Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 255 Jinbe's Plot: Interviews and Submissions

The marines had only been inside to report for a short while when a group of marines, led by a colonel, hurriedly arrived.

The colonel was wearing a hooded jumpsuit, had a pointed mouth, monkey-like cheeks, and triangular eyes, and even had three whiskers on his cheeks. At first glance, he looked like the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

It was none other than Captain Rat of the 16th Naval Division.

"Reporter, where is the reporter?" The mouse hurried over and immediately spotted Ning Yuan standing next to Ah Jian.

The main thing is that Ning Yuan's white suit was spotless. Judging from the material of the clothes and his demeanor, he couldn't possibly be a local. Especially a colonel like Lao Shu, who is best at reading people.

"Hello!" Ning Yuan extended his hand, handing over a small, square notebook. "My name is Ning Yuan, a reporter from the World Economic Herald. I heard that the Navy thwarted the Seven Warlords' plot here, so I came here specifically to conduct an interview. I presume you are the protagonist who thwarted the Seven Warlords' plot? May I ask your name?"

The mouse took the certificate and looked at it; the cover read "Ningguo News Reporter Certificate".

Upon opening the ID card, one finds the ID number, the reporter's name, the date of issuance, and a photograph of the reporter attached.

Below the photo is the issuing authority of the document: Ningguo News and Information Department.

"Such proper credentials!" Colonel Rat had seen reporters before, but they were all junior reporters from small-time news agencies in the East China Sea. These reporters didn't have any credentials at all; they just came to interview people with paper and pen in hand.

Ning Yuan pulled out this thing, which immediately frightened the rat.

As a major global newspaper, the World Economic Herald should have such high-class credentials; it even feels more prestigious than my own colonel's badge.

"Hello, Reporter Ning!" Rat hurriedly returned the press pass to Ning Yuan, his stiff face breaking into a wide smile: "My name is Rat, I'm a colonel from the 16th Marine Division. I did indeed lead the destruction of the Arlong Pirates, but I didn't know that this was related to those Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"Nonsense!" Before he could finish speaking, A-Jian immediately objected, "The Arlong Pirates weren't destroyed by your forces, it was clearly the Straw Hat Pirates who destroyed them!"

"You, Jian, I haven't even settled accounts with you for colluding with pirates!" Colonel Rat was immediately displeased. How could you talk like that in front of reporters?

After scolding Ah Jian, he quickly turned to Ning Yuan: "Reporter Ning, I need to explain to you that there's a girl in this village named Nami. She first joined the Arlong Pirates, but later betrayed them and joined the Straw Hat Pirates. The two pirate crews clashed because of Nami. But ultimately, we did indeed wipe out the Arlong Pirates, and we also drove away the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"Otherwise, look at that perfectly peaceful village over there. If we hadn't driven the pirates away, would it be so peaceful?"

As he spoke, Colonel Rat seemed quite aggrieved: "Reporter Ning, you must report the truth! Why is it so difficult for our navy to wipe out pirates? It's because these civilians collude with the pirates, working together in the same boat. Just think about it, our navy has barely set off, and the villagers are already greeting the pirates. How are we supposed to catch them?"

Ah Jian was dumbfounded. Good heavens, you're talking nonsense to my face!

Just as he was about to say something, Colonel Old Tree suddenly turned his head: "What, do you want me to investigate whether someone in your village is colluding with pirates?"

Ah Jian fell silent. Although he felt that the Straw Hat Pirates were good pirates, good pirates were still pirates. Nami joining the pirate crew was an indisputable fact!

Ah Jian could only look at Ning Yuan with a pleading expression. This reporter Ning wouldn't believe the colonel's one-sided story, would he?

If reporter Ning had arrived two days earlier, they could have seen the Straw Hat Pirates in person.

Ning Yuan nodded in agreement with what the rat said: "I often see villagers colluding with thieves, but the navy also needs to carefully investigate such cases. Is he forced into it, or has he had some kind of business dealing with the pirates? We must not jump to conclusions without investigation and harm innocent people!"

