"Here's your 75 million," Fullbody said, handing over the beli notes to Luffy. "Arlong's 20 million, Buggy's 15 million, and Krieg's 17 million. That makes a total of 52 million, and the rest is for their subordinates and for exposing Nezumi, rounding it off to 75 million."
"75 million? We're rich!" exclaimed Nami, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"Now that Arlong is gone, let's head towards the Grand Line," said Alex, looking at the crew with determination.
"Yeah, Grand Line, here we come!" Luffy shouted with excitement.
"Let's have a last meal at Baratie and meet those three. You should come with us too," Alex suggested to Fullbody.
"Sure, teach me how to use this device while we're going there," Fullbody agreed.
With that said, the crew and some marine officers made their way towards Baratie.
Onboard the Going Merry, the crew and Fullbody's group settled in. The sun was shining brightly, and the sea breeze was refreshing. The atmosphere was a mix of excitement and curiosity.
Alex gathered everyone on the deck and held up his smartphone. "Alright, everyone, this is a smartphone. It's a piece of advanced technology from my hometown. Think of it as a tool that combines many devices into one."
Fullbody, still trying to grasp the concept, furrowed his brow. "So, it's like a Den Den Mushi, but it doesn't look like one. How does it work?"
Alex smiled. "It's a bit more complex. It can make voice and video calls, store data, take pictures, record videos, and much more. Let me show you."
He tapped the screen, and it lit up, displaying various icons. Fullbody and the crew watched in amazement.
"Whoa! It's glowing!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
"That's just the screen, Luffy," Alex explained. "You can interact with it by touching it."
"This is incredible," Fullbody said, eyes wide with amazement. "But how does this make communication, and where does the signal come from?"
Alex nodded, anticipating the question. "The technology behind this is quite advanced. Normally, in my hometown, we have structures called towers that transmit signals, but I can't implement those here right away. However, I have something that can help." He stood up. "I'll be right back."
The crew watched curiously as Alex went into the ship's cabin. Moments later, he returned carrying a compact device resembling a small satellite.
Alex explained, holding up the device, "This is a drone with satellite capabilities. It can provide network coverage over half the ocean area."
The crew's eyes widened in amazement.
"What's a satellite?" Luffy asked, scratching his head.
"It's like a really powerful Den Den Mushi that floats in the sky, it's really powerful just like a transmission snail," Alex explained, simplifying for their understanding. "It sends and receives signals from devices like this smartphone."
"Transmission snail? Is there a snail with that name? What's special about it?" asked Usopp.
"It's a very rare kind of snail. It doesn't have a snail shell but a different one, and it can transmit audio and video to the whole world at the same time. It's very powerful," Alex continued.
"Whole world? That's awesome! Can your device do the same?" Luffy asked, excitement clear in his voice.
"Yeah, it can. I just need a few more satellites and interconnect them so that they don't get destroyed in high-level battles. Normally, they fly around 100 kilometers in the sky, where there isn't much oxygen for people to breathe, but I can't be sure about anything. Maybe Whitebeard can blast them off," Alex said.
"Oh, Whitebeard? You mean the Emperor Whitebeard, the 'world's strongest man'? If it's him, then he can definitely do that. I heard he can destroy the world too," Fullbody remarked.
"Maybe? Who knows? But now let me show you how this works," Alex said.
"Show us how it works!" Usopp said, excitement clear in his voice.
Alex nodded and activated the drone. It whirred to life and ascended into the sky, quickly disappearing from view. He then tapped a few buttons on his smartphone. "Now, watch this." He dialed a number, and after a few rings, Fullbody's phone rang.
Fullbody answered, his face a mix of astonishment and curiosity. "Alex?"
"See? The drone is transmitting the signal," Alex said with a smile. "Every phone has its own personal number and chip inbuilt, so you can call anyone with a phone, anywhere the network reaches."
"How does it work without needing food like the Den Den Mushi?" Fullbody asked, examining the phone closely.
Alex grinned. "This phone runs on a battery. It can be recharged by placing it under sunlight or any electric source using this port." He pointed to a small slot on the side of the phone.
"So, it eats sunlight?" Luffy asked, his face lighting up with fascination.
"Sort of," Alex chuckled. "Think of it as absorbing energy to keep running."
The crew and Fullbody were visibly impressed.
"With this kind of technology, you could revolutionize communication in this world," Fullbody said, handing the phone back to Alex.
"That's the plan," Alex replied, a gleam of ambition in his eyes. (Just wait until I introduce the internet, then you will know the true meaning of communication,) Alex thought to himself.
