NOVEL WEB Chapter 196: Chapter 196
Morgans had gone to great lengths to make the calls.
Aboard the Mythical Sky, Kairos Flint lounged with his legs crossed, enjoying the devoted attention of Baby-5.
But somehow, he still didn't feel quite satisfied.
The phone snail nearby kept ringing persistently, but Kairos showed no intention of answering it.
Until about the twentieth call.
Kairos finally put down the milk tea in his hand, gave Baby-5 a firm pat on her perky backside, gestured for her to move aside, and then finally picked up the call.
On the line, Morgans sounded distinctly anxious. When he had started calling earlier, he had been brimming with confidence. But after Cole had called him with nothing to report, his heart had sunk like a stone. Call after unanswered call only made things worse.
Irritated and panicked, he truly feared that Kairos might sell the scoop to someone else.
As soon as the call connected, Morgans' bloodshot eyes widened as he blurted out, "Kairos, tell me you haven't sold the news yet?"
"We're in the middle of a conversation. Stop calling me so much—it's annoying," Kairos replied with the calm theatricality of a man already playing mind games.
Morgans, though the head of the world's most powerful news agency and an experienced media mogul, already sensed from their brief exchange that Kairos had something monumental. The price he quoted even before the deal had been struck confirmed it—and Morgans clearly wasn't happy with it.
"Kairos, we go way back. Fifty-one billion beli? That's outrageous," Morgans pleaded, trying to sound charming.
"I'm already taking a loss here. I'll sell it to you for 4.2 billion beli. How's that sound?"
Kairos rubbed his chin thoughtfully and responded, "What if I told you this news could easily go for over five billion once it's out? Would you still think the price unreasonable?"
"I'll give you a hint: it's about Pirate King Roger."
The moment those words were spoken, Morgans froze on the other end.
Had he misheard?
Just as he was about to ask for clarification, Kairos continued, confirming again—the news was about Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself.
Morgans tried to stay calm. After all, this wasn't his first encounter with shocking revelations.
"Are you talking about his son? Fire Fist Ace?"
"Oh? You already know he's going to the battlefield?"
The moment Morgans revealed he knew about Ace's parentage, Kairos knew the incident was happening sooner than anticipated.
"Yes, he's headed into battle," Morgans replied. "Kairos, your scoop isn't worth five billion. The Navy's already given me that information."
He sounded disappointed, devastated even.
Nearly an hour of effort wasted—he had expected a world-shaking exclusive. Damn it.
Just as he was about to say his goodbyes and hang up, Kairos spoke slowly, with deliberate composure.
"What if I told you… that Pirate King Roger is still alive? How much do you think that news would be worth?"
Morgans froze.
The phone snail trembled in his grasp as he cried out, "Kairos… what did you just say? Roger—the Pirate King—is still alive?!"
"I still need to confirm some details," Kairos said calmly, lying through his teeth without even blinking. "But the probability that it's true is over 90 percent."
He had no qualms about spinning this tale. Kairos knew that if Morgans even suspected this was a ploy—say, if Kairos impersonated Roger—he would publish the story cautiously, downplay it, or cast doubts in the headlines.
That ambiguity would dilute the impact.
No—he needed Morgans to believe. He needed him to publish with full force, treating the resurrection of Gol D. Roger as absolute truth.
Kairos was planning to fake it so convincingly that even Morgans would fall for it.
And fall, he did.
Morgans sat speechless. If the Pirate King were truly alive, it would send shockwaves not just across the world—but across all races, all oceans, all kingdoms.
He believed Kairos.
After all, this was the same man who had promised to deliver the severed heads of the Three Great Celestial Dragons—and had actually done it. His credibility was, undeniably, sky-high.
"Kairos, 5.2 billion beli—deal," Morgans finally said. "But you're not getting the money until I have solid proof."
"Fair enough," Kairos replied. He knew the game. Morgans wouldn't pay until the evidence was in hand.
They ended the call on that note.
"Kairos, when are Nami and the others coming back?"
Vivi was massaging Kairos' shoulders as she asked, her gaze drifting to the endless sea.
Kairos wasn't worried.
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If Robin were here, she'd have dragged both Nami and Uta back by now, no matter how deep into shopping they were.
Just as they were chatting, Kairos suddenly noticed a massive figure soaring in from the horizon. It didn't look like a bird—no, it was BattleGreymon returning.
"They're back! Nami and the others are back!" Vivi cheered, sensing the familiar energy. She rushed to the bow of the ship, waving her arms joyfully.
BattleGreymon swooped over the ship and quickly transformed back to his original form.
Kairos could see now—there were several people riding on his back.
Robin and Uta were there, as expected. But another girl was with them—dressed in green, freckles dotting her face, with a fluffy afro. She looked nervous, glancing downward.
(Qian Li—now localized—was clearly anxious.)
"Descend!" Nami called as they came in for a landing.
The girl—An—squealed in fright, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Her cries echoed across the skies.
But just as they neared the Mythical Sky, BattleGreymon stabilized his flight and brought everyone down safely.
Once on deck, An was still dangling in Nami's grasp.
"Mission accomplished," Nami said proudly, adjusting her nose with her free hand. "I brought you the one you asked for."
Robin and Uta were both overloaded with shopping bags, their arms completely full and utterly useless for anything else.
Kairos looked at An.
An looked back at Kairos, her eyes wide with shock, pupils dilated.
She gasped, "Kairos… the King of Bounties…"