"Mr. Brook, you want to install a small screen on a Den Den Mushi? A display like the one connected to an Image Den Den Mushi?"
A senior technical expert from the World Economic News Agency looked at Brook in confusion. Of the Image Den Den Mushi, the one responsible for monitoring and observation was relatively small, but the one responsible for projecting images had to be much larger to store enough energy to keep projecting.
During the Paramount War, for example, the Den Den Mushi filming on the battlefield was relatively small, while the one broadcasting the footage live in Sabaody Archipelago was huge. The same principle applied in Impel Down: the Den Den Mushi used to monitor prisoners was small and easy to hide, while the one projecting images in the surveillance room was much larger.
"That's right. Can it be done?" Brook replied.
"It can be installed, but a small Den Den Mushi like this won't be able to project for long. It'll get too tired and fall asleep."
The senior expert explained the drawback. Video calls over long distances using large Image Den Den Mushi already existed, but they generally couldn't cover very long distances. This method was less convenient than simply using a regular Den Den Mushi for calls, especially since the little creatures could mimic people.
Besides, Den Den Mushi were weak, useless, and lazy. They generally retained only one radio frequency and knew only one skill.
Young Den Den Mushi could only make calls within the same island. With targeted training, one could learn to take photographs, but it would lose its communication function and need an external signal-transmitting printer to develop the pictures. Den Den Mushi trained to film could only film, while those trained to project could only project...
In short, these little animals were simple-minded and couldn't be fitted with too many functions.
In the end, the technical expert still made several dozen young Den Den Mushi for Brook, each fitted with a small screen attached to its shell like the handset of a corded telephone.
To Brook, it looked like an early touchscreen phone connected by a cord to the Den Den Mushi inside its shell.
One young Den Den Mushi was fitted with the device. Its screen lit up for several dozen seconds, then went dark.
Another young Den Den Mushi, communicating with Antonio, sent the image it was seeing over radio waves to the small screen and projected it. It worked, but the little creature quickly ran out of energy and fell asleep.
Its battery life was pretty terrible.
After that, Antonio trained the young Den Den Mushi to learn several skills. Brook also searched for all kinds of precious leaves to feed them, trying leaves from Yarukiman Mangrove, Sun Tree Eve, and Treasure Tree Adam.
In the end, they successfully tested which foods greatly enhanced young Den Den Mushi. Yarukiman Mangrove leaves could be used as everyday food and kept the screen lit for half an hour. Feeding one a Sun Tree Eve leaf afterward let it maintain a continuous call for an hour, while a Treasure Tree Adam leaf extended the battery life to two hours.
The young Den Den Mushi were finally bred into Mobile Den Den Mushi. Brook named them himself. They abandoned video calls to save energy, retaining their communication and mimicry abilities as well as text messaging through the screen.
···
Brook, Antonio, and Shakky each picked up a Mobile Den Den Mushi's wired screen and scribbled on it.
Their handwriting appeared on one another's screens.
[Number 2: Captain Brook, can you see what I wrote?]
[Number 1: I can.]
[Number 3: Amazing!]
Brook felt deeply satisfied. It was an extremely crude chat group, but it was his greatest tribute to his past life.
"Captain, I want to change my number to my own name."
Only Antonio could communicate with the Den Den Mushi and get them to change the names displayed on their screens.
"Captain, this feature doesn't seem very useful. We're all on the same ship, so we can just talk to each other. For anything else, we can use the Den Den Mushi to talk directly. Reading text is such a hassle, and we have to write it out, too."
Shakky felt that the Mobile Den Den Mushi were rather pointless and didn't have much use.
Brook also thought it over. Without a large user base, they were indeed less practical than regular Den Den Mushi.
Besides, feeding them precious leaves made widespread adoption impossible. Den Den Mushi were also beyond the means of ordinary people. At present, News Coo were still the main way people in this world received information.
Brook had no choice but to abandon his plans to usher in the information age and wait to see when they might come in handy.
Maybe he could start a guild? The Fellowship Guild? He could give these Den Den Mushi to promising pirate captains and bring them into a group where they could communicate!!!
Haki, swordsmanship, information about islands, information about treasure... There might be something to this!
But he wasn't strong enough yet, and he wasn't famous enough. Nobody would listen to him. And could he really be sure those captains wouldn't start fighting each other?
He'd decided: even if he gave Mobile Den Den Mushi to promising captains, they had to be people he approved of. The chat group would strictly require anonymity until he had grown strong enough!
After painstakingly planning it all out based on his experience in his past life, he felt it might work. The story was set to begin more than fifty years from now, so he had no advantage from knowing the plot. He could only rely on this to gather information—and he absolutely had to seize control of the World Economic News Agency, the world's information hub.
···
Before he knew it, another day had passed.
"Captain Brook, the first Supernova of the year has arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. It's Golden Lion Shiki, captain of the Flying Pirate Crew, with a bounty of 440 million Beli! His pirate ship can fly! The wanted poster says his Devil Fruit is the Float-Float Fruit, which lets him make anything float!"
Shakky rushed over to Brook early in the morning, carrying the latest intelligence she'd gathered and quickly reporting it.
"Golden Lion Shiki. What a familiar name. I wonder how strong he is now!"
The Float-Float Fruit was indeed an incredible ability, useful for both attacking and escaping. Shiki was also a Two-Sword Style swordsman. No wonder the Marines had given him such a high bounty!
"Captain, should we go to the Lawless Zone and take a look at this big shot?"
As an intelligence hunter, Shakky could hardly wait to see him in person. But now that she had joined Brook's crew, she thought she should report to him first.
"Sure. Just don't cause any trouble!"
Brook went with Shakky to see the young Golden Lion Shiki in action.
···
Inside a bar in Sabaody's Lawless Zone.
A domineering man with long golden hair, a cigar between his teeth, and two swords at his waist raised a cup of liquor. He was in the prime of his life.
If he hadn't wanted to visit the legendary Fish-Man Island, he would've flown straight over the Red Line and headed for the New World. Why wait around here to get his pirate ship coated?
"Captain Shiki, you're the fastest of this year's Supernovas to reach Sabaody! You're the strongest, Captain!"
A lackey from the Flying Pirate Crew showered his captain with frenzied praise.
"My pirate ship can fly! Who could possibly be faster than me? Hahahaha!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed proudly. He was only in his twenties, yet his bounty had already reached 440 million. He was the strongest Supernova of the year!
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