The mouse nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, as expected of a reporter, you really know how to talk. Our Navy has always done the same thing. Look at Nami, although she joined a pirate crew, she's clearly the kind of person determined to be a thief. Even before leaving, she stole from the villagers; she clearly hasn't changed her ways. Yet we haven't pursued the people from Nami's village. Speaking of which, it's heartbreaking that such a simple village as Cocoyasi has produced such a pirate!"

Ning Yuan chuckled. The reason you're not pursuing Nami's fellow villagers isn't because you're magnanimous, but because you're afraid Luffy and his crew will come back for revenge.

"Let's go, let's go! What's standing in the sun? Let's go inside and talk!" the mouse said, then looked at Ah Jian: "As for you, go back to your patrol, we don't need you here!"

"Uh!" Ah Jian looked at Ning Yuan with a pleading expression. If I leave, you can just spout nonsense.

But he had no ability to fight back against the rats.

He tried to ask Ning Yuan to speak, but Ning Yuan didn't even look at him and just followed the mouse away!

"Tch, I was even thinking of marrying Noki to you! You and Colonel Rat are two rotten birds of a feather!" Ah Jian spat on the ground, then turned and walked away.

He had to tell Nokigo that this reporter was no good person and that he should never trust him.

"This used to be the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates, but it's been destroyed!" Colonel Rat said, pointing to some ruins. "By the way, I noticed you didn't bring a camera. Don't you need to take a picture or something?"

"No need, I can draw!" Ning Yuan said, "I'll just draw whatever scene you need later!"

"Is that so!" The mouse didn't understand what a reporter from a major newspaper was, but drawing its own scene sounded pretty impressive.

The two arrived at a pavilion built by the navy. The rat was not one to tolerate the wind and sun, so he built this pavilion so that he could sit here and watch the marines work.

Now is the perfect time to conduct interviews here.

The rat served Ning Yuan a cup of tea and then asked, "Reporter Ning, who exactly is this Shichibukai you just mentioned?"

He's a cowardly and timid person, and he doesn't want to get involved with the Seven Warlords of the Sea at all.

"Arlong is Jinbe's subordinate among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, didn't you know?" Ning Yuan asked.

"Huh?" The rat was taken aback. "Arlong is Jinbe's subordinate?"

"Of course!" Ning Yuan nodded. "You know Fisher Tiger, right? They were both Fisher Tiger's subordinates, but after Fisher Tiger died, Jinbe became the leader of their group!"

The mouse gaped open; he really didn't know that!

"This Arlong was initially imprisoned in Impel Down. Later, when Jinbe became a Shichibukai, he was released and disappeared without a trace. I was recently traveling in the East Blue and heard about the Arlong Pirates' capture, which is how I learned they ended up here!" Ning Yuan said with admiration, "A Shichibukai's subordinate, secretly infiltrating the East Blue, and remaining there for almost ten years. During those ten years, they've been accumulating wealth. What do you think they're planning?"

"Oh..." The mouse blinked. "I heard they're planning to build some kind of fish-man kingdom!"

"Do you believe such a thing?" Ning Yuan retorted. "Building a fish-man kingdom does require money, but it also needs land and people. If I were an evil dragon, the best way to establish a kingdom would be to first kill everyone here and then relocate the fish-men from Fish-Man Island, instead of collecting taxes here!"

"Hiss!" The rat was stunned. Was this a reporter or a killing machine? I thought I was already weird enough, but I didn't expect this reporter to just open his mouth and kill everyone here!

However, this only made the rats more convinced of Ning Yuan's identity, because it was clearly the mentality of someone who had witnessed too much slaughter.

He must have witnessed far too many instances of massacres and national annihilation to be able to utter such cruel words in such a calm tone.

I never expected that not only are pirates so powerful, but even a reporter is so formidable in the Grand Line!

"So, what do you mean?" Without realizing it, the mouse had started using honorifics!

"I learned about the Arlong Pirates' modus operandi while I was in town. Aside from killing some people and wiping out a Marine force in the early days, they became unusually low-key later on. They didn't do anything except collect money everywhere!"

"And despite clearly liking money, she manages to restrain herself and never overcharges anyone each month!!"

