As a Hyperspace Hole opened, the three brothers Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, along with Whitebeard and a group of the Whitebeard Pirates' top officers, all arrived on Cake Island, the central island of the Pokémon Sea.
Abra Island was merely the Pokémon Sea's public-facing island, and at the same time, one of the rare trade islands in the New World with several safe shipping routes.
Handling matters like handing over slaves to the Revolutionary Army staff was much more convenient and efficient on that island.
But with Whitebeard and the others arriving, what had originally been a business banquet turned into a gathering of friends and a family reunion. Naturally, the venue for the coming conversation shifted from Abra Island to Cake Island, the Straw Hat Pirates' current main base.
Since they were all practically family anyway, Red didn't have anyone arrange anything overly grand.
On top of that, Sanji and Zoro were still inside the Room of Spirit and Time, training the new powers they had just mastered, and simply couldn't come out.
The other members of the Straw Hat Pirates each had their own work to deal with as well.
So in the end, after a simple round of preparations, only Red and Luffy were left on the Straw Hats' side to receive Whitebeard and the others.
Before long, they arrived at an open-air lounge platform and started an outdoor barbecue party.
"Cheers!!!"
Clink~
Rich liquor swirled through the air, giving off an intoxicating aroma.
The three brothers, reunited once more, raised their cups and clashed them together in midair, just as they had back then, each of them wearing a smile of complete sincerity.
There were no excessive words of nostalgia when brothers met again.
Everything that needed to be said was already understood without saying.
And that atmosphere between the three brothers gradually spread through the entire feast.
Even Whitebeard, sitting off to one side by himself with a massive sake gourd in hand, couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle when he saw the genuine smile on Ace's face.
"To be young... really is wonderful."
"So... the Whitebeard Pirates coming to the Pokémon Sea at a time like this probably isn't just to let Ace reunite with his younger brothers, right?"
At that moment, Red, who was seated near Whitebeard, also raised his glass in greeting and asked.
Whitebeard's lips curled slightly, forming the warm, benevolent smile of an elder.
"If that were the reason, it honestly wouldn't sound half bad."
"But unfortunately, that's not the case, right?" Red set down his glass and looked directly into Whitebeard's eyes.
And just as expected, the moment Red said that, Whitebeard's expression turned grave, as if he had thought of something unpleasant.
After a long pause, he let out a light sigh and said in a deep voice:
"That's right. Coming here this time... wasn't for Ace to reunite with his brothers."
"Red..."
Whitebeard suddenly turned his head and met Red's gaze.
"If we intended to take revenge on the World Government, what do you think we should do?"
"Cause trouble for the World Government!? Then you've definitely asked the right person!"
Red smiled faintly, then suddenly called out to the three brothers, who were currently fighting over the ownership of a grilled chicken drumstick.
One second they were drinking and reminiscing together, and the next they were shoving each other over a bite of food...
It really had to be said—those three were something else!
"Ace! Sabo!"
Red's voice cut through their scuffle just in time. While Ace and Sabo were momentarily distracted, Luffy reacted with lightning speed and shot out his tongue like a frog, instantly snatching the entire drumstick into his mouth.
Ace and Sabo first shot Luffy a synchronized glance for "calling in outside help," then turned their heads toward Red.
"What is it, Red?" Ace asked casually.
Red smiled. "Nothing much. It's just that what we're about to talk about happens to involve Sabo a little, so I called you both over to listen."
"It involves Sabo!?"
Ace froze.
But Red had already turned back to Whitebeard with a smile.
"Whitebeard, although the best way to cause trouble for the World Government would be to charge straight into Mary Geoise and turn the place upside down..."
"I think you also understand that with your current strength, you're not a match for those people from the World Government."
"So since direct provocation isn't an option, we'll have to use another method..."
"What method?" Whitebeard showed a bit of interest, though his tone remained calm.
Red gently swirled the wine in his glass and continued:
"It's simple!"
"According to intelligence from the Straw Hat information network, that guy Imu seems to be seeking new allies all across the world, and is even willing to grant them the bloodline of the Celestial Dragons."
"In that case, all we need to do is find out who's been tempted by the position of 'Celestial Dragon.'"
