ONE PIECE: THE GREAT VOYAGE

Chapter 238: CHAPTER 238



Before then, of course.

He had one more thing to do.

That was to prepare the world's first television station with multiple channels, capable of targeting all age groups.

Once you have TV, you need programs.

That's what TV is for.

On the technical side, there were no significant obstacles. It only required recruiting the right personnel, manufacturing the broadcast screens, and ensuring centralized control over programming distribution.

At the same time, Caesar was also preparing to make a big splash to attract consumers, ensuring customer retention through innovative content and products.

Of course, the technical and logistical challenges had already been resolved. These minor issues were naturally not worth worrying about.

---

The Business of Billions—A New Era of Entertainment

The movements within the underground world, of course, did not go unnoticed by the World Government and the upper echelons of the Navy. The intelligence network was not just for show.

They reacted immediately.

At Marineford, headquarters of the Navy, Fleet Admiral Kong looked at the intelligence report in his hands, furrowing his brows in confusion as he muttered to himself:

"What's going on with these underground bosses?"

"Why are they all heading to the New World?"

"These guys usually prefer to stay in the shadows, not move in such large numbers..."

Pondering the situation, he soon deduced a possible cause based on recent reports.

Charlotte Linlin—no, at this point, she was already widely known as Big Mom.

By now, she had largely taken on the appearance she would maintain in the coming decades—an imposing, witch-like figure, grotesque yet commanding.

Big Mom was well known for hosting Tea Parties, a tradition she used to gather and manipulate various underground power players.

Kong immediately considered the possibility that she was behind this gathering.

However, after reviewing additional intelligence, he realized something startling.

This time, the invitation had not come from Big Mom.

Instead, it came from someone the Navy and the World Government had already identified as a major threat—the Heavenly King, Caesar!

This puzzled him even more.

To his knowledge, Caesar had never been particularly close to these underground forces.

Nor had he ever shown interest in recruiting them.

Yet now, with such an ostentatious display, drawing in so many influential figures, Kong couldn't immediately figure out his intentions.

Even more frustratingly, the exact reason for this mass gathering remained a mystery.

The invitations had been extended solely among the underground leaders themselves, leaving the Navy and the World Government completely in the dark.

Even their well-placed spies in the criminal underworld had not been among the invitees, making most of their gathered intelligence utterly useless.

As a result, both the Navy and the World Government found themselves at a standstill.

All they could do was put immense pressure on their intelligence divisions, hoping to extract some critical piece of information before it was too late.

Meanwhile, Big Mom herself was equally bewildered.

After all, it was usually her who invited these underworld leaders to her Tea Parties.

So why was Caesar the one hosting such a grand event this time?

"Did the sun start rising from the west?" she muttered in irritation.

With such questions lingering in her mind, she scrutinized the intelligence reports.

But like the Navy and the World Government, she too found no concrete answers.

Determined to get to the bottom of this, she personally contacted several underworld bosses, demanding to know why they had accepted Caesar's invitation.

Yet, the only response she received was:

"It's a big business opportunity. That's all we know."

After slamming down the last transponder snail, she slumped onto her massive chair, her thick fingers rubbing against her temple in frustration.

She angrily snatched a cream-filled pastry from the table and stuffed it into her mouth.

There was no need for these underworld leaders to lie.

Which only made the whole situation even more infuriating.

Regardless of the World Government's concerns…

Regardless of how Big Mom reacted…

Time marched forward.

---

A Month Later – The Central Kingdom

More than a month later, the leaders of the underground world finally arrived in Caesar's domain—The Central Kingdom.

For many of them, it was their first time visiting.

And the moment they set foot inside, they were stunned.

They had never imagined a pirate could govern a nation with such discipline and prosperity.

The sheer order and grandeur of the Central Kingdom took them by surprise.

After everyone had gathered, Caesar personally welcomed them into his palace, hosting an extravagant banquet.

At the perfect moment, he unveiled a peculiar device—a television.

Then, right before their eyes, a long-recorded drama, written and directed by Caesar himself, began playing.

Or rather… it was something even more ambitious.

It was the world's first movie.

At first, the underworld leaders weren't particularly impressed.

From their perspective, this was nothing more than a variation of the Video Den Den Mushi's projection capabilities.

They had seen similar screen-based transmissions before.

But as the movie unfolded, their interest skyrocketed.

For the first time in their lives, they were witnessing a pre-recorded visual story, not just a live broadcast.

This concept was completely new.

As the one-hour film concluded, the room fell into a stunned silence.

Then, an uproar erupted.

They immediately understood the immense potential of what they had just witnessed.

"Why didn't I think of this before?!"

A burly, black-bearded underworld boss slammed his fist onto the table in frustration, feeling as if he had missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Such an innovative idea! These short films will sell like crazy!"

"The production cost must be minimal, but the profits… they will be unimaginable!"

Regret seeped into their voices as they calculated the massive profits they had failed to realize until now.

But even with their experience in the underworld, they lacked the technical expertise to fully grasp why this concept was so revolutionary.

It was then that Caesar spoke up.

"I'm sure all of you are familiar with this device."

He casually patted the television set beside him.

The room fell silent as everyone's attention turned toward him.

"Hmm… it looks different, but isn't this just a modified Den Den Mushi projection screen?" one leader questioned.

"We already use similar devices in our bases for surveillance."

Others murmured in agreement.

"Exactly! The only difference is the recorded footage, but this is just an extension of the Video Den Den Mushi!"

Caesar smirked.

"You're all wrong."

The underworld bosses paused, sensing something big was coming.

"This isn't just a Den Den Mushi attachment. This is something far more advanced."

"With this, you can watch entertainment at any time, anywhere. The short film you just saw? There will be many more of different genres."

"This is the future of entertainment!"

A silence fell upon the room.

Then, one of the more astute underworld leaders suddenly stood up, eyes wide with realization.

"Wait… Are you saying you want to distribute these 'TVs'… to the entire world?!"

Caesar nodded calmly.

"Yes."

That single word sent shockwaves through the gathering.

The discussion that followed was intense.

By the end of the negotiations, Caesar had successfully secured agreements with nearly fifty underworld leaders.

The first-ever global television network had just been born.

And with it… Caesar was about to reshape the world forever.

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