Under the absolute threat of Red's overwhelming force, the Bomb Man Gem and the Kilo Woman Mikita very quickly reached an agreement with him—an arrangement nominally called "cooperation," but in reality closer to "exploitation."
Gaining two Devil Fruit users in one go made Red feel a small surge of excitement.
To be honest, his original plan hadn't been this complicated.
It was only after deciding to recruit the Bomb Man that he suddenly remembered Laboon's body—and the amazing way it could be put to use!
Of course, since Laboon was still quite weak at the moment, Red had deliberately emphasized to Usopp and the Bomb Man not to conduct large-scale artillery experiments inside him.
For now, he was only permitting them to research the personal, single-soldier ammunition Usopp himself used.
Setting everything else aside—if they could replace part of the materials in Usoppgy Bombs with things like the Bomb Man's boogers or hair…
They could slash Usopp's ammunition expenses by a massive margin!
It could be said that the Bomb Man was nothing less than a natural explosives depot!
And one with growth potential, at that!
…
…
At the same time—
While Red and Usopp were planning out the layout for the munitions research base inside Laboon…
The Going Merry and Laboon had already left Whiskey Peak far behind, heading toward their next destination!
Some time later, Red—having finished the initial internal planning—bid farewell to Usopp and the others and returned to the Going Merry.
The moment he touched down on the deck using Magnet Rise, he was immediately met with Nami's eager voice:
"How was it!? Did it work!?"
Among the Straw Hats, if there was anyone who supported Red's plan to recruit the Bomb Man the most…
It was undoubtedly Nami!
Although the biggest apparent beneficiary of the plan was Usopp with his ammunition, from Nami's perspective…
If the Bomb Man could truly replace the crew's need to purchase gunpowder, they could save nearly ten million Beli every single month!
Seeing the anticipation in her eyes, Red smiled faintly and gave her an answer that fully satisfied her:
"Everything's OK~!"
"From now on, all our gunpowder needs will be handled by the Bomb Man!"
"That's amazing!" Nami jumped up in excitement.
Just then, Smoker—who happened to be passing by—overheard their conversation and couldn't help letting out a disgruntled snort.
"Hmph! Cunning pirates!"
However—
That single remark instantly drew Red's attention, his gaze locking tightly onto Smoker.
"Hm!?"
Feeling extremely uncomfortable under Red's stare, Smoker frowned.
"What is it?"
"What is it?" Red echoed in surprise.
Then he suddenly broke into a grin, his expression turning unmistakably mischievous.
"If I remember correctly… there should still be plenty of ships over at Whiskey Peak, right?"
"Grabbing a few bounty hunters who know how to sail shouldn't be difficult at all."
"So why is it… that Colonel Smoker is still on the Going Merry?!"
"...…"
That's right!?Why did I get back on the ship!?
Red's question instantly short-circuited Smoker's brain.
Before this, he hadn't really thought about it.
After being 'taken care of' alongside the Straw Hats by the bounty hunters at Whiskey Peak, he had simply followed behind the Straw Hat crew in silence, with absolutely zero presence.
Over time, he seemed to have grown accustomed to this strange way of coexisting with the Straw Hat Pirates.
So when Luffy and the others boarded the ship, he naturally followed along.
At that moment, Red had been completely preoccupied with the Bomb Man and hadn't paid any attention.
Even if Luffy and the others had noticed, they wouldn't have said anything.
After all, they'd gotten along with Smoker fairly well over the past few days—though Smoker himself wouldn't agree.
In an instant!
Realizing the ridiculous blunder he had made, Smoker's fierce face flushed deep red with embarrassment!
"S–Stop talking nonsense!!!"
He shouted at Red in a mixture of shame and rage.
"H–How are Marine affairs any business of a pirate like you!?"
"I—I'm doing this to pursue you!"
"You wiped out so many Marine bases in the East Blue—don't think you can just walk away from that!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Red kept staring straight into his eyes and replied in the most annoying tone possible,"I don't believe you."
"Y–You…"
Determined not to admit that he had "habitually boarded a pirate ship," Smoker was left completely speechless.
