On the sea surface not far behind the Freedom, a small sailboat was closely following.
"Boss, bad news."
Bang—!
The cabin door was kicked open by a reporter holding binoculars and a camera.
"Huh?"
Huo Niao was lying on the sofa, exuding an air of authority. Although he was submissive to Kong Tai, he was currently the rising star of their news agency! He unhurriedly put down the cigar in his hand and looked up at the reporter, his subordinate, who had rushed in in a panic.
This reporter, along with two others, were sent by Morgans to assist him, specifically to film the Silver-Haired group.
"What's the matter? You're in such a rush, you can't accomplish great things in this state!"
"Back then, when I filmed Silver-Haired, Big Brother, fighting Admiral Kizaru, I didn't even blink!"
As he spoke, he shook his head at the reporter, like a senior lecturing a junior.
"My apologies, Boss. You are right."
The subordinate bowed and replied, slowly regaining his breath.
"Speak! What is it?"
Huo Niao raised his cigar, took a puff, and opened his mouth, letting the smoke drift from the corner of his lips. The subordinate stood up straight and slowly began, "The Silver-Haired group's Freedom has left the sea and is flying towards the unknown."
"Hm!"
Huo Niao's hand, holding the cigar, paused. He quickly raised his head and looked at his subordinate, shouting, "What did you say?"
"The Silver-Haired group flew away."
"Flew away?"
Huo Niao was confused for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He lowered his head and looked at the bounties on the coffee table. The topmost bounty was not Kong Tai's, but A Hua's. It was clear he had already guessed something.
Aside from the Marines, he was the only one who had witnessed the scene of A Hua, and the other two, and Kuina eating radishes and getting powered up. He knew what A Hua's ability meant to the World Government and the Marines.
After thinking for a while, he waved his hand at his subordinate.
"I know. You can leave for now!"
"What about the Silver-Haired group?"
"Regarding Silver-Haired, Big Brother, I'll call him and the President later, then think about the next steps."
"Understood."
The subordinate turned and slowly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Creak—!
The room suddenly darkened. Huo Niao relaxed and lay back on the sofa. After thinking for a while, he sat up and looked at the Den Den Mushi on the coffee table. After some hesitation, he decided to call Kong Tai. Although he didn't want to disturb Kong Tai, his mission was to follow the Silver-Haired group, and now that he had lost his target, he didn't know what to do.
Soon, the call connected. Huo Niao quickly picked up the Den Den Mushi's receiver and spoke first, "Silver-Haired, Big Brother, it's me, Huo Niao."
At this moment, the Den Den Mushi's head suddenly transformed into Kong Tai's appearance, even the azure blue pupils were identical. It was quite magical. The Den Den Mushi's voice rang out.
"Oh… it's Huo Niao! What do you want?"
Huo Niao cautiously looked at the Den Den Mushi and said softly, "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask where Silver-Haired, Big Brother, is going with this sudden change of course."
"Hm!"
A cold glint suddenly flashed in the eyes of the Den Den Mushi's head. An invisible aura emanated from its pupils and acted upon Huo Niao, causing his body to stiffen, and cold sweat to break out.
"Do I need to report my actions to your newspaper?"
"No, no, no… a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
Huo Niao shook his head repeatedly. "I just unilaterally wanted to know Silver-Haired, Big Brother's next destination so I could prepare early, and… capture your handsome figure, wouldn't that be great?"
"Oh! Is that so?"
The Den Den Mushi nodded, then said, "Alright, put away your little schemes. Only you and the Marines knew about A Hua's matter on the island. You should know what his abilities mean to the World Government, right!"
Huo Niao hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I know about A Hua, Big Brother."
"Since you know, it shouldn't be hard to guess what I'm going to do next. Alright, that's all. If you don't have anything to do for the next few months, go to the Kingdom of Alabasta. Once you get there, you can inquire about Baroque Works. I'll give you a big scoop then."
"What about Drum Island?"
"What news is there? Just a small king of a small country."
"Alright, that's it. I'll see you in a few months."
The moment the voice fell, the Den Den Mushi's voice abruptly stopped. Its head returned to its snail shape, clearly having been hung up by the other party. Huo Niao held the receiver, lost in thought for a long time, muttering, "Kingdom of Alabasta, Baroque Works, Shichibukai…" The more he said, the brighter his eyes became, and his expression grew more excited.
"Could it be that Baroque Works is related to the Shichibukai 'Crocodile', and Kong Tai's target might be Crocodile."
Huo Niao excitedly put down the receiver, stood up, and quickly walked out of the room. It was true, Drum Island was just a small country. No matter how much Kong Tai caused trouble, it would only be minor news to him and the world, unless Kong Tai annihilated the entire Drum Island. But based on his understanding of Kong Tai's personality, that was clearly impossible. Therefore, Kong Tai was right, news from a small country couldn't compare to news about a Shichibukai.
Hearing the door open, the three junior reporters standing outside the door turned their heads to look at Huo Niao. Huo Niao quickly walked past his three subordinates, stood at the bow of the ship, looked up at the Freedom, which had become a small black dot under the sun, then turned and shouted loudly to his three subordinates, "Change course! We're heading directly to the Kingdom of Alabasta."
"Alabasta? We're not going to Drum Island anymore?"
Huo Niao waved his hand and turned to look at the sea. "Not going. Silver-Haired, Big Brother, told us to go to Alabasta, so we'll do as he says."
"Oh!"
The three subordinates exchanged glances, excitement flashing in their eyes.
"The Kingdom of Alabasta!"
It was not only the home of the "Nefertari family," one of the twenty royal families that founded the World Government, but also the territory of "Crocodile," one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"This is going to be a confrontation with a Shichibukai!"
"Big news, more big news."
…
Just as Kong Tai changed course and headed towards the unknown. A small boat, resembling a coffin, slowly sailed on the canal of the Kingdom of Bass. No, it couldn't be called a boat, only a small skiff. As the skiff gradually approached, some keen-eyed civilians spotted its appearance. The civilians, busy repairing their houses, assumed it was someone returning from sea. They took a glance and paid no further attention.
However, the guards on the dock, who were assisting in transporting lumber, the former subordinates of Yibada, were different. They had been bounty hunters for three years! To be able to sail the Grand Line in such a small skiff by oneself must mean they were an extraordinary powerhouse. As the skiff approached and they got a clear view of the figure on the skiff carrying a giant, ornate sword, they all froze in place. Then, one of them quickly put down the lumber in his hands and hurried towards Yibada, who was working shirtless not far behind, helping the civilians move lumber.