“I’ve always appreciated reporters with courage, but I still have to ask—are you truly prepared?”
At this moment, Morgans had an oxygen mask on his face, and even had an IV line inserted into his arm, injecting a diluted sedative into his body.
Because his emotions had been too intense earlier, he was currently in an unstable state. Without these measures, excessive stimulation might cause him to faint outright.
Every time Morgans passed out, his staff would be thrown into chaos trying to save him. To avoid delaying progress, they simply put these measures in place for Morgans. Judging by the current situation, the results were quite obvious.
Previously, when he received news that three Emperors might form an alliance, he only fainted for five minutes.
Vivi was not assigned by Morgans; she volunteered on her own initiative. The reason was simple: she wanted to find some clues about Cobra there.
Cobra had gone missing during the Levely, and now that the World Government’s proceedings had ended for quite some time, she still hadn’t seen any follow-up reports. Aside from the initial news of both her and Cobra’s disappearance, everything had sunk into complete silence.
There had to be something suspicious behind this. Since the World Government wasn’t saying anything, perhaps their enemies might have some information.
She couldn’t get in touch with the Revolutionary Army, but this alliance meeting among pirates gave her an opportunity. The three Emperors of the Sea in the New World were undoubtedly the largest forces in the world and also the place where information was most abundant. If she couldn’t find any news there, then there was truly nothing more she could do.
“I’m sure.”
“Kwahahaha, very good. I like your personality. This time, you’ll come with me. This is your partner, you can call him Attachan.”
What Morgans’ World Economy News Paper valued was not seniority, but ability and courage. If it were based on seniority, with so many reporters at headquarters, it would never be Vivi’s turn.
But on this sea, seniority alone was useless. Although the World Economy News Paper bore the name World Economy and had official channels worldwide, in essence it was still a gray enterprise.
Morgans himself thrived in the Underworld and often ignored the World Government’s orders to publish forbidden information. What he wanted were members with guts.
If everyone was timid and stopped at the slightest difficulty, then there would be no point in running this newspaper at all.
Vivi was not unfamiliar with having a partner, but that nickname… felt a bit strange to her.
“A-Attachan?”
“Correction, President, it’s Flaming Attachan. But I prefer the name Flaming Attach. If possible, calling me ‘Chief’ would be even better.”
As Vivi began questioning her very existence over that name, the short man beside her, sporting a small mustache and wearing a bowler hat, voiced his protest, clearly dissatisfied with his nickname.
“Alright, my dear chief. I’ll leave the task of guiding the newcomer to you. Miss Wednesday, you have a very important task for this interview as well: make sure to remind Attachan beside you to take the lens cap off.”
“…”
At the mention of the lens cap, the photography enthusiast who had just been protesting immediately fell silent.
He used to be the chief of the Marine Photography Department and wanted poster photographer, who liked to end his shots with the word “Fire.”
No matter where the wanted criminal was, he always seemed able to infiltrate nearby and successfully capture their photograph. He possessed a fiery passion for photography, and it was precisely because of this passion that Morgans recruited him.
However, he hadn’t resigned voluntarily; he had been dismissed by the Marines. Although he always managed to infiltrate successfully, he had the tragic habit of forgetting to remove the lens cap dozens of times. In the end, he could only describe the criminals’ appearances verbally and have artists draw them by hand.
This also became a point of attack from his colleagues. They accused him of failing his infiltrations and being unable to capture photos, and that he used the excuse of forgetting the lens cap to cover up his mistakes while boasting about his abilities, ultimately leading to his dismissal.
After all, many of those sitting behind desks didn’t dare to personally go to the front lines to experience reality. But Morgans was different. He was always on the front lines of news, and he knew this was simply the man’s old bad habit.
“Crazy. Morgans is a madman, and that woman Vivi is a madwoman too. Damn it, why did I have to get dragged into something like this?
My kingdom, my wealth, when will these b*stards finally disappear from the world…”
In a corner, Wapol sat wrapped in a blanket, complaining about the unfairness of the world.
“A bunch of vicious pirates, people avoid them if they can, yet she actually went out of her way to get involved. Just what am I supposed to face here…”
While Wapol lamented, too afraid to return home, Morgans and the others had already finished preparing for their departure. Amid the blessings of the organization’s staff, Morgans, Vivi, and the others boarded a hot air balloon, and under the pull of a large number of albatrosses, flew off into the distance.
Morgans had raised countless albatrosses. These birds served both as newspaper delivery workers and as a source of transportation power. They had nests across various seas, allowing them to rotate shifts continuously, enabling 24-hour uninterrupted operation.
At their current distance, Morgans and his group would likely arrive at the designated location about a day in advance.
The process of flying in a hot air balloon wasn’t comfortable. Even with his feathers, Morgans wore a thick coat to fend off the high-altitude cold, and thoughtfully prepared blankets for his subordinates as well.
