"If we're going to find a doctor..."
Robin frowned slightly, and information about nearby islands flashed rapidly through her mind.
She quickly locked onto her target and pulled out an Eternal Pose from a pile in her bag.
"Let's head there; it's not too far. We can reach that snow-covered medical power in two or three days..."
"Understood."
Under the moonlight, a turtle puffed on a pipe, cutting across the calm sea, speeding toward the distant horizon.
...
In the New World, on an unnamed island.
Inside a temporary base of the World Economic News Agency, sounds of the fax radio snail spitting out paper and the clatter of typewriters were incessant.
Morgans, the president, clenched a cigar in his beak and held a stack of freshly developed photos in his wings—was it really photos, or just highly realistic sketches?
Regardless, Akainu's lost military cap and the gory, raw state of his neck were clearly visible in the images.
On the wall in front of him was a large screen.
On the screen, a black vulture trembled in fear while beside it stood an ottter in pajamas with arms crossed, looking displeased.
"You made a mistake, yet you still stand there stiff-necked looking at me? Ah? Unlucky duo!"
An assistant reprimanded from the side, "Don't forget, after Baroque Works Studio collapsed, you voluntarily sought out Morgans, which made you special war correspondents for the World Economic News Agency."
"Since you're officially part of us now, you must follow our rules! Why insist on sketches when we've equipped you with the latest cameras? Even if the drawings are realistic, can they have the reliability of photographs?"
The pajama-clad otter turned its face away and snorted disdainfully from its nostrils.
"Qiu, Qiu Qiu!" The black vulture flapped its wings hurriedly to defend its partner.
"You say he's old-school?"
The assistant became furious, "A journalist has no need for such inexplicable stubbornness! Clearly, you lucked into capturing scenes that would shock the world, yet squander it like this. Are you trying to kill me and the president with rage..."
"Well, I don't include myself in that."
Morgans suddenly interrupted, dismissing the argument with a wave of his wing. The more he examined these sketches, the more his smile widened.
Close-ups of Akainu's wounded neck, the battlefield swirling with magma fists and black lightning, the female Vice Admiral with a snapped neck, and the shadow of the Endgame sailing away in the distance—
A series of sketched scenes, like a comic, vividly depicted the entire battle, with no flaws in paneling or details!
"Even though there are no photos,"
The news mogul suddenly grinned, blowing cigar smoke into the assistant's face, "This is far more thrilling than any photograph, isn't it?"
"The president?" The assistant was stunned.
"Print an extra edition immediately!"
Morgans slammed the table, his eyes filled with excited fervor. "Post all these sketches, colored, saying that the journalists' photographs were destroyed by the battle's aftermath and that these are perfect hand-drawn reproductions."
"As for the headline... never mind, any headline will do. Big news! This is huge news! The world will be drawn to it naturally just by having it in the newspapers; sales will explode!"
"But, President,"
The assistant showed a troubled face. "Didn't the World Government ask us not to disclose the issue of the Seven Warlords of the Sea being slain earlier? Wouldn't this event being exposed..."
"The World Government asked me to suppress the news for half a month to give them time to capture the criminals!"
Morgans grinned, "Now the half-month is over, moron! Even with a Grand Admiral personally involved, they couldn't catch the criminal. That's their incompetence, not my problem!"
"Suppressing me once was unpleasant enough. Do they want to suppress me a second time? I want sales; I want the whole world shocked speechless by our news, understand?!!"
"Besides, do you think the Navy Headquarters can still cover it up?"
He picked up a cup of coffee on the table and chuckled, "They can't cover it, just wait. I figure the new bounties for these pirates are already on their way..."
Could it be, just entering the Grand Line, they can stir up such a big commotion?
This ocean's future is really something to look forward to.
————
Navy Headquarters, Marinfanto.
In the wind-themed meeting room, more Navy officers than last time were seated on the wide tatami mats, and the atmosphere was even more somber and oppressive.
The heavy doors of sandalwood were tightly shut, keeping the external light out, with only a few dim wall lamps casting flickering shadows.
The lingering smoke in the room showed no sign of dissipating, as a man with grass-green hair stood solemnly before a whiteboard.
"Gentlemen."
Blanu's deep voice broke the silence as he raised his hand to pin a stack of Bounty Orders to the whiteboard, totaling six, aligned in a row.
"The battle on Thor Island has become the most talked-about subject in Headquarters recently. With your ranks, you've presumably all reviewed the detailed battle report."
His gaze swept across those present, "But it's necessary for the General Staff to analyze certain key details."
"The cause of this battle can be traced back to the major incident in Log Town. Faced with ferocious criminals, Vice Admiral Onigumo refused to yield until the end, heroically sacrificing himself, marking the first bounty on the Endgame Pirates."
"Then there was the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile, horrifically slain at Whiskey Peak."
"From then on, our Navy Headquarters lost a trustworthy ally on the same front, which further embolden Shano and the Endgame Pirates!"