After a moment, he simply turned away, refusing to meet Red's gaze, and left behind a single sentence:
"Believe it or not!"
"Hahahahaha!" Red burst into laughter.
But right after that, he suddenly called out again:
"Hey! Colonel Smoker!"
"Hm?" Smoker turned back.
Red's expression abruptly turned serious.
"Since you've already come this far, you might as well go all the way and see it with us…"
"See just how deep in suffering the people of the Kingdom of Alabasta truly are."
"After all, this is a perfect chance for you to properly understand the World Government."
"..."
Smoker fell silent, a thoughtful glint flashing repeatedly in his eyes.
In the end, he said nothing—simply nodded lightly, accepting Red's invitation.
Though he'd only spent a few days with the Straw Hats, he couldn't help feeling that these bastards were nothing like the pirates he'd imagined.
Yet if someone asked him exactly how they were different, he wouldn't know how to answer.
The more he understood them, the more strange—and curious—he found them.
Besides.
He was genuinely interested in Alabasta's situation anyway.
After all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were a system created jointly by the World Government and the Marines.
If innocent people were truly being harmed because of them, then Smoker would absolutely step in—no matter what!
Provided he actually had the strength to do so…
With that thought, Smoker's gaze suddenly shifted toward the rear of the Going Merry.
On a platform there, Zoro was wielding an incredibly massive barbell, practicing sword swings.
Every time he brought the enormous weight down, a clearly visible slash ripple tore through the surface of the sea ahead.
Damn it!
He's already this strong, and he's still training this hard!?
Is he trying to kill everyone else!?
Smoker cursed internally.
Yet despite himself, he quietly found a corner and pulled out his jitte, beginning his own training.
What Smoker didn't realize was that the moment he entered this training rhythm, his resemblance to the Straw Hat crew grew even stronger.
So much so that if an uninformed outsider were to see the deck of the Going Merry at that moment, they would undoubtedly mistake Smoker for a member of the crew.
Their actions were practically identical!
…
…
Time slowly slipped by.
In the blink of an eye, Smoker had eaten, lived, and trained alongside the Straw Hats for yet another full day.
Even the Straw Hat crew themselves seemed to have completely gotten used to his presence.
Only Vivi—who was traveling with the Going Merry back to Alabasta—would always show a look of baffled disbelief whenever she saw Smoker.
"Isn't this Mister Smoke supposed to be a Marine?!"
Night fell.
Brilliant stars filled the sky, framing a crescent moon hanging high at its center.
As a white light flashed, Red's figure suddenly appeared inside a room that looked almost like a kindergarten classroom.
On the opposite side of a railing—so close yet feeling worlds apart—Usopp immediately showed a mix of emotion and excitement.
Upon seeing Red, he couldn't help murmuring:
"Finally…"
"My turn!"
After paying the "bail fee" to the NPC elderly lady, Usopp's figure finally teleported out of the Pokémon Day Care, appearing beside Red.
"You've worked hard, Usopp!" Red greeted him with a smile.
The response he received was Usopp bawling:
"It wasn't hard—it was miserable!"
"Uh…" Red's mouth twitched slightly. He knew full well he'd left Usopp 'free-range' for far too long—and did feel a bit guilty about it.
Realizing this, he quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, let's start by setting up your move combinations!"
With a thought, he opened the list of TMs in his bag.
First were the Grass-type move Giga Drain and the Bug-type move U-turn, both of which only Usopp could learn.
Red didn't necessarily think these were the absolute best options for Usopp.
But within the entire Straw Hat crew, only Usopp could use them at all.
If he didn't equip them, it would feel like an outright waste.
Among them, Giga Drain was a reward Red obtained for defeating the Celadon Gym—it dealt damage to enemies while restoring his own vitality and stamina.
As for U-turn, it came from the Celadon City Department Store.
[Move: U-turn]
[Type: Bug]
[Category: Physical]
[Power: 70]
[Description: Dash toward a direction and freely change the dash direction at any time.If you collide with an enemy along the way, they will take damage.]
Without any hesitation, Red equipped both moves onto Usopp.
Immediately afterward, he began selecting from the pile of other attribute moves Usopp could learn…
(End of Chapter)