Chapter 17: Heartbreaking
"This is big news!" exclaimed Charles Long, head of the World Economic News Agency office, hitting his desk hard as he looked at a pile of scattered photos.
What is news? A human auction. Human trafficking. Slavery. These things aren't even considered news in the Sabaody Archipelago. It's everyday life! The real news lies in the information the photos reveal. The Navy is attacking the human auction. How strange! This is news!
"Great!" he said. "If you had come a little earlier, the news would have been about the Straw Hat Pirates' actions in Enies Lobby, and they probably wouldn't have been so popular. Come on, since the events in Enies Lobby are so recent, I can still take advantage of the commotion!"
The soul of news is... timeliness. Even the most explosive and shocking news fades into oblivion after a short time. At least until the impact reaches those around them, they will realize what happened.
Charles Long is, without a doubt, an experienced journalist, aware of the immense value of such news. And more importantly, he had exclusive information! And it was the latest! These two things were the soul of the journalism industry.
Charles Long could also imagine how long the entire incident would have lasted by the time the residents of the Sabaody Archipelago saw the news. Six hours or seven? He had to shorten it as much as possible!
Charles Long decided to take matters into his own hands and scribbled the headline of this issue of the newspaper with a quill on a simple blank page:
"Justice's Response: The Navy Announces the Emancipation of Slaves!"
What? You say the Navy never said that? That didn't matter. Charles Long wanted people to be captivated as soon as they saw the headline.
Buggy felt that the whole incident, no, the whole game, had barely begun.
About an hour ago, four hours after the raid on his house, the Den Den Mushi he was holding vibrated non-stop, as if it were being bombed.
The first call came from the commander of Area 66, his direct superior, Major General Sicily.
"Where are you now?" the Den Den Mushi's fake expression asked, frozen.
"Number 4?" Buggy said. "No, it should be Area 1. What a beautiful view!"
Buggy was in no hurry, even willing to share the scenery of the Sabaody Archipelago with that stranger.
On the other side of the Den Den Mushi, Major General Sicily clenched his fists tightly.
Who knew the pressure he was under? Before the call even connected, the base's communication room was filled with the gurgling of the Den Den Mushi.
First came the nobles who lived on the islands, whose families held positions in the World Government. They launched a barrage of reprimands. They accused Sicily of ingratitude! He took and demanded more! He had agreed not to interfere in the events of Areas 1-30, but then he sent a naval force there. And he was even brazenly blackmailing them! What's going on? Are you, the Navy, becoming all-powerful now? Are you really going to enforce that bullshit justice on your clothes? Bah! Don't you see who is giving you dog food!
Even clay can get angry. What's more, Sicily, the rear admiral, exchanged three hundred angry exchanges with these noble officials.
It wasn't until Diouf hurried to inform him about the situation that he realized that something was wrong. There were really troublemakers at his base who had committed such an atrocious act as rescuing slaves.
Just when he was about to deal with it in secret, to minimize the problem, he received a call from headquarters.
There was more than one person calling.
The first to appear was the powerful Admiral Akainu, Lord Sakaski. He was praised vehemently for his unwavering justice. His only criticism was: why didn't he set the auction house on fire? Why did he allow those reporters to take photos? Didn't that undermine the reputation of justice? Honestly, receiving praise from Lord Sakaski was an exceptional achievement. Not even many lieutenant generals, let alone Major General Sicily, would have had a favorable reception from Sakaski.
But the problem was that Sicily was not responsible for this. He had been stationed in Area 66 for so many years; if he had wanted to close the human auction, he would have done it a long time ago. The question was: could he have done it? Was it something a simple Major General could do? Indeed, Sakaski's line was followed by a barrage of accusations.
There were lieutenant generals from the G Section of the New World, as well as lieutenant generals affiliated with headquarters. He didn't even have time to answer the Major General's call. After an agonizing hour of scolding and praise, he finally found the time to call Buggy.
In fact, he himself didn't know how to handle the matter. If he was wrong, it was perfectly reasonable for them to enforce justice under the guise of a Navy.
But if he was right, Sicily believed he would be transferred to the East Blue the day after tomorrow at the latest. The World Government's control over the Navy was no joke. In reality, it was a mistake on Buggy's part. He had forgotten that the leaders who could determine the Navy's stance did not have a major's phone number like his. Sicily, a major general, was already the lowest level they had contact with. So he became the one who bore the brunt of the pressure.
"You know what I mean!" Sicily said, gritting his teeth. He did not dare to utter a single word of accusation, or the leaders of absolute justice would not let him see the light of day. He had realized that he had to choose a side in this matter.
Damn it, it was just an assault on a human auction, how could it cause such a stir?
"What did you want to say?" Buggy asked with an expression full of amusement. "What did the Major General just say?"
Sicily's muffled tone confirmed that he had found the clue. The order had been shattered for a while, although someone had been fixing it. But the contradictions would not disappear; they were simply waiting for an outlet. Buggy had created that outlet. The nobles and Doflamingo were crucial springboards to amplify it. What had originally been a minor incident, after several springboards, had exponentially multiplied its impact.
Of course, and most importantly, the World Government itself was extremely sensitive to this. They were sensitive to the very words "free the slaves."
Sicily was silent for a long time.
On his right, a silver Den Den Mushi, for a long time a mere decoration, began to purr for the first time.
It was a call from the World Government's high command.
What was his position? It was already decided, wasn't it? The World Government controlled the Navy, and the world nobles preferred slaves. So the Sabaody Archipelago would not change.
"Give up, Yaro. Do you think such bold justice can change this island? I've been here for years and this island has never changed!" Sicily said.
"That's because you're afraid of death," the young man's calm voice pierced Sicily's heart.
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