Five days later...
In the center of the Mock Town, countless Masira and Shojo are repairing the dilapidated town.
Whether it was the tenacious weeds growing in the cracks of the wall or the messy bloodstains on the ground, they cleaned them all up meticulously.
At the same time, they also used the paint they had taken from the Dark Bird Ship to try their best to make the remaining buildings in Mock Town look nicer.
While the Shojo and Masira were working, their three leaders huddled together, nervously chatting amongst themselves.
"The Salvage King Masira, asked Cricket in a low voice."
"Big brother, are we really moving to Mock Town from now on?"
"Fool, stop calling it Mock Town! This place is now called Golden Town!"
As for relocation, heh, that's an order from the Celestial Dragon, how could we possibly disobey?"
"But... it's terrifying!"
Hearing Cricket's words, the Shojo showed a fearful expression.
"Everyone is dead. You saw those corpses, didn't you? The night Saint Gawain arrived on the island, they piled up the bodies and set them on fire. The fire burned until last night before it was completely extinguished!"
They were truly terrifying! The remaining dust from those corpses was buried in the Southern Forest. By the Sea God, in a few decades, monsters will surely appear in the Southern Forest!
"Shut up!"
Cricket quickly interrupted the Shojo.
"That dust will only make the Southern Forest grow better!"
As for Golden Town, with our development, it will surely prosper like the forests of the south!
And also, if you bring up such dangerous topics again, I'll sew your mouth shut completely!
Cricket said menacingly to the Shojo, then lightly kicked the man in the buttocks.
"Hurry up and get to work. Once we've built the basic structure of Golden Town, Celestial Dragon will give us a proper shop and let us take on the tour guide job in the future."
According to the information provided by Lord Gawain, the reporter's ship should arrive on the island by this afternoon at the latest!
Hurry up and pack everything up, especially the ornaments at the entrance and exit of Golden Town!
Replace all of them with pictures of my ancestors!!!
At three o'clock in the afternoon, a ship with a huge seagull figurehead slowly came to a stop at the dock of the former Mock Town.
After the ship docked, countless reporters immediately tiptoed off the vessel.
As they walked, the reporters whispered among themselves.
"Be careful! This is one of the notorious Lawless Area on the Grand Line. We were safe near Saint Gawain, of course, but we must be extremely careful when we're traveling alone!"
"Also, as a veteran reporter, I must give this newcomer a piece of advice: if you get surrounded by pirates, just laugh and say that Noland is an idiot. That way, they'll usually give up chasing you and start laughing with you instead!"
"Trust your advice, senior. This town truly is Town of Mockery. As long as we learn to mock Noland, we can thrive here!"
Whispering amongst themselves, the reporters slowly approached the entrance to Mock Town, but the moment they got close, they all froze on the spot!
Before them stood a brightly decorated welcome sign, with cute lettering painted in gold.
Welcome to Golden Town!
At the same time, as they approached, a group of incredibly enthusiastic Masira suddenly pounced on them.
"Haha, you gentlemen are reporters from the World Economic Journal, right?"
You've worked so hard for our leader's ancestors, you've really gone through a lot. Come on, let's go into town and rest for a bit!
We'll treat you to big bananas!!!
"Ha?!!"
A group of reporters looked at each other in bewilderment. What was this giant banana? Was it even legitimate?!
Among the reporters, those working in Mock Town for the first time were completely bewildered. Was this really the image a lawless zone should have?
What happened to the marine's corpse that hung at the entrance of the town?
What about those bloody graffiti on the buildings?
Passersby come and go, their menacing expressions revealing a dangerous intent, as if they could shoot you at any moment.
Aside from the lingering stench of blood in the air, what resemblance is there to this place Lawless Zone?
Whose Lawless Zone has white walls and a blue roof, and is teeming with monkeys?!
Of course, these are the feelings of reporters who are here for the first time.
Compared to them, the veteran reporters who had visited Mock Town several times saw not strangeness, but an abyss-like eeriness and danger!
They had witnessed the bustling prosperity of Mock Town firsthand. Back then, the town had at least 100,000 Four Blues, bounty hunters, smugglers, and slave traders from all over the world!
In addition, this Lawless Zone is teeming with countless human traffickers and human traffickers.
Whether it's someone's experimental base, someone's assassin and soldier training base, or even a pirate crew lacking manpower.
They all prefer to target lawless places like Mock Town when recruiting.
If Mary Geoise is the capital of this world under the sun, and the capital of all other Affiliated Nation...
That lawless land is a special zone of the Underworld, located beneath the darkness!
