One Piece: Rayquaza of the Beasts Pirates

"How many? One hundred? Or two hundred?" Tesoro took a sip of champagne nonchalantly, secretly laughing at Kane's ignorance.

The Emperor Pirates are nothing special; they make the big shots talk about a mere Den Den Mushi business.

“Five hundred, every six months.” Kane calmly held up five fingers. “And this is just the ordinary communication model; the special models used for imaging, eavesdropping, and surveillance… are not included.”

"Cough cough~"

Tezzolo choked on the wine he had just swallowed.

His female companion was terrified and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

"Are you serious?" Tesoro, forgetting his loss of composure, suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Kane.

"of course."

Kane leaned back into the sofa, his posture calm and unhurried. "The Beasts Pirates have mastered the core technology for large-scale, stable breeding and cultivation of Den Den Mushi."

He paused, then dropped a bombshell that made Tesoro's heart stop: "Five hundred is just the beginning. If we expand the scale, a thousand, ten thousand, or even more are only a matter of time."

Tesoro couldn't help but gasp.

If Kane's words are true, even if only half of them are exaggerated, it would be enough to overturn the entire world's communication landscape.

The wealth and power it represents are immeasurable!

"I'll take this job."

Tesoro made his decision almost instantly, bursting into hearty laughter: "Thank you, Mr. Kane, for giving me this opportunity. I only need 10% of the profits."

His brain was working at lightning speed.

Once he secured the exclusive agency rights for this business, he was confident that even if Grand Tesoro was no longer the world's number one entertainment city, he could still guarantee a constant stream of customers.

More importantly, this meant that he was now on the Beasts Pirates' bandwagon.

Kane nodded slightly and agreed immediately.

As for proactively increasing the revenue share? He's not that generous.

He was even confident that he could force Tezzolo to take on the business even if he didn't make any money or even lost money.

Of course, there's no need to push people to that point.

"Pleasant to work with."

Kane raised the glass that the waiter had refilled and lightly clinked it against Tesoro's: "And I have only one request for you. Let Den Den Mushi (snail phone devices) spread completely across this sea."

"My goal is for every family, or even every individual, to own one."

Tesoro's smile froze instantly, his brows furrowing tightly: "Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Kane, this is no ordinary task. There are too many poor people on the high seas. Asking them to spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of Berries to buy a Den Den Mushi is simply unrealistic."

“Then,” Kane smiled mysteriously, “what if we could drive the price of Den Den Mushi down to 100,000 Berries, or even… 10,000 Berries each?”

“That would be even more of a thankless task,” Tesoro blurted out, his face full of confusion.

This is clearly a unique, monopolistic business.

No one else has the advantage that the Beasts Pirates have.

How can the efficiency of capturing in the wild compare to that of large-scale artificial breeding?

They could sell Den Den Mushi at luxury prices and still have no trouble finding buyers, so why would they voluntarily give up most of their profits and go for a low-profit, high-volume strategy?

This is not capitalist at all.

"No, no, no, Tezzolo, your eyes are blinded by money."

Kane held up a finger and gently shook it in front of him, his tone carrying a condescending scrutiny, "Don't you think this world is too quiet, and too monotonous?"

The isolation between the islands in this vast sea is indescribable; even neighboring islands rarely have the opportunity to communicate.

"Think about it carefully, Tesoro! Once everyone has a Den Den Mushi, imagine how interconnected information and communication will become! Can't you see the business opportunities that lie within?!"

Kane suddenly stood up, arms outstretched, eyes blazing with fervor: "To give you the simplest example, a star who was originally only moderately famous in her own country or even on the island, if she broadcasts live via Den Den Mushi, then in an instant, her singing and dancing can be seen by hundreds of millions of people all over the world!"

"Her fame and influence will expand to an unprecedented level!"

“Live broadcast… to the whole world…” Tesoro’s eyes widened suddenly. Kane’s words were like a key, instantly unlocking a corner of his heart that had been completely buried by gold.

"Your singing is wonderful, Tesoro."

In my memory, the blonde woman with the warm smile gently said, "You will definitely become a big star."

……

Tesoro closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcibly held back the bittersweet tears that were about to spill from his eyes.

He is now the renowned Golden Emperor; he must not have such weak thoughts.

Kane continued his speech: "Even if your giant ship is packed full, how many passengers can it carry? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? But the market that Den Den Mushi brings us is... the whole world!"

"Whether it's celebrities performing live and receiving tips, or merchants selling goods via live streaming, the prospects are broader than you can imagine!"

"Even if you only collect a tiny bit of handling fee, the wealth you accumulate would be enough to make you tremble with fear!"

The Den Den Mushi is now positioned like the mobile phone in Kane's previous life—very few people own one.

