Somewhere in a quiet corner of the Grand Line…
The desk in front of Morgans was cluttered with over twenty articles.
He'd been furiously scribbling all day, his hands barely pausing. The excitement surging through him kept his pen moving without rest.
Looking at the stack of completed manuscripts, Morgans grinned with satisfaction.
But soon after…
His smile faded, replaced by a frown of frustration.
The problem wasn't the articles. It was the sealed envelope inside the folder that had been delivered to him.
Inside that envelope was a letter—one that clearly outlined a timeline.
A publication schedule, to be exact.
The instructions were unambiguous: the information couldn't be released all at once.
This was a test—a trial run for future cooperation. If Morgans followed the schedule, more shocking intel would come his way. But if he didn't…
There would be no next time.
He was faced with a choice: short-term gain, or long-term reward?
After much hesitation, Morgans finally gave in.
"Damn that schedule… damn that threat!"
"Fine! I don't know who you are, but I'll play along—for now!"
Cursing under his breath, Morgans pulled one of the articles from the stack.
[A Navy Branch Disguising Itself as Pirates!]
"Perfect. This'll be the front page of the next World Economy News!"
Without wasting another moment, he summoned several reporters and handed the article to them, instructing them to dig deeper into the incident and create more stories around it.
One headline wasn't enough.
This issue's coverage needed to dominate at least three full pages.
---
Meanwhile, far across the seas…
At Marine Branch 157, Hina was leisurely strolling through the grounds when she happened to spot someone training.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ian? You, the little tag-along from Luo Lan's crew—how…"
"Hina is shocked!"
A Devil Fruit. And not just any fruit—a Logia.
Judging by the ability, it was likely the one rumored to have resurfaced recently—the Flame-Flame Fruit.
The Marine HQ had caught wind of it, but the East Blue was far from HQ—ten days' sail at the very least. When Sengoku sent people to investigate, the trail had already gone cold.
Even after extensive searching, no further leads had turned up.
But now? It had ended up in Luo Lan's hands—and she'd given it to Ian?
A Logia fruit—one of the rarest and most powerful kinds—given to a subordinate?
Hina was beyond stunned.
She couldn't help but feel… this was such a waste.
---
Ten minutes later, Hina found herself at the Marine shooting range.
A group of recruits were in the middle of firearms training.
And again—she was shocked.
What the hell? The targets were hundreds of meters away.
And the firing speed?
Unbelievable. Within 20 seconds, five shots had been fired.
The bullets flew with such velocity that even Hina's newly awakened Observation Haki could barely keep up.
Sure, her haki was still in its infancy—only a few months old—but this was on another level.
---
Hina spent the next half-day touring the entirety of Branch 157.
She'd lost count of how many times she'd been left speechless.
Eventually, she arrived at a construction site.
The structure being built? A new training center.
Luo Lan was there, overseeing the construction.
"What are you building here?" she asked.
"A training center," Luo Lan replied casually.
Hina instantly lost interest.
She'd expected another surprise—some kind of technological marvel, perhaps. But this?
Just a basic training facility?
In her mind, it was nothing more than another fitness space with standard equipment—useful, sure, but nothing special.
Noticing her disinterest, Luo Lan's lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"My dear sister Hina, maybe this looks like an ordinary training center… but here at Branch 157, every building comes with enhancements."
"Oh, and C-rank structures can be equipped with two bonuses. Imagine one that boosts training efficiency—and another that enhances comprehension…"
"Let's see if you'll ever want to leave after that."
What Hina didn't know was that Luo Lan was already scheming—to keep her in Branch 157 permanently.
---
At that very moment, across the globe—
The latest edition of the World Economy News hit the skies.
Countless News Coo birds soared off, bags stuffed with the newest issue, flying in every direction.
Headline: [A Navy Branch Disguising Itself as Pirates!]
Editorial 1: Who is responsible for such a colossal failure?
Editorial 2: Vice Admiral Val, the overseer of the Four Seas—just who is this man?
Editorial 3: Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku doesn't dare act. Could it be because Vice Admiral Val is from…?
Editorial 4: …and many more.
Three of the four pages were devoted to this explosive story.
Beyond the headline, dozens of reports offered in-depth analysis and speculation.
The world—exploded with outrage.
But Morgans had kept his promise.
He followed the timeline. For now, the revelations focused only on the Sixteenth Branch incident. Though Val's name appeared often—given his role overseeing the Four Seas—no deeper dirt was exposed.
And because of that, many people sighed in relief.
They assumed the people who had kidnapped "Mouse" only knew surface-level intel.
Nothing too damning.
And if that was the case, the aftermath could be contained.
Even Val wouldn't have to be sacrificed—training a replacement of his caliber would cost time and a fortune in Berries.
If they didn't have to burn him, why would they?
---
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise…
Inside the Hall of Power, the blond-haired Gorosei crushed the newspaper into a ball and hurled it at Val's face.
"You imbecile!"
"We sent you to the Navy—not to run your own pirate crew!"
Val knelt on the floor, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Lords… please… I swear, it wasn't—"
"Silence! Do you take us for fools?!"
"N-No… never!"
Val trembled violently, pressing his forehead to the floor, barely able to speak.
"Never? You initiated Buster Calls. Repeatedly. Over a hundred times! You wiped out over a hundred villages!"
"That… that was to preserve the World Government's image… The deaths of a few peasants was the safest course of action…"
"Safe?! Do you even understand what a Buster Call is?!"
The blond Gorosei's fury exploded.
He didn't care about the lives lost—that wasn't the issue.
But Buster Calls… weren't meant to be used like that.
Firing off that many in such a short span?
He might as well have handed over all their deterrent power on a silver platter.
A Buster Call was like a nuke. Its true power lay in the threat of use, not in constant deployment.
If there were words to describe this…
"When death becomes routine… death loses its terror."
---
A/N: Bonus Chapter Goal!
For every $20 in donations, I'll post 30 bonus chapters outside of my regular update schedule as a thank you!
(https:// ko-fi.com/sami27)