Designing Signatures, the Fan Money Effect
On the screen, a barrage of shocked comments immediately appeared: {Hey, hey, hey, the Second Division Commander Whitebeard's crew, the son of the Pirate King... since he's Straw Hat Luffy's brother, this... this guy's background has become even more powerful! I have a feeling that some big shot will appear next to Straw Hat Luffy, even if it's Celestial Dragons, I wouldn't be too surprised!}
{So that's how it is! No wonder the Straw Hat Luffy were so interested in Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit; it was his older brother's keepsake! Now everything makes sense!}
{Brainless fan? Judging by Bartolomeo's attitude, that title really suits him! He's too crazy!}
{Holy crap! I never knew Straw Hat Luffy had such a legendary past! What else is this guy hiding?!}
{...}
{...}
Inside a house in Loguetown, East Blue.
"We must set sail! We have to set sail! Get to building a ship right now, and make sure the hull is modeled after Luffy and his crew!" Bartolomeo suddenly turned around and shouted to his group of followers, "This time, I'm setting sail ahead of schedule to follow Luffy and his crew!"
"Yes, boss." The underlings saluted him, turned around, left the room, and ran towards the shipyard.
The Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago, and the Shakky's Rip-off Bar of Shakky.
"I never imagined that the connection between Roger and the Straw Hat Luffy would grow two more layers!" Rayleigh sipped his drink and said quietly.
"Yes! The connections between people are sometimes so wonderful!" Shakky exclaimed, "It's like it was all preordained."
Upon hearing this, a hint of reminiscence flashed in Rayleigh's eyes, and he agreed, "Yes! Indeed, sometimes fate seems to be predetermined."
As he spoke, he looked at the Life-Calling Stone in his hand and murmured, "Perhaps, this is also fate's arrangement, Roger."
The New World, Red Force.
"I never thought Luffy would have fans!" Lucky Roux exclaimed.
"Actually, this isn't surprising at all, considering how much he's grown along the way," Bendick Snake said. "The whole world has seen it; it's normal for him to have a few fans."
"Yeah! Luffy's not that little brat who used to fawn over us anymore. He's practically a great pirate who can stand on his own now!" Ben Beckman laughed. "But as a Luffy fan, I have this feeling that he might cause Luffy some unnecessary trouble. After all, sometimes one fan can be more effective than ten haters!"
"Then we'll have to test Luffy's ability to clean up after his fans, see if he can handle it!" Shanks joked. "Let's just hope he doesn't get into trouble with us because of Luffy."
Impel Down Impel Down, Level 1.
"Tch! If that Inazuma hadn't struck suddenly, Straw Hat Luffy would have been dead already! What miracle was there?" Bucky the Buggy grumbled.
The Grand Line, somewhere in the sea, the Thousand Sunny.
"Oh! I... I didn't expect we'd have fans!" Franky scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Yeah! I haven't figured out how to respond to them yet!" Chopper said hesitantly.
"You're not as good as me! Chopper, I've been wanting to sign this for ages!" Usopp said smugly.
"Hey! Really? Usopp, can I see your autograph first?!" Chopper exclaimed excitedly, his eyes gleaming with admiration.
"That won't do. This signature of mine is meant to be something I make a name for myself in the future; I can't show it to you now," Usopp shook his head and said.
"Oh, I see!" Chopper's mood immediately sank, but his childlike nature quickly lifted, and he asked, "Then can you design one for me, Usopp?"
"Yo ho ho ho, me too, Mr. Usopp," Brook chimed in.
"Hey! Wait a minute, Brook, don't cut in line! Let Usopp deal with me first." Chopper shoved him in annoyance and said.
"Mr. Chopper, let me do it first!"
"I'll go first!"
"..."
"..."
"Honestly, I don't know what these guys are so happy about!" Nami her eyes at them and said irritably, "These kinds of fans don't give us any more Beli, what's the use of them!"
"You're wrong, Nami," Robin warned. "Once the number of fans grows, it can form an industry chain. Those fans who admire us will desperately want our autographs, considering it an honor to have one. Then our autographs will have value, and once they have value, they will become currency, namely Beli. This is called the 'Fan Money Effect.'"
"Hey! What? Autographs can be exchanged for money? I need an autograph too!" Reminded by Robin, Nami immediately perked up, stepped forward, shoved Brook and Chopper aside, and said aggressively to Usopp, "Design one for me first, Usopp. It has to be good-looking, and with a distinct personality."
"Nami- san, let me design it for you! I've already thought of mine!" Sanji immediately chimed in, "When it comes to design talent, I'm no less talented Usopp."
"Hehehe, actually, I've been wanting to do this for a while too!" Luffy grinned. "Also, I like this guy."
As he spoke, he looked at Zoro and asked, "Aren't you going to ask Usopp to design a signature for you, Zoro?"
"No need! I've already thought of my autograph!" Zoro shook his head, looking at the screen where Bartolomeo, at his request, eagerly went to find Luffy and, guided by him, brought Luffy to him. He said, "But this guy is actually quite likable."