The exclusive interview concluded smoothly.
Filled with excitement, anticipation, and a lingering trace of nerves, Azer sped away on his jet ski, cutting across the waves at full throttle.
On the far side of Long Ring Long Land, news birds arranged by Morgans were already waiting. They carried away his camera, which held the photographs of the gold obtained by the Nightfall Pirates.
As for the interview itself, the footage had already been transmitted back to the headquarters of the World Economic News through a video Den Den Mushi.
Although the video also showed scenes of gold, the photographs were meant for the newspaper. Footage conveyed the overall impact, but photos captured detail and texture.
A few high quality shots alone were worth hundreds of thousands, even millions, of Berries.
"Laffitte," Teach said, watching the reporter's silhouette shrink into the distance. "Follow him. Just in case."
There was no room for accidents. Long Ring Long Land had no shortage of pirates.
Laffitte nodded. His figure blurred, wings spreading as he rose into the sky, trailing far behind the fleeing jet ski.
At the headquarters of the World Economic News, the atmosphere was tense and electric.
Morgans was present, along with several senior editors. He had only recently returned from Big Mom's tea party. Not much time had passed since he had assigned this mission.
The moment the video Den Den Mushi activated, headquarters received confirmation. The reporter's task was nearing success.
From that point on, they had been waiting.
Morgans had not contacted Teach in advance. He did not know whether Teach would agree. In truth, the reporter had been a test piece. If the interview failed, Morgans planned to personally negotiate with Teach afterward.
He was confident he could make it work. Benefits could be exchanged. Information could be adjusted. Everything was negotiable.
Thankfully, Teach had agreed.
That saved a great deal of trouble.
After all, Morgans had made a public promise at Big Mom's tea party. If he failed to deliver, he would lose face in front of too many powerful figures.
"They're here! They're here!" an editor shouted excitedly, staring at the incoming signal.
The video appeared like a projected file, marked with a unique identifier known only to their internal system. Ordinary recordings were tagged with garbled codes. Only special video Den Den Mushi carried clear markings.
It was almost like a title.
Another editor hurried over. "The reporter's mission is complete. The camera is on its way back by news birds. It should arrive soon."
"Caw caw! Excellent!" Morgans cried, rubbing his hands together. "Let's watch it. I can't wait!"
Maintaining his human beast form for long periods had clearly left its mark. Some habits were hard to shake.
He pressed the controls.
Current video Den Den Mushi technology only allowed movement through directional buttons and a confirmation switch. There was no mouse, making operation awkward, though only someone like Teach would complain about it.
Still, video Den Den Mushi had already become the core of Den Den Mushi technology. Improvements and upgrades were happening rapidly.
The video began to play.
The interview itself was short, only a few minutes long, but the information within was explosive.
The Golden City was confirmed to be real.
Five small mountains of gold were displayed openly on the decks of the Nightfall Pirates' ships, dazzling to the point of disbelief.
These people had seen money before. Billions of Berries did not impress them.
But gold like this?
They had never seen anything like it.
As for the Golden Bell, they could not even imagine its true size. How large could such a bell be?
Even without knowing the exact value, they could roughly estimate that the gold alone was worth at least hundreds of billions of Berries.
Hundreds of billions.
Enough to buy the heads of multiple Sea Emperors.
Then came Teach's final statement.
The room fell silent.
Over ten thousand tons of gold lay scattered beneath the sea near Jaya Island.
Compared to the gold on the Nightfall Pirates' ships, this was the real treasure.
No, it was more than treasure.
It was a massive gold mine.
And it required no excavation or refining.
All one had to do was find it.
"This is insane…" someone whispered.
"Hahahaha!" Morgans threw his arms wide, eyes shining. "This is it! This news will shake the entire world! What kind of chaos will follow, hm? I can't wait!"
Morgans was neutral in stance, but he loved chaos.
The bigger the news, the better. The more it stirred the world, the more alive he felt.
That was why he usually cooperated with the World Government, yet dared to defy it when the story was worth the risk.
It was also why he had boldly crowned Monkey D. Luffy the "Fifth Emperor."
Exaggerated or not, the chaos it created was real.
The World Economic News had not always been like this.
But under Morgans, it reached its peak, dominating the global news industry.
"Move, move! Drop everything else!" Morgans shouted, snapping everyone back to reality. "Prepare the special edition! This will ignite the world!"
The entire headquarters erupted into motion.
Even editors in their fifties and sixties felt ten years younger.
While rumors about Jaya Island and the Golden City continued to ferment, it was this interview with the Dark Emperor that would truly set the world ablaze.
Nothing was more convincing than visible gold.
At this point, truth no longer mattered. The evidence was right there on the page.
Did Marshall D. Teach need to lie?
There was no reason to.
Which meant one thing.
More than ten thousand tons of gold were truly hidden in the seas near Jaya Island.
Jaya Island would become the ultimate dream for treasure hunters across the world.
"President," someone asked hesitantly, "should we get involved with the gold ourselves?"
Morgans shook his head. "We're a newspaper. Why step into a future quagmire like that?"
So much gold meant profit. Profit meant conflict. Conflict meant chaos.
Without overwhelming force, no one could safely claim a share.
The World Economic News was an intelligence empire, not a military one.
That said, Morgans's eyes gleamed. "But establishing a branch office on Jaya Island? That's a different matter."
Information alone would be worth a fortune.
The footage was quickly edited and given a striking title. There was not much to cut. The interview was already short.
Next came the wait for the photos.
The newspaper had to be released before the footage aired. Once the video spread, newspaper sales would inevitably drop.
This was not real time news. Being a day or two late did not matter.
Only they possessed the first hand material.
Early the next morning, countless news birds took flight, carrying bundles of freshly printed newspapers.
At the same time, all publications under the World Economic News banner featured the same front page.
A massive photograph dominated it.
A mountain of gold, piled high on a pirate ship's deck.
Beneath it, a headline screamed:
SHOCKING! Have the Nightfall Pirates Obtained the Golden City?!
The world exploded.
People were dragged from their beds by shouting neighbors and street cries.
"Is this real?"
"That's too much gold!"
Eyes widened as they stared at the image. The deck was unmistakable. The ships were unmistakable.
The photos had clearly been taken from the Lucky Goddess, positioned at the center of the Nightfall Pirates' fleet.
Most readers quickly realized the truth.
This was intentional.
The gold had been arranged.
No pirate would casually place all their treasure on deck unless they wanted it seen.
And that raised an even bigger question.
Why?
The Marines, the World Government, and the great pirate powers took notice immediately.
Their first thought was not envy.
It was suspicion.
Why would the Nightfall Pirates reveal this?
What were they planning?
At Big Mom's territory, the dark overlords who had attended the tea party understood at once. The interview had succeeded. The newspaper was only the opening act.
The real shock was still coming.
"Let's see what they're really after," said Rhinos of the Golden Lion Pirates with a faint smile.
"Just wait," said Crayel of the Beast Pirates, unconcerned. "There's more."
They were right.
Half a day later, the World Economic News broadcast a global message through video Den Den Mushi.
In one hour, an exclusive interview with the Dark Emperor would be aired.
Secrets of the Golden City would be revealed.
The sea began to boil.