A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

When it comes to all the Fairy Tail merchandise shops in Magnolia, Kira's Hope Cottage is undoubtedly number one—although there are only two people running this business in the entire town, the other being Marcus.

Marcus is truly the most business-minded person in the guild. Unlike Kira, who relies on sheer strength to open a shop, he is able to run his shop thriving entirely thanks to his eloquence, intelligence, and foresight.

His shop doesn't carry Kira's powerful magical equipment or prank magic items; it only sells ordinary merchandise. However, the selection is much more flexible, without any disgusting tactics like "buy a Kira figure and get a Natsu figure free," "buy a Kira autographed fan and get an Erza pendant free," or "buy a Kira-themed coat and get a Mira-themed napkin free."

"You guys came at the perfect time! Come help me sell umbrellas, let's try to sell a thousand today!!"

"Huh?! So Juvia, you're with Gray. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you since yesterday..."

"By the way, Erza, how are those Balrogs doing? Oh well, let them be..."

"Gajeel, come with me, I'll show you something interesting..."

Chapter 869 A World-Shaking News

Time passed amidst the pattering rain, and in the blink of an eye, the seven-day downpour ended, the sky cleared, and the sun returned to Alabasta.

Meanwhile, Kira had already led everyone away from Alabasta and embarked on their journey to Skypiea.

The purpose of this trip is to collect all the gold on the sky island.

Next, they were going to take to the skies, and the mages, who knew nothing about navigation, certainly wouldn't choose to use Baroque Works' sailboats. So, Kira took advantage of their time in Albana to modify the Hope, turning it into a huge mobile fortress that could accommodate everyone's lives.

Kira originally intended to split into two teams, but this was unanimously rejected by everyone.

"I'm asking you guys, are you sure it's okay for you to come along? That's over 10,000 meters in the air, the air is so thin!"

Kira pointed to Levy sitting opposite him and looked at Gajeel, saying, "What Levy needs most right now is a place to recuperate properly, right?"

Levy smiled shyly, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes. "It's okay, Wendy's here, isn't she? Besides, I feel safer with everyone! You can't just leave me in a place like Alabasta, can you?"

"That makes sense..."

Under Levy's insistence, Kira had no choice but to agree to take everyone with him. Fortunately, the remodeled Hope had a larger capacity and more rooms. In addition, to make it easier to take care of each other, Kira changed the original two-person rooms to four-person rooms. Therefore, even though the total number of people has now reached twenty, it is still more than enough.

Soon, Kira, following the Log Pose he bought from Alabasta, led everyone to Gaya Island.

Returning from the sandy Alabasta to the Grand Line where the sea meets the sky, the group of mages felt incredibly refreshed, as if they had received some kind of sacred baptism.

The vast and magnificent sea, the calm and sunny sky, the salty sea breeze, and the restless fish and birds add a touch of fun to the leisurely sea voyage.

Suddenly, a newsbird flew in from the sea.

Newsbirds are the strongest messengers on the Grand Line and even across the four seas. Their main duty every day is to deliver messages, and they can be seen almost everywhere except in the Calm Belt.

There are many news agencies across the ocean, but Killer only knows one: the World Economic News Agency. Its president is Morgans, the user of the Bird-Bird Fruit in Albatross form, one of the emperors of the underworld. He appeared as Charlotte Linlin's guest in the Whole Cake Island arc. Basically, all the newspapers mentioned in the One Piece storyline are published by this agency.

Each newspaper's newsbird has a different outfit: pure white feathers, a hat that looks like an officer's cap, and a backpack around its neck containing the hats it plans to sell that day, as well as the money it earns from selling newspapers.

"Hello, a newspaper please!!" Kira waved vigorously at the Newsbird from afar, calling it over, and casually took out 50 Berries and dropped them into the 'coin box' in the package.

The newsbird's eyes revealed a very human-like gaze. Its eyes blinked wildly, and its long neck looked left and right, curiously examining the Hope, seemingly surprised by Kira, this iron box that could fly in the sky.

However, upon seeing Kira about to throw down a Berry and then take a newspaper, it suddenly made a move. Its right wing flapped sharply against Kira's hand, and at the same time, it pulled a wooden sign from its backpack, on which were blatantly written: "Today's newspaper price has increased! 1000 Berry!"

"Wow... the price has increased by so much?!"

Kira gasped in shock. 1000 Berries! How many Choppers could that buy?!

"Hey! What's going on?! A newspaper usually costs only 50 or 100 Berries, why is it so expensive today?!"

However, the news bird wouldn't answer Kira's question; it just gave Kira a smug look: 'Buy it or don't, today's news is absolutely explosive, missing it is your loss!'

