The rain had not let up.
Within minutes, it poured heavily once again, soaking everything in sight.
Vivi gritted her teeth and pressed forward through the downpour.
After a long and tiring search along the busy street, she finally purchased what she believed to be an exquisite golden pocket watch.
The shopkeeper claimed it was a rare treasure from a distant eastern land, crafted from precious metals and adorned with gemstones.
In truth, it was nothing more than an ordinary watch.
Unaware of this, Vivi held it close with a bright smile and rode Karoo back toward the outskirts of the palace.
As she dismounted, her foot slipped on the wet ground, and she fell hard into the mud.
Her clothes were stained, and muddy water splashed across her face.
She did not care.
“It’s all that bastard’s fault… even though it’s his own birthday…” she muttered under her breath, clutching the pocket watch.
Excitement quickly replaced her frustration as she rushed into the palace.
However, the moment she stepped inside, her expression froze.
The palace felt empty.
There were barely any servants, and the inner chambers were eerily quiet.
Even with the drought and the ongoing relocation of citizens, it should not have been this deserted.
Confused, Vivi continued deeper inside until she reached the main hall.
There, she finally saw people.
The remaining servants and soldiers stood inside and outside the hall, their expressions tense and uneasy.
Before she could step forward, her gaze shifted to the throne.
Her father was not sitting there.
Instead, the one seated at the highest position was her brother.
Nefertari Nair.
His voice carried across the hall, calm and steady.
“His Majesty the King has chosen to take responsibility for failing the people.
He will step down and personally travel to the Rebel Army’s headquarters to negotiate.
Vivi’s pupils shrank.
The world around her seemed to fall silent.
She could not process what she was hearing.
Her thoughts froze, leaving her standing there in complete shock.
Before she could react, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
By the time she regained her senses, she found herself in a quiet courtyard within the royal capital.
The one who had taken her there was Igaram.
“What is going on, Igaram?
Why would that bastard brother…” Vivi’s voice trembled with anxiety.
“Princess… as you have seen, His Majesty went to Yuba to negotiate with the rebels,” Igaram replied, his face filled with sorrow.
“But the moment he left, the Prince seized power with the support of Pell and Chaka.”
As he spoke, guilt weighed heavily on his heart.
I am sorry, Princess.
To protect both you and the Prince from Crocodile’s schemes, this misunderstanding is necessary.
“How could my brother…” Vivi whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Memories of Nair flooded her mind, and the pocket watch slipped from her hand, falling into the dirt.
Igaram softened his tone.
“Once His Majesty returns from the negotiations, things may improve.”
Even as he said it, he knew the truth.
Cobra would not be returning anytime soon.
…
Chaka, the Jackal guardian deity, had absolute faith in Cobra.
Knowing that everything was part of the king’s plan, he did not oppose Nair’s ascension to the throne.
Two months after Nair became king, the Mobile Phone business reached a major milestone.
Total sales surpassed one million units.
More than half of those sales came from overseas markets.
The Mobile Phone quickly gained recognition across the seas. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
For merchants, communication had always been a challenge.
Smaller traders could not afford Den Den Mushi, while larger merchant groups struggled to equip every ship in their fleets.
The Mobile Phone solved that problem.
As a result, demand skyrocketed.
Among all partners, the Kaya family from Syrup Village in the East Blue showed the greatest enthusiasm.
Through their efforts alone, over one hundred thousand units were sold.
The family had once been a well-known merchant household but had fallen into decline following internal struggles and the shifting power dynamics influenced by figures like Donquixote Doflamingo.
Recognizing their connection to Syrup Village and their potential, Nair provided them with special support.
This decision earned the deep gratitude of their butler, Merry, who planned to visit Alabasta personally.
Inside the palace, Nair sat at his desk, calmly reviewing a mountain of documents.
None of it truly troubled him.
Money had already solved most of his problems.
From the sale of one million Mobile Phones alone, he had recovered over five billion Berries in capital.
On top of that, the system generated an additional three hundred million Berries every month through communication fees.
To manage this, Nair introduced a system similar to prepaid top-up cards from his previous life.
He produced these cards in bulk and sold them to merchants, who distributed them further.
Users could enter the code from the card into their Mobile Phones to recharge their balance.
The codes themselves were generated through the unique ability of the Phone-Phone Fruit, making them secure and impossible to replicate.
Despite all this success, Nair’s attention was fixed on something else entirely.
His power had evolved once again.
“Phone Level: Lv5”
“Current Users: 1 million”
“Phone Memory: 110G out of 300GB”
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100