Swallowing the Sea Whole

The deputy took the manuscript and glanced at it.

He read very slowly, much slower than he usually read manuscripts, going through each word one by one.

He opened his mouth slightly halfway through reading, and when he finished, he put down the manuscript, looked at Morgans, and had a complicated expression.

"President... this manuscript..."

"What's wrong?"

"Once your manuscript is published, it will cause a sensation Four Blues."

"So what if things explode?" Morgans picked his hat up from the corner of the table and turned it back on. "Anyway, this ocean doesn't need a lid now."

The deputy didn't say anything more, took the manuscript and left.

Morgans sat back in his chair, pulled his feet out of his shoes, and put them on the edge of the table.

He was very tired.

I haven't slept well for three days, and I died more than seventy times in the Genjutsu. My body and mind haven't recovered yet.

But he couldn't close his eyes.

My mind was racing.

He was wondering how Four Blues would react after the manuscript was sent out tomorrow.

What will the fishermen of the East Blue think when they see this news? What will the merchants of the South Blue think? What will the nobles and elders of the North Blue, who were just dealt with by the Whitebeard Pirates, think? And what will the commoners of the West Blue, who have become accustomed to the rule of the Uchiha Clan, think?

He thought about it for a long time, until he didn't even know where his thoughts had gone.

The next morning, the printing presses of the World Economy News Paper started whirring away.

The article was printed on the front page, with a single line of large, bold text. "Mary Geoise has changed hands."

Newspapers were loaded onto airships, cargo ships, and mail tubes tied to the legs of seagulls, and flown from the headquarters of the World Economy News Paper to Four Blues.

In a fishing village in the East Blue, a middle-aged man squatted on the dock, unfolded a newspaper, glanced at the headline, and his hand trembled slightly.

Several fishermen gathered around him, and after seeing the words, some gasped, while others took a step back.

In a port city in the South Blue, a vendor spread a newspaper on his stall, read it once, then read it again, and then looked up at the sky, as if to confirm that the sun was still the same sun.

In a kingdom in the North Blue Whitebeard Pirates, a few noble elders huddled together reading a newspaper. After they finished, no one spoke. One of them folded the newspaper and stuffed it into the fireplace.

On an island in the West Blue, an old farmer took a newspaper from the postman, glanced at the front page, nodded, then folded the newspaper and put it in his pocket before continuing to bend down and hoe his field.

After the newspaper was published, the reaction from Four Blues was faster than Morgans had anticipated.

Indeed, a few members of the old aristocracy caused trouble.

An old nobleman from the East Blue, whose title had been revoked, gathered more than twenty servants, occupied a small tax office in town, and claimed to be "acting on behalf of Heaven."

The Heavenly Star Guard arrived that afternoon. The leader didn't say much, glanced at the tax office door, and had someone climb over from the back to open it. Then he went in and pulled the old nobleman out from under the table.

The whole process took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. No one was injured. The old nobleman was dragged to the square and made to kneel. The Heavenly Star Guard read out his crimes in front of everyone in the town, and then sent him to meet his ancestors with a single stroke.

The remaining servants scattered, running faster than rabbits.

Similar incidents have occurred several times in the South Blue and the North Blue, but they were all small in scale and were easily dealt with by Heavenly Star Guard.

Morgans later received reports from journalists across the country at the newspaper office, read them through, and sighed.

At this point, what's the point of making a scene?

He shook his head and put those messages aside.

What truly caught his attention were two other lines.

An unnamed area in the East Blue.

A remnant of the navy is adrift here. To call it a remnant is an understatement; there are only three ships left, one of which has its mast broken in half and is barely standing upright with ropes tied to it.

The ship had fewer than four hundred people in total, including wounded soldiers, civilian staff, and a few veterans who had been transferred from the branch.

The leader was named Brand, a Vice Admiral in his forties, with an old scar running from his brow bone to his jaw.

He stood on the flagship's deck, clutching a newspaper in his hand. He had been holding it for a long time, Kakuzu the newspaper were torn.

"You've seen them all?" he asked, tilting his head.

A group of people stood on the deck behind him: several Rear Admiral, several staff officers, and several branch leaders.

No one answered, but everyone nodded.

They had read the words in the newspaper more than once.

Mary Geoise has a new master, the Celestial Dragons are gone, the World Government is gone, Sengoku, Garp, Akainu, Kizaru have been sealed away, and Aokiji and Ryokugyu have died in battle.

