For now, though, there were other things to handle.
The plan had been a massive success. Mock had thrown the entire sea into chaos. With their own faction having openly defected on top of that, Celestial Dragons had already canceled their travel plans for their own safety.
When it came to their own security, those World Nobles took things very seriously.
Only Mock's speech meant the pirates in the East Blue were going to start getting restless again.
He'd managed some damage control this time, kept the broadcast from playing or being shown in his own territory. But he couldn't control the entire East Blue.
Of course...
"The signal went through perfectly, especially the projector Den Den Mushi's peripheral devices." Dante rubbed his chin and paused in thought. "This way, even if our base stations aren't set up in other seas, we can still control the narrative across other seas when the time comes."
He placed enormous weight on controlling the narrative.
Especially across the sea...
One island could be an entire nation.
Isolated. No communication. Eventually, chaos would return.
He hadn't fought tooth and nail for territory just to watch it fracture the moment some smooth-talker came along and pulled the wool over everyone's eyes.
Take the Germa 66 Kingdom, for example, they once unified the entire North Blue. Maybe the kingdom's eventual collapse ran deeper than met the eye, but he was certain of one thing... controlling the narrative was part of it all.
And besides...
This could rake in money!
Dante looked at Vegapunk and said, "Can you build a dedicated system into the peripheral devices? Something like, you buy the device, but you still have to load it with funds before you can access our signal."
As he spoke, a thought seemed to strike him, and his voice pitched up with excitement.
"Oh, right, and set up multiple plans, like, a 299/berry plan that only gets you ten minutes of talk time, or 2900/berries for a hundred minutes. Call them the Soar Plan, the Wisdom Plan, the Nova Plan, make a whole bunch of them."
"Oh, and data packages too..."
"Can you add a small screen and a small projector to the peripheral device? And build a platform on top of it, you only need data to use the platform, and it has all kinds of software: chat, shopping, ordering food delivery, that kind of thing. And if they go over their data limit, that's an extra charge!"
"Stop, stop, stop. Are you saying I don't have enough to do already? You're just dumping all these fascinating ideas on me at once?" Even though his head was no longer attached to his body, having this much inspiration flood in at once left Vegapunk equal parts thrilled and exasperated.
It wasn't the workload that gave him a headache, it was having too many ideas at once.
But he had to admit...
"A platform? That's a genuinely brilliant idea. It's just... didn't your peripheral device already cost money? And not a small amount either. Why tack on extra charges? I'm all for making money, but isn't this a little predatory? A Den Den Mushi, once you buy it, it's yours. There's no extra fee."
"Predatory? Watch your mouth. If I don't rake in enough cash, how am I supposed to fund a money pit like you? Besides, that money was just for the device. The extra charges are for the content inside. The content can't be free, can it? Do they sell World Economic Journal for free? And the Den Den Mushi... sure, you buy it, but don't you still have to feed the thing yourself?" Dante said with righteous conviction. "All I'm doing is swapping the feeding cost for a service charge!"
"...Fine. It's all nonsense, but I get it." Vegapunk gave Dante a sideways look and, for the sake of his research budget, nodded in agreement. "If there's nothing else, I'm getting back to work."
"Hold on." Dante stopped him. "There's more."
"Those ten thousand East Blue No. 1 units?"
"East Blue No. 1?"
"The secret weapon!" Dante looked at Vegapunk, dead serious. "We're nowhere near the target number yet. I need you to ramp up production, or next time something goes wrong, we're in serious trouble."
They had already defected. Sooner or later, the World Government's and Marine HQ's attention would fall on them.
They had to accelerate development and keep building up their strength.
"That's a terrible name you gave it. It's the Flame Bomb." Vegapunk stuck out his tongue in disgust at the memory, then added, "The production line's already under construction. It'll be done in a few days. Once it's ready, you just feed in the materials and it manufactures on its own. But ten thousand units, isn't that a bit much?"
"Not at all." Dante's eyes glinted. There was an edge to his tone. "We have no idea how strong the enemy really is."
