The aftermath of The Phantom Menace premiere was a global hurricane.
By October of 1999, Donovan's face was on every magazine cover, billboard, and talk show in the world. He couldn't even walk to the end of his driveway without a helicopter circling overhead.
But inside the walls of the Blackwood estate, things were surprisingly quiet.
Donovan sat at his massive oak desk in his bedroom. The surface was completely covered in ink pens, sketchpads, and empty juice boxes.
While the world thought he was just a teenage acting prodigy, they had no idea about his second life.
Under his secret pen name, his manga, One Piece, had become an unstoppable juggernaut in Japan and the West.
Right now, the Straw Hat Pirates were riding the Knock Up Stream straight into the Skypiea arc. The fans were losing their minds over the sky islands.
The merchandise sales alone were making him a quiet billionaire. But Donovan wasn't satisfied with just one masterpiece.
He put down his drawing pen and stretched his arms, hearing his back pop. He looked at the two fresh, brightly colored folders sitting on the corner of his desk.
In his past human life, One Piece shared the throne with two other titans. They were known as the "Big Three."
Donovan opened the first folder. Inside was the concept art of a loud, blonde ninja wearing an orange jumpsuit. Naruto.
He opened the second folder. It held the sleek, edgy designs of an orange-haired teenager carrying a massive sword, surrounded by dark spirits. Bleach.
He had spent his breaks on the Star Wars set perfectly replicating the art styles and writing the pilot chapters for both. He was about to monopolize the entire anime industry.
Carrying the brightly colored folders, Donovan walked downstairs to the living room.
Richard Blackwood was sitting on the sofa, reading the Wall Street Journal. Evelyn was next to him, reviewing some charity gala invitations.
Thud. Donovan dropped the folders right in the middle of the glass coffee table.
Richard lowered his newspaper, raising an eyebrow.
"I thought you were taking a break, Donnie," Evelyn said, picking up the Naruto folder. She looked at the drawing of the spiky-haired ninja. "Is this a new cartoon? He looks very... orange."
"It's manga, Mom," Donovan smiled, sitting on the armchair across from them. "And yes. The pirate story is doing great, but I want to launch these two by the end of the year."
Donovan pointed to the folders. "I want our publishing branch to trademark the characters globally."
Richard leaned forward, his business instincts instantly activating. He tapped the Bleach folder.
"You're trying to corner the entire Japanese comic market, aren't you?" Richard asked.
"I don't want to corner it, Dad," Donovan corrected smoothly. "I want to own it."
Donovan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked directly at his father.
"Dad, I want you to register the IPs and copyrights for both of these universes today," Donovan instructed clearly.
"We've proven we have the infrastructure to dominate the American market," Donovan continued. "Now we're going to completely take over the Eastern entertainment sector. I don't want any other publisher even breathing near these concepts."
Richard stared at the concept art. He could already see the massive merchandise numbers spinning in his head. The action figures, the video games, the international syndication rights.
A slow, terrifyingly proud smile spread across Richard's face.
Evelyn sighed, closing the Naruto folder and rubbing her temples.
She looked at her sixteen-year-old son, who was casually plotting global entertainment domination on a Tuesday morning.
"You just broke the box office records for the decade, Donovan," Evelyn pointed out. "Don't you want to... I don't know, go to the mall? Go to a high school party? Do something normal?"
"I can do normal later, Mom," Donovan laughed, standing up and grabbing an apple from the kitchen counter.
"Right now, I have to go finish designing a sword that shoots black energy. The fans are going to love it."
As Donovan walked back upstairs to his room, Richard immediately picked up his cell phone.
"Who are you calling?" Evelyn asked.
"My international legal team," Richard said.
His eyes were practically glowing. "We have to copyright a ninja village and an entire spirit world before lunchtime."