I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 302 The Money for Buying Intelligence

Meeting the photography king was certainly an accident.

However, Bulma was well-prepared for the idea of ​​"making a name for herself in the pirate world".

With the help of Uchiha Hikaru and others, she spent half a day setting up a special photography studio on the "Blue Planet" and setting up all the lighting equipment inside. Then, she moved a bunch of uniforms of similar style out of the warehouse—or more accurately, the "capsule."

From the captain and first mate to the bosun, doctor, and lookout, the uniforms for each position are slightly different, and the sizes are tailored to each individual.

"...So, our pirate crew even has a uniform?"

Uchiha Hikaru was somewhat surprised.

"Of course, I designed this based on the combat suits of Frieza's army. Everyone can decide whether to wear it or not, it's not mandatory."

Bulma said something to Brand and the others behind her, and then added cryptically, "But it would be best if we could wear them. After all, the photos taken this time might be posted on our bounty posters and distributed all over the world. We can't let our pirate crew lose face."

"..."

So you really want to be the Pirate King?

They've only just set sail, and they're already planning to get on the Navy's wanted list?

Uchiha Hikaru muttered a few words, then grabbed his "first mate uniform" and went into the locker room.

This group photo activity lasted all day.

Besides Yotsuya Miko, who is an ordinary person, there are also two young unofficial members, Nezuko and Naruto. Everyone else, including Esdeath, had their "ID photos" taken one by one.

By the time all these tasks were finished, the few rolls of film that the photographer had brought were almost used up.

But the results were quite good.

Bulma was very satisfied.

It's worth mentioning that during the photo shoot, the photographer showed great interest in the "Blue Planet," saying that he had never seen many warships built to such an impressive scale even at the Navy Headquarters.

So, during their meal break, this guy subtly inquired about the origins of Uchiha Hikaru and the others.

especially……

Is there a member on board who hasn't shown up yet, is skilled at manipulating ice and snow, likes to ride a bicycle on ice, and adheres to "lazy justice"?

"...Huh? What Aokiji? I don't know him, no comment!"

When answering this question, Uchiha Hikaru deliberately made his eyes dart away, making it seem like he was lying.

Well, how should I put it?

Although I hadn't thought about this aspect beforehand.

But after hearing what the photographer said, she guessed what the latter and Morgans were thinking—

So...

Did they mistake Esdeath for Aokiji?

Indeed, without knowing about the existence of "visitors from another world," Esdeath and Aokiji do have somewhat similar roles.

In that case, there's no need to make any special explanation.

After all, Aokiji's fame far surpasses that of the "Dimensional Pirates." As one of the three admirals and a strong candidate for the next Fleet Admiral, it's no exaggeration to say he's known throughout the world. Riding on his coattails wouldn't be a bad thing for them.

Even if we take a step back and say...

If Aokiji becomes suspicious of the World Government because of this report, and is thus forced to defect from the Navy prematurely...

Uchiha Hikaru, however, didn't mind taking him in.

—Anyway, this guy was destined to become a pirate in the original work anyway. Since he's going to be a pirate anyway, coming here is better than going to Blackbeard's place, right?

After lunch that day.

Uchiha Hikaru and Bulma politely saw the photographer off the ship and waved goodbye.

"...What a pity."

Watching the photographer disembark and walk away, Bulma seemed to suddenly remember something and sighed, "I was saying before that I wanted to recruit Sanji to our ship as a cook, but he's already joined the Straw Hat crew, so it looks like there's no chance..."

"...It doesn't matter."

Uchiha Hikaru chuckled and casually reassured him, "That guy is reliable in cooking and fighting, but his lechery is on par with Master Roshi. If we let him join the crew, we'll probably have to be careful even when taking a bath. We can just find someone else."

For the past few days, Tanjiro and Nezuko have been serving as chefs on the "Blue Planet".

no way.

Esdeath can cook, but given her personality, it's impossible for her to be a chef for everyone; Brand, Leone, and others have been assassins for years, so their cooking only focuses on being "edible" and "filling"; Kikyo's clay body makes it inconvenient for her to get wet...

Therefore, this important task can only be entrusted to the poor children who have to learn to manage the household early.

They were both quite happy with what they were doing, saying it was a way of repaying everyone for helping them get rid of Muzan and his gang a while back.

But it's probably better to leave this kind of thing to professionals.

"By the way, Hikaru."

Bulma turned around and looked at Uchiha Hikaru: "I saw you give Photo King a gold ingot just now. Was it payment for him to take pictures for us? Actually, that's not necessary..."

"No, that's the cost of buying intelligence."

Uchiha Hikaru stretched, hands behind his head. "I'll have him ask Morgans when he gets back where Whitebeard is. If all goes well... we should be able to see 'Old Man' soon."

According to Uchiha Hikaru.

Morgans is actually a greatly underestimated character in the world of One Piece.

On the surface, he seems to be just a newspaper owner with average strength, not even knowing the three colors of Haki, and having few experts under his command.

But in reality...

This guy actually possesses access to almost all the latest intelligence in the One Piece world. Even confidential news like Luffy and Law forming an alliance can be collected and reported by him immediately, demonstrating his immense power. Compared to "King of News," Morgans is more appropriately titled "King of Intelligence."

and so.

Uchiha Hikaru gave the money to Photo King for two main reasons: firstly, to buy information about Whitebeard, and secondly, to establish contact with Morgans so that it would be easier to buy information from him in the future.

"Okay, let's not think about that anymore."

"It's getting late, let's go back to the ship and rest. If nothing unexpected happens, Morgans should send someone to deliver Whitebeard's location information to me in a day or two."

……

Just as Uchiha Hikaru had guessed.

A few days after the photographer disembarked and left.

A pure white seagull, carrying intelligence about a white-bearded creature and a stack of newspapers, appeared on the deck of the "Blue Planet".

(End of this chapter)