"Uh..."
Eden fell silent the moment he looked at the newspaper.
On the front page was a young man with dark short hair and striking features—a certified heartthrob no matter how you looked at him.
But that wasn't the issue.
The issue was that this heartthrob was completely, unabashedly naked in front of a crowd.
If not for "Big News" Morgans censoring his private parts with a giant black bar labeled "Kuroko's Basketball," the picture wouldn't have made it into print.
As for the event described...
This man had heroically defeated the pirates who invaded the Taya Kingdom in the South Blue and protected the royal family and nobles.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough to be featured in the World Economy News's main issue.
After defeating the pirates, this supposed hero stripped off all his clothes in front of everyone—including the nobles, royalty, and the king.
Naturally...
The authorities arrested him for disturbing public order.
Thanks to saving the princess, the king reduced his one-year sentence to half a month—to maintain the dignity of the royal family.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was—Eden knew this guy.
"Your husband."
Eden handed the paper to Juvia.
"Gray... sama?"
Juvia looked at the image of the naked man and replied weakly.
"You actually know him?!"
Nami was stunned.
At first, she only thought the guy's chest mark looked familiar. She hadn't expected him to be one of Eden, Juvia, and Happy's missing companions.
"So, Fairy Tail wizards are... what kind of people, exactly?"
Nami squinted at them suspiciously, starting to question whether joining Fairy Tail had been the right call.
"Nami, you should know. In a big enough forest, there'll be all sorts of birds!"
"Fairy Tail is Fiore Kingdom's most powerful wizard guild—no doubt about it. Isn't it normal to have a few... eccentric members?"
Eden tried to defend his guild.
He glanced at Happy. "Right, Happy?!"
"Aye!"
Happy nodded firmly.
"Right, Juvia?"
"Gray-sama... belongs to Juvia."
Juvia's expression shifted as she glared at Nami.
"So this streaking pervert is named Gray, huh?"
"Also—who said I wanted to compete with you over a guy who runs around naked in public?!"
Nami shouted in frustration.
"Let's see... A seasick 'great pirate', a full-nude perverted pretty boy, a talking cat with zero reliability, and a guy who just loves being naked in the streets... yeah, Fairy Tail's saving grace, alright."
Nami ran through the list of Fairy Tail members she'd met so far and sighed internally: "Wonderful. With Fairy Tail's help, we're totally safe."
"Anyway, that's not important."
Eden casually waved off Nami's rant and turned toward Buggy, who was trying to make himself invisible, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're the East Blue pirate with a 15 million Berries bounty—'Buggy the Clown', right?"
"U-Uh... yes."
"Can I help you with something, sir?"
Buggy flinched at being called out, dragging his stiff body forward and bowing with a forced grin.
"Nothing much. I just need to borrow your influence in the East Blue to help us find our missing companions. Would that be alright?"
"Of course, of course! No problem at all!"
"B-But, you know... it takes time to find people. How about this—"
"You go on ahead, and once we get any info, we'll contact you immediately!"
Buggy's mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to survive the current crisis.
"That's not a bad idea."
"But how can we trust you? And how would you contact us?"
Eden asked.
"Well... how about I send Mohji and Cabaji to your ship as messengers? That way, communication's no issue."
Buggy proposed his desperate solution.
"Oh? That works for me."
Eden raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Boss? You're abandoning us?!"
Mohji and Cabaji were stunned. Their faces screamed betrayal.
"Idiots! I'm not abandoning you! This is just a temporary measure..."
Buggy blinked hard, trying to signal that he'd rescue them later. Really.
Once he found the chance, he'd storm Eden's ship and take them back.
"Forget it. The boss is unreliable. We'll have to save ourselves."
Mohji whispered to Cabaji.
"Agreed."
Cabaji nodded.
The two turned to Eden and declared in unison:
"Boss Eden! Just take Buggy with you. Leave the search to us!"
"That's right! He's great at keeping in touch. And with him by your side, we're not going anywhere."
They tag-teamed the sellout pitch.
"Sounds reasonable. Actually, I could use a handyman on my ship. You'll do, Buggy."
Eden slung his arm around Buggy's thin shoulders and grinned:
"Looking forward to working with you, Mr. Buggy."
"Eh?!"
"You sons of—how dare you betray me?!"
Buggy pointed at his henchmen, about to explode.
"Hmm? Buggy, you're not refusing, are you?"
Eden tilted his head threateningly.
"W-Who would dare refuse?!"
Buggy shrank back, looking like he might faint from fear.
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Don't forget to give Power Stone