Garp quickly finished reading the contents of the page, his brows tightly furrowed.
New Era to a certain extent, the section about the Four Emperors had helped the Marines accomplish their objective.
But then the section about Sakazuki had directly stripped Sakazuki down to his underwear.
The headline really did hit the nail on the head. It did not openly insult him, but it pointed directly to the fact that only Sakazuki had survived by clinging to life.
That phrase, "clinging to life," had been used quite cleverly.
Garp had never really agreed with this man who had always insisted on Absolute Justice.
But on the other hand, from Marineford's perspective, the sacrifice of ordinary Marines was considered perfectly normal.
This was a world of the strong. Compared to powerful Haki users and the countless Devil Fruit users throughout the Grand Line, ordinary Marines were simply too fragile.
They could not even withstand the shockwaves of Conqueror's Haki, and the aftermath of a battle alone could destroy an entire warship.
Under such circumstances, far too many rank-and-file Marines died every single day.
Yet this newspaper had, for the first time, presented this bloody reality from another perspective and told it to all ordinary people.
It told them not to focus their attention on the strong, because the vast majority of people in this world were ordinary people at the bottom.
Instead of worrying about whether the strong lived or died, they should take a look at what happened to the ordinary Marines who followed those powerful people.
The descriptions across the two pages were vivid, and the wording was capable of stirring people's emotions. More importantly, every sentence was true.
But the more accurate it was, the more uneasy Garp became.
Soon, in a small corner at the end of the newspaper, there was another article containing a seemingly inexplicable story.
It was about an ordinary child who, after witnessing pirates raiding his hometown's port, joined the country's guard force.
He trained hard every day and eventually became known as the Black Arm General.
The story of his growth from weakness to strength was not particularly long. A large portion of it was devoted to describing the things this General Black Arm had said.
"He's really putting himself into the story..."
Garp muttered to himself.
He understood why he had become so absorbed in it.
The entire story was written from the perspective of an ordinary person, allowing the reader to put themselves in the protagonist's shoes.
The hardships of training were glossed over, making it feel as though the reader themselves were the one becoming stronger through training.
After a long while, Garp finally put the newspaper down.
"Who the hell came up with this thing?"
Nearby, the two little brats were whispering to each other.
"What happened to the Great Demon?"
"Could he have been scared by the name of the Black Arm General?"
"What are you thinking about? Let's use this chance to run."
The moment Ace finished speaking, the two exchanged a glance and immediately prepared to bolt.
However, they had barely taken a step before the collars at the backs of their necks were grabbed.
"Tell me, where did you get this newspaper?"
The two boys wildly waved their arms, trying to break free, but Garp's grip made their struggles completely useless.
After struggling pointlessly for a while, Ace could only lower his head dejectedly.
"A bird delivered it last night. I even paid a hundred Berries for it."
Luffy hurriedly added, "Fifty of those Berries were mine! Auntie Bellemere gave me that money as pocket money!"
A news bird?
Garp put the two of them down. He had no time to deal with these two unreliable grandsons right now.
The moment they were released, the two brats ran off.
After running a short distance, little Luffy suddenly turned back. He cautiously glanced at his grandfather, picked up the newspaper from the ground, and then ran away even faster.
In the courtyard, Garp took out the Den Den Mushi connected to the office of the Marine Headquarters' Fleet Admiral.
The Den Den Mushi rang for a long time without anyone answering. After hanging up, Garp thought for a while.
If the newspaper had been delivered by News Coo, and even the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue had received it, then clearly the entire sea must have been covered by the newspaper as well.
It had reported on the scheme of using the title of Emperor as bait, detailed the abilities of the three Emperors, and even exposed Sakazuki's ugly side.
Under these circumstances, Sengoku would definitely have received the news. There was no need for him to tell him himself.
Thinking this, Garp casually tossed the Den Den Mushi into a corner of the house.
Fortunately, Sengoku hadn't answered. With something this serious happening, the first thing he would have said was probably to cancel his leave. That would have been a terrible deal.
Hmm. Time to find his two grandsons and increase their training.
If they wanted to become Admirals, they needed to undergo some brutal training!
At the same time, inside the Fleet Admiral's office at Marineford.
The Den Den Mushi in front of Sengoku was ringing, but he was still on a call with someone else.
"For now, we only know that the ones delivering the newspapers are owls. The price is the same as the World Economic Journal, one hundred Beli per copy."
A deep voice came from the Den Den Mushi. "The World Government has already begun investigating. Although their reporting on the Four Emperors has brought the plan back on track, their wording clearly shows a certain bias."
