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(A/N: If you want to see more chapters, go to my P@treon to see more chapters ahead. You can see more than 20 chapters ahead of everyone on my P@treon: [email protected]/VoyageToGlory
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Royal Palace, King's Chamber
"Pell!" Kael called out.
Standing outside the chamber, Pell immediately responded to the summons. He swiftly opened the door and stepped inside.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Pell said respectfully.
"Go to the palace's financial officials and tell them I wish to speak with them." Kael instructed in a calm, steady voice.
"Right away, Your Majesty." Pell replied before promptly leaving the palace to carry out the order.
---
Roughly ten minutes later, Pell returned with the kingdom's financial officials.
Once everyone had arrived, Kael wasted no time in explaining his vision: the establishment of banks in Alabasta. He elaborated on how banks functioned and the potential benefits they could bring to the kingdom.
"Your Majesty! This is truly a brilliant idea!" One of the officials exclaimed in shock: "A banking system… it could attract more citizens and increase economic activity within the kingdom!"
"This is indeed a genius plan, Your Majesty." Another official added, though his expression carried a hint of concern: "But something like this will surely attract the attention of pirates and thieves."
Kael nodded, fully aware of the risks: "I understand. That's precisely why I don't plan to start building banks immediately. What I need from you is to prepare a solid foundation—plans, security measures, operational structures—so that when the time comes, we can act swiftly. When I give the order, you must be ready."
"We will follow Your Majesty's orders!" The officials responded in unison, bowing in acknowledgment.
Kael knew Alabasta's current situation better than anyone. Opening banks at this moment would likely invite more trouble than benefits. Careful planning was necessary to ensure the safety and success of this ambitious project.
---
Although Kael had already sold over four million phones, the only fully functional app at present was Ocean Headlines. The app had quickly reached an unprecedented level of popularity, with daily traffic exceeding two million users.
After careful consideration, Kael decided to temporarily restrict the comment function to domestic users only. For the first time in history, instant online communication became a reality within Alabasta.
Every phone user could set a customizable nickname while also receiving a permanent, unchangeable ID. This system allowed for seamless automatic login across all compatible apps.
At first, most users were merely curious. Many hesitated to post anything. But as time passed, heated discussions over trending topics inevitably led to arguments, which escalated into online feuds, and, in some cases, even real-life confrontations.
Browsing Ocean Headlines quickly became an indispensable part of daily life—especially for those with excess energy after a hard day's work or for individuals in simpler, less demanding jobs.
---
Yuba City
The construction of Life River Central was progressing smoothly, with workers tirelessly expanding the vast network of pipelines.
After a long, exhausting day, Koza wiped the sweat from his brow, a satisfied smile forming on his face as he took in the fruits of their labor. The sight of the ever-expanding irrigation system filled him with hope.
Instinctively, Koza pulled out his phone and opened Ocean Headlines, scrolling through the latest international news.
> [Big Mom's Tea Party convenes once again—Underground bosses of the Dark World gather, including several notorious pirate figures...]
[Tensions Escalate! A conflict between the Whitebeard Pirates and Beasts Pirates intensifies—Jack the Drought clashes head-on with Marco the Phoenix!]
"New World news again?" Koza muttered to himself.
Koza quickly realized that international reports barely mentioned Alabasta. Despite the kingdom undergoing massive transformations under the rule of the new king, the outside world remained largely unaware.
Curious, he switched to Alabasta's exclusive national news section:
> [The Life River Project is urgently seeking workers!]
[His Majesty personally sets minimum wage standards across the kingdom—the capital's wage floor is now 30,000 Berries!]
[Large-scale Santora Catfish sighting in the northern Santora River—Sixth Division Leader Alo leads troops in a large-scale cleanup operation!]
Koza, who had never been particularly interested in reading the news, found himself genuinely enjoying the updates. Scrolling further, he even checked out the lifestyle section:
> [Grandpa Saba's camel in South Alubarna gave birth to seven baby camels overnight!]
