A News Coo flapped its wings overhead. The backpack that once carried newspapers now bulged with sleek mobile phone boxes.
"Hey! News bird!" Luffy suddenly stretched out his arm, rubber fingers hooking precisely around the bird's leg. "I wanna buy a phone!"
The News Coo let out a startled "coo" as it tumbled midair, flapping furiously until it landed in the sand with a disgruntled flutter.
It tilted its head, eyeing the group warily.
The Straw Hats stared in disbelief. This was a jackpot.
You had to understand—News Coos were rarer than Calm Belt islands now. Phones sold out the second they arrived on most routes. Some birds didn't even show up for weeks.
The bird slowly pulled a phone from its backpack and pointed to the price tag hanging on its chest with one wingtip.
Everyone leaned in, then gasped.
"50 Berries?!"
"That's robbery!" Usopp's jaw nearly fell into the sand. "In Water Seven, they're going for at least 50,000 Berries!"
Luffy was already spinning with excitement. "Nami! Let's buy another one!"
Bonk!
A massive bump rose on Usopp's head as Nami whacked him, fists flying. "Why do you need so many? Isn't one enough for you to mess with?"
Usopp clutched his head, wailing, "Even if we don't use them... we could stock up... sell them on other islands… make a hundred times the profit!"
Nami's eyes instantly transformed into Berry symbols: "!!!"
She gently patted Usopp's bump, her tone sugar-sweet.
"Usopp-kun~ I'm so sorry about earlier~ You're an absolute genius~"
She whipped out a thick wad of bills and beamed at the News Coo like a pro merchant.
"Dear Mr. News Bird~ I'll take everything in your bag~"
The News Coo calmly gave a "coo," then flipped its backpack. Thunk, thunk! Two phones dropped onto the sand.
"Only... two?!" Nami's smile froze.
The bird tilted its head, looking slightly annoyed: Coo coo? (Buying or not?)
"Yes! Of course!" Luffy shoved 100 Berries into the bird's pouch before anyone else could move and grabbed the phones.
"Little bird that sells phones is the best!"
The News Coo patted its pouch contentedly, flapped its wings, and soared back into the sky, leaving the Straw Hats staring blankly.
Nami stared at the two phones in Luffy's hand, already calculating which island would give the best resale markup...
Then her eyes snapped wide. She grabbed Luffy by the collar.
"Luffy! Where did you get 100 Berries?!"
She checked her wallet—every single Berry was still there.
"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head, his rubbery cheeks squished by Nami's grip.
"From that big crab I caught earlier~"
He gestured proudly. "The old cook said it was the tastiest desert crab he'd ever seen. He bought just a leg for 100 Berries~"
Nami's pupils instantly morphed into Berry symbols: "???!!!"
She whipped out a notebook and scribbled furiously, muttering to herself.
"Desert delicacy... rare ingredient... food influencer collab..."
It was like she could already see piles of Berries waving at her.
Meanwhile, Luffy casually tossed one phone to Ace.
"Catch!"
Ace snatched it out of the air with a grin.
"Man, that's lucky..."
A flick of his hand, and orange-red flames burst from his palm, instantly burning away the packaging.
The phone dropped neatly into his hand, perfectly unharmed.
"Whoa!" Usopp's eyes bulged. "That's the coolest unboxing I've ever seen!"
"Come on, come on! I'll teach you how to make a TikTok account!" Luffy dragged Ace under the shade of a large rock, practically vibrating with excitement.
The brothers sat shoulder to shoulder, Luffy fumbling across the screen and occasionally shouting when he tapped the wrong thing.
Ace learned quickly, though he still misclicked a few times, making Luffy laugh so hard he almost dropped the phone.
"I wonder if Marco and the others are using phones..." Ace scrolled through the recommended page, suddenly overcome with homesickness.
"You can just search!" Usopp chimed in.
Right then, a black vortex appeared in front of them. Plop! A massive block of ice dropped onto the sand.
Usopp immediately leapt onto it, hugging it tight.
"Aaah—so good in this heat!"
Ace's jaw dropped.
"This... this this this..."
He had heard about the Shopping Cart system, but seeing it in action was something else.
Summoning things from thin air, no matter the distance, it completely shattered his understanding of logistics.
"Hahaha! Ace, quit staring and try the search function already!" Luffy slapped his back with a loud rubbery smack.
"Mhm mhm!"
Ace finally snapped out of it, his fingers trembling as he typed:
"Whitebeard Pirates," "Marco," "Jozu"...
"Found it!"
Ace's eyes widened. Marco's account popped up on screen.
That pineapple-head avatar was unmistakable.
He quickly tapped the video call icon. His heartbeat echoed in his ears.
Beep... beep...
The ringtone was unusually clear in the desert silence.
Suddenly, the screen lit up. Marco's sleepy face appeared.
"Yo, Ace..." Marco yawned, then blinked—and his eyes flew open.
"WAIT—Ace?!"
His voice jumped an octave, and a chaotic commotion erupted in the background.
"Marco! You guys are using phones too?" Ace was grinning ear to ear, recognizing the Whitebeard ship cabin in the background.
"Yeah. After you left to chase Teach, this thing exploded in popularity."
Marco rubbed his eyes as the background filled with familiar faces.
Jozu's big face shoved into the camera.
"Ace! Where the hell are you?!"
Ace's eyes were a little red.
"I... I'm in Alabasta..."
"Listen, Ace," Marco said seriously.
"Don't chase him anymore. Pops said, just get a photo of Teach and send it over. Then come home."
(To be continued.)
***
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