Sengoku's expression was solemn. "That's true. Their report on Sakazuki could also cause civilians to develop misunderstandings about the Marines."
The Den Den Mushi, imitating Saint Saturn's voice, spoke: "Find the people behind the New Era Newspaper. Like the World Economic Journal, they need to come under the supervision of the World Government."
After speaking with Mary Geoise, Sengoku sighed and sat down.
He felt that these past few years since becoming Fleet Admiral had been the most exhausting years of his life. He was constantly exhausting his mind and energy over the future of the Marines.
And that bastard who had just called him was probably lying on a beach somewhere in the East Blue right now, enjoying the sun.
Frowning, Sengoku stood up and immediately called back.
The Den Den Mushi requested a connection.
But after waiting for a long time, no one answered.
"That damn old bastard!"
After cursing, Sengoku reluctantly gave up.
Not long afterward, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Kuzan, who had brought Sakazuki back to Marineford for treatment, had been summoned by Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku nodded toward the newspaper on the desk. "You should have read it already, right? Since last night, owls have been delivering this newspaper throughout the entire sea."
Kuzan scratched his head, his eyes looking as though he had just woken up. "One hundred Beli a copy. I bought one too."
"Yawn..."
He let out a huge yawn, making Sengoku's head throb.
Ever since receiving news of the newspaper last night, Sengoku hadn't slept at all. He had been constantly dealing with inquiries from above while simultaneously investigating the situation below.
And yet this guy this future Admiral, who had done nothing but hammer warships without fail every day after returning to headquarters, was actually still half-asleep.
"Bang!"
Sengoku slammed his hand onto the desk, glaring with a pair of bloodshot eyes. "Sakazuki was rescued by you and Rowen, so I need to know what happened at the time and whether there was anyone else present."
Having already become accustomed to his Fleet Admiral's state after the Great Pirate Era began, Kuzan paid little attention to it. He spread his hands and replied,
"The waves created when BIGMOM swung her blade were powerful enough to form a tsunami. I went there alone, while Rowen also kept his warship far away and went over using Moonwalk."
"In that situation, all our attention was focused on BIGMOM. Neither of us noticed whether there was anyone else around. So..."
Hearing this, Sengoku sighed and waved his hand, sending Kuzan, who knew nothing beyond what he had personally seen, away.
Considering the existence of someone like BIGMOM, it was only natural that even three monster Vice Admirals from the Marine training camp wouldn't dare let their guard down for even a moment.
But this newspaper the Black Arm General?
Could it be that guy Zephyr?
Although the background was different, the other party's attitude and stance could still reveal certain things.
But none of that was important.
What mattered was the channel these owls were using to distribute the newspapers. That was what the World Government cared about as well.
The World Economic Journal run by Morgans could have News Coo distribute Marine bounty posters.
In a sense, that meant they had some form of cooperation with the Marines and the World Government, or rather, some degree of supervision.
That bird wasn't exactly obedient either, but he understood the power of the World Government and the Marines and wouldn't cross the line.
But this New Era Newspaper was different. They didn't know which organization was distributing it, nor did they know what the other side would say in the next issue.
"Whew."
After letting out a breath, Sengoku leaned back in his chair, slightly lost in thought. By then, Kuzan had already left the office.
Balance.
With the Four Emperor bait thrown out, and with the New Era Newspaper's coverage, the number of pirates attacking towns should decrease.
Once the pirates had worn each other down, the sea would be able to regain its balance.
But the feeling of turbulent undercurrents was becoming increasingly obvious.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The knock on the door interrupted Sengoku's thoughts.
"Come in."
"Click."
The office door opened, and a Marine Headquarters intelligence colonel walked in. He bowed and handed Sengoku a document.
"Intelligence just came in. Of the pirates in the Grand Line who had originally been attacking Marine branches and towns, sixty percent withdrew this morning."
"The pressure on the Vice Admirals sent out by Headquarters to provide support has eased considerably. The pirates in the Four Blues have also quieted down. At the entrance to the Grand Line from Reverse Mountain, the number of pirates entering has surged today."
Sengoku began flipping through the document.
After a while, he looked up and asked, "How is the tracking of those owls going?"
The colonel replied, "Our intelligence personnel followed them for quite some time, but these newspaper-delivery owls seem to have undergone very strict training. After selling all their newspapers, they fly up into the clouds."
"And they pay attention to whether anyone is following them."
Sengoku frowned slightly.
They specifically paid attention to whether they were being followed?
