One Piece: Pirate Code

William's understanding of the original world wasn't particularly deep, but he knew about Devil Fruits. He had even gone out of his way to gather information about them, only to feel regret when he learned the truth.

These fruits are incredibly rare and grant their eaters strange and unique powers. Consequently, their price is exorbitant—one fruit is worth 100 million Beli, and even at that price, they are extremely difficult to find. They are elusive treasures, more a matter of chance than pursuit.

In the East Blue, Devil Fruits are even rarer. Many residents, including people close to William like Gin, Aramis, and Edmond, considered them mere myths or fictional stories. Some people had never even heard of them—and there were quite a few of such individuals.

Given this context, it was no surprise that the expressions of the four people in the room changed when they learned about a real Devil Fruit user in their vicinity. Among them, only William, being a transmigrator, knew for certain that Devil Fruits existed. Gin, Aramis, and Edmond, born and raised in the East Blue, had never encountered one or even seen someone who had consumed one. They had always thought they were legends. Yet here they were, discovering that such abilities were real and nearby.

Limited by his knowledge of Devil Fruits and his understanding of the East Blue's environment, two questions immediately popped into William's mind:

 - What is "Redbeard" Barbarossa's Devil Fruit ability?

 - Where did he get his Devil Fruit?

It was the second question that particularly intrigued William.

William had no aversion to Devil Fruits. While individuals like Kuina, Koshiro, or Edmond, who were dedicated to the way of the sword, might hesitate or struggle with the idea, William wouldn't. He was a pragmatist through and through.

Despite having the support of the Destiny Square, William remained cautious and avoided becoming reliant on it. He couldn't understand its origins or true nature and worried it might suddenly disappear one day. In contrast, swordsmanship and loyal companions like Gin were things that would remain effective even without Destiny Square.

Devil Fruits, unlike the mysterious Destiny Square, were tangible and couldn't easily be taken away once acquired.

"Where did Barbarossa get his Devil Fruit?" William asked, looking down.

"I don't know!" Ward replied fearfully. William's sudden use of water torture had terrified him to the point where he didn't need any further persuasion. He spilled everything he knew like beans out of a pot. "I only know that the captain suffered a major defeat once. After that, only the vice-captain, Reese, and the navigator, Hailading, were left from his crew. It was during this defeat that he consumed the Devil Fruit. Aside from Reese and Hailading, no one on the ship knows how the captain got his Devil Fruit."

William frowned slightly. He could tell Ward wasn't lying. He then asked about other matters:

"The cargo ship you recently raided in the Navia Kingdom—do you know who ordered you to attack it?"

"Which one?" Ward asked, looking a little confused.

William pressed for more details and learned that, as one of the top pirate crews in the East Blue, the Redbeard Pirates were kept busy, frequently raiding ships along various trade routes.

From Ward's account, an unknown organization provided the Redbeard Pirates with detailed intelligence on various merchant ships, down to when they left port and when they docked. This information allowed the Redbeard Pirates to intercept their targets with precision, rarely returning empty-handed.

The ship Edmond and Valon were on was no different. It was targeted based on intelligence provided to Barbarossa, who gave the order for Ward and the other pirates to carry out the attack.

When the conversation turned to the days-long storm, Ward finally remembered which ship they were talking about.

Once William finished his interrogation, he, Gin, and Aramis left the room, leaving Edmond and Ward behind.

The three closed the door, and moments later, a pool of fresh blood seeped out from beneath it, stretching into the hallway where they stood. Edmond emerged from the room shortly after.

William glanced at the slightly calmer Edmond, shook his head, and then looked down at the newspaper in his hand.

The group was in a secluded, abandoned workshop, its hallway dimly lit by a few oil lamps. In the flickering light, William scanned the newspaper for a while before cursing with a smile:

"What kind of garbage newspaper is this?"

Gin, Aramis, and Edmond leaned over to take a look. Their expressions quickly turned peculiar as they stole glances at William's face.

The newspaper, taken from Ward, had been mentioned during the interrogation. Ward had racked his brain to provide all the abnormal clues regarding the attack on Valon and Edmond's ship. One such clue was that, after the raid, the crew was ordered to distribute this newspaper, instructing the pirates to focus on a particular article.

The paper was titled East Blue Daily and contained an "exclusive story" about the "Boy Godfather" who allegedly ran Navia Kingdom's underground smuggling operations.

Just the title alone told William the paper was spouting nonsense. He was already an adult, far from a "boy."

Sure enough, the article confirmed his suspicions. It included a description of William's appearance. Other than his blond hair and blue eyes, the details were wildly inaccurate, clearly fabricated to match readers' fantasies about a "Boy Godfather."

William flipped through the newspaper and then tossed it at Gin, commenting, "Complete garbage! All made-up!"

"They say you have a scar running diagonally from your eyebrow to your jawline!" Gin said, engrossed in the article. His expression became increasingly animated as he read on. "'Every time he gets angry, the scar seems to bleed.' Is this even talking about you? Could there be another smuggling ring in the area? Is this describing someone else?"

Each person took turns reading the article, laughing at how it read more like a novel than a news report.

Since his activities were illegal, William had always been cautious, following the habits of his previous life. There was no way any photos of him could have leaked. Anyone trying to describe his appearance would have to rely on personal accounts or sketches based on second-hand descriptions.

East Blue Daily clearly didn't care about journalistic integrity. Their priority wasn't factual reporting but newspaper sales. The "Boy Godfather" headline was eye-catching enough, and whether William was a boy or not didn't matter to them.

Had the reporters visited Navia Kingdom's ports and questioned dockworkers, they might not have gotten precise descriptions but certainly wouldn't have made such egregious errors. However, they clearly had no interest in doing so.

"Maybe I should thank these media friends?" William chuckled.

"Or maybe thank those bastards for not taking us seriously," Aramis spat.

From Ward's account and their observations so far, it was clear to William and his companions that neither "Redbeard" Barbarossa nor the forces pulling the strings behind him saw them as a significant threat.

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