Take the Mock Town as an example. Although it is just an ordinary town, it hides four enormous forces, each ruled by one of the four recognized big shots in the Underworld.
Those four people were: Gild Tesoro who controlled the underground casinos; Stussy, the Queen of the Underworld who controlled the underground brothels; Vinsmoke Family, the North Blue overlords who controlled the assassin world...
And the Joker who controls all human trafficking, smuggling, arms dealing, and mercenary businesses!
Looking at the Mock Town now, the reporters who had visited many times trembled with fear. All the Lawless Zone covered by these four giant hands had disappeared without anyone knowing!
Lawless Zone be eliminated without anyone noticing?
There's only one answer: only the dead can't leak the information!
So, smelling the thick, overwhelming stench of blood in the air, a stench even the smell of paint couldn't mask, the veteran reporters lowered their heads.
Meanwhile, in the distant New World, Morgans was on the island closest to the Red Line, looking towards the Red Line.
As he watched, he let out a soft sigh.
"Even you, Shanks, actually went so far as to stealthily leave the New World?"
Well, this is really a dilemma. Such big news is making me incredibly anxious if I don't report it.
But haha, it's all for the sake of our promise! This time, I won't let you appear in the newspaper!
At this point, Morgans' Den Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, so he took out the Den Den Mushi that could transmit images.
While connecting the Den Den Mushi, Morgans found a white cloth and placed it in front of the Den Den Mushi.
Immediately afterwards, he saw what the present-day Mock Town, also known as Golden Town, looked like through that piece of white cloth.
He then let out a heavy sigh.
"According to the records delivered by Seagull, that guy only arrived in Mock Town five days ago, right?"
"So, in just five days, only a group of Shojo and Masira remained in the entire town?"
Morgans's gaze deepened, and he couldn't help but continue speaking.
"That's terrifying. The original inhabitants of Mock Town must all be dead by now, right?"
After all, the number of newspaper deliveries in Mock Town has decreased by a factor of ten over the past five days.
On the one hand, they used the news of the Sky Island to attract my attention and the world's attention; on the other hand, they committed such a horrific massacre immediately after landing on the island.
Saint Gawain, you've truly surprised me time and time again!
Because all the kindness I've seen in you in the past isn't enough to be considered your weakness.
So, what exactly is your weakness? Is it only your lack of strength?
Meanwhile, in Golden Town, Gawain was resting in the renovated Cherry Pie Tavern.
The central district that was crushed by Yixiao was the Joker's arms trading market and other black markets.
The Cherry Pie Tavern barely managed to stay afloat.
Of course, simply preserving them is far from enough. Over the past five days, members of the Black Ice Terrace, together with the Logistics Department, have focused on renovating the largest tavern in Mock Town and the largest inn behind Mock Town.
The Cherry Pie Tavern was being renovated, of course, to prepare for the arrival of the reporters.
And the hotel for rest and repairs...
That was to provide accommodation for the survivors in Mock Town!
Some might find it strange, didn't Gawain already issue an order to leave no one alive?
Why are there still living people here?
Because those living people didn't actually kneel down in that square.
It's important to understand that even in lawless areas, not everyone is a lawless person. When Gawain and his group arrived, the pirates and outlaws immediately fled.
But there was a small group of people who either hid in fear in their own houses, or were tied up or imprisoned in room after room.
These people were children and women, as well as some slaves and prisoners!
Shakky carefully compared and verified the identities of this group of people. There were really not many children, only about three hundred in total.
More than twenty of them were kidnapped from Four Blues by pirates.
The others were children born in the arms of dancers and prostitutes in the Mock Town.
Meanwhile, most prostitutes, women waiting to be sold, and all sorts of women survived by hiding.
When faced with women and children, Gawain was ultimately not so cold-blooded; after all, three days ago, when Gawain went to see those children and women...
No child spat in Gawain's face like the children of the six states did to the King of Qin.
In short, all the women and children were well taken care of.
Once Golden Town's reputation spreads, those people will replace the outlaws who were originally supposed to survive in Gawain's plan, spreading his rules and dangers to the ears of a series of Underworld figures who subsequently come to Golden Town to investigate!
He now needs two kinds of images: one is the image in the newspapers, in which he needs to establish a good image to win the Four Blues and minds of people all over the world.
On the other hand, he also needs a sufficiently dangerous image to intimidate thugs, criminals, pirates, and madmen around the world!
On the surface, he will plant his flag on the Grand Line, and those flags will bring more smiles to people's faces.