"Can you imagine this? You know, I've never seen a country on this ocean that hasn't raised taxes for ten years!"

The rat opened its mouth: "That's because they consider themselves noble fish-people and don't want their bloodline to be polluted by humans!"

"Aren't Celestial Dragons supposed to be even more noble? How come they had children with ordinary people?" Ning Yuan said nonchalantly.

"Hiss!" The rat gasped, its first thought being, "This reporter has actually met a Celestial Dragon?"

Judging from his disdainful look, he might have even done an interview!

I didn't even know this big-name reporter before!

My second reaction was, "Is this something I can say? Is this something I can hear?"

My third reaction was, "The Celestial Dragons actually did this? That's so shocking!"

He glanced around and, finding the marines far away, relaxed. Then he whispered, "Hey reporter, let's not talk about the Celestial Dragons anymore. Let's continue talking about the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"What are you so timid about? Are you afraid of CP0s in this desolate wilderness?" Ning Yuan said irritably.

The rat was speechless. You even know about the CP organization?

You're the real elder brother!

"Fine, if you don't want to hear it, I won't say it!" Ning Yuan shook his head and continued, "Back to the Arlong Pirates, a pirate crew with such willpower, not greedy for money, and not lecherous, what are they planning to do?"

The rat had completely fallen into Ning Yuan's line of thinking: "So what are they planning to do?"

"It's very simple!" Ning Yuan said confidently, "If a person is neither greedy for money nor lustful, then he must have a bigger scheme in mind!"

The mouse was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully and felt that the statement made a lot of sense.

For example, he himself is very greedy and has no ambition.

For example, the colonel in the neighboring town of Loguetown, I heard that he is neither greedy for money nor lustful, and his ideal is to wipe out all the pirates in the world.

It seems that people who are not greedy for money or lustful tend to have lofty ideals.

"So what are their ideals?" the mouse asked hastily.

Ning Yuan shook his head: "I don't know!"

"How could you not know? Your knowledge is so vast!" the mouse exclaimed hastily.

"That's a plan that the Seven Warlords of the Sea have been lurking for decades, after all. Who knows what they're plotting!" Ning Yuan said. "But thinking about it carefully, it's not hard to guess. There aren't many things that would warrant a Seven Warlord of the Sea plotting for decades!"

"You mean?" The mouse's eyes lit up.

"The Void Century of History, the whereabouts of the Three Lost Weapons, and considering that the dragon is a fish-man, we must also add the ideal of the entire fish-man race: to live on the surface!"

The mouse was stunned, feeling as if what it was hearing in this short time was more exciting than anything it had heard in the past few decades.

"Then which one is he?" the mouse asked.

"What do the fish-men need history for? They can't get human recognition anyway!" Ning Yuan said. "As for the ancient weapons, the fish-men are so few in number, even if they obtained the ancient weapons, they still couldn't rule the world!"

"So, while the fish-men seem to have many dreams, in reality, there's only one third option: to live on land!"

"So?" The mouse blinked, vaguely sensing that it was about to touch upon the truth.

But with his limited intelligence, he really couldn't figure it out.

"That's right, he wants to steal a country!" Ning Yuan said calmly.

"Stealing a country?" the rat exclaimed in shock. "How is that possible?"

"Nothing is impossible!" Ning Yuan said calmly, "Although the land is vast now, there isn't an inch of land left for the fish-people to live on. If the fish-people want to live on the surface, they must occupy an existing country. If they were to kill all the people in that country, it would probably cause widespread opposition from human society. So the fish-people are trying another method, which is to stand above humans, rule and collect taxes!"

"The Arlong Pirates' rule over more than a dozen surrounding towns is a prophecy of this pattern!"

The mouse stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded. Wow, what an amazing deduction!

Moreover, it makes perfect sense!

"If that's the case, then it explains why the Arlong Pirates collect money but don't use it themselves!" Ning Yuan continued, "What do they collect this money for?"

The mouse blinked, then a brilliant idea struck it: "Pay the heavenly gold!"

Ning Yuan gave a thumbs up: "That's right, it's paying the Heavenly Gold!"

