On the other side.
Under Red's perfect control, the rolling waves gradually calmed, and the Going Merry slowly approached the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
Watching Jango and the others attempt to flee in a small boat, Red immediately broke into a friendly smile.
"Usopp, looks like a few pirates are getting away over there."
"Since we're already at it, you might as well deal with them."
"O~k~!"
Usopp flashed a hand sign. With a single motion, he reached into his waist pouch and pulled out several specially made rounds.
Goggles on—love no one!
"Special Move! Gunpowder Star!!!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…!!!
Several pitch-black rounds shot out in rapid succession, streaking through the air as they chased after the pirates who had already fled more than two kilometers away!
"What was that sound!?"
One of the pirates rowing the boat twitched instinctively and suddenly turned his head to look behind him.
The next second, a black projectile smashed straight into his face, and then—
Bang!!!
Bang! Bang! Bang! ...
A series of deafening explosions erupted, accompanied by blazing flashes of fire, instantly engulfing the entire escape boat!
All six pirates aboard—including Jango—were caught in the blast. Every single one of them was thoroughly baptized by the explosions, their heads instantly transformed into pitch-black afros.
Usopp let out a smug laugh. "All done!!!"
"Nice work!"
Red didn't hesitate to praise him.
Then, with a light snap of his fingers, a sudden wave surged forth, swallowing the small boat and burying the remaining pirates deep beneath the sea—while guiding the unconscious Jango along the current all the way back to the Going Merry.
In just a dozen or so minutes, the entirety of the Black Cat Pirates, under the combined efforts of the Straw Hat rookies…
Was completely wiped out!!!
Some time later.
Nami returned to the Going Merry, dragging several bulging bags behind her while hauling along the electrocuted Cat Brothers, cursing nonstop.
"Seriously! Such a huge pirate crew, and their total treasure is only three million Beli?!"
"This is an embarrassment to pirates everywhere!!!"
Failing to obtain the wealth she'd imagined, Nami's mood was obviously awful.
If it weren't for the bounties on Jango and the Cat Brothers to make up for it, she might've actually dove down to the seafloor just to drag those useless pirates back up and beat them senseless all over again.
Thus ended a completely one-sided battle.
After helping Nami move the three bounty pirates into the hold and locking them up, Red walked toward the bow.
At that moment, Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp were busy hauling usable supplies from the wreckage of the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
Half an hour later, adhering to the principle of putting everything to use, all remaining functional supplies from the Black Cat Pirates were transferred onto the Going Merry.
Even though he hadn't participated in the battle, winning their first naval fight so decisively left Luffy—who'd been helping carry supplies—grinning from ear to ear.
Once everything finally settled down, Red smiled and spoke to everyone.
"Well then, since the enemies have been dealt with, let's continue our voyage!"
But immediately after, his gaze shifted, and he suddenly looked straight at Luffy.
"Oh right—there's one more thing!"
"Usopp, later help me make a big wooden barrel. It needs to be tall enough to reach a person's neck and still allow movement inside."
"Huh?" Usopp paused for a moment, then immediately nodded. "Got it! Leave it to me!"
Compared to making something like Nami's Clima-Tact that could generate mist and electricity, Red's request was ridiculously simple.
"Eh? Red, are you going to take a bath? But why does the barrel need to be that big?" Luffy asked curiously from the side.
But Red's lips curled upward into a mischievous grin.
"This isn't for me. It's for you, Luffy."
"But I don't feel like taking a bath right now," Luffy replied, digging his nose with a frown.
In response, Red burst into loud laughter.
"Doesn't matter if you want to or not! This is part of your training!"
"Usopp, once the barrel's ready, fill it with seawater and put Luffy inside!"
"It's not convenient to train Armament Haki aboard the Going Merry anyway…"
"For the next stretch of time, Luffy, you're going to focus on overcoming a Devil Fruit user's weakness!!!"
The moment Red saw Luffy start weakening just from being splashed by seawater earlier, he'd already made up his mind.
While Devil Fruit users could never completely overcome their weakness to the sea, adapting in advance might improve Luffy's resistance to Seastone. It was preparation for the future.
"Huh!?" Luffy froze on the spot.
Recalling that awful sensation from earlier when seawater touched him…
He stiffened up completely, as if he'd been hit by one of Aokiji's freezing capsule techniques.
Luffy's face instantly fell into despair, his expression practically screaming, "Red, please… just be human!"
However—
Despite his overwhelming internal resistance, knowing full well that Red was doing this for his sake, Luffy ultimately said nothing.
