[45] Caged Bird

[2400 words]

Clarification on the previous chapter. For one, recall that I said there won't be any multi-fruit people, Blackbeard is a special case linked to his lineage, naturally, Damien doesn't have that.

Also, the Deprivation ability is from a 6-Star Fruit so it isn't overly broken by any extent of the imagination.

The token also transfers the Deprivation Fruit into an ability, much like his Underwater Breathing. So it's not a full-on fruit power and therefore cannot be Awakened. However, since it is born from a fruit it can be avoided with enough Haki.

Simply put, it won't be a game changer in a fight, hence auxiliary. 

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[A Week Later]

A sleek ship that had made it to shore gave out a subtle clank as it hit the port posts. 

Damien jumped off the vessel, waved his hands and stored it in his inventory, all while mid-air.

Thud!

The pirate landed on the thick wood, sending a dull ripple through the sea below.

He looked around, examining his surroundings; the island he reached was sparsely populated, but there were quite a few people at the docks. 

And yet none of them factored in the actions of the Sin Incarnate. Rather, it was as if he was not even there. 

Damien was currently exercising his Observation Haki to conceal his presence; a simple trick that would work on those with weaker senses. 

His towering size was well above any others nearby, yet they did not even notice him. 

.

Damien ambled around the area, breathing in the atmosphere.

The endless chatter of these curious people was unrivalled, even drawing out the noise of the birds and ship horns.

The smell of paper was everywhere to the point where it felt that it had sunken into the stone roads.

Soon enough, Damien got his hands on a map. 

The title read: "Néa Island – The News Capital of the Grand Line."

'Let's see if I can find a nice replacement President here,' Damien thought as he admired the peaceful atmosphere. 

.

Néa was an island in the Paradise Sea, closer to the Reverse Mountain but in it nonetheless.

It was home to the majority of aspiring reporters from all over the world, granting it the title of the News-Capital. 

The people were very ambitious in their field. Their dedication to spreading news was as resolute as the citizens of Ohara were in studying history.

The island was well-developed; stone homes, big houses, solid roads, tens of thousands of citizens and tall towers.

[Néa Island Image (in Discord)]

…

[Few Hours Later]

Damien had already known the history of the island beforehand. After all, he had spent a good amount of time in his younger years absorbing knowledge of the world. Naturally, the News-Capital made the bill. 

While at Néa, the notorious pirate spent the past few hours delving into the rumours and noises that were passed by the residents. 

There was one striking gossip that Damien found interesting. 

Something about a bird-man chasing after the News World Agency to withdraw from the Government. Though his young age had only resulted in him being seen as a joke. Yet the young boy did not give up; he rewrote every news article that was released and tried spreading it, though naturally, it did not account for anything. 

"A strong drive is the key to a good reporter, but he should also be smart enough to bend the news when needed," Damien commented. "Let's see what we have."

…

[Edge of the Island]

At the corner of Néa was a broken-down building covered in cracked stone, overgrown moss and rusty metal.

*Creak*

The oldened door groaned at the passing wind, threatening to fall off its hinges at any moment. 

Simple furniture, dirt, dust, and very messy. Notes, pages, posters, magazines, bounties; all types of paper flew around, some stacked on the side, some lay on the table, some wrinkled from age-old liquid spills.

*Rustle* *Scratch*

It was the sound of a person jotting down a flurry of words in uneven and out-of-pace writing. The figure darted from side to side, as if working on multiple things at once.

The smell of ink flooded the dark room, barely lit by a tiny window that allowed a thin ray of light in. What the figure did not notice was that there was a towering young man who had just entered the house.

He examined the surroundings, forced to endure the stench of the room.

"You really should invest in some ventilation, little bird," the relaxed voice resounded.

"..."

A deafening silence broke out as the small figure froze in fright.

Damien, who had just spoken, gazed at the young bird-boy before him. It was a young humanoid albatross, around with the disposition of a pre-teen. His body was covered in white feathers, and he had a large tail and wings that resembled human arms.

Small eyes and a wide beak but the human-bird hybrid stood around seven and a half feet (2.29 m) in height. 

"Huh?! W-Who are you!" the boy squawked as some feathers fell out of his arms.

He took a defensive pose, curling his wings into fists. "J-Just so you know, I know how to rustle!" he threatened.