"Stealing a country isn't difficult; the real challenge is maintaining that occupation and gaining recognition from the World Government!" Ning Yuan said. "Jinbee then sent Arlong to a neglected corner of the East Blue to rehearse the future model!"

"By ruling the villages and amassing wealth, they are accumulating experience for their future rule over humanity!"

"If this place can succeed, then the future fish-man kingdom can succeed too!"

The rat finally realized, "So that's how it is! As expected of a Shichibukai, your scheme is truly profound, and no one could see through it until you cracked it today!"

"No, no, no!" Ning Yuan shook his head: "I wasn't the one who foiled the Seven Warlords' plot!"

"Didn't you deduce all of this?" The mouse asked, bewildered. "If not you, then who?"

"It was you!!" Ning Yuan said calmly, "It was you who thwarted Jinbe's plot, and it was you who discovered the truth about the Arlong Pirates' ten-year lurking in the East Blue!!"

"Huh? Me?" The mouse was taken aback, as if it had realized something.

"That's right!" Ning Yuan said calmly, "A deduction is ultimately just a deduction. If you write 'approximately', 'maybe', or 'perhaps' in the report, and then add later that it was all discovered by a reporter, how can the higher-ups assign credit for your work?"

"So this must be evidence you gathered yourself, a conspiracy you uncovered yourself!"

"And what about you?" The mouse had completely understood Ning Yuan's meaning; he was going to give me this enormous achievement!

But what did Ning Yuan gain by doing this?

"I'm a journalist, I don't need that kind of credit, or rather, reporting a sensational news story is my greatest achievement!" Ning Yuan said. "Besides, if everything was just my deduction, this kind of thing wouldn't make the news. But if a colonel comes forward to testify, then this matter becomes an ironclad case!"

"It not only makes the newspapers, it even makes the front page!"

Rats may be greedy, but they're not stupid. Besides, Ning Yuan has already explained it so clearly. If he still doesn't understand, then he's hopelessly stupid.

In short, even if Jinbe had no ulterior motives, they would make it appear as if he did. Afterwards, Ningyuan would get the news, and he, the rat, would gain political achievements. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?

Besides, who says Jinbe doesn't have schemes?

Did the evil dragon rule the village for over ten years? Did he keep detailed records of all the money he received? Did he save all the money instead of squandering it?

And most importantly, the dragon is dead!

Of course, he wasn't killed by Luffy, but by a rat.

If he were alive, the fact that he and the rat were colluding might be exposed, so the rat finished off Arlong after Luffy left.

The official explanation given was that he died from his injuries.

Once a person dies, there is no way to verify the truth!

How the dragon's testimony was written was entirely up to the mouse!

"But if we do this, won't we offend Jinbe?" The rat couldn't contain itself any longer in the face of such a huge opportunity.

But thinking about it carefully, doing this would offend one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

"Do you think Jinbe can still remain a Shichibukai after something like this?" Ning Yuan retorted. "He should deal with the Navy's pursuit first!"

"But!"

"You have even less to fear!" Ning Yuan said, "With such a great achievement, you'll definitely become a key figure in the Navy's training program. Everyone'll be watching you then. If you get retaliated against by pirates, especially Jinbe, what will become of the Navy's reputation!"

"That's true!" The mouse nodded, then said excitedly, "Reporter Ning, I understand what to do!"

Ning Yuan nodded in satisfaction: "You're a promising young man! Shall we begin the formal interview?"

"good!"

After uncovering the Arlong Pirates' plot, the rat no longer needed to claim credit for the Straw Hat Pirates' earlier achievements, as they were utterly insignificant.

The main point is what was discovered in Dragon Park.

For example, there were many burned sea charts, which clearly depicted places that the Arlong Pirates had their eyes on. Seeing that their scheme had been exposed, they tried to destroy the evidence. Fortunately, the marines braved the flames and rescued some fragments.

For example, the ledgers of the Arlong Pirates' headhunting fees over ten years.

For example, the dragon once planned a luxurious palace and even drew up the blueprints.

Clearly, this is the royal palace of the future dragon kingdom.

Then forge another interrogation record and put the dragon's fingerprints on it.