Fullbody nodded, starting to understand. "It's like a voice Den Den Mushi. But how about video?"
Alex smiled and switched to a video call with a single button. The screen showed the face of the person he was calling.
"Hey there," Alex greeted.
"Whoa! It's like a video Den Den Mushi, but clearer! How the hell is this so clear? It's just like seeing you in front of my eyes," Fullbody said, his eyes wide with amazement.
Nami leaned in, intrigued. "So, you can talk to anyone, anywhere with this?"
"Exactly," Alex replied. "And that's not all. It can also store information. Let me show you some pictures."
He opened the gallery app and showed them pictures of Cocoyasi Village and the fight against Arlong. The crew crowded around, fascinated by the images.
"This is amazing," Usopp said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Imagine the stories I could tell with this!"
Sanji nodded. "And we could take pictures of all the delicious meals we have."
Zoro, although less interested in technology, was still curious. "So, it's like a combination of all these tools. How durable is it?"
"It's quite durable," Alex assured. "But like any tool, you need to take care of it."
"And it's also useful for you," Alex said to Zoro.
"For me? How?" Zoro asked, intrigued.
"You can analyze your fights with this thing and practice your sword skills with it. After some data collection, you can analyze your fighting style, your weaknesses, and better positions or skills. You just have to ask what kind of ability you would want."
"I didn't expect a small device like that could have that much capability," Zoro admitted.
Luffy, still amazed, asked, "Can it stretch like my arms?"
Alex chuckled. "No, Luffy. But it can do many other things."
Fullbody, now more intrigued than ever, asked, "Can it help with navigation?"
Alex nodded. "Yes, but not for now. When I cover the whole world with satellites, it can help with navigation. It can work like an Eternal Log Pose for most islands and can also show the islands in the way. In the future, if you could integrate it with your ship, then it's not impossible to have a self-aware ship that can move by itself. Maybe the World Government already has those?"
Nami's eyes lit up. "That could be really useful for our journey."
"Exactly," Alex said. "And it can also store notes, make calculations, and even play music."
"Music?" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Can it play music?"
Alex laughed. "Yes, it can. But it cannot generate music as of now. It needs some music for it to be able to play it, you know, just like a recorder."
"This thing is incredible," Fullbody said, now fully convinced of its value.
Alex nodded. "It is. And it's just the beginning. There's so much more it can do. With time, you'll get used to it and find it incredibly helpful."
The crew continued to ask questions, their curiosity driving the conversation. Alex patiently explained each feature, making sure everyone understood. Fullbody, though initially skeptical, was now eager to learn more, recognizing the potential of such a device.
The ship soon reached Baratie, where Gin, Yosaku, and Johnny were setting up a huge board in front of their ship adjacent to the door.
"Hey, what's that?" Sanji asked, finding it unfamiliar.
"This is a quest board. Since Gin decided to leave pirating, he couldn't be of much help, so we have come up with a new idea," Alex said.
"What idea?" Sanji asked.
"Making this sea restaurant as the base, we will open a small testing ground for our guild within East Blue. Since there are no big pirates left, after Arlong, Krieg, Buggy, and Alvida, there shouldn't be much problem handling the remaining small-time pirates. So here's the idea: the three of them will launch a new bounty organization under the adventurer's guild and be a middleman for bounty hunters and their targets."
"Umm... I don't see any point in this. Why would anyone want to go to them paying some money when they can just go to their target's locations?" Fullbody asked, confused.
"Good question. For starters, except for bounties, there would be other quests, like some village like Cocoyashi Village putting a request to finish an evil pirate group or any kind of other requests. Then, for participating in a quest, people could get different services like limited-time access to smartphones while they are completing missions."
"To ask for help, and then there are things like information sharing. People can share important information to ask for money or a free meal, or some services, and people can buy that information. Then there's the membership plan, where you can get different discounts at the restaurants and get in a bounty hunter team, which is taken care of by an experienced fighter like an ex-marine (or an ex-pirate)."
"It sounds quite good. So you are charging money to make people's work more efficient, faster, and less dangerous," Fullbody concluded.
"Yeah, and then in some rare cases, maybe you guys can also put up different requests for upcoming or existing strong people, like evacuating people from a dangerous attack or surrounding an enemy, more of that kind of thing," Alex added.
"Maybe that can help us," Fullbody said.
"But I need your help in this. Until it's a little famous, you have to promote it, like by posting bounties on it, their current progression, and visiting the restaurant weekly," Alex asked.
"I'll do what I can, and I'll also inform my superiors about this device after testing it," Fullbody agreed.
"Sure," Alex said.