75th District, the street's buildings are in disarray, Murphy's Bookstore has lost its roof.
The destruction from the battle could not be repaired in a day. Fortunately, Murphy did not have to worry about restoration. The Sabaody Archipelago was constantly faced with various emergencies and already had a well-established response mechanism. Therefore, he only had to wait two or three days, and by the time he returned to the store, everything should be restored.
He spent a little time preparing the material: an article, an audio recording and photographs. Having sent them via News Q, he took a backpack with important things and went for a walk in other areas.
From the shipyards in the 50+ areas to the tourist attractions in the 40+ areas, then to the amusement park in the 30+ areas and finally to the lawless areas below the 30th district, he went all over again. His mood was surprisingly similar to his previous visit - the same dream of the future.
"Are you interested in next week's auction?" someone asked.
Perhaps it was Murphy's natural elegance that made him stand out from the crowd as he walked past the auction house, and he was handed the booklet.
Murphy picked it up—it was an auction brochure listing the next week's lots.
The local auctions were famous all over the world. Many valuables were collected here, and any item exhibited here was sold for several percent more than the market price. Nidam, having received the Devil Fruit, was hoping to sell it at such an auction.
With no pressing business, Murphy decided to look through the brochure on the go.
The main lot, a mermaid slave, was presented on the first page.
It was the slave trade that was the main reason for the worldwide fame of these auctions.
The Sabaody Archipelago was at the doorstep of the Tenryubito. As the world's aristocrats, they tirelessly bought slaves, with a particular weakness for rare races, which contributed to the perverted development of the entire auction industry.
In the future, one of the Shichibukai, Doflamingo, will intervene in this area, and the slave trade will be separated into a separate area. A specialized human auction will be created in District No. 1, separate from other trades, for the convenience of management and trade.
Murphy, however, was not particularly interested. He skipped the introduction on the first page and flipped through the pages, hoping to find something useful. Unfortunately, most of the listings were slaves, which made him frown visibly.
It was only on the last pages that one of the objects caught his attention. It was a short sword with a barely noticeable curve to the blade. Despite the luxurious decorations, a cold glow emanated from it.
— One of the fifty swords of Ryo Wazamono - Saburosa?
Murphy had long wanted to acquire a weapon to avoid awkward situations with his bare hands. During the fight with Nydam, the enemy had a weapon, but he did not. That time, the problem was solved easily, but there is no guarantee that it will always be so successful. Sooner or later, various situations will arise, and having a weapon will allow him to cope with them with more confidence. However, exchanging the famous sword through the system required a lot of points, which he did not have in abundance, so he hesitated.
Now that the opportunity to purchase a weapon at the auction had presented itself, although the short sword was not his preferred weapon, but with over 50 million belli in hand in exchange for points, how could he pass up such an opportunity?
Having memorized the auction date, Murphy put the brochure in his pocket and continued walking. But the next moment he suddenly stopped.
A news ku was approaching him from a distance, and Murphy sensed that the bird was heading specifically for him, and not just flying past.
Sure enough, News-Ku landed right in front of Murphy, cooed a couple of times in a human-like manner, and then pulled out Dan-Dan-Mushie and placed it in front of Murphy.
- Dan-Den-Mushi?
Murphy looked puzzled at the bird, which nodded and flew away.
He picked up the snail and examined it. It was a single-channel Dan-Dan-Mushi, capable of communicating only with a specific person. Murphy dialed the number without hesitation.
Soon the connection was established, and the snail's appearance immediately changed. A black hat appeared on its head, its mouth became sharper, and its overall appearance began to resemble a carrier pigeon. Thanks to this, Murphy immediately understood who he was talking to.
- Hello, Hagoromo. With your skills, you probably know who I am.
- Hello, Mr. Morgans. To what do I owe your call?
- Whahahaha! Nothing special, it's just that the media world hasn't seen such promising newcomers like you for a long time. Not only do you write interesting stories, but you also film such intense battles from close range, and you even dare to interview one of the fierce pirates of the new generation face to face. I decided that it was worth getting to know such an interesting person!
Morgans thought that even the World Economic Gazette rarely had such correspondents. Not only did Hagoromo manage to do this, but he also wrote exciting novels - people who could fight and write were rare.
- Thank you for the compliment, but I'm more interested in whether my article will be published?
- Of course! Even if you had simply described that fight, the material would have been published. Moreover, the information received in the interview is so explosive that it could well become tomorrow's main news.
- No, I mean... I provided some photographs that could damage the Marines' reputation, and...
Murphy cut to the chase—the chance to score points was the most important thing. But his concern was not whether his story would be accepted, but whether the paper would dare publish it.
He understood that the World Economic Newspaper, which had reached its current position, was definitely cooperating with the World Government. But in what form this cooperation was carried out and whether the Marines were involved, he did not know.
As far as he remembered, Morgans did dare to oppose the World Government, but that was the Morgans of 24 years later, not the current one. Therefore, he needed to find out whether the World Economic Newspaper was just a mouthpiece for the World Government on certain issues, or was completely controlled by them.
- Although there may be some minor problems, don't worry about that. Don't underestimate me, the Great Morgans! Right now, you should be more concerned about how appropriate it is to advertise your novel in a news article!
- Oh, so this is not allowed?
— The editor was going to remove that part, but I overruled him. Wow! Crocodile actually used those two techniques from your story, isn't that interesting?
Apparently, under Morgans's leadership, the World Economic Gazette was, even now, completely independent. And only under such conditions could Murphy safely use this platform to strengthen himself. Well, even his small attempt to mention the title of his novel in a news article was approved by Morgans...
- Mr. Morgans, your decision is truly wise. Your newspaper is truly a reliable platform.
— In that case, would you like to join the World Economic Newspaper?
So that's what it is! That's the real reason for the call!
Murphy briefly considered feigning agreement, so that his refusal would not affect his future publications. But he realized almost immediately that this was unnecessary. He was certain that the events he would report on in the future would be so significant that Morgans would simply not be able to ignore them.
- Thank you for the offer, Mr. Editor, but I am used to a free life and prefer to remain an independent author.
- Well, I expected so. Talented people are usually like that. If Crocodile is a rising star among pirates, then you are a star in the media world.
Morgans spoke directly, without beating around the bush, as if he had been expecting such an answer for a long time.
- No, I am different from him.
- Is it true?
- Please, follow the development of future events, and you will see everything!
Murphy smiled. The Shichibukai was Crocodile's limit, but he had no limit.
- Wahahaha, you really are an interesting guy. Keep this Dan-Den-Mushi to yourself. If you have any important news in the future, contact me directly. I'm sure you won't disappoint me!
- I think... such news will appear soon. Until then, Mr. Morgans.