"Fine, but I can't guarantee what form his death will take."
That was what Ren said. "After all, the risk you just mentioned does exist. I think letting someone else kill Edward Weevil could achieve the same effect."
"That's your business."
Kuzan hung up the call cleanly, not wanting to continue talking with that "pirate."
Leaning back in the chair inside the base office, his expression grew distant and troubled.
It was hard to imagine that he would one day do something like this.
From a certain point of view, this seemed very much like colluding with pirates.
But in terms of the result, this was justice.
Teacher Zephyr...
Kuzan sighed inwardly. Then he stood up, left the office, and headed toward his personal training ground in one corner of the base.
There, an abandoned Navy warship sat in silence.
Its design was somewhat outdated, and its condition could only be described as utterly miserable.
Its outer steel armor was covered in dents of all sizes, and even the keel showed signs of bending inward.
After arriving, Kuzan took off his shirt and began training with nothing but his body, not even coating himself with Haki.
There was nothing fancy about it.
He was simply punching the abandoned warship with his bare fists!
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
The thunderous crashes rang throughout the base like the tolling of a giant bell, making the Marines who heard it reveal looks of awe and admiration.
"Mr. Kuzan has started training."
"He's deforming that warship without even using Haki..."
"I heard he learned it from Vice Admiral Garp. Amazing. As expected of an Admiral..."
Amid the scattered chatter, the Marines continued with their duties.
The incident of Kaido leaving Wano and heading to Dressrosa, where he caused massive havoc—
Though it had not yet exploded into full news coverage, the aftershocks of that event had already spread throughout the New World.
And it was not just the Marines. All kinds of people and factions were investigating the matter as well.
But faster than all of them were still the professionals.
After hanging up, Ren silently calculated the timing on his end.
If nothing unexpected happened, the people who had received the information he provided should already be making their move.
Compared to letting Morgans wildly exaggerate things, he would much rather steer public opinion in the direction he wanted.
At this very moment—
In the New World, on a certain island.
Inside the headquarters of the World Economic Journal, which stood amid the jungle, a conference room was filled with heated commotion.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
One chief editor slapped the table and shouted, "How long has that Ren been around? How could he possibly have the ability to contend with one of the Four Emperors, Kaido?
And how did he even cross the Red Line and reach Dressrosa in the New World?
The reporters over at Fish-Man Island didn't discover anything at all!"
As he vehemently denied it, his eyes glared viciously at the "enemy" across from him.
That enemy was a young man in a black suit, his face flushed with excitement and fanaticism.
On the press badge hanging from his neck were the words:
World Economic Journal Reporter — Hound
And at this moment, the editor directing all this criticism at him shouted:
"Hound! As journalists, we can exaggerate a little, but we cannot fabricate things out of thin air!
If you don't like the fact that the two rookie pirates I uncovered are getting the front page, then just say it outright.
There's no need to use this kind of trick to inflate your Ren!
What kind of joke is this? He's not even twenty yet, and a year ago he was still a grocery store owner.
If you say he defeated Doflamingo, I'll believe it. After all, he already killed a Warlord of the Sea before.
But to say he clashed head-on with one of the Four Emperors and still escaped with the upper hand—isn't that too much of an exaggeration?
We're all seasoned newsmen here. Everyone knows what the Four Emperors represent!"
"I agree. That part really is too strange."
Another chief editor spoke up as well, though he was not taking anyone's side. He simply voiced his doubts.
"Hound, Urouge and Cavendish over on Anka's side also killed a Warlord of the Sea—Gecko Moria.
But in terms of accomplishments, they may not necessarily outshine the Ren on your side in an internal editorial meeting.
Whether it's an extra edition or the front page, I think Ren should be the one getting it. But what you're saying is still too unbelievable.
And in the end, the information you submitted came from Ren's side, right? Is it possible he exaggerated things?
And because you trust him blindly, you just didn't realize it?"
After that editor finished speaking, the others in the conference room all nodded one after another.
Clearly, they all shared the same thought.
Naturally, what they were discussing was the incident that had taken place in Dressrosa more than ten hours earlier.
As the number one newspaper in the world, the World Economic Journal had reporters spread across every corner of the globe.
There were naturally reporters stationed within Dressrosa as well.
But... not everyone had the ability to gather truly useful news.
The more powerful the combatants, the harder it was for ordinary reporters to approach the battlefield where they fought.
Dressrosa this time was a perfect example.
Hurricanes, tsunamis, multiple earthquakes, even the King's Plateau turning into a volcano—
All of it testified to just how dangerous that great incident had been.
Even reporters from the World Economic Journal had been unable to obtain enough information to construct a full story.
Just as everyone was worrying over it, afraid their paper would fall behind rival publications—
Hound stepped forward and provided a large amount of effective intelligence.
