"Hey! Old man Sengoku, you're being unfair. How can you abuse your power for personal gain? The bet we made was about gaining followers based on our own abilities," Garp said, clearly displeased.
Sengoku sneered, "My power is also my ability. Why don't you become the Fleet Admiral? If you were, you could use it too."
Garp was left speechless by the retort: "I…"
Alright, I admit defeat.
Then, Garp painfully took out next month's food allowance and handed it to Sengoku.
"Hahahaha, fantastic!" Sengoku burst out laughing, and at the same time, he opened TikTok. As soon as he opened it, he saw a live stream video of Hancock.
"Live stream? Hancock can stream now too? 8 PM…"
"Actually, this isn't necessarily a bad thing." Garp began to analyze logically, "Those Pirates will definitely go watch Hancock's live stream. After all, watching a live stream won't turn them to stone, and it's the closest they'll ever get to Hancock. This way, they won't have any desire to rob and pillage."
Hearing Garp's analysis, Sengoku also found it reasonable: "That's true. Ever since mobile phones became widespread, crime incidents across the Sea have significantly decreased. Some Pirates spend all day and night on their phones, not even thinking about fighting, which is really good. But…"
"But what?"
Sengoku frowned, a hint of worry surfacing in his eyes: "But who is behind the mobile phones? What is his purpose? There's no reason for such a groundbreaking product to appear out of thin air."
Garp's expression also turned serious: "I do know a bit about this. Currently, only Morgans, the News King, is selling mobile phones. I asked him before, and he said the person behind the mobile phones doesn't belong to any faction; he only has one goal: to make the Pirate world no longer full of violence."
Upon hearing this, Sengoku's pupils constricted slightly, and waves surged in his heart: "To make the Pirate world no longer full of violence, eh…"
"Since it doesn't go against our justice, there's no need to interfere. We just need to make sure information security isn't compromised."
Sengoku pondered for a moment, then looked at his adjutant, "Has the mobile phone been sent to Vegapunk? If possible, we must control such a groundbreaking product ourselves."
"It has already been sent, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Scientist Vegapunk should receive it tonight or tomorrow," the adjutant replied respectfully.
Sengoku nodded, "Very good, if there's nothing else, go get busy. Remember to tell them to follow this old man's TikTok account. Mobile phones are indeed convenient; we should also use them to do some things."
"Understood!" The adjutant saluted and turned to leave the office.
After the adjutant left, Garp looked at Sengoku in confusion, "Sengoku, you're not just betting with me, are you? What do you want to do with mobile phones?"
"Haha, of course not just that." Flames burned in Sengoku's eyes, "Currently, mobile phones are almost everywhere across the entire Sea; people all over the world can get to know each other through them."
"Garp, this is not just an entertainment product, but an infinitely large communication platform! No matter where you are or what your identity, everything is equal here. In reality, you might be royalty, but on TikTok, you're just an ordinary passerby."
Garp could understand at first, but then he became more and more confused, completely unaware of what Sengoku intended to do.
"Just you watch, the Great Pirate Era started by Roger will slowly fade into oblivion with the popularization of mobile phones," Sengoku said confidently.
Garp: …Can you speak in plain language?
Then, Sengoku sat down on the sofa and found that his follower count was rising rapidly.
"Hahahaha, Garp, in the time we've been talking, this old man's follower count has already reached five hundred!" Sengoku said excitedly.
"Hmph! What's the use of having more followers? You can't even dance provocatively, can you?" Garp curled his lips in disdain, turned his head, and continued to scroll through videos.
For him, the ladies' 'Spade A' was more attractive.
"Baby, baby, let's have a drink, this is your favorite Spade A! Cheers!" Garp raised his glass and took a big gulp along with the music.
…
The news of Empress Hancock's live stream instantly spread across the entire Sea.
The entire Sea was completely stirred up!
Those who had things to do, and those who didn't, all suddenly had nothing else to do!
Those who were working, and those who weren't, all stopped working!
Those who were watching, and those who wanted to watch, all wanted to see, after all, this was Empress's first live stream!
Everyone was ready to watch in the evening, some had even pre-charged their money, hoping to catch Empress's eye a bit more in the evening, and it would be even better if she could call out their name.
It didn't matter if they suffered a bit or were tired; they had to ensure their beloved goddess lived a good life!
…
Cocoyasi Village,
The sun was almost setting, and the glow of the sunset sprinkled on the orange trees, making every orange golden and brilliant.
Officer Gen also prepared to watch precisely at 8 PM, but before that, he had to finish his work.
"Nojiko, the oranges have all been sorted and packaged by weight. You've really helped our whole village a lot. Several more villagers will be bringing oranges tomorrow," Gen said while busy.
Nojiko was also busy.
Ever since her appearance in the live stream last time and the activation of the 'yellow cart' feature, her TikTok 'yellow cart' orders have been increasing, and her business has been getting better and better.
She not only sold oranges herself but also shared the sales channels with the villagers.
These villagers didn't have mobile phones and didn't know about TikTok accounts or 'yellow carts,' but they all trusted Nojiko and let her help sell all their oranges.
The money earned would also be shared with Nojiko; even if she politely refused, these villagers would still forcibly leave a portion for her.
Because of this,
Nojiko had no choice but to symbolically accept a small amount.
But there were simply too many oranges, not to mention all the oranges from an entire village; she couldn't handle it all by herself.
Gen and nearby neighbors also came to help, and Nojiko paid them for their work.
"Gen, neighbors, thank you. If it weren't for you, this work would be impossible to complete," Nojiko said gratefully.
Then,
Nojiko took out several envelopes and handed one to each of them: "This is your pay. Business is still okay right now, the pay isn't much, but it's paid daily, so please don't mind if it's small."
Gen and the others looked at the money in their hands, their mouths wide in smiles.
Where would they have gotten so much money before, and paid daily at that?
This was unimaginable in the past.
"How could we mind if it's small, Miss Nojiko? If it weren't for you, our family's oranges would have rotted in the ground long ago," a villager said gratefully.
"That's right, we just helped out and didn't expect to get paid. We're too grateful to complain about it being small," another villager echoed.
"Just call us whenever there's work; we'll be there whenever you need us," Gen also nodded.
After everyone left, Gen came up to Nojiko: "Although Arlong's threat has been removed, if there's any danger, just video call me directly, and I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Mm, thank you, Mr. Gen, I will," Nojiko smiled happily.
Gen then left.
Only after he had walked far away did he take out the envelope, take out a portion of the money, and save it for Nami.
So that when she returned after fulfilling her dream, she wouldn't be without money to spend. As for the rest of the money, he poured it all into TikTok.
"One hundred thousand Belli! Goddess Hancock, Queen of Daughter Country, bearing the heavy burden of a nation, her mental fortitude is unimaginably tough for ordinary people. Such a woman definitely needs support!" Gen said solemnly.
"Time is passing so slowly, why isn't it eight yet…"
…