In one afternoon, the rat's report was ready, and Ningyuan's press release was also ready.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Colonel!" As he left, Ning Yuan patted Mouse on the shoulder. "Next time we meet, you'll probably be a Major General!"

"Hey, Brigadier General, Brigadier General!" the mouse hurriedly said modestly, "We can't skip ranks here, so I'll probably have to stay at the Brigadier General level for a year or two! But I also want to congratulate you, Reporter Ning, you've got a good chance of making the headlines!"

"Hey, congratulations to you too!" Ning Yuan laughed. "Let's work together again sometime!"

"Alright, alright!" Mouse smiled, but quickly added with regret, "It's still a bit of a pity though. With your talent, it's a waste for you to be a reporter. If you were willing to be my advisor, I think you could become a major general in less than ten years!"

"I'm sorry, my greatest ambition in life is to record and publish news!" Ning Yuan cupped his hands in apology.

"That's good. From now on, if there's any news, I'll contact you first. By the way, do you have a Den Den Mushi?"

"No!" Ning Yuan shook his head: "I lost my Den Den Mushi when I came to the East China Sea and crossed the Reverse Mountain!"

"Sigh, Reverse Mountain is indeed difficult to cross, but our Navy's Den Den Mushi are limited. I can't give it to you, but you can write down my number first. I'll also write you a note to prove that you are a friendly member of our Navy. In the future, when you travel to the East China Sea and the Grand Line, you can take our Navy's official ships, which will be much safer!"

"Thank you so much, Colonel Mouse!"

"You're welcome, you're welcome, we're all brothers!"

"vomit!"

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I ate an orange from a fellow villager on the way here, and now I'm feeling a bit acidic!"

"Sigh, how can we eat these country oranges? It's getting dark. Why don't you stay for a meal, brother?"

"No, no, I need to go see a doctor first!"

"Okay, by the way, when will that report be published?"

"It should be shipped out tomorrow!"

"Alright, alright, shall I send two soldiers to escort you there?"

"No need, no need. You're so busy here, and besides, the dragon is gone now, the road is safe!"

"Alright, take care, buddy!"

"Ugh, goodbye!"

. . . . . .

"Phew!" He leaned against a tree to ease his stomach. Actually, he was fine physically, but he was having some trouble accepting the situation emotionally.

"Bad guy!" A crisp voice rang in his ears.

"What bad guy?" Ning Yuan didn't even turn his head; he could tell from the voice that it was Noki Gao.

"You're a bad guy!" Nojiko emerged angrily from behind the tree, holding a stick in her hand.

Why are you using a stick too?

"How am I a bad person?" Ning Yuan retorted.

"That Colonel Rat is a bad guy. You were seen arm in arm with him, how could you not be a bad guy?" Nojiko raised her stick irritably. "I thought you were a good person, and I treated you well, humph!"

As he spoke, the stick came crashing down on his head.

Ning Yuan had no choice but to grab the wooden stick. Luckily, it was Nokiko, just an ordinary girl.

If this were Hancock, I'd be dead by now.

"Even though I'm all cuddled with rats, I'm really not a bad person!" Ning Yuan explained, "Or, let me explain?"

"Fine, go ahead and say it!" Noki tugged at the stick twice but couldn't budge it, which made her even angrier.

But upon seeing Ning Yuan's handsome face, his anger inexplicably vanished.

Perhaps he really has some kind of hardship?

After all, wasn't Nami the same way back then? Although she was a thief, she was actually doing it for everyone in the village!

"That's not right!" Ning Yuan scratched his head. "After I said 'Let me explain,' shouldn't you have replied, 'I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it?'"

"What kind of person would do that?!" Nojiko was speechless. "Where did you read all these romance novels? How could you believe such a plot? And explain yourself to me right now!"

"Hmm," Ning Yuan stroked his chin, pondering how to explain to Nokiko.

After thinking for a moment, Ning Yuan said, "This matter is very complicated. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Listen!" Nochiko nodded earnestly.

"If you listen, you'll have to become one of my people. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll reveal my secrets, and then I'll have no choice but to kill you!" Ning Yuan added, "So, are you sure you still want to listen?"

