Be your own hero.
This is what Kong Tai hoped to see.
After all, being saved by others is far less profound and great than standing up and saving oneself.
Kong Tai could indeed overthrow the World Government, even kill all the Celestial Dragons.
But what about after overthrowing the World Government and killing all the Celestial Dragons?
Humanity, as a complex species, is destined to be incapable of peace, of true peace.
Even without the World Government, without the Celestial Dragons, the common people would not change much, for "class" is something that persists even if all the nobles in the world are dead.
That is why he said he hoped everyone could be their own hero.
Because only when one's inner strength grows can one fear no storms.
After Kong Tai's speech, everyone present, as well as the countless viewers watching the concert on screen, and even the Marines, fell silent.
What followed was a clamor that echoed throughout the world.
Awakening often happens in an instant.
It didn't happen before because no one guided them, because the suffering of the world's common people wasn't deep enough, the oppression they endured wasn't great enough, and the darkness they had witnessed wasn't profound enough.
But in a world where many places were already in extreme suppression, igniting a flame of revolution often only required a spark.
And today, unbeknownst to Kong Tai, his song and his words became the spark that ignited the flame of revolution in many places.
Alright, let's shift our attention back to the scene.
Revolution is a matter for the future. The world is vast, who knows how many islands, how many countries, how many people are oppressed, and how many of those oppressed people watched this livestream.
"Kong Tai, Kong Tai, Kong Tai..."
Today, Kong Tai truly experienced the treatment of a big star.
Listening to the countless cheers from the audience, Kong Tai's lips curved into a genuine smile.
This feeling was different from being thanked.
The fans' fervor gave him a sense of exhilaration, a feeling that was both unfamiliar and not unpleasant.
Turning his head, he looked at Brook behind him, whose eyes, despite the dark circles, couldn't hide the fervor within. Kong Tai shook his head and handed the microphone to Brook.
"Now, it's up to you."
He had sung solo just now, not a duet with Brook. As Uta had said, he had indeed brought out a new song, one that he hadn't sung in front of Brook before.
Therefore, Brook had been standing by the piano, completely becoming a backdrop.
"Yohohoho!!" Brook took the microphone and laughed heartily, "Captain, I didn't expect you to create such a wonderful song so quietly! You must make more songs in the future, otherwise, it would be a loss to the world!"
Hearing Brook's flattery, a trace of awkwardness flashed in Kong Tai's eyes.
He would certainly not admit that he didn't create it. After all, he had plagiarized it, and no one in this world would ever know.
"Alright, I'm leaving now."
He nodded to Uta, who was also looking at him with fervent eyes from afar, and Kong Tai turned and stepped out, his figure disappearing from the stage.
The concert continued.
Although many people hadn't recovered from Kong Tai's "Lone Warrior" and his speech, this didn't diminish the excitement of the audience.
After all, Brook's rock music was the most atmosphere-stirring.
The concert lasted for a long time.
Under the dedicated performances of Uta and Brook, the concert went on for several hours before ending with Uta singing the "New Era" once again.
...
In the days that followed, even though the concert had ended, the world was far from quiet.
In many countries around the world, the legend of the Lone Warrior sprang up and quickly spread to every corner of the globe.
This was due to the inaction of the World Government, the instigation of the Revolutionary Army, the pursuit of a sensational headline by Morgans of the World Economic News, and of course, the collective silence of the Marine system.
As a result, Kong Tai became famous.
Even though he was, in the eyes of others, a heinous pirate wanted by the Marines and the World Government, it did not affect his fame.
After all, with so many factions fanning the flames, everything he had done since setting sail was laid bare.
Not to mention the East Blue, just entering the Grand Line, his crew had saved more than four countries.
The pirates they had killed along the way were countless.
The Gamma Kingdom was not reported because it involved nobles, the World Government, and the Marines, so no one knew about it.
"This is a pirate??"
Countless people fell silent.
Even more so, they went into a frenzy, turning into faith.
This was not a pirate; this was a hero, a hero who saved the world.
Would Kong Tai save them?
The answer was yes, and yet no.
After all, as he had said, to save this world, it had to be them themselves, not any single person.
This was something Kong Tai could not do.
Kong Tai did not pay much attention to the changes in the world.
In the following days, Kuina and Shanks had several serious sparring sessions.
Shanks, as expected of the man known as the most fearsome, his mastery of Conqueror's Haki allowed him to completely conceal his presence, making it impossible for enemies to sense his movements with Observation Haki.
Fortunately, Kuina's Observation Haki was completely different from that of ordinary people. Her Observation Haki was mixed with magnetic field waves from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. This meant that even with Shanks' "Observation Killer," he couldn't evade Kuina's perception.
Therefore, although Shanks' Observation Killer was astonishing at first, he could only fight Kuina to a draw.
And when Shanks unleashed his Conqueror's Haki infusion, which surpassed that of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, the battle shifted.
Shanks' powerful attacks and extremely high movement speed, even when Kuina used the ultimate speed of "Thunder Breathing," she was still suppressed by Shanks.
After losing one round, Kuina was naturally unwilling.
So, in the following days, she pestered Shanks and fought him many times.
This once reminded Shanks of Mihawk, giving him a feeling of returning to his youthful days.
Just as every battle has its end, so too did their reunion.
Therefore, on a clear morning a few days after the concert, Kong Tai and his crew, after bidding farewell to Uta, Gordon, and Shanks, naturally set sail once again.
Kong Tai and his crew did not go to the final island accessible in the New World, "Mercury First Island." Their destination this time was clear: the entrance to the New World sea area, the Whitebeard Pirates.
When they entered the New World, they had to escort Cocodile Sophie home and also visit Indigo's hometown, so they didn't go to Whitebeard's territory and missed him.
This trip was not for fighting. After all, he was now the undisputed strongest in the world and had fulfilled his promise to Zoro. Although he had not yet determined who the world's strongest swordsman was with Mihawk, this goal was not urgent. The next time they met, he was confident that he could defeat Mihawk based on "swordsmanship" alone.