Meanwhile, Usopp snickered maliciously and immediately got to work.
His combat ability might not be anything special, but when it came to craftsmanship, he was honestly incredible!
If it weren't for the existence of an even more outrageous monster like Franky, Usopp could've easily secured the title of the Straw Hat Pirates' number one scientist.
In just a bit over ten minutes, Usopp came stumbling across the deck carrying a massive wooden barrel and set it down.
After learning Red's true purpose, he'd even installed a seat and safety restraints inside to prevent Luffy from accidentally drowning due to extreme weakness.
With a casual wave of his hand, Red summoned a surge of seawater, which poured straight into the barrel and filled it to the brim.
"All right, Captain Luffy. Please, take your seat."
Red extended a hand politely, making a gentlemanly gesture of invitation.
Standing at the edge of the barrel, Luffy stepped inside with a look of tragic resolve, like a hero marching to his doom.
The moment his body entered the seawater, however, he instantly went limp—like an awkward first date ending in an immediate "Well then, I'll be going." No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't keep himself together.
After securing Luffy's head in the safety harness Usopp had made, Red gently patted him on the shoulder.
"…Hang in there, future Pirate King."
...
...
With Luffy gaining a brand-new training regimen, the atmosphere aboard the Going Merry gradually settled back into quiet.
Everyone immersed themselves in their own work.
Just like that, a full day passed.
Night fell.
Luffy weakly struggled his way out of the seawater.
After soaking for an entire day, although he still couldn't move in seawater, he'd already grown somewhat accustomed to the powerless feeling—like a newborn baby starting everything from scratch.
At the stern, bathed in faint moonlight, Zoro began the final sprint of his nighttime training, wielding a massive dumbbell with one side of the weight removed as he practiced sword swings.
Inside the cabin, Red once again entered the game world together with Nami.
The two of them, already completely familiar with the process, wasted no time with unnecessary chatter and headed straight down Route 5 south of Cerulean City, battling Pokémon as they advanced.
Compared to other routes, Route 5 had no Trainers waiting to challenge players.
However, occupying the center of the road was a vast stretch of tall grass that extended all the way from start to finish.
A variety of Pokémon ranging from levels 12 to 16 lurked within. Occasionally, one could even spot a second-stage evolution like Pidgeotto—or an extremely rare Abra.
...
...
Two hours later, on Route 5 within the game world.
"Nami, use Buzzy Buzz! Don't let it escape again!"
As Red unleashed Surf, a surging tidal wave instantly engulfed the entire grass field, cutting off Abra's path of escape via Teleport.
"My turn!"
Nami, already prepared, suddenly sprang out from the grass. The lightning energy she'd been charging in her metal staff shot forth in an instant.
A piercing bolt of electricity descended directly onto Abra.
Crackling arcs of electricity flashed everywhere.
Abra was afflicted with paralysis and could no longer use moves!
"This time, you're not getting away!"
Red swung his arm, instantly summoning chunks of rock, which he hurled mercilessly toward Abra.
Finally, with a finishing Pay Day from Nami, the small Abra was completely knocked unconscious.
"Go! Poké Ball!"
Light flashed in Red's eyes as he hurled the red-and-white Poké Ball, capturing the incapacitated Abra inside.
This was the sixth Abra they'd caught today.
Including the two that had escaped earlier, they'd encountered a total of eight Abra in just two hours.
The odds weren't particularly high—but not low either.
Unfortunately, the first five Abra Red caught had dropped no items at all, contributing only some extra experience points for Nami.
But Red didn't give up.
From his memories, Abra wasn't just rare and hard to catch—it was also one of the few Generation I Pokémon capable of holding a Technical Machine in the wild!
This trait greatly increased its chances of dropping a TM!
Since Nami also needed battle experience, and the Pokémon levels here were just right, Red decided to spend the rest of today's gameplay time circling Route 5.
Just like with Rare Candy before, a single TM was worth wasting a little time over.
Watching the Poké Ball shake and flash, Red clasped his hands tightly and silently prayed in his heart:
"Jade Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, Laozi, Buddha, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Xuanzang, Marshal Canopy Cleaner…"
"Please bless me, all gods and machine overlords!"
"Let me be lucky just this once!!!"
Click!
The shaking Poké Ball suddenly went still.
Then, two notification messages appeared before Red's eyes:
[Congratulations! You have captured the Pokémon Abra and gained 86 EXP!]
[Congratulations! You have captured the Pokémon Abra and obtained TM — Reflect!]
(End of Chapter)