What does "a hundred or two hundred pieces" really mean?
Morgans did a rough estimate. Even if he published just three of them each month, he'd have enough explosive content to keep World Economic News on fire for years to come.
His position in the journalism world would become unshakable.
He glanced at the two pieces of intel currently in his hands.
One was about an obscure, barely known pirate from the Whitebeard Pirates. Yet according to the intel, this pirate had managed to scar Red-Haired Shanks' face—not due to Shanks' carelessness, but in a real confrontation.
Even more shocking was that the man allegedly had a unique body constitution that allowed him to consume two different Devil Fruits, making him a dual fruit user—something thought to be impossible.
And the second piece of intel? It was even more absurd.
It claimed that Shanks had once visited the East Blue and, during Garp's absence, deliberately indoctrinated his grandson with the ideals of piracy. To maximize the effect, Shanks even sacrificed his own arm in the process.
Good grief. Every single one of these reports was a bombshell.
And they weren't just one-time explosions—they could dominate headlines for months.
Besides, Luo Lan had mentioned that he still held even more explosive material than this.
"Of course, I'm not giving you everything at once," Luo Lan said.
"For our first exchange, I'm giving you ten documents."
He handed over a stack of folders—eight in total, which, combined with the two Morgans already had, made ten.
"After this, I'll give you three new ones every month."
"You decide what to report and when. I won't interfere."
"But if I find out you've leaked anything about me, our deal ends immediately."
Morgans nodded slightly. That was fair.
After all, even if he were given everything in one go, World Economic News wouldn't be able to publish it all at once.
Two to three pieces a month was the perfect pace.
Besides, with ten pieces to start with, he now had the flexibility to pick and choose what to run. He wouldn't be at the mercy of whatever Luo Lan handed over each month.
So...
"No problem. Absolutely no problem!" Morgans grinned.
"Protecting sources? Please. I don't even know who you are, and even if I did—"
"I've never leaked a source, not even under pressure from the World Government!"
He sounded completely confident.
Luo Lan believed him—not because he trusted Morgans' integrity, but because...
As long as Luo Lan kept providing him with explosive scoops, Morgans would never betray him.
Because for Morgans, what was the ultimate benefit?
Information. Newsworthy, world-shaking, exclusive information.
And Luo Lan had precisely that. Not just one or two—but hundreds of high-grade scoops.
So as long as the flow continued, betrayal was never an option.
As for helping Luo Lan gather other things?
To Morgans, that was hardly a problem.
After all, he wasn't just a media tycoon—he was one of the underground emperors of the pirate world.
---
The deal was struck.
Both sides left the meeting extremely satisfied.
Morgans couldn't wait to return and start writing.
Scratch that—he didn't even wait to get back. On his way back, he was already in the ship's cabin, furiously scribbling away.
---
Two days later, Luo Lan returned to Branch 157.
After handing the Danaan over to Smoker, he boarded a different ship waiting at the harbor.
This ship was unusual.
It had no upper structures, not even sails. There were no cabins for sleeping or dining.
Instead, the interior was filled with empty cargo bays.
It was 183 meters long and 47 meters wide—a true behemoth by this era's standards.
"Set sail!"
At Luo Lan's command, six massive propulsion wheels unfolded from each side of the ship and began turning slowly.
If one were to look inside the ship right now, they would see dozens of marines grouped into six teams, pushing what looked like enormous millstones.
These wheels were unbelievably heavy, but the marines under Luo Lan's command all had Doriki (physical strength value) levels around 200.
For them, it wasn't even hard.
Soon, the strange windless ship reached a cruising speed of 5 knots—already far exceeding Luo Lan's initial expectations.
---
Roughly three hours later, the ship had ventured more than ten nautical miles deep into the Calm Belt.
Along the way, several Sea Kings tried attacking, but all were either driven off or knocked out by Luo Lan himself.
It wasn't that he couldn't kill them—he just didn't see the need.
After all...
Sea Kings were a valuable resource. Better to capture them sustainably than kill them outright.
Unless it was a target he specifically needed, it was best to let them live and fatten up for later.
"According to Hina, once we're ten or twenty nautical miles into the Calm Belt, Sea Kings over 500 meters long start appearing more frequently."
"Let's try our luck here."
"Order: Drop anchor!"
Luo Lan waved his hand and gave the command.
"Yes, Captain!"
Soon, the six propulsion wheels stopped spinning and retracted back into the hull.
The ship's speed slowed gradually until it came to a complete stop.
Standing at the bow, Luo Lan activated his Kenbunshoku Haki—Observation Haki.
In an instant, he extended his senses outward, forming a perception sphere about 1.5 kilometers in radius.
For someone who had only recently awakened Observation Haki, this range was unnatural.
But due to his two lifetimes and exceptionally strong spiritual energy, Luo Lan's sensory ability was far beyond that of ordinary people.
While this didn't particularly boost Armament Haki, it supercharged Observation Haki.
And the range was still growing—faster by the day, with no signs of slowing down.
---
Within his perception...
A Sea King had just entered his sensing radius.
But Luo Lan frowned—it was too small.
Only about 200 meters long.
Just as he shook his head, another Sea King entered the radius—this one slightly bigger at around 300 meters.
But still not what he was looking for.
A kilometer might be far for a human, but for a Sea King?
That distance was negligible—some of the older ones were even longer than that.
Luo Lan prepared to strike, waiting for the two beasts to breach the water's surface so he could knock them out cleanly.
But just then—
Both Sea Kings suddenly changed course.
They turned sharply and began swimming away at full speed, as though something terrifying had appeared.
Ten seconds later...
A colossal shape entered his sensory field.
"What the...?"
"From what I can sense so far, it's at least 700 or 800 meters long!"
"Finally... the real hunt begins.