At the same time, small and medium-sized pirate crews from all corners of the New World, like sharks scenting blood, converged on Elegia.
At a port on an unknown small island, a young man wearing an exaggerated Captain's hat was gesticulating wildly at a live broadcast camera:
"Brothers! See that? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" He excitedly slapped the rusty ship's railing beside him, his cheap gold tooth glinting in the sunlight.
"The Four Emperors, Admirals, and Supernovas are all rushing there! As long as we show our faces in the melee, tomorrow the whole world's newspapers will print our names!"
The camera panned to the pirate ship behind him—it was a dilapidated vessel barely able to stay afloat, its deck piled high with planks and ropes for repairs.
A dozen ragged crew members were busily moving supplies, some even rolling barrels of pickled fish onto the ship as if they were cannonballs.
"Quick! Hang my special pirate flag higher!" the Captain shouted, his voice hoarse, "This time, we must make Red Hair and the Marine remember the prestige of our 'Giant Tooth Pirate Crew'!"
Everyone who saw these videos burst into laughter.
"Can this broken ship even make it to Elegia?"
"Suggest renaming it'Suicide Pirate Crew'."
"Is the Captain's gold tooth worth more than his ship?"
But more small and medium-sized pirate crews were indeed on the move.
In another less popular video, over twenty pirate ships of various types sailed in formation like a carnival parade.
The leading Captain raised a bottle of rum to the camera: "Who cares about the Four Emperors or the Marine, let's just make a fortune in the chaos! I heard Elegia's concert hall is full of instruments made of gold!"
Even more exaggerated, someone filmed a pirate crew made up of five converted fishing boats, with crooked skull symbols painted on their sails.
They even started a crowdfunding live stream: "Old buddies, send us a rocket, and we'll bring an extra barrel of gunpowder!"
Behind these comical scenes, however, lay the harsh survival rules of the New World. For these small pirate crews struggling at the bottom, this chaotic battle might truly be their only chance to make a name for themselves.
Meanwhile, in the waters near Elegia, the Marine scout responsible for vigilance watched the dense array of lights on his radar, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Report... The pirate crews arriving now have exceeded fifty, and they're still increasing..."
This storm, caused by Uta, was attracting all the desperadoes across the sea who craved fame and fortune.
They might be insignificant, but when these "small fry" converge into a torrent, no one knows what variables they will bring to the battle.
....
On Elegia Island, at the center of the storm,
Uta stood alone atop the concert hall's dome, her red and white hair intertwined, wildly dancing in the intensifying sea breeze, like two distinct flags.
Her slender fingers tightly gripped the railing of the roof, her knuckles white from the effort.
Uta trembled as she pulled out her phone; in the camera, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her feather-decorated performance outfit flapped in the strong wind. She took a deep breath and softly spoke to the camera:
"Thank you all... but please, don't fight for me anymore."
Her voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the wind, yet it felt like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of all viewers.
Within thirty seconds of this post, the number of likes surpassed ten million, and the comment section was instantly flooded with tears:
"Uta, don't blame yourself! This isn't your fault!"
...
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