throat, took a sip of chilled orange juice, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"That's right, most of the people Water 7 buy ships are pirates..."

Teach glanced at the villainous outfits of the group behind Ma Qiao and laughed:

"Brother Ma Qiao, are you here to buy a boat too?"

"Not entirely. I do have some ship-related issues that I need to ask the shipwrights in Galley-La, but more importantly, I'm here for the World Government's live recruitment broadcast."

"What, you're from the World Government?"

Teach pretended to be very flustered.

His enormous body nearly fell off the chair, looking both comical and ridiculous.

But if you are deceived by his incompetent and cowardly behavior, you would be making a big mistake.

When it comes to daring, this guy is on par with King Luffy.

Moreover, in addition to his boldness, he also possesses a meticulous mind.

Ma Qiao noticed that his seemingly panicked movements actually positioned him in an optimal position that allowed him to easily turn and escape, while also being ready to launch a sudden attack.

Ma Qiao laughed heartily, "Brother Teach, you're too timid. I'm not an employee of the World Government, just a genuine and objective independent media person. You can call me Ma Dudu."

"Ma Dudu?"

Believe it or not, Teach had indeed seen that name before.

He scratched his head, trying to recall.

Suddenly he punched his fist. "I remember now, when Red-Haired Shanks rescued his best friend Emperor Clown Buggy in Loguetown, those news reports were from Ma Dudu Studio!"

Ma Dudu is indeed one of Ma Qiao's many online aliases, known for his outspoken and controversial remarks.

The most famous line, "This era is called Red Nose," is still used as the signature on the popular account of the tech guru Buggy.

This was also the only time he ever acknowledged his nose.

It can be said that Buggy the Clown, the man entrusted with the care of Pirate King Roger and the lifelong goal of Red-Haired Shanks, rose to fame during the Loguetown incident thanks in no small part to the objective reporting and professional commentary of Ma Dudu Studio.

These messages spread throughout the world via the internet and newspapers.

It's not just Ma Qiao's side that plagiarizes, crosses out, and reprints news from newspapers; various newspapers also reprint news from Big Bird News.

Especially in the East Blue Sea, Ma has long held absolute power, and outside reporters can't get any valuable news at all.

The news reports from Ma Dudu Studio have become important reference materials for various newspapers.

Seeing Ma Qiao nod slightly, acknowledging his identity, Teach quietly moved a little further away.

Unfortunately, he's more afraid of reporters than World Government officials these days.

Or perhaps they are even more afraid of becoming famous.

Having endured more than twenty years of hardship, Teach didn't want to ruin everything by becoming a big celebrity and attracting too much attention from his white-bearded Pops.

Ma Qiao seemed oblivious to Teach's momentary lapse in composure, and proceeded to hand over a business card:

"Brother Teach, you can call me if you need anything. You know, true media warriors are not only disseminators of the truth, but also recorders of this era."

So if you have any questions or want to know anything, or if there's anything you'd like to get, feel free to contact me...

What do you want to get?

Teach's eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.

Of course he has something he wants, and he has been silently striving for it for thirty years.

But how could a mere media professional possibly accomplish such a thing? And what right do I have to trust him?

"Hahaha!"

Blackbeard flashed a genuine, hearty grin. "If there's anything I want, it's an endless supply of pig's ear pies!"

"That's easy."

Ma Qiao pulled a brand-new Mobile Den Den Mushi from his pocket. "This is the most popular electronic product in East Blue, with a powerful food delivery ordering function. I can give you one for free..."

"How could I possibly accept that?"

"So you're saying you don't consider me, Ma, a brother?"

With an even more generous attitude than Blackbeard, Ma Qiao shoved the Den Den Mushi into Teach's hand, helped him download the Are You Hungry app, and guided him step by step through Teach registration and usage process.

"It's really convenient."

Teach is far smarter than his simple-minded appearance suggests.

Under Ma Qiao's guidance, he quickly learned how to use the Mobile Den Den Mushi and the food ordering app on it.

However, Teach never noticed the small print before the checkmarks he clicked when registering the software.

This software will automatically access location, photo library, contacts, camera, microphone, and other functions.

Clicking "Agree" signifies your acceptance of the above content, as well as the BigBird official website user agreement, related privacy policies, and instructions on the use of permissions.

·

While Professor Ma Qiao was enthusiastically guiding Blackbeard into getting into Big Bird Network,

A bar not far from the Galley-La shipyard was almost empty.