"Rahahaha!" Damien couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. "Don't worry, I didn't come here to fight you, Morgans."

The words didn't seem to work as the boy remained ready to fight.

"You… you know my name?"

Damien nodded, he then moved a few steps to the side to allow his frame to be visible from the proper angle concerning the sole source of light—the window.

Morgans blinked, then suddenly pointed his finger as if he recognized a celebrity.

"Y-You, you are the Sin Incarnate, Einar D. Damien!" he squealed out with a mix of fear and excitement.

"Looks like you know my name too then," Damien commented, sitting on a dusty couch.

"Know you? Kwahahaha! Of course! Your crew is big news! Your feats are big news! Your powers are big news!" he squawked in an exhilarated voice. 

"YOU are big news!"

Damien smirked in amusement and joked, "And here I thought you were afraid of me."

Yet such words fell on deaf ears.

"Kwahaha! How can a true reporter be afraid of the pirates!? Say, can I interview you?" 

The boy did not even wait for an answer as he swiped a piece of paper and pen, ready to jot down whatever.

An inquisitive glance fell onto Damien as the bird-boy began his interview.

"First question, how come you can utilize seemingly two devil fruit powers? It was reported that you could command an entire forest of trees in your fight against Admiral Sengoku?"

"Which island do you hail from?"

"What are your ambitions?"

"Do you plan to leave the Rocks Pirates to form your own crew one day?"

"What is your favourite type of woman?"

"What does the name of D. mean?"

"Wha-"

Damien waved his hands frantically to bring the boy out of his news mode: "Why don't we start with why I'm visiting the broken-down house of an aspiring news reporter?"

"..."

The words were enough to wake the young reporter. He scratched his beak with his feathery hands as if agreeing to thought.

"Hmm, who cares about that? Let's get back to the questions!"

Damien almost facepalmed. 

He did not allow the boy to continue, rather he gave out his reason to come here regardless. "I came here looking for someone young, yet bold. Cunning, yet careful. Honest, yet knowing when to bend."

Damien's voice soon dipped low as he continued, "But most of all, I'm looking for someone willing to do whatever he can to spread the truth, regardless of the consequences."

The words were like music to Morgans' ears. He blinked in thought, finally quieting down.

Damien went on to strike while the iron was hot, "Tell me, don't you think the current state of the World News Agency is a pathetic existence?"

"They spread whatever nonsense they want, ruled by sycophants who would sacrifice their families to satisfy the whims of the World Government?"

Morgans subconsciously nodded, almost desperately.

It was as if he had finally heard someone agree with his thoughts; the young age added to the disparaging remarks of all his peers and fellow Néa residents had left him internally weak.

'It's everything I ever wanted! This vile reality of doctored news is suffocating! Maybe the chance to subvert that is here…!?'

He eyed Damien with a sharp light as if a fire had been lit—fiery ambition.

.

"You actually want to open the World News Agency! But it's nearly impossible!" the albatross hurriedly replied, trying not to get too excited.

Damien smirked in return.

He narrowed his eyes at the young reporter and spoke in a confident voice: "They can try all they want. I assure you, I can make it happen. But first I need someone to slowly rise to the level of taking care of the entire future news chain of the world!"

Damien balled his hand into a fist as if to cement his point: "If left as is, I don't doubt that the Rocks Pirates will be erased from history within a decade!"

Such a thought was enough to shake the young teenager to his core.

Morgans flapped his feathery arms, riling up a storm. "Bury the Rocks Pirates!? How terrible! That is an obstruction of knowledge! Those damn scum!"

.

Damien saw the resolute eyes of the humanoid bird, satisfied with his disposition. 

"You have what it takes, Morgans. Will you do it?"

The albatross quickly nodded, his beak comically slashing the air.

"The Agency is run by the Four Directors. As it was formed in the Reverie many decades ago, it must at least seem to be a legal establishment," Damien explained. "Which means as long as three of the Directors ask to withdraw from the Government, it must be processed."

Though the young and impatient Morgans could not help himself from interrupting.

"They won't allow that! I'm sure that the headquarters are guarded by Cipher Pol and will kill any traitorous directions before anything can happen!"

The Sin Incarnate nodded in agreement.

"Yes, which is why it must happen spontaneously and when they least expect it… You can leave convincing the Directors to me. I just need you to wholly focus on rising through the ranks," Damien told the bird-boy.

