Kaido was silent for a moment, then dialed Giberson's number on the Den Den Mushi.
"Boruboruboru~"
Click. The call connected.
The Den Den Mushi morphed into Giberson likeness, its eyes narrowing into slits. "Yo~ Isn't this Kaido?"
Kaido wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Cut the crap. Where did these phones come from?"
"Oh?" The Den Den Mushi's expression turned serious. "Kaido, rest assured~"
Giberson's voice came through the line. "These phones don't belong to the Navy, don't belong to the pirates, and definitely don't belong to the Revolutionary Army…" He spoke slowly, "They're completely independent from any faction."
Kaido's brow furrowed even tighter, his grip subconsciously tightening until the Den Den Mushi let out a strained squeak.
Giberson seemed to sense his doubt and added, "You can use them with confidence. Totally safe. As for the details..." The Den Den Mushi showed a knowing smile. "No need to dig too deep~"
"Hmph! Don't forget to follow my TikTok!" Kaido abruptly hung up, almost crushing the Den Den Mushi in his hand. He tossed it aside, then swept his gaze across the hall. "Since it's safe to use, that's the end of it!"
The mood in the hall immediately eased. King nodded thoughtfully, the tension beneath his mask slightly lifting.
Queen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and secretly let out a long breath.
Noticing Kaido had resumed drinking from his sake gourd with gusto, Queen finally dared to straighten up.
But when he caught King's thoughtful stare, he couldn't help but lift his chin proudly.
Then—
Page One spoke up in a low voice, "Since this thing can transport stuff…" He shook the phone in his hand, its screen glowing faintly in the dim hall. "Can we use the mini-truck for our Artificial Devil Fruit deal with Doflamingo?"
The hall instantly went dead silent. Even Kaido's sake gourd froze halfway to his mouth.
Seeing no reaction, Page One began counting on his thick fingers, "This way we save on shipping, avoid Marine surveillance, and don't have to worry about ambushes halfway through…"
Kaido's eyes suddenly lit up. A sharp glint flashed within them.
But then he slowly shook his head, slamming the sake gourd hard onto the table. Sake splashed everywhere. "No. The Artificial Devil Fruits are too important…"
King nodded in agreement. His voice was low beneath the mask. "Exactly. Even if the mini-truck's convenient, if something goes wrong during delivery…" He didn't finish, but everyone understood the risk.
Black Maria lazily blew a smoke ring. "And for something this important, inspecting the goods in person is much safer~"
Queen quickly jumped in with a laugh. "Hahaha! Good idea, but... better to do this the usual way."
He rubbed his hands together, his beady eyes gleaming. "How about this? Everyone go follow my TikTok first! I'm about to start a livestream that'll shake the whole Grand Line!"
At that, Kaido burst into wild laughter. "Kurolo lo lo lo! Excellent! Let's have a banquet!" He raised a huge bowl of sake and downed it in one gulp. "Announce it to the whole sea!"
The order quickly spread across Onigashima, and the island instantly came alive. Pirates rushed about, preparing for the grand feast.
When Ricks heard Kaido's order, he was so thrilled he nearly passed out. The entire Beasts Pirates were buying phones?! One for everyone?!
This was massive. He immediately scrambled to ensure delivery to Onigashima went off without a hitch.
Waves of pirates lined up to receive their phones. Most fumbled awkwardly with the unfamiliar gadgets. Older pirates squinted and trembled as they tried to unlock their screens, while the younger ones shouted with excitement, snapping photos left and right.
"Listen up, you lot!" barked the crew member in charge of distribution, cracking his whip with a loud snap. "You've got one day to learn how to use this thing! Or else…" He grinned wickedly and cracked the whip again.
Inside Onigashima's main hall,
Once everyone had learned the basics of using their phones, King, Jack, and the Tobiroppo all made excuses and slipped out. They couldn't wait to mess around with their new gadgets. With something like the mini-truck, who wouldn't want to try?
Only when the sound of footsteps finally faded into the distance did Kaido relax his huge frame into the throne. He slumped deep into his seat, lazily picked up the phone resting on the armrest, and began swiping through the screen.
"Tch, these morons again…" Kaido frowned, watching a bunch of scantily clad dancers wriggling on the screen. A hint of irritation flickered in his eyes.
He scrolled on. A mukbang streamer devouring mountains of strange food popped up.
"Oh?" Kaido's interest was momentarily piqued as he watched the guy inhale bizarre dishes. But after a few seconds, his enthusiasm faded. "Boring."
He flicked his finger impatiently again.
Suddenly, a strange livestream caught his attention. An old man with a full beard was calmly trimming a donkey's hooves. The sharp hoof knife scraped off layers of keratin with a satisfying shasha sound.
"What's this...?" Kaido unconsciously sat upright. With every stroke of the knife, the rough, crusty hooves transformed into smooth, healthy ones.
For some reason, Kaido felt spiritually cleansed by every scrape. With one more pass, his whole body felt lighter!
"Kurolo lo lo…" Kaido let out a hearty laugh and immediately hit the follow button. He even gave the stream a like. "Interesting… very interesting…" He chuckled like he'd just discovered a whole new world.
Meanwhile, On a remote island far away, the burly old man was squatting in a livestock shed, focused intently on trimming hooves.
The hoof knife in his hand carved perfect arcs on the donkey's feet. His movements were steady and skilled.
Suddenly, the ding of a notification startled him. He nearly dropped the knife.
Message: Yonko Kaido has followed you and liked your stream!
"Yonko… Kaido?!" The old man's eyes widened. His cracked lips quivered. He rubbed his eyes hard, then pinched his thigh.
"OW!" Not a dream!
It was real. Yonko Kaido had actually followed him!
His hands began to shake uncontrollably, nearly injuring the donkey.
He took a deep breath and stammered into the camera, "L-Ladies and gentlemen… T-Tonight… I'll be trimming hooves all night. I've still got a hundred donkeys waiting outside!"
(To be continued.)