"You want a beating, don't you?!" Kira clenched his fist, ready to punch him, but the newsbird was not afraid at all, and even whistled mockingly.

"So arrogant??"

Kira was taken aback. "Could today's news really be that explosive?? What could it be?... Oh, I know! It must be that my movements in Alabasta these past few days have been recorded! It seems my plan has already achieved its first step. Congratulations!"

With this thought in mind, Kira felt much more at ease, and his face lit up with joy as he withdrew his fist. However, he still issued a warning: "If I find it's not worth the price, I won't buy your newspaper anymore!!"

Shortly afterward, the money and goods were exchanged.

Kira tossed 1000 Berries into the box with one hand, while simultaneously taking the latest newspaper handed to him and reading it with relish.

However, as Kira turned his gaze to the newspaper and glanced at the headline, his smile, which lasted for less than three seconds, froze instantly. The article only occupied a small section of less than a tenth of a page when mentioning him, and the headline, "Rain God Descends on Alabasta," wasn't even bolded or enlarged.

The real reason this issue's price doubled, and the major news that took up almost the entire newspaper, was...

The Fall of the Four Emperors?! 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin Suffers a Crushing Defeat!!!

"A woman who combines beauty and talent, Irene Berzelion!!!"

"Resurrected from the Dead?! An Incredible Person Reappears in the World!!"

The Arrival of a New Era?! A Man Claiming to be a Mage!!

"..."

"What?!!"

Upon seeing these headlines, Kira's pupils contracted, and he was deeply shocked. As he read on, he blurted out "Holy shit!"

"What's wrong, Kira?"

When everyone noticed Kira's commotion, they rushed over and found him with his head almost completely buried in the newspaper in his hands, exclaiming "Awesome!" "My God!" "What the hell!" one after another.

After an unknown amount of time, Kira slammed the newspaper on the ground and angrily exclaimed, "Damn it! I was too slow! They stole all the limelight!!"

The mages looked at each other, bewildered and blinking, not knowing what had happened. In the end, Happy stepped forward, picked up the newspaper, and took it back to show everyone.

The newspaper was slowly unfolded on the ground. The first thing everyone saw wasn't the large, bold, and impactful text, but a photograph that had somehow been captured—

The location in the picture is a town that has been destroyed beyond recognition and is almost reduced to ruins;

The protagonist of the scene is a woman with a face that is both aloof and charming, and a stunningly sexy figure. She has long, crimson hair, wears a sexy black magic robe, and holds an exquisite antler magic wand. She possesses both a dignified and noble queenly aura and astonishingly powerful strength.

The mages recognized her immediately, their eyes lighting up: "It's Irene-san?! She's in the newspaper?!"

Opposite Eileen was another woman, who was tall, at least 880cm, with long pink curly hair, thick lipstick and light purple eyeshadow, a pirate hat, and a large pink dress. She was fat and bloated, with ferocious fat all over her body, and her eyes were full of astonishment and disbelief.

The mages didn't recognize her, but through the newspaper description, they quickly learned her identity—one of the rulers of the New World, 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin!!

"Irene defeated one of the Four Emperors??"

"Speaking of which, during our communication a while ago, she did mention that she was in the New World, and specifically in the 'Auntie's' territory... But how did they end up fighting?"

The newspaper contained more than one picture; besides Eileen and the old lady, it also showed other people from both sides facing off.

On Erin's side, everyone recognized the moon dragon Selene, Neinhardt of the Twelve Shields, Brandish, and Timaria. Surprisingly, Mira and her two siblings were also with them.

On Big Mom's side were her children, led by the renowned "Four Sweet Commanders" of the New World. In addition, there were her eldest son, "Minister of Candy" Charlotte Perospero, her third son, "Minister of Beans" Charlotte Daifuku, her fourth son, "Minister of Baking" Charlotte Oven, and more than a dozen other notorious pirates. However, none of them were in good condition at the moment. They were all injured or lying on the ground, basically in a state of "total annihilation".

Most importantly, the group that wiped out 'Big Mom' and her crew was a group capable of shaking the entire seas, shocking the World Government, and making everyone who saw the news doubt their eyes. They were a group of legendary pirates who were known to everyone decades ago, but are now long dead. Leaving aside Captain John's legendary pirate crew, the key lies with two other people—

Rocks D. Giebeck!!!

as well as……

'Pirate King' Gol D. Roger!!!

Chapter 870 Marineford Holds Emergency Meeting

Marineford, Naval Headquarters, Admiral's Office.