[Two Drunkards in Yuba Kissed in the Middle of the Street!]
The articles, though seemingly trivial, painted a picture of a vibrant and changing Alabasta. For the first time, Koza felt like he was seeing his homeland from an entirely new perspective—until his eyes landed on a certain headline:
> [Wow! The Former Rebel Leader Koza Does Not Like Women!]
"What?!" Koza nearly smashed his phone onto the ground. His face darkened, his pulse quickening as he scrolled down to the comment section.
> [I personally saw Koza hugging a big dude on the southern riverbank.] — Yuba Strongman
[I saw it too. But he wasn't just hugging—he was being held in the guy's arms.] — Doron the Sailor
[I suspect you guys are making this up, but I have no proof. So I choose to believe it.] — Beakbird
[Wait… you guys aren't joking, right?] — Santora Dragon
"Damn it! Those bastards! I'm Koza! I'm a normal man!" Enraged, Koza's fingers flew across his phone screen at lightning speed, furiously typing out replies as he argued with his online detractors.
Thus, the former rebel leader discovered his new daily pastime—becoming an internet troll.
---
Kael naturally continued his innovations by developing a new app—The Ocean Forum.
Initially, he had envisioned creating a forum similar to Reddit, but the limitations of the basic-level app development system prevented him from launching something that advanced right away. Instead, he had to start with a simpler forum platform, gradually expanding its features.
This massive forum was divided into hundreds of sections, designed to distribute millions of smartphone users across various topics, from daily life discussions to major world events.
Not long after, the forum's popularity skyrocketed beyond Kael's expectations.
Even within the Navy, officers weren't immune to its appeal. Many, including high-ranking officials from Marineford, found themselves drawn into forum discussions.
One such officer was Vice-Admiral Momonga. Back when he was stationed in Alabasta, Momonga had shown no interest in the so-called "Mobile Phone" to him, it was nothing more than a mechanical version of a Den Den Mushi, an unnecessary gimmick.
However, everything changed when he discovered The Ocean Headlines app.
The app significantly simplified his daily news intake, consolidating information from multiple newspapers into a single platform. No traditional newspaper could provide the same level of convenience and comprehensive coverage—but The Ocean Headlines could.
Soon, Momonga found himself relying on the phone more and more.
Later, he realized that by reading the comment sections on The Ocean News, he could even gather intelligence on potential pirate movements. The public discussions, rumors, and firsthand witness accounts offered valuable clues that traditional intelligence networks often missed.
As he delved deeper, Momonga became increasingly convinced—this phone was far from ordinary.
One day, while scrolling through his apps, he noticed something new.
"The Ocean Forum? What's that?" A new application had appeared on his phone. By now, Momonga had developed a basic understanding of how apps worked, and his curiosity was piqued.
[East Blue · Lifestyle Section]
> "Damn it! I just saw the Red-Haired Pirates in Windmill Village a few minutes ago! Red-Haired Shanks is one of the Four Yonko we always see in the news, right?!" — East Blue Farmer
In the past, due to the high cost of newspapers, not everyone could afford to buy them regularly. As a result, most people knew very little about the famous figures of the world.
Ordinary citizens had no idea what a Devil Fruit was or who the strongest pirates of the era were.
But now, with the widespread availability of smartphones, people could finally access free news. With daily exposure to current events, they quickly became familiar with figures like the Yonko, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and other legendary pirates.
"The Red-Haired Pirates in East Blue?!" Momonga abruptly stood up from his seat in shock.
> "Is this real?" — ID: Rational Justice
> "It's real! I saw it with my own eyes! He looks exactly like he does in the newspaper! He's even chatting and laughing with the villagers! This is terrifying! Do they even realize who he is?!" — East Blue Farmer
Unfortunately, Kael had yet to develop a feature for uploading photos. Otherwise, this man would have undoubtedly spread images of Shanks across the entire forum in an instant.
Momonga didn't dismiss the claim outright. Instead, he quickly asked the poster to describe the number of people present and their appearances. After hearing the detailed descriptions, he started to believe the report.
