After stepping out of the meeting room, Morgans stood frozen beneath the blazing afternoon sky, his feathers trembling. His wide avian eyes reflected both awe and terror. For a long moment, he couldn't even breathe properly.
Anyone who got close enough would notice the cold sweat running down his back and the way his entire body shivered uncontrollably. His wings twitched; his voice, when it came, was hoarse and uneven.
"I… I didn't think… he'd be that kind of monster..."
His beak clicked as he swallowed, again and again. "I'm dead. I'm so dead. So, so dead…"
He repeated the words like a broken record, trying to convince himself that he hadn't just glimpsed something beyond comprehension. His mind spun in circles why had he been so curious? Why couldn't he have just kept his beak shut and written the damn headline?
"Why did I have to know the truth?!" he squawked in despair, clenching his claws into his feathery chest. "Stupid! Idiot! I should've smacked myself five minutes ago!"
But now it was too late. He knew. And that knowledge chilled him to his very core.
Ezra D. Vale the Marine officer he thought was just another rising star was something far more terrifying. A being whose existence defied logic. The kind of man whose very name could freeze oceans and ignite wars.
Morgans trembled, but then, slowly, a different kind of realization dawned on him.
Wait a second… wasn't this actually a good thing?
If Ezra was that powerful… didn't that mean Morgans had just latched onto the biggest backer in the world?
He blinked. Then, despite the fear still coiling in his gut, his expression shifted from horror to cautious delight. "So… does this mean I've just hugged the biggest thigh in the seas?"
A slow grin spread across his beak. The trembling stopped. His heart steadied. And in that moment, the great reporter Morgans unknowingly took his first step toward transformation from a nosy journalist… to a devoted bootlicker.
Because once he accepted this new reality, everything suddenly felt easier. The fear faded, replaced by excitement. His wings flapped with energy as he turned toward the east.
"Alright then! Time to fly to Loguetown!"
He had another major story to cover the public execution of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself. But before that, Morgans made one very important call back to his newspaper headquarters.
From now on, every report about Ezra D. Vale would go through him personally. No assistants. No editors. He would write every word himself.
No one else was worthy of covering that man.
Meanwhile, on Whole Cake Island, the waves churned as a small pirate ship limped into port.
The guards stationed there immediately blocked it with drawn weapons. "Hey! You there! Stop right "
"W-wait! Brothers, don't shoot!" one of the sailors cried, raising both hands in panic. "We we brought back someone for Big Mom!"
Before they could ask who, three battered pirates carried a stretcher onto the dock and on it lay a tall figure wrapped entirely in bandages.
The guards froze. Then someone shouted, voice cracking in disbelief.
"That's that's Lord Katakuri!?"
Chaos erupted instantly. "What the hell happened?! Quick! Get the medics!"
Dozens of pirates rushed to help as Katakuri was carried into the medical bay. Under the frantic care of the ship's crew, and thanks to the skills of the three who brought him back, the fallen Sweet Commander barely clung to life. After a long, agonizing night, the healers finally sighed in relief. Katakuri's life was saved but whether he'd ever fight again remained uncertain.
Still, it was enough. The crew exhaled collectively, unaware that a storm was about to break loose.
The three who had rescued him were soon brought before Big Mom herself.
They recounted every detail of what had happened the battle with Ezra D. Vale, Katakuri's defeat, and how they'd escaped.
Then came the explosion.
CRASH!
Big Mom's fist slammed down on her banquet table, sending plates, pastries, and whole cakes flying. Her aura flared violently Conqueror's Haki burst from her like a tidal wave. The three messengers collapsed instantly, their bodies twitching under the sheer weight of her rage.
"Damn that Marine!" Big Mom's voice shook the palace. "Ezra D. Vale! I'll never forgive you! NEVER!"
Her fury grew so intense it triggered her Hunger Pangs a terrifying, uncontrollable craving.
"Bring me sweets! NOW!"
The entire island plunged into panic. Bakers and chefs scrambled as thunderclouds roared overhead. Amid the chaos, the three pirates who had risked their lives to bring Katakuri home were struck by Zeus's lightning and reduced to ash before anyone could save them.
It took the combined effort of Long Bread, Smoothie, and several others to finally calm Big Mom down. But even once the fit passed, the murderous glint in her eyes didn't fade.
Ezra D. Vale had now crippled or killed three of her children.
And all she'd wanted… was to invite him for tea.
Her fists clenched, the air around her crackling. If she didn't destroy Ezra soon, her reputation among the Emperors of the Sea would plummet.
Still, her precious Tea Party was set to begin soon, and she couldn't afford to delay it.
"Has Kaido left yet?" she asked coldly.
Cracker stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, Mama. He and his three calamities departed two days ago. They should arrive by tomorrow."
Big Mom's expression softened just slightly. "Good. When Kaido arrives… bring him straight to me."
"Yes, Mama!"
As Big Mom plotted her next move, across the seas in Loguetown, Ezra D. Vale faced an unexpected visitor.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood before him, dressed in a tattered military coat. Long golden hair fluttered in the sea breeze, framing a face carved with battle scars and a pair of eyes burning with bloodlust.
Ezra narrowed his gaze. The man's presence was overwhelming, his killing intent sharp as blades.
It was Douglas Bullet, former member of the Roger Pirates known across the seas as the Demon Heir.
"So…" Bullet's voice was low, almost a growl. "You're the one who captured Captain Roger."
Ezra tilted his head slightly, an amused glint in his eyes. "And what of it? Are you here to avenge him?"
Bullet shook his head slowly. "No. My goal was never vengeance. Once, I sought to surpass my captain... but that dream died with him."
A shadow of regret crossed his expression before his mouth curved into a grim smile.
"I only believe in my own strength now. If you defeated Roger, then your power must have surpassed his. So if I defeat you… that means I've surpassed him too."
Ezra's lips curved into a faint smirk. "So you didn't come to save him… but you still want to fight."
Bullet's muscles tensed as he cracked his neck, eyes gleaming like molten gold.
"That's right," he said, his voice deep and steady. "Prepare yourself, Ezra D. Vale. Today, I'm going to see if you're truly stronger than the Pirate King."
The wind howled through the streets of Loguetown as the two titans faced off the Marine who captured the Pirate King, and the Demon Heir who once sought to surpass him.
And somewhere far away, Morgans' pen trembled with anticipation.
Because he already knew...
This would be the next headline of the century.
_______________________
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