As the Fleet Admiral of the Navy, Sengoku was already in a state of utter distress. His seagull-shaped military cap trembled on his head, and even a blind man could see the turmoil in his heart.

On Sengoku's desk lay a freshly printed newspaper from that day, containing the major news of the annihilation of the 'Big Mom' pirate crew and Charlotte Linlin's defeat in the New World.

Besides the newspaper, there was also a Den Den Mushi on the table. This Den Den Mushi was special; it was used by the Five Elders to issue orders to the Fleet Admiral, and there was only one of its kind in the entire Navy Headquarters.

At this moment, the Den Den Mushi was on a call. The little snail's expression shifted back and forth between anger and resentment. Clearly, like Sengoku, the five old men on the other end were also in shock, bewilderment, confusion, and disbelief.

"What exactly is going on with the myriad kingdoms? The Warring States period?! Why are these people who were supposed to be dead reappearing?!"

"Such a huge commotion occurred, and the Navy didn't even get a heads-up! How are you even qualified to be a Fleet Admiral?! What are the Navy units stationed in the New World doing?!"

You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? A bunch of old fogies, hiding in Mary Geoise all day, leisurely drinking tea and sleeping, and only come to me when trouble strikes!

Sengoku was internally screaming, but his face remained calm. However, a clear hint of irritation was visible in his brows, perfectly portraying his worried expression. He then relayed the message to the Five Elders via Den Den Mushi.

As a strategist, he also knew a thing or two about acting!

"The idea of ​​the dead coming back to life is utterly absurd and absolutely impossible!! These people are definitely deliberately impersonating those dead pirates to create a stir and try to disrupt the New World!"

"But Roger aside, since they know about Rocks, they must have some understanding of history from decades ago! And the fact that they were able to wipe out the Big Mom Pirates shows that their strength should not be underestimated. I have already summoned all the admirals and vice admirals at headquarters for an emergency meeting to deal with this matter as a top priority!..."

To be fair, Sengoku truly lived up to his reputation as a 'wise general,' categorizing the incident as a 'scheme of ambitious individuals' in just a few words. Furthermore, during the exchange, he portrayed himself as a marshal who was extremely anxious but had already done his best to salvage the situation and had a solution in mind, which greatly appealed to the Five Elders.

The two sides had been dealing with each other for many years, and Sengoku knew very well that as long as he made this gesture, these five bored old men would stop acting like tigers whose tails had been stepped on.

As expected, the Five Elders, as usual, grumbled a few words without giving any face before hanging up the Den Den Mushi. Although they had high status and great power, they could not easily leave the Holy Land and had to leave everything to Sengoku. Apart from blaming and yelling, they could do nothing else.

As for the rambling, it's nothing more than about Rocks and Roger. The idea of ​​a pirate skilled in disguise impersonating Gol D. Roger is a bit outrageous, but it's enough to fool the public. Therefore, the key to the whole thing lies with Rocks.

Thanks to the World Government's strong blockade, most pirates have never even heard of this name. Once it is revealed, the shame he inflicted on the Celestial Dragons at God Valley will inevitably resurface. Therefore, this matter must be taken seriously.

After hanging up the phone, Sengoku's anger no longer subsided, and he proceeded to curse all five elders. Fortunately, there was no one else in the office, only a sheep, so he didn't have to worry about ruining his image.

After venting his anger for five minutes, Zhan Guo glanced at the clock and realized it was almost time for the meeting. So he got up, put on his work clothes, and headed out to the meeting room.

……

The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn.

Admirals Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, along with Vice Admiral Tsuru, Marine Hero Garp, and a host of Admiral candidates, Vice Admirals, and Rear Admirals from the Marine Headquarters, sat in their respective seats, awaiting Sengoku's arrival.

However, their expressions were quite different.

Taking a few named individuals as examples, Akainu looked serious, Tsuru had a furrowed brow, Kizaru was trimming his nails, Aokiji was fast asleep, and Garp was eating senbei. This was their typical state at every meeting.

These individuals held significant positions, allowing them to act with impunity during the meeting. However, those below them dared not do the same. Furthermore, given the important matters to be discussed at today's meeting, they were extremely uncomfortable and could only exchange glances.

"So, what's the story behind that newspaper article? Is it really true that someone can come back to life?"

'How could that be? It must be a disguise! It must be the power of some kind of Devil Fruit…'

'Maybe Morgans got paid to create this big news on purpose? Anyway, the idea of ​​a Yonko being wiped out is just too outrageous!'

"You all talk about resurrection, but besides One Piece, I don't know any of them. Can anyone tell me who else has been resurrected?"