Five wanted posters were pasted on the World Economic Journal in a cross shape.
Karl was in the middle, with four arrows pointing to the four Emperors of the Sea respectively.
Whitebeard at the top, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin on the left and right, and Shanks at the bottom.
The people of the world were naturally not unfamiliar with the five overlords of the seas.
Except for the newly promoted Karl, and Shanks who had reached the top only a few years before Karl, the other three were all super-powerful individuals of the old era.
Few people knew that the three of them were crew members of the same pirate crew in the era before last.
From being officers in the Rocks Era, to super-powerful individuals in the Golden Age, and then to the overlords of this era, they had experienced three eras, witnessed countless legends, and finally became legends themselves.
Compared to them, Karl and Shanks were actually members of the new era.
Although Shanks was not as "new" as Karl.
Now, the three overlords of the old era and the two overlords of the new era had actually appeared on the World Economic Journal at the same time.
That birdman Morgans had come up with a very gimmicky headline.
Whether it was the "Namer of the New Era," the "500 Billion Berry Challenge," or the picture of the five emperors, it all made the people of the world read the content seriously.
After reading the news, all sorts of complicated expressions appeared on the faces of the people.
Among them, shock and excitement accounted for the largest proportion.
"...Is this for real?"
"The Namer of the New Era, is an overlord of the seas finally going to stand up, end this era ruled by Whitebeard, and start a new one?"
"To challenge the other four overlords of the seas with 500 billion Berries, whoever can defeat him can get 500 billion Berries... Is the world's richest man, the Dragon Knight, so generous?!"
"500 billion Berries, how much money is that?!"
"How many large galleons would it take to carry that much money? You could buy a whole kingdom with that, right?!"
".........."
"To challenge the other four overlords of the seas, and not just Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man, is this the Dragon Knight's true ambition?"
"So that's it... he wants to defeat the other three, and then finally step on Whitebeard's head to become the unquestionable World's Strongest Man of the new era?"
"Hahaha... As expected of my idol, Lord Dragon Knight, he's too domineering!"
"Hmph... an arrogant fellow. I hope he doesn't lose to some overlord of the seas right at the beginning of his challenge. Otherwise, not only will his reputation be ruined, but he'll also have lost 500 billion Berries for nothing."
"Who do you think you're talking about? Lord Dragon Knight is the man who defeated Kaido of the Beasts and ascended to the pinnacle of the world!"
"The Dragon Knight isn't the only one on this sea who has defeated Kaido!"
"What did you say?!"
"What, you want to fight?!"
".........."
"So those newspaper companies were setting up screens in the squares to broadcast the upcoming battle for the world's strongest of the new era?"
"That's great! Doesn't that mean I don't have to wait for the next day's newspaper and can witness the world's top-tier duel with my own eyes?"
"To broadcast the challenge process to the whole world, this way, even if he wins, he won't have to worry about the other party using their entire crew to deal with him. As expected of Lord Dragon Knight!"
"The key is, with this kind of challenge being broadcast to the whole world, will the other four emperors accept the challenge?"
".........."
That's right!
The favor Karl had given Morgans was also that so-called monumental news.
He had allowed Morgans to broadcast the entire process of his ascent to the pinnacle of the world.
Without a doubt, the sensationalism that today's World Economic Journal brought to the world could definitely be ranked in the top three since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.
Before Shanks reached the top, the three overlords of the former Rocks Pirates had also fought each other for territory.
But after Shanks reached the top, and the New World established the Four Emperors structure, and the entire sea was balanced by the three great powers of Marine Headquarters, the Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, these overlord pirate crews rarely had major wars, or even minor frictions.
The most recent news concerning an overlord was Dragon Knight Karl defeating Kaido of the Beasts, officially ascending to the pinnacle of the world, and becoming one of the highest peaks in the world.
That battle also made Karl the fifth Emperor of the Sea.
Now, this newly promoted overlord of the seas, after keeping a low profile for two years, had finally started to make big news again.
First, last year, he killed a Celestial Dragon again, and his bounty was raised to 2,511,000,000 Berries...
Now, he had even put up 500 billion Berries as a stake, ambitiously wanting to start a new era, become the World's Strongest Man of the new era, and have the new era named after him.
Not only that, but he also wanted to broadcast the entire process to the world, letting everyone witness his path to the top.
He was not at all afraid that his challenge would end as soon as it began.
Nor was he afraid that the reputation and wealth he had painstakingly accumulated over the years would all be for the benefit of another overlord of the seas.
He had put both his face and his wealth as a stake for his ascent to the top.
What confidence, what dominance!
What the Dragon Knight did was the very definition of—youthful recklessness!
But as it happened, he had the capital to be reckless.
And so...
After the people of the world finished reading the headlines of today's World Economic Journal and expressed their various sighs and comments.
Almost everyone's attention was focused on the New World, the second half of the Grand Line.
They were all curious about what kind of reaction and response the overlords of the seas in the New World would have after seeing today's news.
Just like when Karl had accepted the exclusive interview back then.
He was just an ordinary merchant, not a pirate.
So, his method of challenging the other four overlords of the seas was not to declare war on them.
If Karl had not paid any price, then the four overlords of the seas could have completely ignored him.
But, Karl had not only put up 500 billion Berries as a stake, but had also used Morgans' World Economic Journal to focus the attention of the entire world on his path to the top.
As the four major obstacles on his path to the top.
If the several overlords of the seas did not accept the challenge, their reputation would definitely be greatly affected.
If they did accept, and lost, they would not be able to use their entire crew to eliminate Karl to erase the record of their defeat.
It could be said that Karl's method had directly forced them into a dilemma.
Public opinion, no matter in which world, was one of the greatest weapons.
Of course...
The price Karl paid was also great.
500 billion Berries, enough to buy a kingdom, and the reputation accumulated from numerous legendary achievements.
If he won, he would ascend to the pinnacle of the world; if he lost, his vitality would be greatly damaged.
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