In secret, he will bring fear to the Underworld, and that fear will make the people of the Underworld think carefully about whether it is necessary for them to take such a huge risk to oppose a Celestial Dragon like Gawain!
Sitting in the tavern, Gawain's mind kept flashing through similar plans and ideas. As he was thinking, Kalifa came to Gawain side.
"Sir, the reporters have arrived!"
"Oh, please let them in."
Gawain gave the order, then lazily lay down on the sofa, facing the tavern's entrance.
At the same time, the cadres who were chatting around them also followed Gawain's actions and looked towards the direction of the tavern entrance.
Even Shirahoshi and Uta couldn't help but look towards the tavern entrance, where Uta said expectantly.
"This is the exclusive interview, right? As expected of Lord Gawain!"
Before the last battle with the Whitebeard old man, the adult had already been interviewed by a reporter from the World Economic Journal.
And yet, this time, another exclusive interview has arrived!
Sigh, even I haven't been on a single interview yet, it's really frustrating~."
On the sofa, listening to Uta's voice, Gawain smiled and waved his hand.
"Don't rush, Uta. You'll also have a chance to steal the spotlight in this interview, after we bring the Golden Bell down from the Sky Island and attract a large number of tourists."
You will be hosting a grand concert in the newly built Golden Town.
"Of course, this will definitely be written in the newspapers, I said."
"Yes, Gawain ~~~."
Uta immediately smiled happily, and as she laughed, she excitedly swung her two little legs.
As a singer, isn't it normal for her to enjoy making headlines?
Amid Uta's laughter, Kalifa gently pushed open the tavern door, and along with the blinding sunlight, the reporters appeared at the entrance.
At that moment, he looked at Gawain, who was sitting lazily, and at Gion and Hancock, who were nestled on either side of Gawain.
Then look at Rayleigh, who is sitting side by side with his Erlang crossed not far away, and the three swordsmen, Ichisho and Shiryu.
Meanwhile, the tall and imposing Kuma and the stocky Jinbe were also lounging lazily on their respective sofas.
Even though Shirahoshi and Uta are so cute, the reporters couldn't see them at all!
The reporter sensed immense pressure and bloodshed solely from Gawain and his entourage!
Then...
Thump!
The reporters knelt down in unison outside the tavern.
Seeing this, Kalifa and Lucci exchanged a glance at each other at the tavern entrance, after which Lucci coldly addressed the reporters.
"The master's order is for you to go to the tavern to see him!"
"Yes, yes, yes, in the tavern!"
"We understand, we'll go in right away!"
"I'm sorry, please don't kill me, I'll go in right away!"
"I'll roll in!"
In an instant, the reporters, behaving in a disgraceful manner, flooded into the tavern, and then they continued to kneel down in a disheveled state.
Looking at their expressions, Gawain deliberately held back for a while until the reporters started sweating, Gawain waved his hand.
"Get up!"
The reason we control them is because they are paparazzi, their mouthpieces. Only by putting them under enough pressure can they possibly transform into true journalists worthy of their professional title and conscience!
After Gawain gave the order, the reporters hurriedly stood up, then huddled together nervously, all looking at their team leader.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the team leader among the reporters stepped forward and nervously bowed to Gawain.
"Saint Gawain, when would you be available for an interview?"
On the opposite sofa, listening to the reporter's words, Gawain remained silent for a moment, then suddenly revealed an incredibly gentle smile.
If Gawain weren't so young, his smile would almost be described as kind!
At the same time, when the reporters saw that smile, for some reason, they couldn't control themselves!
So, with the flash of a camera, more than one photographic snail captured Gawain's smiling face.
Hearing the clicking sounds of cameras shooting behind them, the team leader of the reporters was completely soaked... on his back!
"My lord, your smile just now was absolutely captivating! Trust me, we'll put that photo on the front page of the next issue of the newspaper!"
The reporter team leader tried his best to explain.
Seeing the flustered squad leader, Gawain gently waved his hand.
"Don't be so tense, buddy."
As he spoke, Gawain pressed his right hand down, and immediately someone brought chairs for the reporters.
As the reporters pondered whether they should actually sit down, Gawain continued speaking to them.
"I may deserve your respect, but I am not worthy of your fear, my friends."
Because you are journalists, and I have great respect for the journalism profession.
After all, it is thanks to your efforts that people Four Blues over the world can see all kinds of news that are both true and beautiful.
Your profession is truly noble.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain smiled and narrowed his eyes. At the same moment, the reporters opposite him suddenly understood.
The topic of today's interview is...
It's clearly a beautiful reality...