And it wasn't just the World Government, he was calibrating his threat assessment against every major force on the sea. Not that he said that out loud.
Then he rattled off more items, Ocean Defense, Surveillance Equipment, Artificial Devil Fruit, the Third-Generation Aqua Ursa Pills... old projects and new.
If they wanted to advance fast, they couldn't afford to lose Vegapunk.
At which point, Vegapunk threw him out.
"I'm one man!" Vegapunk shouted from inside. "Wait until I build my satellites, and then we'll talk!"
He locked the main door too.
Declared he was going into his lab. Unless it was urgent, do not disturb.
Dante found it deeply frustrating. He still had a long list of things he wanted Vegapunk to build.
For instance, he'd been meaning to ask if Vegapunk could make some kind of island-creation device, if worst came to worst, they could just build their own island and call it a day.
Too bad.
"It'll have to wait. First, let Vegapunk wrap up the research already on his plate." Dante shook his head and sighed, then rubbed his chin. "Speaking of which... how's Smoker's situation?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the Den Den Mushi rang.
*Purupurupuru~*
At that moment...
Smoker and Tashigi stood there, stunned. The Tontatta Brand Cigar from the Conomi Islands slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground.
'Bloody hell.' He'd seen people looking to die, but never this blatantly. He'd thought the brat's mutiny might have some deeper plan. He never expected it to be this absurdly straightforward.
Just let Mock keep drawing the World Government's attention.
Did he think his underlings weren't dying fast enough? It forced a grudging thought into his mind...
Saddled with a boss like that, Mock never even considered betrayal. That was some real loyalty. Of course, what stunned them wasn't just the brat's plan. Mock's so-called secret had hit them just as hard.
Even after the broadcast ended.
"The world will be swallowed by the sea?" Tashigi still hadn't recovered. She looked at Smoker, disbelief all over her face. "Captain Smoker, is that true? Or is it fake?"
"I don't know!" Smoker grit his teeth. He picked up the fallen cigar, flicked off the ash, his tone carrying a headache-inducing edge. "Dante really thinks the sea isn't chaotic enough!"
A secret like that getting out... who knew how many more ambitious schemers would crawl out of the woodwork.
And that bastard...
He clearly knows that many secrets, and last time he had the nerve to claim he knew nothing.
Unbelievable. He calls that knowing nothing? That's knowing way too damn much.
Smoker scowled and let out a dismissive scoff. "Something this big and he didn't bother to tell me. Next time he tries to drag me into this kind of mess, he can get lost."
"Well..." Hearing her captain's words, Tashigi opened her mouth, hesitated, then spoke anyway. "This morning, the 16th Branch sent another shipment. A hundred high quality Swords, fifty crates of training supplies, fifty bottles of those Aqua Ursa Pills, plus ten boxes of Premium Tontatta Tribe Special Supply Cigars. Oh, and also, one exclusive footspa tub designed specifically for you, Captain."
She sighed. "I have to say... the 16th Branch really is loaded."
"Loaded or not, what's the difference? Trying to bribe me now?" Smoker let out another dismissive scoff. "What does he take me for?"
He raised his head and looked at Tashigi, his face blank.
"Did you accept it?"
"Uh, well..." Tashigi's face froze. She seemed to realize that what she'd done was indeed a problem.
Just yesterday, Captain Smoker had specifically reminded her to keep her distance from Marine Branch 16 for now.
And then today.
"Sorry!" Tashigi hastily bowed. "I'll have someone send it all back right now."
Except just as Tashigi was about to turn and leave, a flat voice reached her ears.
"Keep it."
'Keep it? Keep what?' Before the thoroughly confused Tashigi could ask anything, Smoker spoke again.
"Send it back? What for?" Captain Smoker flicked the ash from his cigar, his face still blank. "That stuff is what I'm owed."
Tashigi stared at him. 'Captain Smoker, what did you just say? Could you say it one more time?' Tashigi looked at Smoker with a stiff smile, but still nodded. "Yes! Understood!"
===============
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