"Is there anything else?" Morgans asked expectantly.
He wanted Buggy to say something the public would love to hear, like blowing up the Celestial Dragons or something.
"That's it. I'll find you again during the next stream," Buggy said.
"We might not be able to pull it off next time. Our transponder snails suffered heavy losses."
Morgans looked at the camera transponder snail in his arms. These transponder snails capable of live broadcasting are high-end goods. Now that relations with the World Government have turned sour, I can't even buy them anymore."
"We can actually cooperate on that. I might be able to provide you with a batch of transponder snails, but it'll take some time," Buggy said.
"Really? Thank you for supporting the news industry," Morgans said happily.
"It'll cost money. What kind of fantasy are you living in?" Buggy didn't expect Morgans to actually try to get them for free.
"But our funds are also very tight..." Morgans said.
"You've monopolized the news industry of the entire world, and you're telling me you have no money?" Buggy was truly shocked.
"Doing the news is very expensive," Morgans explained. "Do you see that reindeer over there?"
"What's wrong with Chopper?"
"For a long time, its bounty was only 50 Berries, which wasn't even worth as much as the paper the bounty poster was printed on. But based on the integrity of the news, we couldn't print it."
Morgans continued, "There are many cases like this, and newspaper sales haven't been great, so selling newspapers doesn't actually make much money."
So the reason he wasn't making money was because of Chopper?
"Why don't you raise the price?" Buggy asked.
The pricing power for such a monopoly business was entirely in Morgan's hands.
"Then many people wouldn't be able to afford the paper. One newspaper is already equivalent to the price of a reindeer; the price is already very high. Any higher would go against my original intention for doing the news," Morgans said.
Buggy felt a surge of respect. "You are a true media... bird."
"Then can you sponsor me with some transponder snails?" Morgans asked expectantly.
"Still no. My transponder snails were also hard-won... Why don't you improve the newspaper? Print some content the public loves to see to boost sales?" Buggy offered Morgans an idea.
"Content the public loves... Are you going to kill another Celestial Dragon? Sales for that issue were exceptionally good." Morgans suddenly perked up.
"Not that kind. Besides, I can't find any Celestial Dragons right now. I'm talking about the kind of newspaper men like to see, you know..."
The entertainment industry in the Pirate world tended toward two extremes; the wealthy lived in luxury with all kinds of pastimes.
The poor commoners basically had no spiritual sustenance. This kind of newspaper should have great sales.
"Oh, that kind..." Morgans revealed an 'I understand' expression. "We have those!"
"What? Why didn't I know?" Buggy remembered that every time a News Coo dropped off a roll of newspaper and took the money, it left immediately without recommending any other papers to him.
Could it be that he looked too righteous?
"It's this kind of Underground Edition..." Morgans pulled a few newspapers from his chest. "Do you want to take a look?"
"Ahem... I don't mean anything by it, I just want to broaden my horizons." Buggy casually took the newspaper and flipped through it.
"This kind of newspaper deserves to be called an Underground Edition? These lewd photos aren't even good enough to be used as fapping material," Buggy said dismissively.
"It can't be helped. Our agency used to have an ace contributor, Absa, who provided many exclusive photos that were very popular with men. Later, he disappeared, and sales for the Underground Edition haven't been the same since."
Morgans said regretfully, "We've never been able to find him."
He probably would never be found; speaking of which, that was another of Blackbeard's sins.
"Keep at it, hang in there. If you ever go bankrupt, come find me. I really need talent like you here."
Buggy patted Morgans on the shoulder.
Morgans' value lay in the News Coos spread across the world. Buggy actually felt they could do some part-time courier work; making money isn't something to be ashamed of... "Is that a consolation or a taunt?" Morgans brushed Buggy's hand away with a wing.
"Although this stream wasn't very popular with the audience, I know this is the kind of big news that can change the world. Thank you for notifying me," Morgan said seriously.
Even though three of the original Four Emperors had been replaced during this period, the destruction of the Blackbeard Pirates still couldn't be overlooked.
"As a token of my gratitude, I'll give you something from my private collection. Remember to notify me next time there's news." Morgan rummaged around in his chest.
"What are you giving me, a bird egg?" Buggy asked.
"I don't have anything like that!" Morgans pulled out a photo and an exquisite invitation from his chest and handed them solemnly to Buggy. "Here..."
In the photo, a young girl with red and white hair was singing loudly, and below it was her signature, "Uta."
"This is..." Buggy didn't know what to say for a moment.
"The World's Songstress—Uta. Surprise!" Morgans said. "This is her personally signed photo and a concert invitation. I worked very hard to get them."
Surprise, my ass!!!
Isn't this just a small-sized Colorful Nami? What use do I have for her photo?
"The concert starts on August 6th. You'll be able to enjoy the most wonderful music in the world then."
Morgans looked reluctant to part with it. "Remember to notify me next time there's big news."
With that, he left Cake Island without looking back.
"Hey, Buggy, since Blackbeard has been dealt with, it's time for us to leave, too."
Red-Haired Shanks approached to say goodbye to Buggy and suddenly noticed the photo in Buggy's hand... "You disgraceful old bastard!"
Gryphon was unsheathed, splitting Buggy directly in half.
"I just received this thing! Besides, who would go to hear a little girl sing? If it were a girl group performance, it might be worth seeing..."
Just as Buggy pulled his body back together, another sword light sliced him apart.
"Don't you talk about Uta like that!"
"Shanks, are you ever going to stop?" Buggy threw the photo aside, preparing to fight back.
But he found that Shanks had dropped Gryphon directly and caught the photo in his hand.
"Heh, men..."
Buggy split his hand off, picked up Gryphon, and inserted it into the scabbard on Shanks' body.
"Is this what you've been busy with?" Buggy asked.
Shanks hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "That's right. I received word that Uta wants to do something bad."
A Pirate version of the Eye of the Moon, building a world where everyone is happy—it was overflowing with chuunibyou energy.
If it didn't require sacrificing Uta herself, it would actually be a very good idea.
Most commoners in the Pirate world lived unhappy lives. If they could find happiness in a phantom world, plenty of people would likely sign up voluntarily.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that everyone's definition of happiness is different. She was destined to be unable to make everyone happy.
For example, Buggy wanted a phantom world full of 2D waifus. If Uta could do that... Damn! He was actually a little tempted...
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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