The arrival of the Navy temporarily kept the pirates away from Water 7, and even those pirates who were stranded due to some accidents all kept a low profile and dared not come to the tavern to spend money.

With a grin, the bar door was pushed open.

A tall man with a pigeon perched on his shoulder slowly walked in. (As shown in the picture)

"Lucci, it's quite a treat to have you here for a drink today."

The bar owner looked up, a warm expression on his face.

The bar owner, whose hair was styled in the shape of bull horns, was, like the suddenly appearing senior shipwright Rob Lucci, a member of CP9 lurking in the area.

However, the two usually do not meet alone. When Lucci appears here, it usually means that Commander Spandam has issued some new orders.

Although there was no one around and not a single customer, Lucci remained alert and, as was his usual habit, sat on the bar stool.

"A brandy, please."

Lucci didn't open his mouth, but the pigeon on his shoulder waved its arms and legs as if it had just spoken.

In reality, this was simply Lucci using ventriloquism.

"Alright, this is the most famous Short-Lived Ghost from the East Blue!"

Since Ma Qiao recruited Gragas Gragas, the quality and taste of the Short-Lived Ghost series of drinks have been greatly improved.

Today, they have even secured a place in mid-range consumer venues along the Grand Line.

"Is this a new variety? I'd better give it a try!"

Lucci continued speaking using ventriloquism.

As he downed a glass of brandy, a rare look of intoxication appeared on Lucci's face.

Lucci swore this was the most delicious brandy he had ever tasted in his life. (Lucci's favorite food; this is an official character setting.)

Although he was not an alcoholic, he loved to appreciate wine.

Just as Kaku is obsessed with repairing ships, Kalifa enjoys wearing revealing clothes. As a secret agent, she is under constant high tension and immense pressure. Without finding hobbies to distract herself, it would be difficult to maintain a good mental state.

Even though Rob Lucci is known as the strongest agent in CP9's history on Enies Lobby, he cannot escape this objective law.

A small sip of wine is Lucci's best choice for relieving stress.

Supervised by Gragas, this brandy, made with some Zyra seeds as brewing ingredients, using Maokai saplings as Gragas material, and mixed with a tiny amount of Health Potion, instantly conquered Lucci's taste buds.

However, he quickly concealed this hint of intoxication and reverted to his eternally unchanging coffin-like face. "Another one!"

"Yes, Mr. Lucci!"

Blueno picked up the bottle, bent down to pour Lucci a drink, and just as their heads touched, Lucci whispered something.

"Intelligence from above indicates that both the Northern and Southern armies of the Revolutionary Army are making moves simultaneously, and their target is likely the current conscription effort in Water 7."

"What is our mission?" Blueno remained equally composed.

"The Pluton Blueprints are still of the highest level, but if you can thwart the Revolutionary Army's plans, Commander Pandam will reward you."

"Understood, I'll keep an eye out for any strangers appearing these days—please enjoy your brandy."

Blueno smiled as he refilled Lucci's glass, then continued wiping his bar, like a kind-hearted bar owner.

But as he wiped, he realized something seemed off.

According to past practice, after finishing his two glasses of brandy, shouldn't Lucci get up, pay, and leave quickly?

According to Lucci, the two of them should not interact too much, lest their identities be exposed.

But I've practically polished the bar counter until it's reflecting my image, why hasn't Lucci left yet?

Blueno looked up in confusion.

Lucci was holding an empty wine glass, looking at him with a strange expression.

That expression looked like... he was taking a dump?

Blueno exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Lucci, are you sure you're not mistaken? This chair is made of Renekton skin; I spent a lot of money to find it at the secondhand market—it's a high-end item!"

"Shut up!"

The pigeon on Lucci's shoulder jumped up and flapped its wing at Blueno.

"I just feel that for the past five years, every time I come to a bar, I only drink two glasses of brandy and then leave. It's too strange, and some people might easily notice something amiss."

"So starting today, I will randomly drink several glasses of brandy as a disguise."

After a pause, Lucci suddenly asked, "Blueno, how old are you this year?"

"Twenty... twenty-eight years old," Blueno replied hesitantly.

You're only twenty-eight?

Lucci looked at his companion with suspicion; he had always thought Blueno was at least forty years old.

This person looks way too old for their age of 28.

"28 it is, Mr. Blueno. Please give me 28 glasses of Short-Lived Ghost brandy, thank you!"

Lucci gently tapped his wine glass.