69 Serialization

World Economy News Agency.

A large white bird that looked like a bald eagle from its attire—but was in fact an albatross—was clutching its head in frustration.

This bird was named Morgans, nicknamed "Big News." He was the president of the World Economy News Agency and also the user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Albatross form. For some reason, he always liked to maintain his current beast-man form, and the strangest thing of all—he couldn't even fly.

Morgans' life goal was the same as his nickname: to forever chase big news. And the reason he was currently so distressed was that all the pirates lately were only engaging in petty squabbles. There simply wasn't anything worth reporting...

Capone Bege from the West Blue had backstabbed two of his allies, unified Glaresse, and then been defeated by some unknown figure—that was already considered major news for this stretch of time. And they'd already reported on it long ago.

"Damn it... did all those pirates go on collective vacation or something? Why doesn't someone try challenging Big Mom or Whitebeard? Even Kaido of the Beasts hasn't stirred up trouble lately... are they all just holding it in for something huge?"

Morgans scratched his head in agitation, making a mess of his feathers.

"President!" At that moment, an editor ran over. "A News Bird returning from the West Blue brought back a... hmm... rather unusual manuscript."

"A submission from the West Blue?" Morgans was momentarily stunned.

It wasn't like the World Economy News hadn't received outside submissions before, but those were usually requests from certain factions, including the World Government.

Even on rare occasions when private individuals submitted material, it was typically sent to one of the local branch offices established by the agency.

This was the first time he'd seen a private submission delivered directly by a News Bird...

Because in this case, there was no way to receive any manuscript fee at all!

Under normal circumstances, once a private manuscript reached a branch office, the editors there would evaluate its general worth and issue payment accordingly.

They could even decide which newspaper and which section to publish it in. Most of the time, the editors handled these decisions themselves.

Only explosive major scoops or stories with uncertain truth and far-reaching implications would be sent all the way to Morgans, who would then decide how to publish them.

And for those kinds of stories, even if their authenticity was uncertain, the payment was quite generous. A normal person would obviously choose to submit through a branch office.

But this situation was different—because Sherwin wasn't even a native of this world to begin with. So things that were common knowledge to ordinary people were completely unknown to him. And since he didn't care about the payment anyway, he just had the News Bird deliver it directly.

After all, while they couldn't speak, News Birds were just as intelligent as humans. Sherwin wasn't worried about them losing his manuscript.

"Let me take a look."

Morgans extended his wing toward the editor. Since he had nothing to do at the moment, he might as well see just how special this strangely delivered piece actually was.

As he opened the manuscript handed over by his subordinate, the first thing that caught Morgans' eye was the bold heading at the top—

"West Blue Travel Guide: Flower Country Edition. Author: Traveler?"

Morgans immediately lost interest. "What is this? A sailing journal?"

What was so special about this kind of submission? Did it really need to be brought to him for review...

Morgans furrowed his brow, feeling a bit dissatisfied with his editor judgment.

Still, since the manuscript had already been brought to him, he didn't intend to just toss it aside. After all, he had nothing better to do, so he might as well see what was so "special" about this so-called "sailing journal."

So Morgans continued reading with patience—and before long, "Big News" Morgans found himself drawn in by the manuscript in his hands.

In this world, there were indeed things like sailing journals, but those were mostly for private use, and their focus was rarely on "sightseeing." Most were heavily centered around "treasure," which was a reflection of the pirate-centric nature of the world itself.

Even if someone saw beautiful scenery or tasted amazing food, they usually wouldn't bother writing it down—let alone sharing it.

That what made Sherwin travel guide, which focused on local customs, regional snacks, and cultural history, stand out so much.

Additionally, the two Felynes had been a great help. Aside from Klee Meow adorably styled illustrations, Sanji Meow—being a professional—offered expert guidance on the culinary sections.

Combined with Sherwin writing style, which mimicked the narrative tone of documentaries like A Bite of China and various tourism promos...

Even Morgans, who had long since visited the Flower Country, found himself wanting to go back and explore it properly after reading this West Blue Travel Guide.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Morgans slapped his thigh in excitement. "I never imagined a sailing journal could be written like this!"

As someone who'd been in the news industry for years, Morgans knew full well that this manuscript wasn't any sort of "big news." In fact, it couldn't even be considered a proper sailing journal—but that didn't mean it lacked value.

On the contrary, its value was quite high. Its potential audience was much broader. Even civilians who would never set sail in their lives would absolutely want to read something like this to learn about the cultures and landscapes of other regions.

Realizing this, "Big News" Morgans immediately began thinking about which section of the newspaper this should be published in.

The front page was out of the question. As good as the travelogue was, it wasn't really news. If anything, it resembled a story...

"That it! A story!"

Morgans slapped his thigh again. The World Economy News had published serialized comics like Sea Warrior: Sky in the past. He could launch a dedicated feature section modeled after that format.

Besides...

"Flower Country Edition" — clearly the author didn't plan on stopping at just one travelogue.

"Someone! Get over here, now!" Morgans called out to his staff, barking out excited instructions. "Find the News Bird that delivered this manuscript! And send a Den Den Mushi to the author right away!"

…

The World Economy News could rise to become the media tycoon of the entire pirate world precisely because its intelligence capabilities are naturally exceptional.

While they might not be as skilled as CP agents in uncovering secrets, they are absolutely second to none when it comes to the speed of information dissemination.

So before long, a Den Den Mushi was delivered to Sherwin by a News Bird and was immediately connected.

"Sherwin-nii, is this the Den Den Mushi meow? Why does it look like a bird? So interesting meow!"

Klee Meow stretched out her little paw and gently poked the Den Den Mushi, which had already taken on the appearance of Morgans.

"Sherwin?" On the other end of the line, Morgans quickly recalled the origin of that name.

"You're the swordsman who defeated Capone Bege?!"

"Oh… as expected of the president of the World Economy News, you even know someone as insignificant as me." Sherwin replied while holding Klee Meow in his arms to keep her from causing more mischief.

"Anyone who defeated 'Gang' Bege can hardly be called insignificant," Morgans casually offered some praise, then quickly shifted the topic to the manuscript that truly interested him.

"What more, you wrote that fascinating 'Voyage Journal'!"

"Voyage Journal, huh? So that how you see that travel guide…" Sherwin scratched his head. "Well, I suppose that not entirely wrong either."

Morgans didn't bother to argue about the naming. He directly extended a request for contributions:

"That travel guide of yours doesn't end with the Flower Country chapter, does it? Are you interested in continuing the serialization in the World Economy News? As for the manuscript fee, I absolutely won't shortchange you—just name your price!"

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have let the News Bird deliver the manuscript."

This was Sherwin goal from the start, so naturally, he wouldn't refuse. It wasn't about the money, but about forging a good relationship with Morgans, the media mogul and intelligence dealer.

After all, as Sherwin came into contact with more and more major plot characters, his foresight would gradually become less accurate. So it was best to have a stable source of intelligence.

Moreover...

Sherwin continued, "I don't really care much about manuscript fees. I'd even be fine without them. However... I'd like to get some information from you."

"Don't worry, I'm not asking for any sensitive intelligence that would get you in trouble." Seeing the Den Den Mushi furrow its brow, Sherwin quickly explained,

"I'm talking about the whereabouts of Devil Fruits and famous swords. Any type of fruit or sword will do."