Chapter 29: Hello World

In truth, the intelligence-gathering “trick” of this journalist named William was remarkably simple—he relied entirely on birds.

Of course, not his own birds. In fact, his personal avian abilities were quite limited. But he could make use of others’, and there was nothing untoward about the way he did so… He was, after all, a Devil Fruit user.

The Devil Fruit he had consumed was called the Bird-Bird Fruit, and its effect was quite straightforward—it granted him the ability to communicate with any and all bird species. Essentially, it was a supportive skill, but in the hands of a journalist, it was as good as a professional asset.

It was as though William could release surveillance drones across the world, and the advantage this gave him in acquiring news undoubtedly propelled his career forward. Not to mention, he could converse with news birds, which made it easy to set up a vast network of informants—or even solve heinous crimes such as a “news bird serial killer case,” should one ever arise.

Of course, that was only if he managed to work for a global newspaper like “World News.”

In short, his intelligence-gathering methods were a bit like that infamous Penguin Man, albeit in a more localized and less sophisticated form.

Apart from that, William was personally very proactive—an essential trait for any would-be famous reporter. Sometimes, in pursuit of a particular lead, he had to sift through thousands of birds just to glean a single clue. Most birds, after all, possessed very little brainpower, making communication with them an exercise in both patience and absurdity.

As for how he managed to find Qiu Bai so quickly this time, he could only attribute it to luck—or perhaps misfortune.

No one really knew what terms he offered the birds in exchange for their information. But to get anyone—a third party, even if it was just a bird—to divulge what you wanted, there always had to be some kind of transaction.

Unfortunately for William, his abilities landed him squarely in Qiu Bai’s grasp this time. Fortunately, the task Qiu Bai assigned him—guiding them—wasn’t particularly difficult. The place Qiu Bai wanted to go was somewhat hidden, but by no means a secret. William didn’t even need to reinvestigate; he’d already looked into this very spot before. In fact, he knew their destination inside and out.

Of course, “guiding” in Qiu Bai’s eyes didn’t mean William could just point to a location at random and be done—he was to lead the way in person.

On the first day in Qiu Bai’s hands, William met the other two members of the group. Including Qiu Bai, their trio comprised a young man, a young woman, and a young bear.

Then, he was subjected to a more “convenient” form of restraint. With just a touch from the young woman, his world seemed to expand infinitely.

It was a change reminiscent of swallowing a dose of APTX4869—beneficial in some ways, detrimental in others. For instance, with his face now much smaller, he could only carry his old black-rimmed glasses in his hand, but at this age, his eyesight was perfect anyway. On the downside, as a child now, he was completely under Qiu Bai’s control and couldn’t even think of escaping. The only hope of regaining his proper form lay in successfully delivering them to their destination, after which they promised to lift the effect. The upside was that Qiu Bai, with his red hair and youthful appearance, was so distinct from William’s own ordinary black hair that, even following him around, no one would mistake Qiu Bai for his father—or his mother, for that matter.

All things considered, with a human GPS at his disposal, many of Qiu Bai’s problems were solved—at the very least, intelligence now came directly to his door.

Thus, after another day on that unnamed island, Qiu Bai and his companions, along with their captive, set out again, using the same battered little boat from the Giant.

“You… you’re letting a bear captain the boat?” As soon as they left the harbor, William was “shocked”—and who wouldn’t be, seeing a bear at the helm?

Yet William hadn’t realized that, on this boat, the bear outranked him by far. Disparaging the bear would only earn him trouble.

“Reporter William, let me ask you a question—does your surname come first or last?” Qiu Bai asked calmly.

His tone was still mild; in truth, as long as the captive did as he was told, he genuinely had no intention of doing anything excessive.

“William.”

By the conventions of this world, William Wallace’s surname was William, and his given name was Wallace.

“Very well, William. Let me explain something to you. First, Beppo here is the most skilled navigator among us. He’s already completed three days of theoretical study; all that remains is practical experience.”

The praise clearly pleased Beppo, who puffed out his chest in pride. At this point, he was no longer wandering around naked as he had back in the Calm Belt; that would be far too uncivilized. Qiu Bai had outfitted him in a full orange outfit—at a distance, he looked for all the world like Naruto.

“But… what about your navigator who crossed the Calm Belt?” William was still anxious about their safety. He certainly didn’t trust Beppo—what difference did three days’ study make for a bear? Was this practice, or a death sentence?

Yet even in his worry, he couldn’t help but slip in a bit of personal interest. He still hadn’t forgotten the big story of the Calm Belt.

As for the safety of the voyage, he was genuinely concerned. Even if the boat was faster, it would still take at least eight or nine days to reach their destination.

Eight or nine days, relying entirely on a clueless bear?

“Second, don’t forget you’re a prisoner. Under the relevant agreements, Beppo is free to beat you at any time.” Qiu Bai’s voice came again, clear in intent—prisoners had no rights.

Beppo hadn’t yet experienced years of bullying at the hands of humans, so he wasn’t particularly timid; on the contrary, he was even a bit aggressive. Hearing Qiu Bai’s words, he bared his teeth at William.

Faced with the bear’s display, William immediately fell silent. He knew full well that, even in his original form, he’d stand no chance against this bear—it was best not to make trouble.

…

With William so subdued, nearly half a month slipped by.

Yet it took them almost twice as long as expected to reach their destination. It wasn’t that William’s initial estimate was wrong—Beppo was simply inexperienced, and the journey took much longer as a result.

Still, at least he ensured they were heading in the right direction. If Qiu Bai had been in charge, they might have traveled faster, but who could say if they’d have gone the right way? That wouldn’t have been navigation—it would have been drifting.

At last, they arrived. William breathed a sigh of relief; the journey had not been without incident, but at least the boat hadn’t sunk.

They’d arrived safely, though not without anxiety.

“This is the place?” Qiu Bai looked at the sprawling port and towering high-rises, feeling as if he’d been tricked. No pirate, however bold, would make a place like this their “base.”

This was one of the few immense islands in the North Sea, boasting a thriving city.

“Of course not—it’s on the other side of the island,” William quickly corrected, realizing that if he were suspected of deception, the young woman might be tempted to give him another dose of her power. He still didn’t know her name, but he knew she could end him without effort.

So Beppo hurriedly steered the boat around the coastline to the island’s far side. The moment they arrived, Qiu Bai knew he’d come to the right place.

The boat struggled ashore, and Qiu Bai turned to the young woman and said, “You can release him now.”

William had fulfilled his task perfectly.

She nodded and lifted the effect.

No sooner had William regained his form than he tried to feign calm, but at Qiu Bai’s wave, he bolted.

Journalists might chase after news, but any rational person knows there are some things better left alone.

Now was one of those times. This was why William had never dared pursue certain investigations too deeply, even after uncovering hints.

Once ashore, Qiu Bai gazed up at the towering mountain before him… though it was a mountain of garbage, its sheer size made it oddly impressive.

From behind the trash heap, a man emerged—a typical lackey, yet this one was fierce enough to merit a line:

“Who are you?!”

Qiu Bai thought: Why should I tell you? But instead, he flashed a standard eight-toothed smile and replied,

“Excuse me, is there a pirate here? The one they call ‘Joker’?”