Kaido raised his thick eyebrows at the "You are now the group owner" notification that suddenly popped up on his screen. His fat fingers accidentally tapped the group video call button.
In an instant, a video call alert appeared on everyone's phone in the hall, and they subconsciously clicked "accept."
The next moment, everyone's screen was filled with close-ups of their comrades' faces.
Who's-Who's face nearly filled the entire screen, Black Maria's chest practically bumped into the camera, and Page One was so startled by the sudden pop-up that he almost chucked his phone across the room.
Ulti looked around curiously.
"This... this is just..." Sasaki stared at the real-time images in shock, his voice trembling. He had never seen such miraculous tech before. It was completely beyond his imagination.
King tried sending a voice message. When he heard his own voice clearly coming from everyone else's phone, the corner of his mouth under the mask twitched slightly. Even though he was usually calm, he had to admit this thing was really convenient.
Kaido's pupils contracted sharply. The hand holding the phone unconsciously clenched. "This... isn't this Bao Huang's ability?"
Bao Huang had the power to monitor every corner of Onigashima. Anywhere he had an eye, it was as if he were personally watching, enabling real-time communication.
But now... a single phone could do all that.
Standing in the corner, Bao Huang's face instantly turned pale. The binoculars in her hand slipped to the floor with a loud clatter.
She stared at the phones with trembling lips. "My... my ability..." Then she shot a death glare at Queen, his eyes brimming with rage.
"Boss!" Queen suddenly slapped his thigh, his jiggling fat rippling with excitement. "If we give every subordinate a phone and create a big group chat—"
Before he could finish, Kaido's eyes lit up.
Many others caught on immediately.
The hall erupted into chaos!
The Tobiroppo looked at each other in disbelief, stunned by what this meant.
Black Maria gently stroked the smooth phone screen and murmured, "Way more convenient than a Den Den Mushi..."
Who's-Who's face was grim, but even he couldn't deny how practical this device was.
Kaido suddenly burst into laughter, shaking the dust from the ceiling. "Worororororo! Excellent! Queen, I'm leaving this matter to you!" He raised his sake gourd and took a long gulp, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I want the entire Beasts Pirates using these things!"
In the shadows, Bao Huang clenched her fists tightly, watching Queen being surrounded by the crowd. Her eyes were filled with resentment.
Phones had gone live, and she was about to be out of a job!
She glared at Queen through gritted teeth, cursing him in her heart. Her once-useful ability was now being replaced by some random device? How was she supposed to accept that?
Meanwhile, Queen held his head high, relishing in everyone's amazed reactions. When he saw King's frustrated expression, his heart practically bloomed with joy.
As for Bao Huang? Queen didn't even spare her a glance.
Kaido played around with the phone, quickly noticing that the device looked smaller in his massive hands than in everyone else's.
Seeing this, Queen quickly explained, "Kaido-sama, the phone's amazing. It automatically adjusts to match the user's hand size."
"Interesting." Kaido nodded, a satisfied smile on his face.
Then he looked at Queen and asked in a deep voice, "Where did you get these phones?"
"Boss, I bought them from a peddler under Giberson. Guy's name is Ricks. He already opened a branch in Wano!" Queen gestured with his hand. "Looks real shifty, definitely not a good guy, but the goods are top-notch."
"I'll contact him right away to bring more. We'll get a phone into the hands of every single Beasts Pirate!"
Kaido nodded slowly, still inspecting the phone.
King, who had remained silent until now, also surprisingly didn't raise any objections. His brow furrowed under the mask as he tapped lightly on the screen, deep in thought.
A flicker of concern passed through his eyes, as if weighing some unknown risk.
Then suddenly, he looked up. His cold, even voice cut through the chatter. "Wait." He glanced around the room, his tone serious. "Could our group messages... be intercepted by the Marines?"
The question hit like a bucket of ice water, instantly cooling the heated atmosphere.
Kaido's grin froze, his thick brows knotting up.
Who's-Who immediately clutched his phone, looking wary. With his background in the Marines, he knew very well how shady their tactics could be.
Black Maria pressed her lips together. "King's concern isn't without merit. The Marines have all kinds of tech. Eavesdropping's pretty common."
Queen frowned but then suddenly remembered something. He quickly swiped across his screen and showed it to Kaido.
"Boss, look!" He held up the phone. "There are a ton of Marines posting videos on here!"
The screen clearly showed multiple accounts wearing Marine uniforms, casually livestreaming their day-to-day routines.
"If they're using it..." Queen wiped the sweat from his nose, eyes darting. "Then it must be safe. Besides..."
He sneered, his voice filled with confidence. "There's no way that old man Vegapunk could've made something this awesome!"
Sasaki stared at the screen for a long while before speaking slowly, "If even the Marines are using it... what are we afraid of?"
Seeing this, King finally nodded, deep in thought. He still had doubts, but Queen's point made sense.
He had never seen this kind of bizarre transmission tech before. If the Marines really had it, the entire balance of the seas would've shifted already!
In the corner, Bao Huang's face turned grim. A hint of anxiety flickered in her eyes. She clenched her fists tighter, wondering if her position was doomed.
The appearance of these phones had rendered her once-glorious ability completely obsolete. It was deeply frustrating.
Meanwhile, Queen strutted proudly, glancing over at King every so often, grinning with glee. King's frustrated expression was like music to his ears.
Kaido thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy. He let out a grunt and reached for the Den Den Mushi beside him, ready to call his old friend.
"Connect me to Giberson!"
Just then, King added, "Kaido-sama, now that we have phones, wouldn't a video call be more efficient?"
"Hm?" Kaido nodded. "True."
But Queen shook his head. "Not yet, Kaido-sama. You can't video call someone unless you both follow each other."
King: "..."
(To be continued.)