"As long as there are signs of it, just charge straight to their homeland and make sure they never get the chance to side with the World Government for the rest of their lives!"
"I'd imagine that after a few such incidents, whether it's royal nobles or fools who want to join the World Government, they'll all have to think very carefully about whether they can bear the wrath of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"And by then, the World Government's authority across the world will plummet even further."
"Though honestly, they don't have much authority left to begin with."
"This..."
A gleam flashed in Whitebeard's eyes as he said with interest,
"That does sound satisfying. But keeping track of the World Government's movements shouldn't be an easy thing, should it?"
"Heh~ In the past, that would've been true~!"
Red continued smiling. But in the very next second, he suddenly pulled out a wristband-style Personal Terminal and tossed it onto the table in front of him.
"What's this?"
Ace immediately picked up the Personal Terminal in curiosity.
It had been far too long since he had last come to the Pokémon Sea, so he had no idea just how absurdly fast Red and the others had climbed the technology tree over the past year.
The Pokémon Sea had long since entered the age of universal Personal Terminals. Pretty much every household had at least one by now.
The only differences were in form.
Besides the wristband version, Vegapunk's satellite bodies had also created mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, wall-mounted fixed screens, and all sorts of other models suited to different environments.
There were slight differences in performance between each model, but functionally, they were nearly identical.
Nowadays, Personal Terminals weren't anything rare in the Pokémon Sea.
But to someone seeing one for the first time, it was absolutely a novelty.
At Red's prompting, Ace and Sabo quickly activated the Personal Terminal. Even Whitebeard couldn't resist leaning closer, wanting to see what was so miraculous about the thing Red had suddenly taken out.
In the next instant, a chibi version of Uta suddenly appeared above the Personal Terminal, accompanied by Uta's voice:
"Welcome to the Personal Terminal. I'm your personal assistant, Uta~"
"You can use me to check the weather, check flights, or solve all kinds of daily-life problems."
"If needed, you can directly use the activation phrase, 'Hello, Uta,' followed by whatever question you want to ask."
"This...?"
Ace was still completely baffled.
As the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, his horizons were by no means narrow—but this kind of artificial intelligence living inside a little box was something he had truly never encountered before.
Red smiled slightly and directly demonstrated how to use the Personal Terminal for Ace and the others.
"Hello, Uta."
"I'm here~"
A smiling little Uta instantly appeared on the screen, waiting for Red's next command.
Red continued, "Search all call records and call contents from the past week involving Mary Geoise. Automatically filter and block meaningless junk content."
"Pin world-famous powers to the top, along with any calls containing phrases like 'join the World Government' or 'become a Celestial Dragon.'"
"Uta understands~"
After receiving the order, the chibi Uta snapped a salute, then instantly transformed into a white-collar office worker in an OL uniform, busily clacking away at a computer.
In less than a minute, a huge amount of information began streaming down the screen like fine rain. Under Red's instructions, several key pieces were pinned to the top.
Under the stunned gazes of Whitebeard and the others—as though they were looking at some kind of monster—Red opened the pinned messages one by one.
Every single one of them was a recommendation call from major world powers, hoping the World Government would extend an olive branch to them.
Quite a few among them were even titled nobles from famous kingdoms around the world.
The strength of these factions might only rank among the first-rate powers of the world, but the resources under their control were undeniably among the very best.
If they truly joined the World Government without reservation, offering up their resources and manpower, then perhaps the World Government really could buy itself a bit of breathing room.
No!
Because these would be the first generation, and not morons like ordinary Celestial Dragons, they might even make the World Government stronger than ever.
Of course, that was only if their plans could proceed smoothly!
"This... what is going on!?"
At this moment, even Whitebeard was staring dumbfounded at the Personal Terminal in Ace's hand.
In an instant, it had grasped intelligence spanning nearly the entire world.
And this might only be one of the machine's functions...
This thing was simply too terrifying!
Luffy, on the other hand, looked confused when he saw Whitebeard and the others reacting like that.
"What? You guys don't know about Personal Terminals!?"
As he spoke, he suddenly said:
"Hello, Uta."
The Personal Terminal responded, just as expected.
