Less than two seconds after the video went live, Helmeppo's phone buzzed.
"Huh? Someone commented already?" Helmeppo picked up his phone in surprise, quickly opened TikTok, and immediately saw a barrage of notifications flooding his message bar:
Smoker commented on your video,
Smoker liked your video,
Smoker favorited your video,
Bogard liked your video,
Tashigi liked your video,
Usopp liked your video,
Sanji liked and favorited your video...
Helmeppo's eyes went wide. He turned to Koby with excitement. "Koby! I think you were right... Does Vice Admiral Smoker have something going on with Rear Admiral Hina...?"
"Shut it!" Koby immediately covered Helmeppo's mouth, his face filled with panic.
Was that something you could just say out loud?!
"If this rumor spreads because of you, we're dead. Dead, I tell you!" Koby warned in a hushed, frantic tone.
"Okay, okay!" Helmeppo nodded like a woodpecker. Only then did Koby let go and cautiously scan the surroundings. After confirming they were alone, he finally relaxed. "So, what do we do now?"
Koby sighed helplessly. "No more videos. If we keep this up... we're gonna get kicked out of the Marines."
Helmeppo looked crushed. These past few days, TikTok had given him a sense of purpose like never before. Being told to stop posting felt worse than death.
Just as he was about to give up completely, a pinned video suddenly popped up at the top of his TikTok feed.
["Hello, TikTok users. Still struggling to make high-quality videos?
Tonight at 7:30 PM, TikTok developer will be going live to answer your questions.
Interested users are welcome to join the livestream.
We'll also randomly pick lucky viewers for live Q&A.
And… TikTok's powerful new feature will be officially launched!"]
Helmeppo's eyes sparkled like he had just discovered a new Grand Line.
Grabbing Koby's hand, he exclaimed, "Koby! We have to watch this livestream! If we learn from the developer, we'll be able to make awesome videos and avoid messing up like today!"
"And a new feature's dropping too! I can't wait to find out what it is!"
Koby looked at him, sighed again, but couldn't help smiling. "Alright, alright. Let's check it out..."
…
At the same time.
Aboard the Going Merry.
Sanji was holed up in the kitchen, hearts in his eyes, fingers flying across the phone screen, occasionally bursting with a nosebleed.
"So beautiful... so, so beautiful!" he muttered to himself. "A bold, gorgeous female swordswoman. Miss Rebecca. Even her name sounds elegant!"
His tapping was so rapid, sparks practically flew from the screen. Thankfully, the phone was well-built. A normal one would've exploded by now.
Suddenly, a new message popped up.
"Huh? A DM?" Sanji clicked the message tab and nearly fainted. It was from Rebecca, the same Rebecca he had just followed!
"Ahhhh! Miss Rebecca sent me a message?! I'm so touched!" He tapped it open with shaking fingers.
"You're now mutuals. You can chat freely."
He glanced at Rebecca's seductive profile picture and immediately burst into another nosebleed.
"WAAAAH!!! Miss Rebecca followed me back! I'm floating! I'm flying!"
Sanji felt like he was drifting through a field of flowers, beautiful women calling his name, arms wide, running toward him.
Then, in a sudden burst of clarity, he realized he had to seize the moment and message her.
He quickly typed:
"Dearest Miss Rebecca, your beauty is like a spring breeze soothing my wounded heart. Would you accept a dinner invitation from Sanji the gentleman?"
After sending it, Sanji leaned back, daydreaming about a candlelit dinner with Rebecca, his heart full of giddy anticipation.
But time passed... and there was no reply.
"She must be busy..." Sanji mumbled, trying to comfort himself.
He waited some more. Still nothing. The light in his eyes dimmed. His whole body sagged. He didn't even feel like cooking anymore.
"Are gentlemen just... unpopular now...?" he muttered weakly.
At that moment,
Usopp stumbled into the kitchen, clutching his growling stomach. "Sanji... what's for dinner? We're starving..."
When Sanji didn't respond, Usopp looked up and was instantly alarmed.
"Sanji, what happened?! Are you dying?!" He rushed over and shook him frantically. "You can't die! If you die, we'll all starve!"
Sanji lay sprawled on the floor, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "Why... why hasn't Miss Rebecca replied to my message...?"
Usopp glanced at Sanji's phone and spotted the automated reply prompt. He froze.
"Uh... Sanji. Just a thought... but maybe... maybe it was a bot?" he said cautiously.
Sanji blinked. His brain processed it slowly. Then, as if touched by divine revelation, his entire being lit up.
"You're saying... she didn't ignore me... she just hasn't seen it yet?! That means... she still cares!!!"
"Uh... sure. You could see it that way," Usopp replied with a forced smile, not daring to say it was likely just a mass-follow bot.
But the damage was done. Sanji was back to full power. Radiant, beaming, practically glowing.
"HAHAHAHA! Usopp! Tell me what you guys want for dinner!"
"Something fast. And simple. We've got to watch the TikTok developer's livestream at 7:30. I heard they'll do live Q&A. Plus, the new feature reveal! We can't miss it!" Usopp said, pumped.
"A new feature? We're definitely watching that," Sanji nodded, already up and moving.
"Let's save time and whip up something quick."
(To be continued.)