Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

The director's roar was deafening.

The scene on camera was clearly a chase. When filming resumed, roadside vendors cooperated by throwing fruit into the air, creating an explosive visual effect.

"Filming is still a bit too exaggerated."

Amid Robin's complaints, the group quickly moved away from the film crew that was shooting.

Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived, as it seemed the entire country was in the same boat as the film crew.

Just like a juice vendor on the street who doesn't directly call out his wares, but suddenly strikes a dramatic pose and begins to sing in an operatic high note: "Ah! This watermelon juice, it's redder than the sun, sweeter than a lover's kiss!"

Bai Yu and the others couldn't help but look at each other in disbelief. This atmosphere of "acting out" all the time was really hard to handle.

Connor, however, became very interested in the watermelon juice in the vendor's hand, tugging at Bai Yu's clothes and staring at it longingly.

"Looks like you have to attend a concert before you can even buy a drink here."

Uchiha Hakuba smiled helplessly and stepped forward.

"Boss, four glasses of watermelon juice, quick."

When the vendor saw a customer coming in, his desire to perform intensified. While squeezing the juice, he began an extremely exaggerated dance, and even did a 360-degree Thomas Flair at the end, before steadily placing the four glasses of bright red juice on the counter.

"This is too much..." Matsumoto Rangiku watched this scene and couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

“People with heart problems probably wouldn’t survive more than three days living in a place like this.”

Robin, on the other hand, observed everything around him with great interest, and for some reason, he found this abstract feeling somewhat appealing.

He then took the juice, but his eyes were drawn to a huge poster on the street.

The poster features a woman in a gorgeous dress against a backdrop of a dazzling starry sky, and is titled "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"This is Alicia, the hottest movie star in Hollywood recently, a dancer who appears only once in eight hundred years," the boss said as he saw Robin looking at the poster.

"I heard that her movie tickets are extremely hard to come by in Xihai."

"Movie?"

Uchiha Shiraha raised an eyebrow. He wasn't particularly interested in these kinds of entertainment activities, but since he was already there, he might as well show them to his companions.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted their conversation.

A group of burly men dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses suddenly rushed out of the alley and surrounded Bai Yu and his group without saying a word.

"It's them!"

The burly man leading the group pointed at Bai Yu and his companions: "These guys are so good-looking, they're definitely the kind of newcomers trying to steal our jobs! Beat them up!"

"Huh?" Bai Yu was completely bewildered. What was all this about?

Before he could react, the group of burly men had already charged at him, fists waving.

But they clearly chose the wrong opponent.

"This is really troublesome..."

Bai Yu sighed, too lazy to even draw his sword, and simply raised his hand casually, an invisible aura instantly spreading out.

Although it wasn't Conqueror's Haki, it still intimidated these guys.

The passersby seemed to be used to it, and a few even complained.

"These guys are still so brainless. Even if the director didn't choose these good-looking people, he wouldn't let them act. It's pointless to target newcomers like this every day."

Bai Yu's lips twitched. So these people really were a bunch of bored and idle individuals.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a white suit with slicked-back hair rushed over, holding a megaphone. He looked at Bai Yu excitedly and said, "That moment just now! Absolutely perfect! That cold look in his eyes, that overwhelming aura! Young man, which agency are you with? Are you interested in making movies?"

"Making a movie?"

Bai Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Sorry, not interested."

"Don't refuse so quickly!" The middle-aged man didn't give up; instead, he moved even closer with more enthusiasm.

"As long as you sign a contract, I guarantee you'll become the hottest superstar in Xihai! Fame, fortune, and beautiful women—you'll have it all!"

"Connor wants barbecue..."

Just as Bai Yu was speaking, Connor had finished his watermelon juice, grabbed Bai Yu's hand, and looked at Bai Yu with a blank expression.

The middle-aged man was taken aback by Connor's adorable look, then his eyes lit up: "Wow! This little girl is very bright! She looks like a natural child star!"

"Sorry, we have other things to do."

Not wanting to get entangled any longer, Shiraha led Robin, Rangiku, and Kanna past the middle-aged man and headed straight into the depths of the city.

Watching Bai Yu and the others walk away, the middle-aged man shouted unwillingly, "I'm one of the most famous directors in Hollywood. If you change your mind, remember to contact me. My name is Jingxi!"