Kane's plan is to skip directly to the smartphone internet era of his previous life, which is a truly vast and boundless blue ocean.

Moreover, the widespread adoption of Den Den Mushi (snail telephone phones) had strategic significance far beyond monetary value.

That means he will control the world's most powerful mouthpiece, enough to deliver a sudden and ruthless blow to the world government at a crucial moment, just like Bucky did.

Commercial profits alone are not enough to justify Kane's personal involvement in the planning.

"A very tempting prospect. I admit, it's not just wishful thinking; it's certainly possible. But..."

Tezzolo forced himself to regain his composure from the shock and grasped the most crucial question: "Why me?"

It doesn't make sense that such a huge windfall would fall into his lap out of thin air.

She woke up very quickly.

Kane smiled slightly, sat back on the sofa, and elegantly crossed his legs: "There are two reasons. First, you are a rare business genius, and I acknowledge your abilities. This matter requires your talent."

"As for the second one..."

Kane deliberately dragged out his words, looking at Tesoro's men: "Let all these irrelevant people leave."

"Get down, all of you."

Tesoro paused for a moment, then waved his hand.

He had a premonition that Kane's next words would directly determine his future path.

The heavy golden gate slowly closed.

Soon, only Kane and Tesoro remained in the large reception room.

“Mr. Kane, may we speak now?” Tesoro leaned forward slightly and narrowed his eyes.

Kane leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands, and smiled confidently: "The second reason is, of course, because we share common and fundamental interests."

“Common interests? You mean making money?” Tezzolo frowned.

"No, it's about bringing down those Celestial Dragons who consider themselves gods and high above everyone else!"

Kane's voice suddenly turned menacing as he stared intently at Tesoro, his eyes gleaming with a lion's fury.

Tezzolo was startled, and the wine glass in his hand wobbled involuntarily, spilling a little amber wine that stained his expensive suit, but he had no time to care.

“That’s not funny at all, Mr. Kane.”

Tesoro feigned composure: "Those are the descendants of the Creator, the supreme Celestial Dragons! We businessmen are too busy trying to curry favor with them, how could we dare..."

"Is that so?" Kane looked at Tesoro and slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disappointment.

"So, you've forgotten your grudge against Stella."

Bang!

Tezzolo looked up abruptly, his extreme shock causing him to lose control of his fingers instantly. The expensive wine glass shattered in his hand, shards of glass and leftover wine splashing all over him.

"W-what did you say? You know Stella?!"

Tezzolo completely lost his composure, even forgetting to use honorifics. He stood up abruptly, his body trembling slightly from the intense emotional turmoil.

"I know a little about her. She was a gentle and kind girl, but unfortunately... she died tragically on the whim of some Celestial Dragon. But you seem to have forgotten that, indulging in wine and women all day long."

Kane's words were filled with cold sarcasm and contempt.

"You're talking nonsense!" Tesoro's forehead veins bulged as he let out a beast-like growl.

Amidst the intense emotional turmoil, all the golden artifacts in the entire hall began to stir restlessly.

Tesoro had forgotten Kane's identity and the terror he possessed, and roared, "How could you, an outsider, possibly understand what Stella means to me?! How dare you question my feelings for her?!"

"I have never forgotten it for a single day! Not even for a moment!"

Tesoro suddenly spread his arms wide, his face contorted like a demon: "I'll show you with my own eyes the results of my years of hard work!"

In an instant, the gold in the entire hall surged towards Kane like a tidal wave of molten lava bursting its banks.

However, just a moment before the golden waves closed in.

Kane vanished from his spot in an instant.

In the next instant, he was already in front of Tesoro, staring intently into his eyes, completely oblivious to the golden waves behind him.

"You've developed your Devil Fruit to awaken in just a few years? Not bad. And then what? Continue doing business and making money? Collect gold and fight the Celestial Dragons?"

Kane pointed his index finger at Tesoro's chest and said, slowly and deliberately, "Ask your own heart, do you dare now?"

"I!"

Tezzolo almost blurted out a rebuttal, but it was as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat, and he couldn't squeeze out any more words.

After a while, all the momentum he had built up dissipated like a balloon punctured by a needle. His raised arm fell limply to the ground, and all that remained on his face was immense bewilderment and dejection.

Then, he stared at Kane, muttering to himself, unsure whether he was trying to persuade Kane or desperately trying to convince himself: "What can I do? The Celestial Dragons are so powerful... and they have the Navy protecting them! What can I do with my meager strength? I can only keep making money and accumulating power..."

"Excuse!"

Kane bluntly exposed: "Your life of wealth and luxury is corrupting your soul, and your fire of revenge is gradually dimming."

No! I didn't—

Tesoro let out a trapped beast-like roar, trying to prove himself with volume.