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Chapter 98: The Silly Bird Isn't Silly
Blake had no interest in the trio's little antics.
He had more important things to do right now.
"Hey, you, come here." Blake beckoned to the pitiful News Coo.
The News Coo jolted, its wings fumbling, and it half-flew, half-scrambled over to Blake, its head bowed, looking like it was waiting to be reprimanded.
Dragon's eyelid twitched, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
He turned his head and, in a voice almost inaudible to anyone but himself, muttered to Garp.
"Boss Blake, is he... always like this?"
Garp nodded seriously.
This kid has always been this ridiculous.
Dragon's heart instantly turned cold.
Garp seemed to feel a nod wasn't enough to express his feelings. He leaned closer and whispered.
"You'll get used to it."
"Also, this kid is the most petty person ever. Don't, under any circumstances, offend him."
Garp's tone was unprecedentedly grave, as if he were imparting some life-saving secret.
This was a lesson he had learned through blood and tears.
Dragon: "..."
Has this world finally gone insane?
Just as father and son were having their intimate exchange, a shadow quietly fell over them.
Kizaru's signature, sleazy face had appeared again, his eyes under his sunglasses narrowed slightly, his ears pricked up longer than a rabbit's.
'I see, so little Mr. Blake is petty. I must make sure not to offend him.'
Snap!
A crisp snap of the fingers.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, the casual clothes Blake had been wearing, which looked thin in the sea breeze, instantly vanished.
In their place was a perfectly tailored, wrinkle-free, pure black suit and a snow-white shirt.
He casually slicked his slightly messy white hair back, and a pair of delicate, gold-rimmed glasses appeared out of thin air, resting perfectly on his nose.
[Note: I'm not sure why, but the author keeps changing the MC's hair color from white to black. For consistency, I will use white, as it was the first color used to describe him in the early chapters. Of course, you can imagine him with black hair instead; it won't affect reading experience.]
In an instant, his entire aura changed.
From a harmless-looking neighborhood boy, he transformed into an elegant, mysterious, yet bone-chillingly dangerous, "cultured scoundrel."
Blake looked up, ordering the News Coo, which was trembling in place, from his new-found height. "Fly higher. Shoot from below. Do you understand what an 'upward angle' is?"
"Coo?"
The News Coo's tiny head was filled with huge question marks.
But it reacted quickly.
Clothes make the man; it truly understood that saying today. This human before it changed his clothes, and his whole bird... no, his whole person... his aura became terrifying!
Blake ignored its confusion and pointed to the three human statues frozen behind him.
"You three. Step back. Don't block the shot."
His voice was calm, but it carried an order that allowed no refusal.
Oh.
Garp, Dragon, and Kizaru, almost instinctively, took several steps back, giving Blake the optimal stage.
Coo!
The News Coo nodded emphatically, indicating it understood the essence of the "upward angle."
It flapped its wings, flying into mid-air, its professional photographer's soul burning.
Click! Click! Click!
The blinding flash, accompanied by the crisp sound of the shutter, went off wildly on the deck.
The News Coo transformed into an ace pilot, sometimes circling, sometimes diving, sometimes banking, capturing Blake's figure from every possible 360-degree angle.
Blake had one hand in his suit pocket, the other resting casually on the ship's railing. The sea breeze whipped at the hem of his black suit, making it flutter.
He didn't look at the camera, just turned his face to the side, his gaze distant, fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky. The lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses reflected the glittering waves.
An indescribable sense of mystery and story washed over them.
"Good, keep that feeling," Blake's voice sounded faintly, as if talking to the News Coo, or perhaps to himself.
He slowly turned, facing the camera directly.
"Front. Give me a close-up."
The News Coo jolted, immediately adjusting its angle, locking the lens firmly on Blake's face.
Blake raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together, and lightly pressed them to his temple. The corner of his mouth hooked into a faint, ambiguous smile.
The smile didn't reach his eyes. Paired with his "cultured scoundrel" attire, it exuded a heart-stopping danger.
Click!
The photo was perfectly captured.
"Alright."
Blake lowered his hand and nodded at the News Coo in satisfaction.
With Blake's satisfied nod, the News Coo felt as if it had been granted amnesty. It flapped its wings, preparing to flee.
After all, the human who had just been striking poses had an aura that was far too terrifying.
It was just a small bird responsible for taking pictures and delivering mail. It couldn't handle this kind of pressure.
It would leave this pressure for the three brutes behind him.
"Wait."
Just as the News Coo was about to fly off the deck, Blake's cool voice rang out again.
The News Coo's body froze in mid-air. It forgot to flap its wings and nearly plummeted into the sea.
It turned stiffly, looking at Blake with its small, beady black eyes, letting out a pitiful "Coo... Coo?"
What other orders do you have?
Blake, one hand in his pocket, slowly walked over to it. His gaze, behind the gold-rimmed glasses, was calm.
"The photos are good, but photos alone aren't enough."
He extended an index finger and lightly tapped the News Coo's small head.
"The headline. Do you know how to write it?"
"Coo?"
The News Coo was completely dumbfounded.
Write... write a headline? It was just a bird! A professionally trained bird, yes, but its job description didn't include 'writing'!
Looking at its dazed expression, Blake knew he couldn't count on it.
He sighed, feeling like he had to worry about everything.
"I'll give you a direction," Blake's voice was low.
"It needs to be exaggerated. Shocking. It needs to make people see the headline and be unable to resist finding out what happened."
The News Coo tilted its head, a spark of inspiration flashing in its beady black eyes.
It seemed... to understand.
Exaggerated? Shocking?
Certain genes within its body seemed to have been activated.
The flames of creation instantly ignited in the News Coo's eyes. It puffed out its chest and let out a series of rapid, loud "Coo-coos!" at Blake.
Coo! Coo-coo-coo! Coo-coo-coo-coo!
Its impassioned posture was as if it were giving a rousing speech.
Blake looked at it, a trace of surprise in his eyes.
Seeing the burning flames of creation in the News Coo's eyes, Blake's own eyes lit up.
Hey, this silly bird... isn't silly!
He nodded in satisfaction. "Exactly. Write that. Go, let the world... be shaken."
"Coo-coo!"
The News Coo, having received its final orders, cried out loud and clear, filled with an unprecedented drive. It flapped its wings, turning into a streak of white lightning, and shot into the clouds, flying toward the news agency headquarters at a speed so fast it left an afterimage in the air.
It couldn't wait to spread this "Big News," news that would subvert the entire world's perception, across the four seas!
The next legendary King of News-sellers will be me!
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