"Two hundred Berries? You're not kidding?" Helmeppo's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper shot him a look of disdain and snorted. "We don't do credit here. Honest business only."
Then he forced a smile and kept pitching. "Look, it can take pictures. And here, it displays the time. If you ever get lost, at least you'll still know what time it is, right?"
Helmeppo scratched his head, thinking it over. "That does sound practical. Taking photos is useful. And the time display... Coby could use that to time his push-ups."
"And the best part?" the shopkeeper added proudly. "It never needs charging."
"Never needs charging?" Helmeppo looked doubtful. He clearly didn't buy it. But the way the shopkeeper said it, full of confidence, got him thinking.
"It's true. This tech is 10,000 years ahead of our world. You won't need to charge it again in your lifetime," the shopkeeper declared, thumping his chest.
Helmeppo's mouth twitched. What the hell does 'you won't need to charge it again in your lifetime' even mean?
Still... he was tempted.
Of course, it wasn't the bikini babes, sweet schoolgirls, seductive sisters, or the powerful Empresses that caught his attention.
What he really cared about was the camera function.
On future missions, he could use it to take pictures of intelligence targets. Way more practical than a Den Den Mushi.
And it wasn't expensive—just 200 Berries. He could afford that by skipping one meal.
SLAP!
Helmeppo smacked 200 Berries down on the counter without hesitation. "I'll take it! Give me two!"
One for Coby too. He'd definitely like this thing called a phone.
"Two phones, done deal!" The shopkeeper pulled out boxes, loaded them with manuals and packaging, handed them over, and cheerfully saw him out. "Come back again! And help spread the word!"
Helmeppo gave a slight nod, walked out, and immediately took out his phone. He opened TikTok, registered an account, and started scrolling.
As the screen filled with beautiful women again, the tension in his body instantly melted. "Phew... now this feels good."
He kept walking, one hand sliding the screen nonstop, following every beauty that popped up.
"Huh? You can comment too?" He noticed the comment section, filled with stuff like 'So hot!' and 'Babe, I love you!'
"These guys are so crude. No taste at all. Not like me, Helmeppo."
Muttering that, he tapped out his own message:
"I, Helmeppo, currently training at Marine Headquarters. I wouldn't say I'm extremely handsome, but I am a man of stature. I find your beauty divine and your dancing elegant. We are a perfect match. Would you be willing to follow me back?"
He read over his comment, satisfied with his literary flair.
Just as he was about to keep scrolling, he looked up and realized he was already back at the base.
"What the—? How'd I get here so fast? I was walking slow on purpose!" Helmeppo muttered as he stepped into the compound.
He returned to the barracks, where Lieutenant Bogard was brushing his teeth and getting ready for breakfast.
Helmeppo quickly walked over and saluted. "Lieutenant Bogard! Today's newspaper, sir!"
Bogard didn't even look up, brushing his teeth mid-sentence. "Any... news... today?"
"Reporting! Straw Hat Luffy and his crew defeated the Arlong Pirates and Krieg Pirates. They're headed for Loguetown!" Helmeppo said loudly.
PFFT!!
Bogard spat out his mouthwash in shock, glaring at him. "Who said I was asking about the Straw Hats?! I meant other news!"
"...Then nothing else," Helmeppo said, shaking his head.
"So what's going on with the Straw Hats?" Bogard asked anyway.
Helmeppo: "...I don't know."
"Alright, go train," Bogard sighed, waving him off and grabbing the paper.
Strangely, Helmeppo didn't hang around.
Normally, he would ask about training techniques or tips to improve faster. But today, he left quietly.
This caught Bogard off guard. He looked after the boy, puzzled, then shrugged and muttered while washing his face, "Is that kid finally willing to take a break?"
He felt genuinely relieved. Constant training without rest wasn't productive and could even cause injury.
"Balanced training. Work and rest. That's the right way to grow stronger."
Saying that, he picked up the newspaper and headed to Vice Admiral Garp's office.
…
Elsewhere,
Helmeppo didn't train today. He went straight to the dorms.
It was his day off, but ever since his father got taken hostage and nearly killed, the word "rest" had disappeared from his life. He'd only known one thing: train, train, train.
"Blind training is no good. You have to balance effort with recovery. Otherwise, you'll burn out," Helmeppo thought, nodding to himself.
Then, he pulled out his phone and opened TikTok.
As he watched one scantily-clad beauty after another, he felt his whole body float into relaxation. "Now this is living."
Comment. Like. Save. Follow. He tapped with expert precision.
Time flew. Before he knew it, it was dark outside.
BANG!
The dormitory door burst open.
Coby, drenched in sweat, walked in, panting, with two trays of food in hand.
"Helmeppo! What's with you today? Not only did you skip training, but you made me grab your food too. That's not like you."
He set the trays on the table and went to wash up.
After all, he'd been training all day. He was soaked and reeked of sweat.
But after eating, he still had extra drills to finish. If he wanted to surpass others doing the same routine, he had to give 200% more effort.
That was the only path to progress!
When he came back out, he found the food untouched.
Instead, Helmeppo was lying on his bunk, twitching and giggling like an idiot.
"Hey! Helmeppo, what are you doing? You sick?" Coby called, concerned.
Getting no answer, he walked over to his bed.
And then he saw it.
The "phone." The pink bikini beauty on-screen doing the "Zero Two" dance.
And Helmeppo wiggling along with the beat.
"This... What… WHAT IS THIS?!" Coby's face turned bright red. "Helmeppo! You're actually watching these?!"
(To be continued.)