News Trails, and a Closed Scoop!

"It can be very effective, sir. The higher-ups ignore the grunts milling about the place," replied Scoop with a slight chuckle. "Yes, I did wonder myself. Even more, if you say it is happening in other parts of the world, odd movement, breaking of established patterns, not like the Marines to change their rigid habits. do we know what point all these forces are moving towards?"

So, it was not only here in East Blue that it was happening? Taskforces moving about in all the blues could only mean something big, which could potentially be big news. Of course, that was for Mr Morgans to decide, in the end, what would be in the paper.

Scoop almost missed when Morgans changed from contemplation to speaking directly to him again.

"My opinion on pirates?" asked Scoop with a slight frown before rubbing his chin. "Well..." There was a moment of silence as he contemplated the question in his head, why would his boss be asking him that? Dolion had interned at the Newspaper as a child and had known Morgans since then. Not that the boss could not small talk, but he did not do so over the Snail. "I find them an interesting force for chaos, rebels against the established order. Even during the height of D'vil, things were never on a magnitude like this, and from what I have seen, it's only growing." He had pulled out a five-berry and absentmindedly played with it, flipping the small gold coin between his fingers. "Some call them villains; others call them heroes; some call them foolish, and others would say monsters of the sea. They are a fascinating breed and more complicated than the Marine would have people believe, or that is what I think."

Scoop listened as Mr Morgans spoke, and those were dire words indeed. He would not have expected his boss to take this kind of a step, but even so, maybe it was not that big of a surprise. The young reporter watched the snail, taking in every word without interrupting. There was no need for a conversation, and he noticed that quickly enough at the mention of his prompted Vacation Leave, Mr Morgans was serious. It was a message to all his agents; most likely, others like him had been given similar instructions or would be in the coming days.

The call ended before Scoop had time to respond, and the snail disappeared into the shell, a clear message that calling back would yield nothing. Scoop frowned as the drawer opened, reaching out to collect the clothes, "The boss is serious, isn't he..." Scoop commented to the Albatross Gull. "Fly safe, my friend," he added as he collected the newspaper before watching the bird fly off.


"The World Government has told me to delay any news regarding pirates. Whether they are captured, executed, or able to get away," He repeated the words in his mind, weighing the importance of those words carefully. It had to be something serious if they even delayed news that would make them look good. "Well, suppose this role has run its course. It was a nice run. Pity I don't get to go on that date."

It did not take long for Scoop to change out of his Marine uniform into the new clothes provided by Mr Morgans. It was an experienced hand and a skill he had honed for a few years. The ability of a quick change in character had saved him many a time before. He removed his gloves, revealing sharp (almost talon-like) nails painted pale silver. With the clothes on, he unfastened the pins keeping the wig in place, pulling off the blond hair to reveal dark hair with a few white bangs underneath. A small snake came slithering from one of the shadows, and Scoop bent down to let her climb onto his arm, making her way to his shoulder. She knew how to keep herself out of the way but had a knack for knowing when it was time to leave, one such sign being her master's change of attire.



Lastly, the reporter placed a pair of glasses on his nose. His first step was going to the port and finding a convenient vessel leaving Logue town. Taking a ship to a place without a naval base, he said? And just relax... he said. "Vacation was never my thing. We'll just have to be a little more... creative, won't we, Precilla?" He whispered as he scratched the snake's chin. " Besides, even If I can't publish anything I write now, it would be amiss of me not to make sure I have Big News when Mr Morgans do contact me again."

Scoop walked at a casual, brisk pace, not looking any different from many others moving the streets at that time of day. He knew what he had done, and he had done this before. The best way to change one's identity always needs a new silhouette, walk and posture. Before, he walked like a soldier. Now, he walked like a gentleman out on a stroll. He did not give the passing marine more than a small glance as they passed by, instead keeping his focus on the port.

"Mr Morgans' orders had not arrived a moment too soon, it seems," Scoop thought to himself as he walked down a flight of stairs. "How exciting."

He gently examined the newspaper, seeing what would cause the extra weight. This was becoming more and more intriguing.

"A map?" Muttered Scoop to himself as he examined the chart of the east blue inside the newspaper. He could not remember visiting many of these places, he was not originally from the East Blue after all, but it did have some promise, and it would be an insult not to appreciate the effort put behind getting him this chart. His slender finger lingered on Loguetown momentarily as he contemplated his options. He did not want to linger on the island more than necessary, but going off without knowing what to expect was even worse.

"Perhaps, a quick bite to eat will yield some interesting information?"

He decided to continue his path, finding his way to one of the local establishments closer to the port, one of those frequented by the local and visiting sailors. There was nothing like a travelworn sailor to get some interesting rumours.

Scoop took a moment to look out over the ocean as he arrived at the port, taking in the air and the sounds of the people milling about the place. He did feel a little melancholic about leaving, and this place had been his home for the last weeks. Oh well, parting was such sweet sorrow, as the saying went. He raised a finger to scratch his pet snake, contemplating his immediate options. Devil's Tank was a big no, even if it was a seedy place. He had already escaped the Marines, and he did not want to enter their radar right after by going into a place famous for attracting pirates. The Golden Grog had excellent service but was also pricy and not the clientele he would have much use of at this time.

"It will have to be the Happy Gull, Precilla," he muttered to the snake. "What I need now are some average sailors fresh from the sea. We will just have to weed out the tall tales from the rumours."

As such, with the purpose behind his steps, the reporter moved to enter the Happy Gull Cafe.

Scoop had to admit these small places had a charm that could not be found in more... luxurious accommodations. It smelled of home in a way, and he remembered many times when he, as a kid, could go to a place like this when it was something extra special, like a birthday. He leaned back in his chair, taking in the atmosphere and listening to the patron's conversations.

He did not have to wait long and had mastered the art of listening without appearing to be doing so. Instead, he picked up a menu and examined it "intently". Ol'Henry, a relic of the past? Now, that could be interesting if it was true. With a strong presence of pirates at Hook Island, nesting, did they? No Marines... was that not curious. An unusual amount of wares from another Island could also be worth looking into. He could not say he was one to put much stock behind haunted places; those were mostly there to frighten children. All this seemed like rumours more than anything else, so he was not one to trust them at face value. He would need something more... than again; it would not be the first time he went for his gut feeling.

"Commadore Halbert is here at the base?" This did catch his attention more, inspection due to the newspaper... spies. Well, it might have been good that he left when he did. Scoop would hate to draw the attention of someone like Halbert. It would make life... complicated.

He looked at the waitress and gave her one of his most charming smiles. "Yes, I was thinking of trying the day's fish." He replied, "And a beer with that."