Grand Line, an island somewhere.
Dense flocks of seagulls flew back and forth above it. In the center of the island stood a massive building resembling a giant birdcage; the structure had a spherical device at its very top.
A line of words was prominently displayed on the main doors inside the building:
[World Economy News Paper (World Economic Journal)]
This was "Newspaper Island," the headquarters of the World Economy Newspaper.
At that moment, the editor-in-chief was in his office on the top floor of the headquarters.
"Not enough! Not explosive enough!"
A gigantic albatross wearing ceremonial attire and holding a cane slammed the sample newspaper in his hand onto the floor heavily.
He was none other than the president of the World Economy Newspaper, the underground king who monopolized public opinion and information across the seas...
"Big News" Morgans.
"Look at what you wrote! The princess of the Goa Kingdom getting engaged, how is this boring junk worthy of being printed? Readers don't subscribe to us to see this kind of thing!"
Spit flew from his mouth as he ranted.
"Shichibukai! Yonko! Powerhouses capable of setting the seas ablaze, those are the stories people want to read!"
"B-but, Boss..."
The bald reporter standing in front of him was now covered in saliva and wore a miserable expression.
"I've submitted reports about the Shichibukai before, and you rejected those, too..."
"Huh?"
Morgan raised an eyebrow and brought his cane down hard on the bald man's head.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about!?"
"'King of Lizards' subordinate fleet being wiped out by a Supernova is newsworthy, but you were applying for the front page! The front page!"
He continued ranting loudly.
"What's been on the front page lately, huh? Why don't you go take another look?"
"It's the 'Heavenly Tribute Heist'! It's information about the 'Three-Army Joint Exercise'... that's what deserves the headline!"
As he spoke, he clenched his wings tightly, as if recalling the seas that had trembled two months prior, and the man who had caused that upheaval.
"Any information on 'Youji (Rooster)' yet?"
"The editorial department still hasn't received anything, boss. After that incident, Youji seems to have gone into hiding."
"Useless!"
Morgan brought his cane down hard again on the already swollen bald head but couldn't help but sigh. As a seasoned news professional, he yearned for real big news.
But even in this Great Age of Piracy, genuinely explosive news was rare.
"The Twelve Zodiac"... what a pity. The government won't disclose any information about that organization to me. All I know is the name." He muttered under his breath, his words full of regret.
As one of the underground kings who maintained a tacit understanding with the World Government, although information about "The Twelve Zodiac" was currently being sealed by the World Government and the Marines, Morgan could still obtain some related intelligence through his own channels.
But clearly...
Just knowing an organization's name was nowhere near enough to count as a "report."
"When will the 'Youji (Rooster)' reappear?"
Muttering to himself, Morgan returned to his desk and poured himself a cup of hot coffee. This was a famous brand from West Blue that he had been enjoying a lot lately.
But just at that moment...
"Bang!"
The door to the editor-in-chief's office was shoved open, and a young reporter rushed in.
"Hah... hah...!"
He clutched a telegram tightly in his hand, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Boss! Big news! Big news!"
Seeing this, Morgan frowned slightly, thinking that young people really lacked composure.
"Calm down. I remember telling you during training that journalists must always remain steady and composed."
He raised his coffee cup elegantly and took a sip.
"Now then, what news is it!?"
"It's a Shichibukai... one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea... Crocodile, has been killed!"
"Pfft!"
The usually "elegant" Big News Morgan sprayed a mouthful of hot coffee straight onto the nearby bald reporter's head.
"Boss?"
The bald reporter, with bumps on his head and coffee on his face, looked at Morgan with a bitter expression.
"Weren't you just talking about composure and calm?"
Morgans didn't pay him any attention. His massive body suddenly leaned forward.
"Killed? By who? Hurry up and... cough, cough... let me see it!"
Halfway through, he seemed to remember that he was supposed to have a journalist's "composure" and lowered his voice forcefully.
"Yes!" The young reporter quickly handed over the telegram.
Morgan snatched it and immediately began reading.
But after just one glance...
"This is..."
His eyes instantly sharpened like a hawk's, and he crushed the coffee cup in his hand.
"Ah!"
Shards of the shattered cup rained down on the bald reporter's head once again, making him cry out in pain.
At that moment, Morgans couldn't hear anything.
"Big News" Morgans was breathing rapidly as he stared at the image at the top of the telegram, a photograph that appeared to have been taken from afar.
It showed a desert.
The traces left behind by enormous waves crashing across the sand were clearly visible: the gigantic crater, the remaining pools of water, and the rainstorm falling from the sky. Even through the blurry photo, the scene was terrifying.
The altered terrain alone showed just how intense the battle had been here.
But that wasn't the key point.
The key point was...
At the very center of the photo, Morgan could see two figures.
One of them was lying on the ground.
Morgan recognized him... Sand Crocodile, also known as Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea whose name shook the Four Seas.
Yet now, the great pirate's body was covered in horrific wounds. Frostbite and burn marks covered his body, and his left hand was missing.
This proved one fact silently.
Crocodile was dead.
This alone was news capable of shaking the seas.
But to Morgan...the person who had surpassed him was the true focus of his gaze.
At a single glance, he saw the imposing dragon-head mask.
"Sea Beast First Mask..."
The feathers on Morgan's massive wings stood on end. As one of the sharpest minds on the seas, he instantly realized its significance.
"The second figure of the Twelve Zodiacs?"
At that thought, Morgan felt his heart spiral out of control.
"Who is he?" He immediately turned back to the young reporter, his voice nearly a roar.
"Not sure yet. All we know is that he defeated Crocodile. The specific details still need further investigation..."
"Then go investigate immediately!" Morgan spun around abruptly. The wind from his flapping wings blew the piles of documents in the office into the air and scattered them everywhere.
"A Shichibukai has been defeated and killed. The World Government will definitely send people to Alabasta. Gather everything you can before they lock down the information, no matter whether it's true or false!"
"Everyone who's free, the editorial department, the intelligence analysis team, the independent investigation teams, head to Alabasta!"
"Three days... no! Two days! In two days, I want all his information!"
"The front page this time is about him!"
Moments later, the entire newspaper headquarters erupted into chaos.
Reporters rushed out of the editor-in-chief's office, and the ringing of the Den Den Mushi continued unabated. Morgans was the only one left inside the office. He listened with satisfaction to the clamor below.
He spread his wings as if he were an elegant dictator orchestrating the scene.
"That's right, that's right... This is how it should be!"
Laughter burst from his beak.
"A calm sea is far too boring… far too boring!"
"The Twelve Zodiac…" He murmured the name of this organization that was still entirely unknown to him.
But his instincts were already telling him…
In the turbulent era that was about to erupt, this organization might very well become the center of everything.
It would bring…
"Countless… Big News!"
(End of Chapter)
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