One hour later.
A CP0 agent in a pure white uniform, with a mask concealing their face, entered the office and placed a sealed document on Kong's desk.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Lord Saturn has ordered that this be delivered to you immediately."
Kong tore open the seal, revealing a brand-new bounty notice.
The moment his eyes landed on the notice, his brows furrowed tightly, and he sucked in a sharp breath:
"Most Evil Criminal in History: Griffin D. Wade"
Below was a hand-drawn color photo, and Wayne's face was clearly visible.
Bounty: 50,000,000,000 Berries
Dead or Alive!
"Fifty billion for a first bounty?!" Kong shot a glance toward Mary Geoise atop the Red Line and exclaimed, "What on earth did this guy do there?!"
Originally stationed at Marine Headquarters in Marineford, Kong had only been temporarily reassigned to Mary Geoise after the madman Golden Lion Shiki attacked HQ. He never expected such a world-shaking event to occur right under his nose last night.
The full extent of the damage to Mary Geoise was still unknown, but this unprecedented bounty was enough to show the severity of the situation.
Kong tapped his fingers unconsciously on the desk, lost in deep thought.
He stared at the young face on the bounty poster, feeling an immense pressure looming like a brewing storm.
"It seems… we can't wait any longer," he thought. He had planned to let Sengoku gain more experience before passing on the title of Fleet Admiral. But ever since Roger's final words, a new wave had begun sweeping across the world, and time was running out for the Navy.
The Marines needed a strong leader, and the positions of Admirals had to be filled quickly.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, three young men known as "monsters", had immense potential, but their current strength and experience still fell short of what was needed to stand alone as Admirals.
"A generational gap…" Kong sighed. But with the situation pressing, he might have no choice but to push them forward prematurely.
......
World Economy News Paper Headquarters
"Boss! Boss!" An editor burst into Morgans' office, waving a stack of photos excitedly. "We got them! All of them! The devastation at Mary Geoise! Absolutely shocking firsthand material! When do we publish? Should we start layout and printing now?!"
Morgans was leisurely preening his feathers. He barely lifted his eyelids and waved a wing casually, looking unusually calm.
"What's the rush?" he said slowly, eyes gleaming with cunning. "It's not time yet."
The editor was stunned. "Huh? Boss, this is earth-shattering news! The whole world is waiting!"
"Fool!" Morgans tapped the editor's head with the tip of his wing. "What good are photos alone? We don't even know who the main culprit behind the chaos at Mary Geoise is! If we publish now, readers will think we're making it up! Not explosive enough!"
The editor scratched his head, then suddenly lit up and slapped his thigh. "I get it! Boss! You're waiting… waiting for the World Government's official bounty notice?!"
"Guaha hha!" Morgans laughed with satisfaction. "Exactly! You're finally thinking straight! Just imagine…"
Morgans spread his wings. "Mary Geoise destroyed! Noble Celestial Dragons dead and wounded! Without a clear, officially recognized 'devil' to target, where will the public direct their curiosity? How can our report become the 'truth' that ignites the world?!"
He paced like a bird, feathers trembling with excitement.
"So we wait for that bounty notice with an astronomical figure! And when it arrives…" "Our photos become irrefutable evidence of the devil's crimes. No matter what the real truth is, our illustrated report will define this world-shaking event! The whole world will go mad!"
Just then, another editor burst in, waving a freshly printed bounty notice. "Boss! Boss! Urgent fax from Marine HQ, bounty issued for 'Wade,' fifty billion berries!"
Morgans froze for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Guah ha ha! Talk about perfect timing!"
He snatched the bounty notice, staring at the young face and the suffocating number below. Morgans' grin was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.
"What a 'most evil criminal in history', it's definitely him! If not, I can't imagine any reason for such a high bounty."
Heart pounding, hands trembling, Morgans could already see the entire sea boiling over from the World Economy News Paper report.
He spun around and roared: "Everyone, drop what you're doing! Full alert! Once I finish writing this report myself, I want today's paper to reach every corner of the world at lightning speed!"
"Let the name of the most evil criminal in history echo across the globe!!!"
Half an hour later…
Morgans carefully held the freshly printed front-page sample, still fragrant with ink.
"Guah ha ha… perfect. Absolutely perfect!"
He spun around and pointed at the fully prepared editorial team: "What are you waiting for?! Fire up every printing press! The readers are dying to see our report!!!"
.....
Deck of the Moby Dick
"Pops! Pops!! Something huge just happened!!" The 21-year-old Marco, his youthful oval face flushed with shock, clutched a newspaper tightly and rushed toward Whitebeard, drawing curious glances from nearby crew members.
Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard, was leisurely sipping from a massive sake bowl. Seeing Marco's frantic expression, he chuckled: "Gurararara! Marco, you're not a kid anymore, why are you still acting like one?"
He swirled his drink. "So, what's this big deal that's got you so worked up?"
Marco unfolded the newspaper and pointed at the headline that dominated the front page, exclaiming:
"It's Mary Geoise! The Holy Land was attacked by a guy named 'Wade'!"
"The paper says tons of Celestial Dragons died, and half of Mary Geoise was destroyed!"
"What did you say?!"