"Whitebeard is my ally. Besides, do I not look like the kind of schemer who plans every step in advance?
"If I had no confidence, why would I be discussing this matter with you?"
"Hahahaha, what a lunatic. A whole pack of lunatics."
Morgans could not help grinning. "Let me guess. This schemer's final target… couldn't be the World Government, could it?
"Your equality for all living beings—does that include even the Celestial Dragons?"
"Who knows?"
He neither admitted it nor denied it, but that answer itself was already an affirmation.
"…"
Morgans narrowed his eyes, as though he had understood something.
Then, in a low voice, he said, "Mr. Ren, my answer is this: no matter what you want to do, I will absolutely help stir up the stage. Remember what I am saying now. No matter what it is."
"If I remember correctly, you were just complaining to me earlier about the World Government's restrictions and punishments against you."
What he referred to was Morgans's act of exposing the truth of the Marineford War.
Although he had later changed his statement under pressure and published a new edition of the news, the first report had already gone out and caused an uproar across the world.
At present, the "truth" about the Marineford War had become the mistake of the Fleet Admiral.
The fact that the Celestial Dragons had traded for Ace had indeed been disclosed, but… the blame could never fall upon the Five Elders who had issued the order at the time.
This was the power of public opinion hegemony. It was difficult for outsiders to obtain such power, because the one that had always controlled public opinion hegemony was the World Government.
Its enormous scale, the Navy's presence spread throughout the world, its filthy methods, and the wealth that could buy away a person's very soul—
All of these were the factors that allowed the World Government to firmly control public opinion hegemony. Almost no newspaper could refuse the demands of those in power.
That was also why Ren wished to reach a cooperation with Morgans.
In the eyes of the world, the World Economic Journal was the pinnacle of news reporting, the embodiment of authority.
Its scale was large enough, its influence was enormous, and it possessed countless News Coo as extensions of its reach.
Even the World Government would find it difficult to completely stop the actions of the World Economic Journal.
Second was Morgans himself, a man devoted to news reporting and possessing a spine.
It could be said that he was the best possible collaborator in the field of public opinion hegemony. There was no second choice!
"Why be puzzled? You understood what kind of person I am, and that is why you calmly chose to say these things, right?"
Just as Ren had expected, Morgans spread his wings and said, "Reporting the news is the pursuit of my entire life. If I can be recorded in history alongside some great incident, that would surely be the best ending I could imagine.
"Moreover, whether these things happen or not, I still want to understand them, report them, and show one piece of big news after another to the world.
"This is my pursuit as a reporter, Ren."
"I think there will be an opportunity."
Ren ended the conversation there. Both sides were intelligent people, and both understood what the other needed.
At this moment, the entirety of Totto Land had already fallen into the flames of war.
The deaths of its top combat forces and elite officers were like breaking the bones of Totto Land. The remaining members could not possibly stop the Angel Legion that blotted out the sky.
Roaring Chainsaw Swords, brutal torrents of crimson flame, leaping arcs of purple lightning, and the overwhelmingly powerful angels themselves—
All of them were fighting power that these ordinary members could not possibly deal with.
"Where are the officers?! Where did all the officers go?!"
"We can't contact Whole Cake Island by Den Den Mushi!"
"The Minister of Tableware… the Minister of Tableware is dead!"
Amid the miserable screams, reflected in the eyes of those resisting the invaders—
Charlotte Mascarpone had his long naginata severed by Vivi's blade of yellow sand.
A fair right hand seized the Snake-Neck Tribe member's exceptionally long neck, turning him into a dried mummy in an instant.
Although he still had one breath left, he no longer had any ability to resist.
With the defeat of the final minister, there was no longer any force on this island capable of resistance.
As for the members of the Big Mom Pirates on the other islands, they faced an even more powerless situation.
Nojiko transformed into a pink giant dragon and raced through the sky. The Evil God Lighter completed its heat cycle, and a Blast Breath of 4,000°C shone across the heavens.
Whether it was ships sailing upon the sea or enemies on the islands, none could escape the fate of being swallowed by flames.
Even if some people forcibly endured it with Haki, they would be filtered out and pursued by the angels.
Nami's method was even simpler. She raised a thunderstorm over Totto Land, bringing all islands within dozens of kilometers under the coverage of her lightning strikes.
If any unexpected thorn appeared from time to time, Zoro would go and deal with it.
As for Hancock, she did not join the battle. At the moment, she was in Ren's bedroom.
Because fighting Big Mom had indeed been somewhat tiring, Ren was now resting.
A pink serpent tail carried a long string of grapes. With slender jade-like fingers, Hancock plucked off one grape, squeezed out the flesh from beneath its thin skin, and lowered the peeled grape down.
Ren, whose head rested between the thighs of the peerless beauty, narrowed his eyes. As he opened his mouth and bit down, his tongue swept over the finger stained with grape juice.
Hancock expressionlessly withdrew her finger, enduring that subtle discomfort as she repeated the same motion as before.