The Marine Headquarters no longer exists.

"What should we do?" a Rear Admiral asked, his voice a little hoarse. "Vice Admiral Brand, you make a decision."

Brand was silent for a moment, then folded the newspaper and stuffed it into his pocket.

"What else can we do?" His voice was flat. "Fight? Take these three wrecked ships to fight the Uchiha Clan? Tell me yourselves, how can we fight this war?"

No one answered.

"If we don't fight, then there are only two paths left. Either we continue drifting, living day to day, eventually either starving to death or being found and eliminated by the Uchiha Clan. Or—"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Go to Mary Geoise and deliver the surrender document."

A moment of silence fell over the deck.

Some people were looking down, while others were gazing at the sea.

After a while, the Rear Admiral spoke again, his voice softer than before.

"A surrender document... will they accept it?"

"I don't know," Brand said, "But it's better than starving to death."

He turned around and looked at the people on the deck who were watching him.

"I'm not forcing you. Those who want to leave can leave now. Find a small boat and go whichever way you like."

Those who don't want to leave, come with me to Mary Geoise.

Once you get there, you'll either live or you won't; if you don't, that's fate.

But let me make this clear: once you go there, you'll no longer be in the navy.

Whether the Uchiha Clan will offer a way out, and what kind of way out they will offer, depends on their wishes.

Those of you willing to take this gamble with me, stay.

Those who don't want to, leave.

A few moments of silence fell over the deck.

Then a few people stepped forward and stood on Brand's side.

And then there was more.

Finally, everyone stood up.

Brand nodded.

"Okay, let's go then."

A pirate stronghold in the New World.

A medium-sized pirate crew called the "Iron Anchor Pirates" has been operating in this area for almost ten years.

The captain is a man named Anchor Jack, with a bounty of just over 300 million. While not top-tier in the New World, he's quite a figure in this area.

He also had a newspaper in his hand, and like Brand, he had read it several times.

"Captain," his first mate said after a long pause, "What do we do?"

Jack placed the newspaper on his lap and stroked the tuft of hair on his chin.

"What should I do? You've read the newspaper, why are you asking me what to do?"

You mean...?

"Look at what's written in this newspaper. The Celestial Dragons are all gone, the World Government is all gone, the Marine Admiral are either demoted or dead. The editor-in-chief of the World Economy News Paper wrote this article himself, would he dare to make up lies about something like this?" Jack picked up the newspaper and shook it.

"Look at Totto Land, Big Mom has surrendered. Wano Country, Kaido has surrendered."

The Whitebeard Pirates, along with the Uchiha Clan, were sweeping up the remaining enemies in the North Blue.

"Those big shots all knelt down, who are we to them?"

The deputy opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"A 300 million bounty." Jack chuckled self-deprecatingly. "In the past, a 300 million bounty would have been enough to make you look good in the New World. But now? The Uchiha Clan could send a small squad over, and our base wouldn't last half a day."

He folded the newspaper, tucked it into his pocket, and stood up from the chair.

"Go and summon all the cadres. I have something to say."

After all the officials had arrived, Jack spoke.

It was a short conversation, just a few sentences.

The Iron Anchor Pirates are no longer fighting, running away, or hiding.

Go directly to Mary Geoise and deliver the Book of Conformity.

Those who want to come, let's go together.

Those who are unwilling will receive severance pay and go their separate ways.

Someone asked him, "Captain, have you thought it through?" Jack nodded.

"I've thought it through. A bounty of 300 million is nothing on this high seas now. Being pragmatic is the only way to survive."

Two days later, the three remaining naval vessels from the East Blue and the Iron Anchor Pirates arrived at Mary Geoise almost one after the other.

Brand and his three hundred-odd men surrendered at the city gate, while Jack and his officers surrendered at the port.

The Night Owl Guard in charge of receiving them collected the two documents, registered the personnel list and ship information, and then gave them a temporary accommodation to wait for further arrangements.

Brand and Jack met at the resettlement site.

The two looked at each other but didn't say anything.

One is Marine Vice Admiral, and the other is a pirate captain. In the past, they would have fought as soon as they met.

But now they are sitting in the same resettlement site, waiting for the same group of people to arrange their next destination.

Jack spoke first, offering him a cigarette.

"Want to smoke?"

Brand glanced at him and took the cigarette.