"This..." Nojiko's face stiffened. "Is it that serious?"

"It's even more serious than your sister becoming a pirate!" Ning Yuan said seriously.

Noki clicked her tongue in surprise, but after thinking it over, she nodded emphatically: "I want to hear it!"

She was a woman of strong character, capable of both love and hate, and not one to be wishy-washy. From the moment she first saw Ning Yuan, she fell in love with him!

So at this moment, proving that Ning Yuan is a good person is more important than one's own freedom and life!

I must prove that I didn't misjudge him!

"Alright!" Ning Yuan sighed, making sure no one was around before saying, "I'm someone who opposes the World Government and the Navy!"

"You're a pirate?" Nojiko was taken aback, but her expression relaxed.

I thought it was something else, but my sister has the same thing!

It's no big deal.

Clearly, she had never heard of the Revolutionary Army.

"Well, pretty much!" Ning Yuan's task is similar to that of Dragon, but they are not from the same organization, so Ning Yuan definitely cannot use the name Revolutionary Army.

"What does this have to do with you and that rat being all over each other?" Nojiko asked again.

"If you had a grudge against the Navy, would you prefer all the high-ranking naval officers to be intelligent, capable, and wise, or to greedy, lecherous, and cowardly people like Rat?"

Nuoqi was taken aback, and finally understood what Ning Yuan meant.

"But..." Although she could understand rationally, Nojiko found it difficult to accept emotionally: "Isn't there any other way? Why do we have to cooperate with someone like this?"

"This isn't cooperation, this is exploitation!" Ning Yuan laughed. "Besides, those whose virtue doesn't match their position will inevitably suffer misfortune. With Rat's abilities, he's barely qualified to be a colonel; any further promotion will only lead to trouble sooner or later. Even if he doesn't get into trouble, as long as he's alive and holding a high position, it's a blow to those who uphold justice!"

"People like this are more useful alive than dead!"

Ning Yuan patted Nuoqi Gao on the shoulder: "Let's go!"

"Where to?" Noki asked blankly.

"Going to your place?" Ning Yuan said matter-of-factly. "Don't forget what you just promised: after hearing my secret, you're mine!"

"Huh?" Nojiko looked bewildered.

"That newspaper bird?" Ning Yuan suddenly looked up and waved at a newspaper bird in the sky.

There haven't been any big news lately, so newspapers aren't selling fast. Ning Yuan was thinking of finding another newspaper bird to submit an article to tomorrow, but to his surprise, there were still newspaper birds lingering in the sky with unsold newspapers by evening.

When the newspaper bird heard someone call him, it immediately landed excitedly, picked up a newspaper and threw it to Ning Yuan. At the same time, it raised its wings and gestured with five feathers, indicating 50 Berries.

"I have no money!" Ning Yuan said.

The newspaper bird's eyes widened immediately.

"However, I have a manuscript here that you need to give to your boss!" Ning Yuan took out the interview manuscript, handed it to the newspaper bird, and continued, "Also, tell your boss that I want to cooperate with him long-term. If he agrees, you can be our liaison, and you won't need to deliver newspapers every day anymore."

That's right, Ning Yuan is not a reporter for the World Economic Herald at all.

He only arrived in this world this morning!

However, after confirming the golden finger that Mother Earth had given him, he immediately chose journalism as his initial career path.

It could also be a long-term career path.

As for how to become a reporter for the World Economic Herald, Ning Yuan felt it wasn't that difficult; he could just submit his articles directly. With his writing skills and this explosive content, Morgans, if they had any sense, wouldn't refuse such an excellent freelance writer!

The newspaper bird was skeptical of Ning Yuan's promises. But it had been robbed quite often before, so it figured it was just another one.

And looking at this thick interview transcript, what if, I mean just what if, what he said actually comes true!

As a newspaper reporter, how I envy those guys who don't have to go to work every day and can communicate one-on-one with writers!

It's done!

The newspaper bird grabbed the manuscript and stuffed it into its backpack. It nodded at Ning Yuan and then took flight.

(End of this chapter)