Morgans was a clever man, a trait necessary to survive as the king of the news industry. He understood Kaido's intentions the moment the Emperor finished speaking, though he remained curious about the two mysterious boxes sitting on the table. Facing a man as terrifying as Kaido, Morgans showed no fear. Instead, he maintained a professional smile.
"Lord Kaido, you are absolutely right," Morgans began, his voice confident. "As the President of the World Economic Journal, I agree with your vision entirely. However, there is a major obstacle. The World Government currently holds a monopoly on the only tool that allows for free communication across this vast ocean".
"Are you talking about the Den Den Mushi?" Kaido grunted.
"Exactly," Morgans replied, nodding his feathered head. "Right now, the World Government controls over 90% of the Den Den Mushi in the world. My news birds can deliver papers, but they aren't equipped to transmit live data. The specialized Den Den Mushi required for public broadcasts are even rarer. During the war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates at Marineford, only the World Government possessed the massive Mother Den Den Mushi capable of such a feat. It's rumored that Vegapunk himself cultivated them".
Kaido let out a low chuckle. "Vegapunk, you say? Well, don't forget that I have three geniuses of my own working right here".
Morgans felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at the boxes again, his eyes wide with realization. "Lord Kaido, are you saying...?".
Kaido didn't offer a verbal answer. Instead, he gave Lily a subtle nod. After acknowledging his command, Lily reached out and pressed the switches on the two boxes. There was a faint clicking sound, but nothing else seemed to happen at first. Then, Lily touched her right ear.
"Moshi moshi, can you hear me?" she whispered.
Immediately, her voice projected clearly from the box carved with a conch pattern. Doflamingo and Morgans both leaned in, their interest piqued. But the demonstration was far from over. Lily touched her left ear, and a beam of light shot out from a small earphone, aimed directly at Kaido. Simultaneously, the box carved with a camera pattern emitted a similar beam, projecting a crisp image of Kaido onto the nearby wall like a high-tech projector.
Morgans could hardly contain his excitement. "I see! This is incredible. Lord Kaido, how do these devices compare to a standard Den Den Mushi?".
Seeing the news mogul's reaction, Kaido explained slowly. "I call these two inventions the 'radio' and the 'television.' They use Wano Country's unique Den Den Mushi as a signal tool and Sky Island Dials to play back sound and images. Unfortunately, they don't support two-way communication. They are receivers only; you can't use them to send information back".
Morgans frowned slightly. "Only receivers? That might be a bit of a problem for some".
"Perhaps," Kaido admitted. "But that leads to an unparalleled advantage. We only need one of our modified 'Lead Snails' to act as a main signal emitter. With just one, we can achieve exactly what the World Government did at Marineford".
"A worldwide live broadcast!" Morgans shouted, his eyes lighting up with greed.
"That's right," Kaido said. "As a sign of our cooperation, I've decided to give you your own modified Lead Snail. Morgans, you of all people should know what that's worth".
Morgans' entire demeanor changed. The professional disdain he usually held for others was replaced by pure, unadulterated hunger for power. Beside him, Doflamingo was also calculating the impact of such technology.
"With these two treasures in play, Morgans, your newspapers might end up in the trash heap," Doflamingo teased, his signature grin widening.
Morgans shook his head quickly. "No, no, Doffy. You're a businessman, but you aren't a journalist. You don't understand the market. Newspapers will never go out of style. This ocean is full of poor people who could never afford such expensive toys". He turned back to Kaido, regaining his composure. "Lord Kaido, I assume none of this comes for free. What's the catch?".
"Now we're talking business," Kaido said, the atmosphere in the room relaxing. "Doffy, you are the King of the Underworld. Morgans, you are the King of News. My request is simple. I am establishing factories to mass-produce these items. I want the two of you to handle the worldwide distribution. We will split the profits fifty-fifty. And as a bonus, I'll provide each of you with your own Lead Snail".
Morgans was ready to jump at the chance, but Doflamingo was more reserved. "Hey, Doffy," Morgans whispered, "if you don't want yours, sell it to me. I'll pay a high price for it".
Doflamingo wasn't a fool; he knew the value of the technology, even if it wasn't as immediately practical for his operations as a Den Den Mushi. He wanted to hear the full plan before committing. "Don't be so impatient, Morgans. Let's let Lord Kaido finish".
"I don't actually care about the money these things make," Kaido stated firmly. "All I care about is whether they can bring real, uncensored news to every corner of the sea".
Both Doflamingo and Morgans laughed at that, though for different reasons.
"My requirement is this: you must spread these items across the world as fast as possible," Kaido continued. "And remember, these don't connect to those massive public screens. You'll have to be selective about your buyers".
Doflamingo caught on instantly. "In that case, the best markets would be the taverns and inns. Those places are always full of people looking for entertainment, and the owners usually have plenty of Berry to spend".
"Exactly, Doffy," Kaido agreed. "Taverns are perfect. However, to keep the World Government from interfering too early, we need a front—a suitable agent to handle the sales on our behalf".
Doflamingo frowned, thinking it over. "I'm not the right man for that. Everyone knows my history with you, Lord Kaido".
"I'm in the same boat," Morgans added. "The World Government has spies crawling all over my organization. They watch my every move to make sure I'm staying in line".
Doflamingo suddenly let out a sharp laugh as a name came to mind. "Lord Kaido, I think I know someone who would be perfect for the job".
"Oh? Who?" Kaido asked.
"You probably saw him at Marineford," Doflamingo replied. "It's Buggy the Clown. He was recently made one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I heard he borrowed a massive sum of Berry from Crocodile to start a delivery service called 'Buggy's Delivery.' He's currently desperate for new business all over the world".
Kaido's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Buggy, huh? Interesting".
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