Big News Morgans

New World.

It was a fascinating place.

A chaotic, maddening magnetic field, strange and dangerous seas, all manner of bizarre creatures and plants, islands concealing the Pirate King's treasure—and Laugh Tale, which no one could find by any ordinary means. Then there were the Four Emperors, the Shichibukai, the titans of the Dark World...

The natural and the man-made, intertwined in a web of cause and effect, forged the New World's irresistible allure.

On a certain island stood the headquarters of the World Economic News Agency.

The glow of the setting sun streamed through enormous floor-to-ceiling windows into the vast office, which was packed with over a hundred cubicles. It reminded the editors, reporters, and various other staff crammed into those tiny cubicles, all on the verge of dropping dead from overwork, that it was time to go home and rest.

But

no one got up to leave.

Everyone remained seated at their desks, working diligently.

As the world's best-selling newspaper, the World Economic News Paper was the undisputed king of journalism. Even the several newspapers run by the World Government couldn't match its popularity when their combined circulation was tallied.

The paper's status naturally rose with its success. Every year, countless editors and reporters who considered themselves geniuses flocked to the World Economic News Paper's headquarters. It was easy to imagine how high the pressure was for those working there. To keep their jobs, everyone pushed themselves to their limits.

Anyone who clocked off in the evening wouldn't last long here.

"Chief!"

"Big News!"

Suddenly, a new employee put down the Den Den Mushi and sprang to his feet. Under the envious gazes of countless colleagues, he rushed toward the chief's office.

"The Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Captain, 'Blue Horn' Gion, died of illness... Hmm, it's decent news, but it still lacks real appeal!" The birdman seated in the enormous executive chair looked over the article the employee had brought him.

"Died of illness... Ah! That's absolutely the most boring way to die. There's barely any buzz to it. No one's going to be eager to buy our paper over a death like that..."

"Then should we change it? Maybe say he was poisoned?"

The employee made a bold suggestion.

"Hey, hey, Richard, my dear partner, are you hoping to see my newspaper office razed to the ground?" The birdman—also known as Big News Morgans, the chief of the World Economic News Agency—flapped his wing-like arms with dramatic force, emphasizing his feelings through exaggerated gestures.

"Whitebeard—we're talking about Whitebeard! What do you think he'll do if he sees someone making up a cause of death for his son? You think he won't come here and crush every one of us?"

"Get out of here, you idiot."

Morgans sent the fool packing, already having sentenced the recently hired newcomer to a grim fate in his mind. His newspaper had no need for brainless idiots like that. Insulting Whitebeard would only anger his sons, but slandering one of Whitebeard's sons would make Whitebeard himself furious.

The World Economic News Agency had become the uncrowned king of journalism through more than Morgans's knack for spotting big news. More importantly, he knew how to handle information about powerful figures who stood far above him. He could always report shocking news without offending the big shots whose status surpassed his own.

"Young people these days are worse with every generation. How can anyone be so stupid? Is his head made of stone?"

Morgans crumpled the article and tossed it into the wastebasket.

Then,

he picked up another file he hadn't finished reading.

"The Kingdom of Ekmondo... Trick Sword Venkura, Strangling Ghost Farug, Black Beast Tadra... Hey, aren't these all Umit's subordinates? Is that guy Umit planning to go to war with Whitebeard?"

Big News Morgans.

And when all was said and done, news was information.

As the chief of the World Economic News Agency, Morgans had just as much information as any professional broker, and when it came to certain fresh developments, he knew even more.

The war between the Kingdom of Ekmondo and the Amento Kingdom.

In the New World, it wasn't even a major event, and it was far less attention-grabbing than the news that the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Captain had died. But Morgans had the latest information on the war. For instance, at this very moment, the Kingdom of Ekmondo's reinforcements should already have engaged Umit's men.

"Umit... You picked a fight with a real tough customer this time!"

Morgans opened a drawer and pulled out a thick file folder.

He opened it,

and took out a thick stack of documents.

The top document had a portrait attached to it. It was unmistakably a photo of Aleus.

"Sokachio Aleus, First Crown Prince of Ekmondo Kingdom..." Morgans studied the file, narrowing his birdlike eyes. He had been keeping tabs on Sokachio Aleus for five years. Over that time, more than ten Great Pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million had died under mysterious circumstances, and three powerhouses with bounties over five hundred million had vanished without a trace. In each of these incidents, Aleus's name had appeared.

Following a journalist's instinct, he had latched onto the name of this seemingly insignificant figure.

Then,

after five years of investigation, he had, unfortunately, found no concrete evidence to prove that Aleus had the strength to kill a powerhouse with a bounty over five hundred million. He hadn't even managed to get a single photograph of him in battle.

But that hadn't dispelled Morgans's suspicions.

On the contrary,

he had grown ever more interested in this mysterious prince who kept his true abilities hidden. He had even instinctively decided that Aleus was undoubtedly a Giant Sea King lurking beneath the Deep Sea, a rising star only twenty years old—and nothing like those damn Pirate Supernovas hyped up over the past few years.

This was a true star, still concealing his light. Once he began to shine, perhaps the balance of power in the New World would change.

After all, Whitebeard was no longer young. And unlike that monster Garp, Whitebeard's health had been deteriorating in recent years, according to Morgans's exclusive sources. He hadn't shown the slightest sign of decline yet, but no one knew how long he could maintain his strength.

Perhaps,

before long, the New World would undergo another great reshuffling. Just as the Rocks Pirates had vanished after the Battle of God Valley, despite once being invincible, a new emperor had risen to claim the lofty throne from the ashes of that old ruler.

"Umit, will you be the first sacrifice to witness the birth of a new emperor?"

Morgans grew excited.

"Let me take a good look, Your Highness. Are you merely a shooting star that'll vanish in a flash, or a true star shining brilliantly?"