Even Morgans of the World Economic Journal, with his Bird-Bird Fruit, Albatross Model, couldn't do that.
Flying Devil Fruit abilities were already extremely rare, and the Marine intelligence department could only rely on numbers when it came to tracking aerial targets. Yet these owls actually possessed the awareness to shake off anyone following them.
And flying above the clouds that certainly wasn't a habit possessed by owls.
"Understood. Continue observing them for a while. The distribution channel for this newspaper is very important, so the intelligence department needs to keep at it for some time."
The colonel saluted. "Understood."
After the intelligence officer left, a secure, anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's desk suddenly rang.
"Tsuru."
"Sengoku. Perhaps it's the Revolutionary Army."
It was only a single exchange, but Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly.
Because after the Four Emperor bait had been thrown out, all the pirates had been thrown into a frenzy. Even Vice Admiral Tsuru had left Headquarters on a mission.
And the newspaper that had been distributed throughout the world last night had naturally reached Tsuru as well.
That single reminder allowed Sengoku, who was already known as the Warring States Strategist, to immediately connect many dots, such as the strange stance revealed throughout the entire newspaper.
That's right. Only the Revolutionary Army would help the Marines while simultaneously taking the opportunity to kick Sakazuki while he was down.
And only the Revolutionary Army would use such a method to divert the pirates' attention away from ordinary civilians.
The easy-to-understand analysis throughout the newspaper was clearly intended to make the pirates realize that slaughtering civilians was useless. If they wanted to become a Four Emperor, they had to accomplish the goal of reducing the number of pirates.
After sighing, Sengoku asked, "How much longer until you return?"
Tsuru replied, "It'll still take some time. The Donquixote Family has been making major moves in the North Blue and is already showing signs of becoming a broker in the underworld. I've managed to track down a lead on Doflamingo."
Sengoku pondered for a moment before replying, "All right. If you need reinforcements, contact Headquarters at any time."
The Den Den Mushi disconnected, and Sengoku looked out the window.
Compared to Zephyr and Garp, among the four who had once fought together, Tsuru was now the only one he could still rely on. With just one phone call, she had unraveled the doubts troubling him.
The Revolutionary Army?
These people had already begun acquiring powers they shouldn't have possessed. The Five Elders in Mary Geoise certainly weren't fools.
If the Marines could deduce that the Revolutionary Army was behind the newspaper without any evidence, merely through speculation, then the Five Elders could naturally reach the same conclusion.
Meanwhile, after leaving Sengoku's office, Kuzan walked toward the Headquarters cafeteria with a newspaper in his hand.
So this was the surprise Rowen had mentioned?
Then the family had apparently acquired a method of distributing newspapers throughout the world, just like News Coo.
It was lunchtime, and the moment Kuzan entered the cafeteria, the lively discussions inside suddenly fell silent.
He looked around before finding a familiar figure and walking over.
The huge round table was piled high with large chunks of meat, while a giant Vice Admiral was stuffing himself with food and drink.
Lancelotki glanced at Kuzan. "Everyone's been discussing Sakazuki. Last night's newspaper had quite an impact, and with you, another candidate Admiral, showing up, things got a little awkward."
Kuzan picked up a meaty bone and took a bite, then gulped down a cup of wine. "That guy and I weren't in the same class. Besides, everyone should know about the argument I had with him at Ohara, right?"
His voice was noticeably louder than usual, and the cafeteria quickly became lively again.
But only a few minutes later, the topic once again returned to the newspaper that had spread throughout the sea the previous night.
"The entire warship that set sail, and only Vice Admiral Sakazuki survived."
"His opponent was BIGMOM. What else could you expect?"
"Considering it was BIGMOM, Vice Admiral Sakazuki should have realized that from the beginning, right? He's the only one who could have survived."
"So you think Vice Admiral Sakazuki should have groveled before a pirate? BIGMOM is a pirate with the ability to fly!"
"But...."
"No buts! Don't let that inexplicable newspaper influence you! Inciting the people's emotions and publicly exposing the plans of the World Government and Marines are crimes as well!"
The discussion from the table on the left reached Kuzan and the others. None of the three showed any reaction, continuing to eat meat and drink wine.
At another table, however, the conclusion was completely different.
"In that situation, he shouldn't have provoked BIGMOM. The ordinary Marines were comrades too. Their deaths were completely meaningless."
"The entire warship was split in two. BIGMOM's power burned everyone alive. We can imagine how painful that must have been."
"We all climbed up from the ranks of ordinary Marines. If we don't care about this, then are the ordinary Marines really nothing more than expendable resources?"
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