The weather in the New World was unpredictable. Even though Morgans frequently operated there, he couldn’t forecast its weather. To avoid bizarre weather, like strange clouds that rained blades and might tear the balloon apart, his solution was to fly higher.
By going above those clouds, they naturally wouldn’t be affected by them. The price for that, however, was the biting cold.
“You all go rest first. I’ll take the first half of the night watch.”
But this harsh cold did nothing to dampen Morgans’ enthusiasm. He even took on the first half of the night watch himself. Even in a hot air balloon, they had to remain watch the surroundings at all times.
The second half of the night watch was assigned to Flaming Attach, while Vivi was given the easiest shift during the day. This wasn’t simply out of care; it was because Morgans didn’t fully trust Vivi yet.
After all, he himself couldn’t fly, and Vivi had no experience with nighttime flying. If she handled such a task and something went wrong, it might jeopardize his own safety.
While the members of the World Economy News Paper endured the cold winds during their flight, Katakuri was flying through another part of the sky at an even faster speed. As a creature that flew across the world, the Millennial Dragon was far faster than a hot air balloon at full speed.
Although it couldn’t match Dragonite, it was still among the very best of Flying-types. By the time Katakuri landed on Whole Cake Island, even his hair had a bit of frost clinging to it.
“Katakuri, you’re back.”
“What is it? Did something happen to Mama?”
“No, everything’s fine. Even the preparations for setting sail are already complete. This is the recent situation of the islands. Totto Land is in your hands.”
As for Katakuri, Perospero felt a trace of dissatisfaction. He was the eldest son, yet Katakuri was the one who truly fulfilled that role within the family.
Charlotte Linlin was not like Kaido, who had only a single daughter. Even if Kaido fought Yamato for seven days straight, no one in the Beasts Pirates would question the matter of succession as Yamato was the sole heir.
But things were different in the Big Mom Pirates. With dozens of sons and daughters, each had their own thoughts. There were also those who resented Charlotte Linlin’s rule, and in casual conversations, they had discussed the future of the crew.
If Charlotte Linlin were gone, who would take over the pirate crew?
Perospero believed it should be himself as the eldest son. Katakuri never openly expressed his stance, but his full-blooded siblings and the other Sweet Commanders all believed that the crew should be entrusted to Katakuri instead.
Of course, this dissatisfaction was merely that—just dissatisfaction. He knew the gap in strength between them, and Katakuri had no desire for power or authority. In their daily interactions, everyone got along peacefully.
“So rushed?”
“Mama’s decision. But there are still two hours before departure. If you have anything to say, you’d better make it quick.”
“I understand.”
Katakuri didn’t say much more. After asking where Charlotte Linlin was, he left. Meanwhile, Perospero directed a large number of Homies to load food onto the ships, while Streusen commanded kitchen utensil Homies to board another vessel.
The stored food might not be enough to satisfy Charlotte Linlin’s needs. They required a mobile kitchen to handle unexpected situations.
Katakuri summarized everything he had seen and explained it to her in the most concise way possible.
“You’re certain, Katakuri?”
“I saw it with my own eyes. And there’s also this.”
Katakuri slightly released his Conqueror’s Haki, allowing Charlotte Linlin to sense the change within it. He had also indirectly benefited from this Divine Blessing Ritual, gaining something during Azelf’s willpower trial.
“Interesting. From what you’re saying, this is an entirely new race?”
“The Beasts Pirates call it a god. If you want to understand it that way… that’s not wrong.”
“Mamamama~ Lunarians and god, how enviable. If they had children, they’d surely inherit that kind of talent, right?”
Charlotte Linlin rubbed her belly, her thoughts already drifting toward giving birth.
“What a pity. If only it had been a few years earlier. But with that brat Kaido’s personality, something like that was never possible.”
When she wasn’t having one of her episodes, Charlotte Linlin still retained her rationality. She hadn’t had children for several years now. This was merely a passing thought.
“Katakuri, with so many Lunarians now, do you think they might accept my invitation?”
She already had Minks and Fish-Men under her command. Although both races had close ties with the Beasts Pirates, not every individual had made the same choice.
Back then, there were only two Lunarians left, so she had nothing to say. But now, with their numbers increased, surely some would have different ideas.
“I don’t know what they’re thinking, but I feel… probably not.”
Charlotte Linlin’s question left Katakuri unsure how to answer. Gathering all races was her dream, so rejecting her outright wasn’t ideal, but he also didn’t want to deceive her on such matters.
Errors in intelligence could lead to very complicated consequences.
“I see… I’ll remember what you said. The islands will be in your care during this time.”
“Yes.”
Though displeased, Charlotte Linlin still took her son’s words to heart—provided, of course, that she made this decision while in a normal state of mind.
Once she fell into one of her abnormal states, whether she would still remember any of this was another matter entirely.
The Queen Mama Chanter and the Red Force—two pirate ships of great significance—were both heading toward their destination. After several days of sailing, they had already drawn close to it.
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