 "Once you're well known enough, the Directors will 'voluntarily' agree to elect you as their President."

"..."

Morgans absorbed all the news. He flapped his wings to make sure he was still awake.

Such words being uttered by anyone would be met with ridicule, yet for some reason, Damien's eloquence and confidence left the aspiring reporter shaken.

"Okay!" he exclaimed with a wide smirk. "You've made news as the pirate who can overturn any problem so I will take your word for it!"

"It won't be long till the name of DJ of Words: Morgans, runs off every paper!"

…

[A Little While Later]

A satisfied Damien walked out from the broken-down building.

"To think I would find the future President of the World Economic Journal in this dingy little corner of Néa. Looks like my visit was worthwhile," he said with a smile.

A ding went off in Damien's mind at the same time.

[Operation Nexus has been updated.]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Operation Nexus]

[ Find the World News Agency Main Base - ✔️]

[ Find Replacement President - ✔️]

[ Bring the replacement under control - ✔️]

[ Have the Agency exit the World Government's Grasp - ❌]

[Time Limit - 1486]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

"And just like that, I'm one task away."

However, the final checkbox was not an easy one. If anything, it required him to go scout the headquarters as soon as possible. Which happened to be his next destination. 

.

Damien eventually reached the docks once more and summoned his vessel out. He then lodged his finger and thumb in his mouth and blew out a sharp whistle.

*Splash*

The sea shuddered as two giant Sea Kings emerged from below, declaring their presence.

Their enormous frame sent a wide shadow onto the docks.

"W-Why are there Sea Kings here!?"

"C-Call the Marines!"

"Run for your lives!"

Damien jumped onto his boat and immediately left for the Calm Belt. He used the quiet route to get to the next destination, a trip that spanned over a week.

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[Eight Days Later]

Damien's boat soon arrived at a small island covered with at least 95% mountainous regions!

Beyond that, the mountains were wholly covered in a thick blanket of snow to the point where the island was entirely white. The peaks reached high above and into the skies, some even going to the clouds.

Such a sight left Damien admiring the small Island of Fooljack Peaks—the home of the World News Agency Headquarters.

[Island Image (in Discord)]

"Now then," Damien muttered as he spanned his Haki.

The masterful release of Observation covered a gigantic region with the ability to scan through the thick snow and ice.

The pirate ran his vision through every nook and cranny of the island looking for any tread marks through the snow, after all, the workers at the HQ needed supplies sent to them somehow.

It took only ten minutes of canvassing the island to find a hidden trail used to hoist up caravans of supplies. It was well hidden with some material that looked like snow, but not enough to fool Damien.

*Pop!*

Damien utilized Moonwalk of the Rokushiki to pop the air under his foot, essentially walking into the sky.

Eventually, he reached the inconspicuous mountain peak that was swarmed with bone-chilling cold.

Yet to Damien's thick skin, it was nothing more than a cool breeze.

*Crunch*

The pirate's heavy boots sunk into the sheet of white as he looked around, finding two structures hidden under the snow.

One was a bunker that would appear to go far deep into the mountain, while the other was a black box made with thick steel.

A giant snail stood at the top of the ceiling, scanning every region nearby. It was also next to a large jammer that blocked transponder snail signals.

'Quite the intricate defenses,' Damien thought before whizzing through the snow.

*Fwoo!*

It was a sharp whistle that was born from the pirate moving in a blur and easily escaping the surveillance.

*Creak*

The icy door let out a dull noise as the snow was displaced, granting him a view of the inside. As Damien entered the facility, he once again hid his presence with a curtain of Observation Haki.

The young pirate then walked on through the well-lit area, traversing the facility.

The entire tower-like structure went tens of floors down; a spiral staircase running throughout. Hundreds of workers. Assistants, reporters, and intelligence agents were present, yet unable to sense the imposter nearby.

Damien eventually found himself outside the Directorial Lounge. A meeting between the four directors was currently taking place. 

'He who controls the news controls the masses…' Damien thought, taking a step into the secretive chamber that decided what the seas would see and hear.

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Concealing presence was shown in a flashback when Rayleigh had Luffy dodge 100 strikes, he said, "On that last one, I was completely hiding my presence... how did you dodge it?" I'm just assuming it was a technique of Observation and/or Conqueror's Haki.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q