Hesitating for only a brief moment, he grabbed his phone and rushed toward Fleet-Admiral Sengoku's office.
Regardless of whether the information was accurate or not, it involved one of the Four Emperors—and that meant it had to be reported immediately.
---
Sengoku's Office
After listening to Momonga's report, Sengoku's expression became incredibly strange.
"You're telling me you got this intel from some anonymous person in East Blue… through this mechanical Den Den Mushi?"
"Yes, sir." Momonga confirmed firmly.
However, what unsettled Sengoku wasn't the source of the information, but the fact that it was actually true.
A few days ago, the World Government had already informed him that Shanks was in East Blue. Yet, among the high-ranking Marines, only a select few knew about this. Momonga, and even the three Admirals, had been kept in the dark.
After all, even if they were aware, what could they actually do? The Red-Haired Pirates weren't a force that could be easily confronted—not without serious consequences.
"That person from East Blue… is he your informant?" Sengoku asked.
"No, sir." Momonga shook his head, as his expression serious: "I got this news from The Ocean Forum. I don't know if it's true or not, but since it's related to the Red-Haired Pirates, I thought it was worth reporting."
Sengoku paused for a moment before straightening his posture. His eyes flickered with understanding: "As we expected… this device has a lot of potential."
If the entire world started using mobile phones, and every user could freely post and share information, then secrecy would become nearly impossible!
No more controlled narratives. No more carefully curated news. Real-time information exchange—unfiltered and unregulated—was becoming a reality.
In fact, Sengoku had already sent several units to Dr. Vegapunk, hoping that the scientist could reverse-engineer the device and uncover its core technology. But what he didn't know was that these mobile phones were a product of Kael's Devil Fruit ability.
They weren't normal machines. They weren't born from science. And because of that… their efforts were doomed to fail from the very start.
In this world, patents and intellectual property protections didn't exist. When something valuable emerged, the first step was always to see if it could be copied. If replication was impossible, then alternative methods had to be considered.
Sengoku's gaze shifted toward Momonga, and said: "Go and call Vice-Admiral Tsuru."
---
Ten minutes later, Vice-Admiral Tsuru arrived at Sengoku's office.
After carefully listening to Sengoku's explanation of the new features of mobile phones, Tsuru remained silent for a few moments.
Finally, she said in a serious voice: "The potential of this mobile phone exceeds our expectations. It's truly a tool ahead of its time… quite remarkable."
She paused briefly before asking: "Can Vegapunk replicate it?"
Sengoku sighed, rubbing his temples slightly. His voice carried a hint of frustration as he answered: "Vegapunk couldn't crack its core technology. He mentioned that it involves many advanced technologies—some of which are beyond even his understanding. Even if he were to dedicate himself entirely to the task, it would take decades to replicate."
Hearing this, Tsuru nodded thoughtfully: "Then we cooperate."
Sengoku raised an eyebrow but remained silent as she continued: "According to intelligence… the one behind all of this is the new King of Alabasta?"
"Yes." Sengoku replied thoughtfully: "Based on the intel we've gathered, these devices only appeared after Kael took the throne."
A moment of quiet contemplation passed between them.
Then, Tsuru spoke again: "Considering the security risks, I believe it's necessary to keep these devices away from our crucial meetings. However, equipping lower-ranking officers and regular soldiers with a limited number of them would be beneficial. It would significantly reduce the costs associated with Den Den Mushi communication."
Though she doubted that Alabasta would dare to use these devices to spy on the Navy, precautionary measures were still necessary.
Sengoku leaned back slightly in his chair and nodded: "Agreed. We'll have Kuzan handle this—he's still in Paradise, so he should be near Alabasta."
At that moment, neither Sengoku nor Tsuru realized just how much Alabasta was changing. As naval officers, they had no authority over the internal affairs of independent nations. They typically paid little attention to their policies—unless those changes directly affected the balance of power in the world.