Bai Yu ignored the shouts behind him. He could sense that this seemingly glamorous "dream city" was definitely not simple.

"The more glamorous a place is, the deeper the shadows often are."

Just then, the street ahead suddenly became crowded, with a large group of people gathered in front of a theater, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Is that star named Alicia going to appear? Is this a promotional event?"

Nico Robin glanced at the theater entrance.

"Should we go check it out? I'm really curious about what the movie is like."

Chapter 40 Saved him by chance

Bai Yu thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, since we're already here, let's see what the film and television industry in this dream city is like."

The group squeezed into the crowd with the flow of people, and the theater doors slowly opened, letting out a dazzling light.

Amid cheers from the crowd, a beautiful woman in a white dress slowly walked out.

She had long green hair and exquisite features, as if she had stepped out of a painting, but Bai Yu's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment.

Because he saw a black collar around the woman's neck, with a pattern engraved on it: a black eye.

Uchiha Shiraha could sense that the actress named Alicia was emanating an extremely unstable aura, which looked like the traces left after drugs or some kind of control were used to forcibly stimulate her body.

The black collar was less of a decoration and more of a sophisticated control device.

Uchiha Shiraha withdrew his gaze, his tone calm yet tinged with a chill: "The dream of this city is probably built on the suffering of others. We are truly lucky to have stumbled upon such an interesting thing as soon as we arrived."

"That kind of collar..."

Nico Robin squinted, her fingers gently resting on her chin.

"I seem to have heard somewhere that it is a symbol of slavery that circulated only among nobles. It is said to be made so that the wearer is completely incapable of resistance through special locks and drug injections."

"That's outrageous!"

Upon hearing this, Matsumoto Rangiku clenched her fists. She was cheerful and outgoing and couldn't stand such bullying of the weak.

"To do this kind of thing in broad daylight, are the laws here just for show?"

"In this city, movies may be the law, and box office revenue may be the truth. Ordinary people can just immerse themselves in the joy of movies."

Uchiha Hakuba spoke up.

"Perhaps as long as a blockbuster movie can be made, no one will care what the actors have sacrificed or how they have been tortured."

Just then, Alicia walked to the center of the stage and raised the microphone.

The previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent, everyone holding their breath, eagerly awaiting the goddess's words.

However, Alicia did not sing; her body suddenly began to tremble violently, and her face turned as pale as paper.

"Um…"

She let out a shy groan, gripping the microphone stand tightly with both hands, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The fans in the audience didn't notice anything amiss; instead, they erupted in enthusiastic applause: "Wow! Alicia's acting is getting better and better!"

"Is this the legendary immersive performance? It's amazing!"

"It's shaking. This guy behind the scenes is playing some pretty clever tricks..."

Bai Yu was speechless; he had already guessed what had happened.

"It seems the controller is nearby."

Uchiha Hakuba activated his perception mode, instantly covering the entire theater area.

On a tall building across from the theater, he sensed a guy holding a remote control and looking in his direction through binoculars.

"Rangiku, Robin, you and Connor enjoy the show."

Uchiha Hakuba suddenly spoke.

"Hey? What are you going to do, Bai Yu?" Connor asked, his mouth still full of potato chips he had just bought.

"I'm going to pay a visit to that director who's hiding in the shadows."

Uchiha Hakuba suddenly stood up: "I will be back soon."

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned into a black afterimage and disappeared into the crowd in an instant.

"Still so fast?" Robin was slightly surprised, then smiled helplessly.

It seems we have no choice but to wait for him here.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the high-rise building opposite the theater.

A man in a black suit, wearing a monocle, is using binoculars to look into a shoe, while holding a remote control in his hand.

"Hmph, Alicia, the more pain you feel, the more you struggle! That'll make the audience go crazy for you and want to see you perform a fountain show on stage!"

The man had a sickly excitement on his face, his fingers constantly pressing the buttons on the remote control.

"Really? You really have a twisted sense of humor."

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out behind him.

The man turned around abruptly and saw Uchiha Shiraha standing behind him, toying with a hidden weapon in his hand, looking at him indifferently.

"Who are you?! When did you get behind me?!" the man shouted in terror, instinctively reaching for the weapon at his waist.

Who I am is not important.