In the quiet chambers of the courtesan's villa, Hiyori knelt on a silk cushion embroidered with cherry blossoms, her slender fingers gliding gently across the screen of her phone.
Outside the window, Wano Country's eternal clouds blocked the moonlight. Only the cold glow of the phone lit her delicate face, as if this faint light was the only warmth in the darkness.
When she scrolled to a video featuring Wapol, the disgraced former king, her rouged lips tightened unconsciously.
In the video, Wapol stood in front of a trash heap on Winter Island, crying to the camera. He lamented being overthrown by the Revolutionary Army, expressing regret over his past cruelty.
Hiyori's fingertips trembled slightly above the screen. The image pierced into her heart like a blade.
Wasn't Wano Country suffering the same fate?
She quickly exited the video and walked to her dressing table.
In the bronze mirror, her gaze was complex—anger, hope, determination... all swirling in her eyes.
Her nails dug deep into her palms, but she felt no pain. Her heart was too full of helpless rage toward the state of Wano and a desperate longing for its future.
"If only it could become like Wapol's country..." she whispered, her voice carrying a yearning buried for years.
Opening her TikTok backend, she stared at her follower count—barely over a hundred. She bit her lower lip.
It wasn't enough. Nowhere near the threshold for livestreaming. She needed more. She needed the entire sea to hear Wano Country's voice.
Suddenly, she recalled the conversation she had overheard between Orochi and Kaido the night before—talks of Devil Fruit trades, hidden deals, conspiracies...
If she made it all public...
Hiyori stood up sharply, the rustle of her ornate junihitoe echoing in the silent room.
The scenes of Wano played vividly in her mind—slaves toiling in mines, poisoned rivers, children starving in the streets.
Every image burned with injustice.
And now, those very images had become her sharpest weapon.
"If I post all of this on TikTok... would people care? Would anyone help Wano?" she murmured, hesitating.
Among TikTok's massive user base, maybe—just maybe—there was someone who could make a difference.
The clack of the watchman's wooden blocks rang outside.
Hiyori quickly locked her phone and tucked it into her inner robe. Her movements froze briefly as she realized, this tiny metal rectangle now carried the hope of Wano Country.
"Thank you..." she whispered into the darkness. Whether it was to the mysterious TikTok developer or the opportunity itself, she wasn't sure.
...
Out at sea.
The waves glittered beneath the sun, the water sparkling like a field of diamonds.
Ron sat lazily in a dugout canoe, pulled by a massive Sea Kings seahorse cutting through the sea like a living torpedo.
Bored, he opened TikTok and started scrolling through the latest videos.
The total number of videos on TikTok had already passed hundreds of millions. The content quality had skyrocketed.
Top creators from across the seas were posting everything from food and travel vlogs to tech reviews and entertainment segments.
Kaido's livestream two days ago had drawn global attention. He didn't just gain fans—it inspired him to use artificial Devil Fruits to grow his power.
"Do artificial Devil Fruits count as fakes? Should I ban them?" Ron muttered as he scrolled through the trending debates.
He remembered promising users that any fake product would be handled seriously.
But this situation was tricky. The artificial Devil Fruits didn't have a 100% success rate like the real ones, but some were clearly working.
Ron's brows furrowed slightly, a trace of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
His promise was clear, but the artificial fruits, flawed as they were—did offer real results for some users.
They weren't totally fake. And they weren't totally useless.
They were just... risky.
"Forget it. If they work sometimes, they're not fakes," Ron sighed, the weight of compromise in his voice.
True, artificial Devil Fruits had issues. But they also brought new hope to desperate people.
Think about it—people living in poverty could never afford a hundred-million-Berry Devil Fruit. They'd sell their homes and empty their family savings trying to buy one.
Now a cheap version shows up, and you're gonna tell them it's fake?
Who could accept that?
...
By noon, the Sea Kings seahorse had carved a long white path across the blue ocean.
Ron stood on its back, squinting at the red dot blinking on his phone.
Morgans had sent the exact location through TikTok's direct coordinates.
"This is way more useful than a Log Pose..." Ron murmured.
A standard Log Pose could only show direction. But TikTok's map could pinpoint locations, measure distance, and even calculate arrival time.
It was stupidly convenient.
Ron wondered how many people on this sea had discovered TikTok's hidden features.
Maybe its impact had already gone far beyond his imagination.
In the distance, a mist-shrouded island slowly emerged on the horizon.
Ron's pupils narrowed. Without precise tracking, no one would've ever found this place in the vast sea.
"That birdbrain Morgans really knows how to hide," he muttered with a smirk.
The seahorse let out a low whinny and began slowing down.
Even before they reached the shore, Ron saw a familiar figure pacing on the beach.
Morgans, cigar in beak, flapped his wings nervously. He looked up every few steps—clearly, he'd been waiting.
"Ron!" Morgans soared into the air as soon as he spotted the seahorse's silhouette.
"You finally made it!"
He fluttered to Ron's side, muttering with a hint of exasperation,
"The warehouse is almost out of phones! If we don't restock soon, I'll have to sell myself in a bundle deal!"
Ron casually pulled up the system dashboard.
When he saw the number, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Ninety-five million users..."
Just five million short of the hundred-million milestone.
That growth was... wild.
"Take me to the warehouse," Ron said calmly.
"Right away!" Morgans saluted, flapping ahead to guide the way.
(To be continued.)
***
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