bookbashuk Chapter 99: Unexpected Information
Chapter 99: Unexpected Information
Chapter 100: Unexpected Information
Oro sat in a chair in the communications room of the artificial island and picked up the internal Den Den Mushi.
"Bru bru bru ————"
He pressed the answer button, and the Den Den Mushi's appearance immediately began to change. Several lines resembling knife scars appeared on its shell, its eyes were half-closed, and the corners of its mouth turned down, giving it an anxious look.
"Golden Emperor! Beehive Island has been attacked!"
The Den Den Mushi's imitation voice was somewhat shrill, spoke very quickly, and carried a clear hint of panic.
Auro raised an eyebrow, leaned back in his chair, and tapped lightly on the armrest with his left hand.
"Oh dear, John, what happened? You've been attacked again?"
The Roger Pirates just pulled off a big heist, so who is this next?
The Den Den Mushi's expression grew even more anxious, its eyes widened, and its mouth opened and closed even faster: "It's a giant spider and a horse leading a group of Celestial Dragons who call themselves the Knights of God!"
"I don't even know how they showed up! They didn't say a word and just started attacking without any warning, shouting something about washing away the shame!"
"When I escaped, half of Beehive Island had sunk!"
Oro whistled, a hint of amusement in his voice: "So you've sent two of the Five Elders straight in? Looks like the World Government takes you very seriously."
"Stop making sarcastic remarks!"
The Den Den Mushi, mimicking John on the other end, practically shouted, its voice cracking, "Hive Island is gone! The Rocks Pirates are finished! Golden Emperor, I need to settle my information fees!"
Oro calmly shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, looking out the window of the communications room. The sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying a salty, metallic smell.
"Settle the bill? Are you so scared you're about to run away?"
He paused, his tone still calm: "Okay, 1500 million Berries. I will approve the person in charge of Treasure Island to settle the payment with you in one lump sum."
"Only 1500 million?! Golden Emperor, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?!"
John immediately objected, his Den Den Mushi expression contorted, and veins even bulged on his forehead.
Oro chuckled softly, the sound coming from the Den Den Mushi: "Heh, my friend, our intelligence transactions are settled annually, and we've already settled our intelligence fees for this year."
"You have no intelligence at all, just the Beehive Island attack that might make the front page tomorrow. The 1500 million is already a consideration for our friendship over the years."
9
"Wait! I have more information!"
The Den Den Mushi's imitation of the voice became even more urgent: "I saw it when I left! The Celestial Dragons didn't kill everyone on Beehive Island directly, but instead gathered them all together, as if they were taking them somewhere else!"
"Take it somewhere else?"
Oro stopped tapping the armrest, sat up straighter, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
The light in the communications room cast a small shadow on his face, making his expression look somewhat inscrutable.
Oro was silent for a few seconds, during which time only the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) simulated heavy breathing.
"Alright."
Oro finally spoke: "I'll give you another 500 million, 2000 million. Go and collect it."
"Contact me when you've figured things out and realize you should go find Rocks."
"Golden Emperor! You—"
Before John could finish speaking, Oro pressed the hang-up button.
The Den Den Mushi's expression froze, then quickly returned to its usual sleepy look, and it retreated back into its shell.
The communications room fell silent, with only the faint roar of the vortex and the hum of the ventilation system coming from outside the window.
Oro remained seated, staring at the Den Den Mushi (snail phone), his mind racing through the information he had just heard.
The Knights of God, led by two of the Five Elders, half-submerged Beehive Island, did not kill, but took people away.
These fragments of information collided and coalesced in his mind. What was the World Government trying to do?
During the ten-day trial, top combatants were dispatched to destroy Rocks' lair, but instead of executing people directly, they went through the trouble of transporting them away.
This doesn't align with the Five Elders' current "better to kill a hundred million innocent people" approach.
Unless—they have other uses.
Oro stood up and walked to a metal table in the corner of the communications room, where paper and pens were placed for the stationed personnel to record communications.
After writing down John's intelligence, he turned and walked out of the communications room.
Outside the door, the person in charge of the artificial island was still standing there, maintaining a standing posture. When he saw Oro come out, he straightened his body even more.
Oro handed over the paper: "Send this intelligence to the Secretariat, and encrypt the original before sending it. Tell them there might be some unexpected gains."
"Yes, sir!"
The person in charge took the paper with both hands, his movements were very standard.
Auro didn't say anything more, just waved his hand, indicating that the other party could go and do their business.
He then turned and walked along the metal corridor toward the deck.
Gaya Island, the capital of the Gaya Kingdom.
Inside the six-story Kingdom Government building, located in a narrow strip of land connecting the two sides of the island, the air was so hot it was hard to breathe.
This Gothic-style building is thirty meters high on each floor, with huge arched windows inlaid with stained glass, allowing sunlight to shine in and cast colorful spots of light on the ground.
But nobody cares about appreciating these things now.
Tens of thousands of government employees work day and night in this building, amidst the ringing of Den Den Mushi (snail telephones) and the rustling of papers.
The hurried footsteps and hushed conversations mingled together, creating a continuous, unsettling noise.
The temperature was two or three degrees higher than outside. Although the ventilation system was running at full power, there were too many people. The heat from the machines, the body heat emanating from people, and the heat from the constantly running copiers and telegraph machines made the air inside the building thick and stuffy.
The second and third floors, where Tianhai Trading Company is located, are the hardest-hit areas.
A stack of documents tied with hemp rope was piled up in the corridor. Staff in uniforms jogged between the offices, each with sweat on their face and bloodshot eyes.
In just a few days, more than a dozen people have been carried out due to heatstroke or overwork.
The announcement issued by the Secretariat yesterday was posted on the bulletin board on each floor: From now until the state of emergency is lifted, all staff working overtime will receive a 50% increase in hourly wage, and meals and medicines will be fully reimbursed.
People often stop in front of the bulletin board, glance at it, sigh, and then turn back to bury themselves in the pile of documents.
I have more money, but I'm also really tired.
If the lower departments are already incredibly busy, then the secretariat, located on the top floor of the building and occupying the entire sixth floor, is even busier than one can imagine.
The temperature is higher here.
It wasn't because there were more people—the core members of the secretariat only numbered around thirty—but because of the pressure.
Every order issued from here can affect the livelihoods of hundreds of islands and tens of millions of people under the kingdom's control.
Oro's presidential office is on the sixth floor, east side, with a floor-to-ceiling window that occupies an entire wall, but it is currently empty.
The adjacent rooms have been converted into a co-working space, with long conference tables piled high with documents, the stacks of paper almost touching the ceiling.
Stussy, who was brought along by Gails, could only meet the other sisters briefly. The sisters were all very friendly because everyone was busy!
After the meeting, Stussy was thrown into a mountain of documents!
Stussy swore she had never seen so much paper in her life!