"To be honest, if those people just march to Navy Headquarters to complain… do you really think it'll work?"
Kuro frowned as he looked at Buggy. In his eyes, the Marines would never allow such a scandal to be publicly exposed. At best, they'd bury it inside their own system.
"It might not mean much if it's just them," Buggy replied, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"But what if we add those vultures from the World Economic News into the mix?"
"Wha—?"
Kuro's pupils shrank. He stared at Buggy in disbelief. "If you do that… won't you completely offend the Marines!?"
Buggy let out a mocking chuckle. "And what's that got to do with me? I'm just a humble businessman. They pay me for a boat ride...how could I refuse?"
"As for the World Economic News, wasn't it the civilians themselves who crowdfunded their involvement? None of it points back to me."
"…You—damn it, that actually makes sense."
Kuro scratched his head, reluctantly nodding. In the end, all they were doing was earning a bit of money off shipping fares. What came after had nothing to do with them.
Besides, convincing civilians to march to Navy Headquarters with petitions wasn't rebellion or revolution, it was just noise. The kind of thing merchants like them could stay far away from.
"Exactly." Buggy's grin faded into a more serious tone. "The deed needs to be done, but we don't get our hands dirty. Always make sure the lines are clear."
"Got it. I got it."
Kuro nodded firmly, finally grasping the point.
World Economic News Headquarters
"'Big news'?"
Morgans blinked, feathers rustling as he tilted his head. "The Four Seas branches all contacted headquarters at the same time… and all reported something huge? What's going on?"
"President," one of his staff began, shuffling a stack of urgent reports.
"According to the Four Seas Branch, they discovered Revolutionary Army agents inciting ordinary civilians."
"When our people followed in secret, they uncovered something else...the civilians weren't being manipulated."
"They really had been oppressed by fallen Marines, and now they're pooling money to travel to Marineford to lodge complaints."
Morgans's eyes narrowed with interest as the report continued.
"As of now, it's conservatively estimated that nearly four thousand civilians have gathered together."
"They've boarded merchant ships bound for Navy Headquarters specifically using the express line of the Buggy's Delivery Service, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce."
"They departed several days ago. At this pace, they'll reach Marineford within three days."
For a moment, silence. Then...
"Fuhahahaha!!"
Morgans slammed his wings on the desk, his massive beak stretched into a gleeful grin. His breathing quickened, eyes sparkling.
"This... this is huge! If this isn't big news, then what the hell counts as big news!?"
"P-President, do we really need to publish something like this? Wouldn't this completely offend the Navy?"
Seeing how fired up Morgans was, several of his employees exchanged uneasy looks.
"What do you know!"
Morgans snapped his wings open with a whoosh, glaring down at them with barely concealed contempt.
"We dare to spread rumors about the World Government itself, do you think we'd flinch at the Navy? Hah!"
He jabbed a feathered finger toward his desk.
"And besides, even if the Navy tries to retaliate, they'll have to take the proper, official route. Otherwise, how could they keep pretending to be a 'just' Navy?"
The reporters fell silent. When their president put it like that, there was nothing to fear.
In truth, Morgans didn't see this as dangerous at all. To him, this was the perfect storm...news that would shake the seas, and all he had to do was ride the wave. What was there to be worried about?
"…Then, President, if that's the case… how about we do a live broadcast?" one of his employees suggested hesitantly.
"Live broadcast?"
Morgans's beak twitched. For a moment, he almost laughed. These little rookies are bolder than me?
"Yes, President! We've already got ultra-small Live Den Den Mushi prepared. As long as we blend in with the crowd, no one will ever notice!"
One after another, the employees leaned forward, their eyes shining with excitement.
"..."
Morgans paused. Then his grin stretched wide, a spark igniting in his gaze.
"…Fine. Do it your way."
Even he couldn't suppress the thrill bubbling in his chest. Just imagining it, tens of thousands watching the scandal unfold in real time, his name carried across every sea…
His wings flared wide as he threw back his head.
"Bwaahahahaha!!! I'll make it so no one in this world can top me in the news business!"
The light in his eyes blazed like wildfire.
"I will be the number one newsman in the world!!!"
---
Navy Headquarters
Under normal, non-war circumstances, outsiders were permitted to enter the open areas of Navy Headquarters. Of course, they had to go through screening first.
After all, if pirates were ever allowed to stroll freely into Marineford… well, that would be a disaster waiting to happen.
But for ordinary civilians, the review was simple.
And so, more than four thousand civilians, after completing their checks, were allowed through the gates into the open plaza of Navy Headquarters.
Naturally, the restricted zones...the core HQ area and the family quarters remained strictly off-limits.
Not that it mattered. Just being on the island itself was enough. If thousands of angry voices shouted at once, every corner of Headquarters would hear them loud and clear.
Review Area
"Finally… that's the last one, right?"
The Marine in charge of the desk slumped back in his chair, rolling his shoulders with relief. "Seriously, way too many people applying to come through today…"
"Yeah," another nodded, flipping through his logbook. "It's several times the usual number."
"Wait—hold on."
The first officer's eyes widened as a thought struck him. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple. "…There's no problem with this, right?"
The others froze.
"…N-No way. Their identities all checked out—they're just civilians, aren't they?"
Despite his words, unease spread like a chill through the small room.
"…All the same, we should file a report. If something unexpected happens, we'll be the ones roasted for it."
"…Tch. You're right. Let's notify HQ immediately."
The officers exchanged grim nods. Without wasting another second, one of them grabbed the receiver of the Den Den Mushi, his voice tense as he began to connect directly to Navy Headquarters.
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