Doflamingo had been killed by Ren. The Donquixote Family had suffered devastating casualties and collapsed. And so on.
Those things were understandable. Some reporters had already witnessed the appearance of thunderstorm weather.
And everyone knew that the appearance of the Demon Pirates often came hand in hand with thunderstorm disasters.
It was also true that people had witnessed the swordsman of the Demon Pirates appear, along with Nojiko—who had previously controlled flames, but for some unknown reason had now become a Devil Fruit user, and even seemed to share some similarities with Kaido.
Facts that could not be shaken were not something any chief editor would question.
A Warlord of the Sea being hunted down by Demon Ren once again was already major news in itself.
If not for the intelligence Hound later provided...
For example, the claim that Ren had genuinely fought Kaido in open battle and escaped safely through some special power.
That was one of the Four Emperors!
Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, who had stood unshaken upon the seas for decades—who had not even fallen into a disadvantaged position in the past ten years or so!
Ren was certainly strong. Among the pirates of this age, he was a terrifying existence with perhaps the greatest potential and the strongest growth rate.
But not a single person here was willing to believe the battle record of Ren vs. Kaido.
It was too absurd!
A man who had been nothing more than a grocery store owner a year ago—even if he was a genius, defeating a Warlord of the Sea should already have been his limit.
A heaven-blessed prodigy?
Which among the Four Emperors and Admirals wasn't a prodigy chosen from among millions?
"How is that possible?! That man would never do something like that!"
Hound slammed the table and rose to his feet in fury, glaring at Anka and the others who doubted Ren's achievements.
"How can someone as unbelievable as him be measured by common sense?
Let's not even mention anything else. Ninety-nine percent of pirates have to travel under the sea and pass through Fish-Man Island to reach the New World.
But he has a flying ship and crossed the Red Line directly.
Before this, has there ever been a similar case?!"
Well, there was the Golden Lion...
Anka instinctively wanted to refute him, but at that moment, the meeting room door was suddenly pushed open.
"Hahahaha! Indeed, people are different from one another.
As editors of the news, you all should have long understood the difference between people."
A hearty burst of laughter swept into the room, instantly freezing the atmosphere that had been on the verge of turning into a full-blown fight.
Because the one who had arrived was the president—Morgans!
"President!"
"President..."
Hound's voice was filled with delight and certainty, while Anka and the others were more confused than anything else.
All of them turned to look at the white bird-man in a suit, waiting for the reason behind the president's words.
"All right, new information. I worked very hard to get this."
With a sweep of his wing-like arm, Morgans laughed madly. "At the cost of making a donation to Dressrosa, I obtained the full sequence of events from that blind gentleman who was involved in the incident.
Then I bought another piece of information from the Beasts Pirates' side.
Although there are some differences in detail from what Hound said—most likely because Ren's side was deliberately holding something back—
The most crucial question has now been confirmed. Ren really did fight Kaido.
And he even left a permanent scar on that invincible World's Strongest Creature."
Morgans strode to the head seat and slapped the table heavily, his expression burning with fanatic excitement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a piece of major news the likes of which are rarely seen even once in ten years!
Whether it's an extra edition or the front page, put it all on!"
The people seated below looked at each other in silence. Anka even wanted to ask whether the president had accepted money from someone.
But after thinking about it carefully, this president had once ignored even a deal from the World Government just to publish the news.
"So... it was real?"
Anka muttered in disbelief.
Not even twenty years old, yet already strong enough to leave a permanent scar on one of the Four Emperors?
Nothing like that had happened in decades!
"If it's true, then it really does have to be handled at the highest level."
The other chief editor who had initially doubted Hound now grew solemn. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the materials on Anka's desk concerning Cavendish and Urouge.
Although those two killing a Warlord of the Sea was also explosive news—
Compared to Demon Ren, it was still far too lacking.
That said...
It was still a major story. It didn't seem right not to publish it at all...
"Stop hesitating. Delay it by one day! Dressrosa's matter is the most important thing!"
Morgans took one glance and guessed exactly what the issue was, directly making the decision on the spot.
Since the president had spoken, the chief editors naturally had no objections.
In the end, the reason they had questioned it was because what Hound said had simply been too incredible, to the point of violating common sense.
But now that the president had already verified its authenticity, there was no need to dwell on it any further.
"Move, all of you! Use the news to let the world know the terror of the name Demon!"
Hound's expression turned fervent once more.
Morgans happily patted him on the shoulder. "Well done. This time, it was all thanks to your report."
"It was the president who discovered me. Otherwise, I would never have had this opportunity."
Hound replied modestly.
"Not at all. It was your own skill—spotting this high-potential gem at a single glance..."
The sounds of mutual praise in the conference room gradually faded.
In their place rose the bustling noise of the newspaper office in full motion.
"By dawn, this massive story must be delivered to every corner of the world!"
(End of Chapter)