"Queen-sama, this little gadget is called a mobile phone, and it's absolutely amazing. First, let's talk about the basic functions. They're incredibly powerful. Taking photos, recording videos—it's all at your fingertips. Super easy!" Ricks explained enthusiastically.
"That's nothing special. Den Den Mushi can do that too." Queen curled his lips with disdain, clearly unimpressed.
Ricks had expected Queen's reaction and quickly switched tactics. "Queen-sama, don't be hasty. What I just mentioned are only the basic features. Its real strength lies in entertainment!"
"Entertainment?!" The moment fun was mentioned, Queen's interest was piqued.
Without missing a beat, Ricks explained further, "There's an app called TikTok on it. On TikTok, you can scroll through countless videos or upload your own. Just by sitting at home, you can watch content posted by people from across the entire Sea, learning about their cultures, customs, and trends."
Queen shook his head. "Why would I watch that stuff? I'm not interested." His tone was tinged with impatience.
"Wait, wait, don't rush." Ricks was starting to realize this guy might really be a tough nut to crack. After all that, did he have zero hobbies? What a boring life! At this point, he had no choice but to pull out his ultimate weapon.
"Queen-sama, aside from those videos, TikTok also has a ton of beauties uploading high-stocking videos daily—absolutely stunning!"
As he spoke, Ricks opened up a batch of clips: high stockings, leopard prints, JK uniforms... all doing seductive dances like window wiping, train rocking, little tiger, and more.
Seeing Queen's expression shift slightly, Ricks knew he might be onto something. But he didn't dare look at the screen himself—he might get too absorbed.
"Queen-sama, please take a look at this!"
"Empress Boa Hancock!" Ricks raised his voice with excitement. "She's on TikTok too, and she even livestreams sometimes! The Empress! A literal goddess! Don't worry, you can watch freely—you won't get petrified!"
Ricks fired off the words in one breath, sneaking a glance at the group of subordinates behind him—all of whom had heart-shaped eyes.
He didn't believe Queen could resist the Empress!
Time ticked by second by second, and Ricks grew increasingly anxious.
Why hadn't Queen shouted that he wanted to buy a phone yet?
Did something go wrong?
Doubt and unease started creeping in.
Just as he scrolled past Hancock's video and looked up, he saw Queen staring at him like he was a moron, eyes full of disdain and mockery.
"Why are you showing me a bunch of chicks wiggling around? Do they have fleas?" Queen sneered coldly. "This so-called phone of yours isn't impressive. You're asking ten thousand Berries for it? Even if I bought it, it'd still be trash."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Ricks stared at Queen's back, completely dumbfounded.
There's actually someone who isn't swayed by the Empress?
How rare is that?!
Why did he have to run into such an anomaly?
So unlucky!
But he wasn't ready to give up. Watching Queen walk off, he yelled out:
"Queen-sama! Even if you don't want to watch hot girls, you can still use it to watch videos!"
"Even if you don't watch videos, you can listen to music or sing too!"
As Queen and his entourage drifted further away, Ricks grew desperate and shouted louder:
"Queen-sama, buy one! Even if you don't scroll through videos... you can sing, dance, and rap!"
The moment those words left his mouth.
Queen suddenly froze in place. He paused for two full seconds, as if confirming he hadn't misheard. Then he turned around, squinting his tiny eyes at Ricks.
"What did you just say?"
"Huh?" Ricks blinked. Queen... actually stopped?
But when he saw Queen stomping back with his menacing posse, Ricks suddenly remembered—these guys were Pirates. Did he say something offensive?
"I-I said, Queen-sama should buy a... unit?" he stammered.
"Not that! The sentence after it!"
"Even if you don't scroll through videos, you can sing, dance, and rap... huh?"
"That's it!" Queen's eyes lit up. He stared at Ricks, confirming again, "You're saying this phone thing can be used for singing?"
At that point, even a fool could see—he'd just hit Queen's sweet spot!
Singing?! Why didn't he just say that from the start?
Once Ricks realized what Queen was into, everything got easier. He quickly nodded, "Absolutely, Queen-sama! Not only can you sing, you can even hold your own solo concert!"
The moment he heard "singing" and "concert," Queen's face practically exploded with joy.
Singing, dancing, rapping—his favorite trio!
It was a perfect match!
He immediately looked ready to buy.
Seeing the opening, Ricks added enthusiastically, "Queen-sama, if you gain enough fans, you can even broadcast a global live concert! By then, people from all over the Sea and across all Islands will be able to hear your performance!"
What?! The whole Sea?! People from every Island could hear his concert?!!
No way!
If that was true, it'd be ridiculously awesome!
Still, Queen held onto a sliver of caution. "You're not messing with me, are you? How can the whole Sea hear it?"
Clearly, Queen didn't fully believe him and stared at Ricks suspiciously. "Kid, if you're lying to me, do you think I won't tear down your stall?"
He glanced at the Giberson logo on the booth and scoffed, "Don't think I'll spare you just because you work for Giberson. If you piss me off, Queen will make you regret it."
Ricks immediately bowed his head in fear. "Queen-sama, I wouldn't dare deceive you. If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself."
As he spoke, Ricks pulled up a clip from one of Empress Hancock's livestreams. Thankfully, some kind soul had saved part of the stream.
He skillfully adjusted the screen for optimal display, then handed it to Queen.
"Queen-sama, look. When Empress Hancock was livestreaming, these bullet comments were from users across the Islands. And the gifts they sent? All real!"
Queen leaned over for a closer look.
At first, he just glanced casually.
Then his eyes widened in disbelief.
Sure enough, countless usernames flooded the screen. The bullet comments scrolled nonstop. And the virtual gifts were falling like snow.
Just then, Queen spotted one particular gift sender...
"Sengoku?!"
His eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What kind of joke is this?! Even Sengoku is sending gifts?"
"Is that really Sengoku?!"
(To be continued.)