The full-screen still of Katakuri in a suit instantly filled the screen, with special effect subtitles flashing: "Candy CEO is Here!"
"Linlin, that crazy old woman..." Kaido's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "What the hell is she filming?!"
The video automatically played to the next segment, where Mama was excitedly explaining to the camera: "Mamamama! Special thanks to Teacher Kaido for the inspiration of the 'Crooked-Mouth Dragon King'!"
The scene suddenly cut to a candid shot of Kaido's crooked-mouth silly grin after one of his drunken binges, even enhanced with pink bubble effects and a fancy script that read "Ugorororo~."
"My image!!!"
Kaido's roar made the entire Onigashima tremble, and shattered rocks on the cliff edge crashed into the sea. He suddenly stood up, veins bulging on his hassaikai, and his Conqueror's Haki uncontrollably leaked, causing lightning and thunder to flash across the sky.
His phone "dinged" again with a push notification from Morgans: "Exclusive Analysis! The Inextricable Link Between Teacher Kaido's Crooked Smile and CEO-Style Literature."
The accompanying image was a comparison of his and Katakuri's expressions, labeled "Master-Disciple Inheritance."
"King!!!" Kaido's roar made the castle's bricks and tiles vibrate, "Get me a ship!!!"
However, when he turned around furiously, he found that the entire Beasts Pirates were hiding in a corner, glued to their phones.
Jack was secretly saving stills of Katakuri in his suit, Queen was liking Mama's video, and even the usually serious King was repeatedly watching the 'wall-slam' scene from the trailer.
"You all..."
Kaido's question trailed off as he glimpsed the explosive private messages in his TikTok backend:
[User "Donut True Fan": Teacher, when will you collaborate with CEO Kata on a drama?]
[User "CEO Study Association": Please open a special class on "Crooked-Mouth Haki"!]
[User "News King Morgans": Interview invitation, compensation negotiable~]
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Kaido's temple. He silently turned off his phone, picked up his sake gourd, and took a big swig, only to find it was already empty.
In the distance, on the horizon, News Birds were flying in flocks towards Totto Land, each holding a phone, ready to capture news.
..."Forget it." Kaido suddenly deflated and sat back on the giant rock, reopening TikTok and liking Mama's promotional video. His thumb hovered over the comment section for a long time before finally leaving a comment:
[User "Teacher Kaido": The acting is decent, just the crooked-mouth angle isn't professional enough. Ugorororo~]
.....
Before the first rays of morning sun had completely dispelled the night, Mama's short drama trailer swept across the entire world like a mental tsunami. Countless phones "ding-donged" at the same moment, and TikTok push notifications spread like a plague.
In Fish-Man Island's Coral Plaza, early-rising Pearl Mermaids were doing their morning yoga when suddenly all the projection shells on the coral reefs lit up simultaneously. The close-up shot of Katakuri unbuttoning his diamond cufflink sent the entire plaza into a frenzy.
"Ahhh! Lord Katakuri is wearing a suit!"
"That wall-slam! I'm dead, I'm dead!"
"Quick! Pawn my pearl necklace! I want to give a reward!"
Several mermaids fainted on the spot and were carried away, still clutching their flashing shell phones. Princess Shirahoshi, having joined Shenyu Culture Media, naturally liked the content from her collaborating client.
...
In the shipyards of Water 7, Iceberg Mayor's design blueprints slipped to the ground. All the shipwrights were squatting beside the keel, with over a dozen phones lined up, playing spoiler videos from different angles.
"Pause! Right there!" A shipwright pointed to the 0.5-second shot of Katakuri's Adam's apple bobbing, "That swallowing motion... definitely a method actor!"
"Nonsense!" Another old shipwright spat, "It's clearly a natural performance! Look at that hint of coolness in his eyes!"
The half-repaired Sea Train was spewing black smoke in the shipyard, but no one bothered to look up. Iceberg Mayor silently picked up the blueprints and sketched a suit design on them—perhaps Water 7 should consider transitioning to the fashion industry?
....
In the Level 1 guard's lounge of Impel Down, five or six phones were secretly playing hidden under copies of the "Prisoner Rules." Magellan's venom dripped nearby, unnoticed by anyone.
"I bet 50,000 Belli, there'll definitely be a rain chase in the first episode!"
"I'll bet 100,000! It's definitely a contract marriage opening!"
"Shhh... the Warden's coming!"
Vice Warden Hannyabal pretended not to notice his subordinates' small movements, but he himself was hiding in a toilet stall, repeatedly watching the scene of Pudding falling: "This acting... this expression management... *huff huff*..."
...
On an unnamed island in the New World, Buggy was weeping uncontrollably at his phone screen: "Why! Why do they get to take on such big productions!" He suddenly jumped up, "Quick! Contact that Totto Land Pictures for me! Just say... just say I can star in 'Pirate Son-in-Law'!"
In this frenzy, only Sabo at the Revolutionary Army Headquarters was lost in thought, staring at his phone: "Dragon... shouldn't we also film some promotional videos?" He pointed at the skyrocketing click-through rates on the screen, "This is more effective than distributing 100,000 flyers..."
Dragon watched the scene of Katakuri opening red wine with Armament Haki and silently pulled his hat brim lower.
The changes of the times are sometimes more sudden than the storms of revolution.
...
Morgans' news agency backend data exploded:
[User "Whitebeard" rewarded 1,000,000 Belli: GURARARARA! Save me a front-row seat!]
[User "Doflamingo" commented: Fufufu... This world has finally gone mad]
[User "Hawkeye":...Muted]
When the midday sun was at its strongest, the second wave of pre-release videos was released.
In the video, Mama wore a "Chief Director" hat and pointed her candy cane at the camera: "Mamamama! Tonight at 8 PM, I want to see the ratings across all seas break through the sky!"
In the background, Katakuri's figure could vaguely be seen being styled by a hairdresser.
The pirates of the New World went completely insane:
"Quick! Auction off my treasure map! Exchange it for money to buy a phone!"
"Who has a Totto Land Eternal Pose? I'll pay double!"
"Can Teacher Kaido's online class be paused for one night?"
Meanwhile, on Cake Island, Mama was practicing her crooked-mouth smile in front of a mirror. Brulee cautiously asked, holding a shooting checklist: "Mama... do we really have to end every episode with 'Woman, you're playing with fire' as Mr. Roan suggested?"
"Mamamama!" Mama's laughter shattered twelve mirrors, "Of course! Didn't you see what Morgans' news said?" She snatched the newspaper and pointed at the bolded headline, reading: "'The Greatest Suspense in Pirate King History: How Exactly Does the CEO Play with Fire'!".
The sun was setting, with three hours remaining until the premiere.
Phones all over the world began to inexplicably heat up, as if foretelling the arrival of a new era—not an era of Pirate King contention, but an entertainment era of global drama-watching!
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