One strike. He used only one.
Kachou Vance, gazing through his binoculars, his pupils contracted, his face flushed crimson.
His heart was pounding like thunder.
He felt as though he stood at the gates of hell, the thrill of death so intense that he forgot to press the shutter button on his camera.
The moon-white figure bathed in moonlight would likely be etched into his mind forever.
Such powerful, artful swordsmanship.
It held a fatal attraction for him.
Elegant, beautiful.
He suddenly thought of something, his face alight with excitement. He raised his camera, his finger pressing the shutter repeatedly.
He wanted to permanently capture the angelic, yet demonic, figure under the moonlight.
He was afraid.
He feared that Kou Tai would vanish in the next moment.
He would surely regret it for the rest of his life.
*Click!*
*Click-click-click-click!!*
The shutter clicked relentlessly.
At that moment, Kou Tai turned his head. The wind blew, his silver hair danced, and his azure eyes swirled like nebulae in the moonlight.
A photograph of a breathtakingly beautiful youth, lounging amidst a sea of corpses and blood, was fresh from the press.
Had the photo only featured Kou Tai, anyone who saw it would have mistaken it for a wedding portrait.
However, with the scene behind him...
It was undeniably a horror photo.
"Well! That's a pretty good shot."
"Of course! You forget who took it."
"I, Kachou Vance, am a top-tier photo artist at our newspaper!"
Kachou Vance, sprawled on the ground, his rear in the air, stared through his binoculars.
"Uh..."
He suddenly realized Kou Tai had disappeared from his lens, and he himself had just...
Kou Tai appeared beside Kachou Vance as silently as a ghost. He was crouching, peering at the photos on the camera.
It had to be said, this guy was wasting his talent by not becoming a professional photographer. The angle and lighting of his shots were handled perfectly.
It even made him feel, in a way, mesmerized by the scene captured in the photograph.
"Hmm!"
Kou Tai stroked his chin, musing, "With my looks, it's a shame I'm not a celebrity."
"Hahahahaha!!"
Kachou Vance stiffly turned his head, looking at Kou Tai, who was crouching beside him. Since it was night, he could only see Kou Tai's azure pupils, his face obscured by shadow.
Kou Tai exuded no aura, yet the terrifying presence of someone who had just slain a thousand men in a single blow made Kachou Vance's face turn pale.
His earlier excitement vanished like ice cream on a winter day, sending a shiver through him from the inside out.
"Damn it! How could I get so carried away!"
He didn't know if his frantic photography had attracted Kou Tai's attention or if it was something else.
Regardless, the god of death had arrived.
He was terrified, petrified.
"What is it?"
Kou Tai withdrew his gaze from the camera and turned to look at Kachou Vance.
"Why are you sweating so much? Are you sick? Should I introduce you to a doctor!"
"Let me tell you! The doctor I know is world-class. Don't worry, he'll definitely cure you."
"Huh? Why aren't you speaking!"
As he spoke, Kou Tai's expression darkened, appearing ominous under the moonlight.
"You don't mean to tell me you're afraid of me!"
Kachou Vance's lips trembled. The cold sweat had soaked the ground beneath him.
He wanted to speak, but didn't know where to begin, only able to vent his thoughts internally.
"If you know I'm afraid of you, why don't you just leave!"
"Can't you see my soul is about to ascend?"
A smile curved Kou Tai's lips. He patted Kachou Vance's shoulder and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!! What's there to be afraid of! I'm not some murderer."
"Yes, yes, yes! You're not a murderer. But the thousands of corpses lying below haven't even cooled down yet! Ask them to stand up and confront you, and see if they agree."
Kachou Vance, hearing Kou Tai's words, couldn't help but roll his eyes. He then took a deep breath.
His intellect suppressed his fear, and he regained his composure.
Since Kou Tai hadn't killed him immediately, he concluded that he would likely be fine.
Therefore, he didn't need to be so terrified of Kou Tai.
And judging by this guy's words, he seemed to appreciate him.
He twisted his stiff neck and slowly sat up. He didn't dare to mind the sticky sweat on his body, but instead looked at Kou Tai and spoke cautiously.
"Greetings, Silver-Haired Brother. I am a reporter from the World Economic News. I specialize in photographing great pirates like yourselves, who are like stars on the Grand Line, and reporting your news to the world."
"Oh..."
"Am I famous?"
Kou Tai stared at Kachou Vance, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Of course."
"As someone who received a bounty of 70 million Beli on their first outing, and then reached an astonishing 500 million Beli in just a few days, it's impossible not to attract attention."
"You have no idea, news organizations worldwide have their eyes on you, all waiting for you to enter the Grand Line!"
"Oh!"
Kou Tai uttered a soft "oh," not paying much attention, but staring curiously at Kachou Vance.
"Then why is there only one reporter on Bass Island?"
"Naturally, it's because Bass Island isn't a hot spot right now!"
"Not a single one of the Supernovas over the past decade has passed through Bass Island, so it has gradually become a place reporters avoid."
"If I hadn't decided to try my luck, I wouldn't have come here."
"After all, the World Government has strictly prohibited reporters from seeking information here in recent years."
"Is that so?"
Kou Tai nodded.
The Bass Kingdom was a farce orchestrated by the Celestial Dragons, a scandal, and naturally, the World Government didn't want reporters snooping around.
Kachou Vance stared at Kou Tai, as if struck by an idea. He quickly took a small booklet from his satchel, flipped it open, and from a hidden compartment, produced a photograph of Kou Tai's very first encounter with the Krieg Pirates after he set sail.
"Silver-Haired Brother, look, your first battle was photographed by a colleague from our World Economic News."
The colleague he referred to were those news birds.
These news birds, flying the seas year-round, also occasionally engaged in covert photography.
Otherwise, finding a single ship on the vast ocean would be no easier than finding a needle in a haystack.
As he spoke, a proud expression dawned on his face.
"Although the photograph isn't perfectly clear, we were definitely the first newspaper to pay attention to you."
He wanted to demonstrate his newspaper's capabilities to gain Kou Tai's favor, so that they could follow Kou Tai in the future without fear of being killed.
This was also a tacit understanding between their newspaper and the Supernovas.
The Supernovas gained more exposure, which in turn brought them more fame.
And their newspaper would also benefit, not only earning more money but also achieving considerable renown.
"Oh!"
Kou Tai looked at the photograph and nodded.
If one were to ask who the world's largest intelligence organization was, everyone would undoubtedly answer, the World Government's spy agencies.
However, if one were to ask who could most quickly learn about the global situation and the movements of pirate crews at sea, it would undoubtedly be the World Economic News.
This was because the newspaper possessed a news bird network that spanned the entire world.
Even the Navy and the World Government sometimes had to purchase information on pirate crews from this very newspaper.
The annual selection of the Supernovas was also an event orchestrated by this newspaper.
Even the topic of the future Pirate King Luffy becoming famous and being dubbed the "Fifth Emperor of the Sea" was something the World Economic News had instigated.
In essence, to gain fame on the seas, one had two primary options: first, cause a major event; second, establish good relations with the World Economic News. If one did the latter, they could be elevated to fame even without achieving significant feats.
Therefore, Kou Tai was not averse to Kachou Vance's overtures.
In fact, to resolve the problem of the Bass Kingdom, they would truly need the help of these news reporters. He remembered that the newspaper's president, Morgans, would years later make a decision to relocate their headquarters, refusing to accept illicit funds from the World Government.
He figured this reporter's boss would surely not refuse the friendship of someone like himself, who could constantly create major news.