And Luffy skillfully continued:
"Help me order 100 portions of Charizard Flame-Grilled Barbecue, extra spicy, 50 portions of chocolate bread from Snorlax Island, 80 portions of fluffy pudding from Jigglypuff Island... deliver all of it to the main castle on Cake Island. Charge it to my allowance."
"Performing voiceprint recognition. Recognition result: Captain Luffy~"
"Ding! We're very sorry, but your account balance for this month is insufficient, and the above order cannot be completed."
"Eh?!"
Luffy's expression instantly froze. He had been trying to show off a little, but now even Red felt secondhand embarrassment for him.
In the next moment, Red said:
"Hello, Uta."
"Continue with Captain Luffy's previous order. Charge it to my card."
"Performing voiceprint recognition. Recognition result: Vice Captain Red~"
"Transaction successful! Your food is now being prepared. Please wait patiently—"
Click~
Once the order was complete, the Personal Terminal's screen dimmed once more.
Then Red suddenly turned to look at Luffy. Under Luffy's sweaty, guilty expression, Red asked in confusion:
"Luffy... just how much good food have you been secretly eating behind our backs?"
"Even if it's already the end of the month, we still held a banquet for ten days this month and spent several more days traveling..."
"In other words, you spent the entire 100 million Beli allowance Nami gave you in just half a month?!"
"Uh..." Luffy awkwardly scratched his cheek and muttered in a small voice,
"Y-you can't blame me..."
"The delivery fees between islands are just too high. Otherwise I definitely could've lasted a few more days!"
"You..." Red wanted to say something, but then he thought about how much food Luffy ordered every time, and how much extra he must have paid just in delivery fees.
In the end, all he could do was sigh helplessly before saying:
"Forget it. Let's just treat it as extra benefits for the delivery workers."
"Next month I'll have Nami raise your limit by another 300 million Beli. That should be enough for your spending."
After all, he was the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. If he didn't even have enough money to eat, that would be a little absurd.
Besides, 300 million Beli a month wasn't much at all for the Straw Hat Pirates, who had already begun to form the prototype of a commercial empire.
It wasn't even half the spending allowance of an ordinary Celestial Dragon.
This little bit of money was nothing to them.
What truly surprised Red, though, was that despite Sanji never once neglecting his duties as the crew's cook, Luffy could still eat this much takeout on top of regular meals.
After paying the bill for his captain, Red turned his gaze back toward the already-dumbstruck Whitebeard and the others.
At this moment, Ace and Sabo both had their mouths hanging open as they stared at the Personal Terminal in astonishment.
"Is there a person trapped inside this thing?! Is this the power of a Devil Fruit!? Or is it some mysterious power from your magical Pokémon world, Red?"
Red lightly waved his hand. "Nothing worth being surprised about. It's just artificial intelligence."
And indeed, there was nothing much to be shocked by.
After all, Vegapunk had long since created mechanical lifeforms with a certain degree of thought capability.
Red had merely offered some of his own ideas after seeing Vegapunk's research results, and with the efforts of several of Vegapunk's satellite bodies, they had successfully built this artificial intelligence system.
Because of this, Vegapunk's satellites hadn't even had time to participate in Franky and Laboon's modification project. They had been devoting themselves entirely to researching how to make Personal Terminals more user-friendly.
As for why the Personal Terminal could intercept the World Government's call records?
Come on now~
They had already turned Pangaea Castle upside down. Leaving behind a little "gift" or two was child's play.
A single tiny signal transmission device was enough to cover all of Mary Geoise!
When Vegapunk makes it, you know it's quality!
Of course, the Personal Terminals sold to ordinary residents of the Pokémon Sea did not have access to such high-level information retrieval authority.
Different users naturally had different permission levels depending on their identity.
After a round of explanations, Whitebeard and the others finally understood what artificial intelligence was.
Then, each of them received a brand-new Personal Terminal as a gift from Red.
As for what they would do next, that hardly needed to be said.
With the methods of the Revolutionary Army and the Whitebeard Pirates, those fools who dreamed of joining the World Government and becoming new Celestial Dragons would definitely learn one thing clearly...
The winds of change had already blown their way—to their entire bloodline!
Now it all depended on whether they planned to die alone, or send the whole family neatly together into the underworld!
(End of Chapter)