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Kaido was quiet for a moment, then called Giberson's number.
"Pere Pere Pere Pere~~~"
With a 'click', the call connected.
The Den Den Mushi copied Giberson's tone, its eyes narrowed into slits. "Yo~ Isn't this Lord Kaido?"
Kaido couldn't be bothered with small talk and got straight to the point. "Cut the crap! Where did these phones come from?"
"Oh?" The Den Den Mushi's expression suddenly turned serious. "Kaido, you can rest assured~"
Giberson's voice came through the Den Den Mushi. "These phones don't belong to the Marines, they don't belong to pirates, and they certainly don't belong to the Revolutionary Army..." He spoke slowly. "They are separate from all forces."
Kaido's eyebrows pulled together even tighter, his fingers tightening without thinking, squeezing the Den Den Mushi until it squeaked.
Giberson seemed to sense his doubt and continued. "You can use them without any worry. They are completely safe. As for the rest..." The Den Den Mushi showed a meaningful smile. "There's no need to dig deeper~"
"Hmph! Remember to follow my TikTok account!" Kaido suddenly hung up, the force almost crushing the Den Den Mushi. He then threw it aside and looked at the crowd. "Since we can use them without worry, that's that!"
The mood in the hall right away relaxed. King nodded thoughtfully, the expression under his mask showing slight relief.
Queen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and secretly breathed out in relief.
He secretly looked at Kaido's expression and, seeing that their boss had picked up his sake gourd again and started drinking happily, finally dared to straighten his back.
However, when he noticed King's thoughtful look directed at him, he couldn't help but proudly lift his chin.
Just then, Page One suddenly spoke in a muffled voice. "Since this thing can send stuff..." He shook the phone in his hand, the screen glowing faintly in the dim hall. "Could we also use the shopping cart for our SMILE Devil Fruit deals with Doflamingo?"
The entire hall instantly fell silent, even Kaido's sake gourd, which was raised to his mouth, stopped in mid-air.
Getting no reaction from the others, Page One continued counting on his thick fingers. "This way we can save on shipping costs, avoid the Marines' watching, and not have to worry about being stopped halfway..."
Kaido's eyes suddenly lit up, a glint flashing in their depths.
But soon, he slowly shook his head again, slamming the sake gourd heavily onto the table, sending liquid splashing everywhere. "No! The SMILE Devil Fruits are too important..."
King also nodded slightly at this point, a low voice coming from under his mask. "Indeed. While the shopping cart is convenient, what if something goes wrong during the sending..." He didn't continue, but everyone understood how serious this matter was.
Black Maria blew out a smoke ring and added lazily. "Besides, for such an important deal, it's safer to check the goods in person~"
Seeing this, Queen immediately agreed, chuckling. "Hahaha! That's a nice thought! But... it's probably safer to just do the deal the usual way."
Then he rubbed his hands, his small eyes gleaming slyly. "How about everyone follows my TikTok account first? I'm planning a live stream that will shock the entire sea!"
Hearing this, Kaido suddenly burst into laughter. "Worororororo! Good! Let's have a party then!" He picked up a large bowl and drained the sake in one gulp. "Tell the entire sea about the party!"
The order quickly spread throughout Onigashima, and the entire island instantly became lively. Pirates hurried around, getting ready for the grand feast.
After Ricks learned of Kaido's order, he was so excited he almost fainted. The entire Beast Pirates were buying phones! One for everyone!
He couldn't believe his luck. This was a huge deal. He immediately began getting ready to make sure the phones would be delivered to Onigashima on time.
Groups of pirates lined up to get their phones, clumsily trying to figure out the new gadget. Older pirates squinted, their fingers shaking as they couldn't unlock the screen, while younger pirates excitedly took pictures of each other, letting out strange cries.
"Listen up, you lot!" the grunt in charge of giving out phones roared, cracking his whip. "You have to learn how to use this thing within a day! Otherwise..." He grinned threateningly and cracked the whip, a sharp 'snap' echoing in the air.
Inside the main hall of Onigashima, after everyone had learned how to use the phones, King, Jack, and the Tobi Roppo all found excuses to leave. They were eager to try out the new gadgets, and with something as amazing as the shopping cart, they just had to have some fun with it.
When the footsteps of the last person in the hall faded away at the end of the corridor, only then did Kaido relax his tense muscles, his massive body sinking deep into the throne. He casually picked up the phone resting on the armrest and slowly scrolled across the screen with his finger.
"Tsk, it's these wiggling idiots again..." Kaido frowned, looking at the scantily dressed dancers on the screen, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes.
He continued scrolling, and suddenly came across a food streamer eating lots of food.
"Oh?" Kaido's interest grew a little as he watched the person wolf down all sorts of strange food, but soon his interest faded. "Boring."
His finger impatiently scrolled again.
Suddenly, a strange live stream caught his attention. An old man with a full beard was carefully trimming a donkey's hooves. The sharp hoof knife scraped off layer after layer of hard material from the rough donkey hooves, making a 'scrape' sound.
"What is this...?" Kaido sat up straight without thinking. With every stroke of the hoof knife, the hard parts were neatly shaved away, showing the tender new material underneath.
For some reason, Kaido felt his mind become clearer with every scrape! With another scrape, he felt much more relaxed all over! (T/N: A kindred spirit)
"Worororororo..." Kaido laughed heartily, immediately clicked the follow button, and then liked the stream. "Interesting... Really interesting..." He laughed as if he had found a new world.
Meanwhile, the large man trimming hooves, far away on some distant island, was squatting in a barn, working with intense focus.
The hoof knife in his hand scraped perfect curves on the donkey's hooves, his movements skilled and focused.
Suddenly, the 'ding' notification sound from his phone startled him, almost making him drop the hoof knife.
Message content: Emperor Kaido has followed you and liked your stream!
"Emperor... Kaido?!" The old man's eyes widened, his cracked lips shaking. He rubbed his eyes hard, then pinched his thigh. "Ow! Not a dream!" He confirmed he hadn't misread it. It really was Emperor Kaido!!!
The old man's hands began to shake uncontrollably, almost hurting the donkey.
He took a deep breath and stammered into the camera. "L-Ladies and gentlemen viewers... Tonight... tonight I'll be live-streaming hoof trimming all night. There are a hundred donkeys waiting outside!"