The next day, breakfast at the Blake estate was exceptionally lively, and the dining table once again became a battlefield for everyone.
There were those who prioritized taking care of Blake's meal, such as the group of maids led by Stella, as well as Hancock and Kalifa.
There were also those snatching food from each other, like the more lively ones—Koala, Kaya, and Rami.
Even worse were Perona and Olga, who were keen on adding strange ingredients to others' food, or swapping food others disliked onto their own plates, finding endless joy in such mischievous pranks that benefited no one.
Today's newspaper was out, and Blake was full of curiosity; he really wanted to know how Morgans would report on the great battle that took place on Thersfield Island yesterday.
Picking up a newspaper, he immediately saw the eye-catching headline:
"Shocking! A Heaven-shaking Battle on the Grand Line—The Legendary Devil Fruit Has Actually Fallen into This Man's Hands!"
"An Island-Destroying Devil Fruit Appears in the East Blue! The Red Hair Pirates Suffer a Disfiguring Crushing Defeat!"
Immediately following were two photographs.
The first showed the attacks of Shanks and Teach colliding, locked in a standoff; the second showed the three scars left on Shanks's face by Teach.
"Dear readers, please put down everything in your hands for a moment! Because what you are about to read is enough to overturn your understanding of this ocean!"
"Just yesterday, a terrifying conflict completely defying common sense erupted on Thersfield Island in a remote sea area of the East Blue!"
"Its destructive power was so immense that it could permanently alter the island's geographical structure!"
"Is this truly a battle that the East Blue could give birth to?"
"Clearly, this is a signal that some ancient power has returned to the forefront!"
"This mysterious, hulking man—this towering physique! This oppressive aura! Those shocking claw marks! Those wounds deep enough to see the bone!"
"This is definitely a descendant of some reclusive, powerful clan!"
Seeing this, Blake couldn't help but laugh out loud.
You really have to give it to him; this time, that conspiracy theorist Morgans actually guessed right—Teach really is a descendant of a reclusive, powerful clan.
"You think my surname is Marshall? No! My surname is Rocks!"
"You think my surname is Rocks? No! My surname is actually Davy!"
The main strategy is: as long as I hide deep enough, no one can expose me!
These two photos were naturally taken by an intelligence agent from afar.
After the battle ended, Blake had him send them to Morgans anonymously, letting the King of News add fuel to the fire of this event.
In the original work, Teach clearly left scars on Shanks's face, yet it wasn't until Shanks mentioned it himself when meeting Whitebeard that people on the ocean began to learn about it.
That won't do!
As everyone knows, those who venture across the ocean yearn to make a name for themselves; for that, they might even go as far as attacking an Admiral with a gun, or pulling off the feat of being the only one-armed Red Hair on the ocean.
As a powerhouse who genuinely left scars on Shanks in a one-on-one fight, how could Teach be so low-key?
Do you know that you're making the dreams of those other people on the ocean seem very low-level by acting like this?
Make a name! You must make a big name for yourself!
That's just how much Blake likes Teach.
Even if you want to make an enemy of the whole world, I will help you!
What? You don't want to make an enemy of the whole world at all?
No problem! I'll help you make an enemy of the whole world!
Blake continued reading to see what other interesting takes Morgans could come up with regarding this battle—
"My god! Is this really power that a human can possess?"
"Look at the collapsed cliffs! The vanished wharf district!"
"This is simply... simply some kind of terrifying power we have yet to recognize!"
"Everyone! Think carefully—why this specific island? Why this specific fruit?"
"What kind of power could make two powerhouses of such caliber fight fiercely on a remote island in the East Blue?"
Immediately following were two more photos, showing the shattered island and Teach walking away quickly, respectively.
The intelligence agent was very crafty when selecting the latter photo, deliberately creating an image where Teach was triumphant and escaping unscathed, while Shanks was helpless.
"Look at that man's retreating figure! Is what he took away merely a fruit?"
"No! What he took away is the key capable of overturning the ruling foundation of the World Government!"
"The peaceful East Blue is becoming a new stage for various factions to compete in the shadows!"
"That man's gaze, his momentum, his posture of seemingly having everything within his grasp..."
"Isn't all of this ironclad proof that some grand plan has begun to launch?"
"Dear readers, the transformation of an era never shifts according to our will; when the curtain of this storm is raised in the East Blue, who can remain unscathed?"
"The scars of Thersfield Island will become a warning monument for all factions on this ocean to realign!"
After finishing the report, Blake was very satisfied with Morgans's typically stable performance.
This guy actually didn't know what the Devil Fruit the two were fighting over was, but he could rely on his own imagination to portray it as a Devil Fruit capable of overturning the world, as if whoever obtained that Devil Fruit could rule the world.
Additionally, because Blake had the intelligence agent provide Morgans with photos where Teach appeared to have the upper hand, he had successfully led Morgans astray.
He naturally assumed that Teach had the upper hand in the battle with Shanks and had successfully taken away that "world-changing" Devil Fruit.
Although Teach's public identity was considered hidden, he had, after all, spent so many years on the Whitebeard Pirates.
The reason he had no bounty was simply because he kept a low profile; it wasn't that no one knew him.
Once this report came out, he wouldn't be able to hide; he would likely be exposed by tomorrow.
What was even more interesting was that now everyone thought he had obtained a super-strong Devil Fruit, and one could only wonder what kind of reaction others on the ocean would have.
Thinking of this, Blake couldn't help but reveal a hearty smile; he loved watching such drama the most.
Blake hurriedly shook his head:
"No, no, as a model youth, how could I do such things that harm others without benefiting myself?"
"Hmm... I must have been led astray by the decadent life of the Celestial Dragons!"
"Damn it! I clearly have such a firm will, yet in the end, have I been corrupted by this group of people?"
"As expected of the naturally evil Celestial Dragons, even I have been assimilated without realizing it!"
"Perhaps there's also the influence of Perona, Olga, and the others."
After reflecting seriously and shifting the blame completely, Blake felt that the problem still lay in the environment of Mary Geoise, and it was definitely not his own problem.
However, the matter had already happened, and it wouldn't be right to just end it like this.
Forget it, let's just watch the drama unfold first.
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