Meeting the Snapshot King was, without a doubt, a total fluke.
But when it came to "making a name for themselves in the pirate world," Bulma was more than ready.
With the help of Uchiha Hikari and the others, she spent half a day setting up a full-on photography studio aboard the Blue Planet. She got all the lighting equipment perfectly arranged and then pulled out a stack of matching outfits from the warehouse—or, more accurately, from her trusty Universal Capsule.
From captain to vice-captain, boatswain, ship's doctor, lookout… each role had its own distinct uniform style, tailored to fit each crew member perfectly.
"…Wait, our pirate crew has uniforms now?" Uchiha Hikari asked, a bit stunned.
"Of course!" Bulma chirped. "I designed these based on the Frieza Force's battle suits. You can wear them if you want—no pressure! But…" She leaned in with a sly grin, "it'd be awesome if you did, since these photos might end up on our wanted posters one day, circulating worldwide. Gotta make sure our crew looks sharp, right?"
"…"
So, you're actually aiming to become the Pirate King?
They'd barely set sail, and she was already scheming to get them on the Navy's wanted list? Hikari muttered under her breath but grabbed her "vice-captain outfit" and headed to the changing room.
The group photo shoot took the whole day.
Aside from Yotsuya Miko, who was just a regular human, and the younger crew members Nezuko and Naruto, everyone—including Esdeath—took their turn snapping "ID photos."
By the time they were done, the Snapshot King's film rolls were nearly used up.
But the results? Pretty darn good.
Bulma was thrilled.
One thing worth mentioning: during the shoot, the Snapshot King seemed really curious about the Blue Planet. He even mentioned that he hadn't seen many ships this impressive, even at Navy Headquarters.
So, during a lunch break, he casually probed Hikari and the others about the crew's background.
Specifically…
He asked if there was a mysterious crew member who hadn't shown up yet—someone skilled at controlling ice and snow, fond of riding a bicycle on ice, and known for "lazy justice."
"…Huh? Aokiji? Never heard of him, no comment!" Hikari replied, deliberately avoiding eye contact and putting on an obviously lying face.
Here's the thing.
She hadn't planned for this.
But when the Snapshot King dropped those hints, Hikari quickly pieced together what he and Morgans were thinking—
They'd mistaken Esdeath for Aokiji!
And, well, without knowing about the whole "otherworlder" situation, it wasn't a huge leap. Esdeath and Aokiji did have some similarities.
No need to clear up the misunderstanding, though.
Aokiji's fame far outstripped the "Dimension Pirates" right now. One of the Navy's three admirals, a top contender for the next Fleet Admiral—his name was known across the seas. Borrowing a bit of his spotlight? Not a bad move for the crew.
And, worst-case scenario?
If this report made the World Government suspicious of Aokiji and pushed him to defect from the Navy early…
Hikari wouldn't mind recruiting him. After all, in the original story, he ended up siding with pirates anyway. Joining their crew would be way better than ending up with Blackbeard, right?
After lunch that day, Hikari and Bulma politely escorted the Snapshot King off the ship, waving goodbye.
"…Such a shame," Bulma sighed as she watched him disappear into the distance. "I was hoping to snag Sanji as our ship's cook, but he's already joined the Straw Hats. Guess that's off the table…"
"No big deal," Hikari said with a grin, brushing it off. "Sure, that guy's solid in the kitchen and in a fight, but his flirt game's on par with Master Roshi. If he joined, you'd probably have to lock the bathroom door just to shower in peace. We'll find someone else."
Lately, Tanjiro and Nezuko had been handling the cooking duties on the Blue Planet.
No other options, really.
Esdeath could cook, but with her personality? No way she'd play chef for the crew. Brand and Leone, being assassins, only cared about food being "edible" and "filling." Kikyo's clay body didn't mix well with water…
So, the job fell to the Kamado siblings, who'd grown up fending for themselves.
They didn't mind, though. They said it was their way of paying the crew back for dealing with Muzan and his goons.
Still, it'd be better to leave cooking to a pro.
"Oh, by the way, Hikari," Bulma said, turning to her. "I saw you slip the Snapshot King a gold bar. Was that payment for the photos? You didn't have to—"
"Nah, that was for buying intel," Hikari said, stretching her arms behind her head. "I asked him to check with Morgans about Whitebeard's exact location. If all goes well, we should be meeting 'Pops' pretty soon."
In Hikari's eyes, Morgans was a seriously underrated player in the pirate world.
On the surface, he was just a news agency boss with average strength, no mastery of Haki, and only a handful of decent fighters under him.
But in reality?
The guy had a stranglehold on nearly all the latest intel in the pirate world. Even top-secret stuff like Luffy and Law's alliance got scooped and reported by him almost instantly. His reach was insane. "News King"? Nah, "Intel King" fit him better.
So, the gold Hikari gave the Snapshot King? Part of it was for Whitebeard's whereabouts, but the real goal was to open a line to Morgans for future intel deals.
"Alright, enough scheming for now," Hikari said. "It's getting late. Let's head back to the ship and rest. If things go as planned, Morgans should have someone deliver Whitebeard's location in a day or two."
…
And just as Hikari predicted—
A few days after the Snapshot King left, a snow-white seagull landed on the Blue Planet's deck, carrying Whitebeard's intel and a stack of newspapers.