It was only having her hand licked. She had actually experienced having her legs or feet licked before, so by now, this was no longer much of anything.
During the two years of special training, the thing she had done most right—and also most wrong—was attempting to have Ren help her become stronger.
Although the training had indeed been very effective, allowing her to learn Devil Fruit Awakening, during that time, the price she paid was, in short, that this bastard man would use all kinds of methods to "punish" her whenever she failed to meet the standard.
So compared to her current experience, Hancock was more interested in Totto Land.
"Is it truly over just like this? This concubine cannot quite understand. That was a Yonko."
Hancock fed him another grape, her elegant brows furrowing slightly, as though she still found it difficult to believe.
"Only a Yonko, that's all."
Ren spoke indistinctly. "The only thing worth caring about in a Yonko force is Big Mom herself. Once she, the core, cannot defeat me, everything else collapses along with her. Don't forget, on Kuja Island, we already killed the strongest batch of combat forces under her command."
"This concubine just finds it… somewhat unbelievable."
Hancock's brows relaxed slightly, and she could not help looking at Ren's face, as well as that "of course" expression.
He said it very lightly, and it also fit logic and reality.
But… that was a Yonko who had stood in the New World for decades without ever being defeated!
Even in a war between Yonko, it was extremely difficult for one side to completely collapse.
Rather, one could say that the New World was a pirate world supported by four emperors who could do nothing to each other.
Yet now, one of the poles of the New World had disintegrated so simply and easily before her eyes!
Before Hancock came here, she had still believed there would be a great battle, and perhaps they would even have to surround and attack Big Mom.
Yet the result was that by the time she arrived above Totto Land, the cruel war she had imagined was already over.
It felt like a dream.
"There have already been plenty of unbelievable things. You should have a little confidence in me.
"Zoro and the others got used to it long ago, yet you're still so anxious over gains and losses. As your captain, I'm very disappointed.
"Or are you unwilling to have confidence in me because you don't want to become the loser of that wager?"
Ren smiled faintly. "That's not very good, Hancock. You're lacking a little confidence."
"…"
Hancock's expression stiffened. Then, with a vicious motion, she stuffed the grape and her finger together into this hateful man's mouth.
"Wait until you really kill the Five Elders before talking like a victor."
"That's true. But if I do it, will you fulfill the wager?"
The corners of Ren's mouth curled up, and the back of his head pressed downward. "A substitute would be meaningless, wouldn't it? Although there really are examples like that, you haven't lost here yet."
!
Hancock, whose legs were pressed together, was startled. She immediately used both hands to hold Ren's head, preventing this bastard's head from sinking into the deepest part of the gap formed between her closed thighs.
That feeling was too… At least for now, she could not accept it.
"Do it first, then we'll talk."
Hancock glared at Ren, then directly quit and got up to leave.
"You old hag, you mean to say you lost to that brat?"
Kaido's incredulous voice came from the receiver of the Den Den Mushi. "Hey, hey, although I know you've always wasted your talent,
idly giving birth every year instead of training, are you seriously not joking with me, old hag?
"When that guy was in Dressrosa, he wasn't my opponent at all. If not for his strange abilities, I would have killed him long ago.
"Yet now you're telling me that he defeated you?
"Linlin, if you don't want to be a Yonko anymore, and you don't want Totto Land anymore, why didn't you just say so directly?
"Wororororo…"
Without the slightest attempt to hide it, Kaido laughed at his old friend.
"A loss is a loss. Saying anything else is useless. But Kaido—"
Charlotte Linlin said coldly, "—I used my full strength. At the very least, I lost fifteen years of my life!"
The laughter on the other end of the receiver instantly stopped, and a suffocating silence began to spread.
After a long while, Kaido's grave voice sounded.
"Are you serious, Linlin?"
"Kaido, would I need to lie about something like this? We were already going to meet. What benefit would there be for me to lie under these circumstances?"
"…"
On the great ship, Kaido sank into thought.
Since the battle at Dressrosa, only half a year had passed… no, not even three months, right?
That brat he had admired, but who in reality had posed no threat to him, was already capable of defeating Linlin?
When Wano had been raided behind his back, he had only thought that the Demon Pirates and the Revolutionary Army had joined forces, and that they had seemed to take something from beneath Wano's inland sea.
He had sent people to check, but they had only found the ruins of ancient Wano there, with no real gains.
So he had merely recorded that grudge.
But…
"Was he the one who opened Wano's borders?"
Kaido seemed to realize something.
"What are you talking about, Kaido? Are you agreeing or not? Hurry up and answer."
Charlotte Linlin urged him impatiently.
"Hey, old hag, you're the one begging me right now!"
Kaido said somewhat unhappily.
"So what? Don't forget what you owe me. Back at God Valley, if I hadn't given you the fruit I stole, would you have what you have today?!"
Charlotte Linlin's tone became even more displeased.
(End of Chapter)