"Princess Vivi?"
A slightly surprised Red opened the cabin door, his curious gaze landing on the blue-haired girl standing before him.
Vivi, who had come of her own initiative, revealed a poised and gracious smile as she said,
"Mr. Red, you really don't have to call me 'Princess Vivi' every time you see me. Just call me Vivi, like everyone else on board!"
"Then you should just call me Red as well," Red replied with the same tone. "Like everyone else on the ship."
The next second, the two exchanged smiles.
Red took the initiative to ask,"So… you came to find me all of a sudden. Does that mean you've made your decision?"
"Yes!" Vivi nodded firmly, then said apologetically,"I'm very sorry for having doubts about what you told me earlier."
"But after spending these past few days together, I've truly, truly seen how extraordinary you all are!"
"Please help me train—to become a warrior capable of defending my country!!!"
"For that sake, I will persuade my father to set aside a suitable piece of land within Alabasta, to create the Pokémon Kingdom you spoke of!!!"
That's right.
What Vivi was talking about was precisely the third option Red had mentioned to her that day…
He would personally train Vivi until she became strong enough to withstand any danger, and to protect her own country with her own hands!
And not just Vivi alone—Red had also promised that she could bestow certain special abilities upon other people as well.
Although the number would be limited, it would still be more than enough to give them the power needed to protect the Kingdom of Alabasta.
Back then, Vivi hadn't immediately agreed with Red.
One reason was that she doubted the truth of his words.
She knew very well that she wasn't particularly gifted in combat.
Under those circumstances, she couldn't understand how Red planned to turn her into a warrior capable of safeguarding her nation.
However, that doubt had completely collapsed during these days spent with the Straw Hats.
Vivi might not be powerful, but she possessed a keen and intelligent eye.
She could clearly see it…
The Straw Hat crew, as she observed them, were growing stronger at an astonishing pace—day by day!
More than once, she had even noticed deep hesitation in the eyes of that Marine colonel.
As if he were seriously pondering…
Whether or not to put his pride aside and ask Red to make him stronger as well.
On the other hand, the second reason Vivi hesitated was because she was only a princess, not a king.
For a nation, land was a sacred thing—something that could not be casually used as bargaining chip.
Even though Red had explained that he wasn't seeking a tyrannical territory, merely a region that wouldn't be easily disturbed so he could conduct certain experiments…
This was the true, fundamental reason why Vivi had delayed giving him an answer.
Because of the Straw Hats' decisive actions, Baroque Works' intelligence pair—the Unlucky Duo—had been completely cut off.
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had even been captured outright, preventing the Whiskey Peak incident from being reported back to headquarters.
Meanwhile, Igaram, captain of Alabasta's royal guard, had successfully contacted the kingdom and forwarded the Straw Hats' Den Den Mushi number to Cobra in the capital.
And just moments ago, Vivi herself had received a call from her father.
During the conversation, she explained Red's conditions and the Straw Hats' strength in full detail.
To her surprise, after hearing everything, Cobra showed no hesitation at all—he directly placed the power of choice in Vivi's hands.
And left her with only one sentence:
"I trust your judgment."
…
…
"I see."
After hearing Vivi's explanation, Red immediately showed a look of understanding.
Then he smiled slightly."In that case, I assume you're prepared?"
"Yes."
For some reason, being asked that made Vivi suddenly feel nervous.
The next second, Red stepped aside from the doorway and gestured invitingly for her to enter the cramped cabin.
Then, without another word, Vivi watched as Red lay straight down on the bed.
The sight stunned her completely.
What's going on!?Didn't you say you weren't interested in my body!?
Shock ran through Vivi's mind.
Then she heard Red point toward a lounge chair at the side.
"I'd originally planned to build up some electrical charge first."
"But since you've already agreed, there's no point delaying. I'll let you personally witness the power of the Pokémon world…"
"And at the same time, give you some peace of mind."
"Don't waste time—lie down already."
"O-oh… okay!"Vivi answered dumbly.
Realizing things weren't going the way she'd imagined, her cheeks instantly flushed. She hurriedly lay down on the lounge chair.
Before she could even process what was happening, her entire vision was suddenly swallowed by a brilliant white light.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in a wondrous wilderness filled with singing birds and blooming flowers.
"Th-this… is this really the Pokémon world Luffy and the others talked about?!"
"Looks like I won't need to explain much, then."
Red's voice suddenly came from behind her.
Vivi immediately turned around and saw Red looking at her with a calm smile.
Soon, however, she noticed that his gaze didn't seem to be focused on her at all.
She opened her mouth, about to speak—
—but Red suddenly extended an arm and said,
"Don't rush. I'm thinking."
"O-oh." Vivi replied softly.
At the same time, Red's attention truly wasn't on Vivi.
Because right now, he was carefully reviewing her stat panel!
[Pokémon: Nefertari D. Vivi]
Level: 16
Gender: Female
Nature: Brave (+Attack, −Speed)
Type: Psychic / Ground
Ability: Clear Body(Possesses smooth, sacred skin; her power cannot be reduced by opponents' abilities.)
Moves: None EXP: 0 / 1021
HP: 50 Attack: 49 Defense: 60 Sp. Atk: 46 Sp. Def: 61 Speed: 26
"I really didn't expect the Psychic-type partner I was just thinking about to appear so quickly!"
Staring at Vivi's panel, Red couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
He knew Vivi possessed a workable hypnosis ability, so being classified as Psychic-type wasn't shocking.
But what surprised him was—
Despite growing up in the desert, Vivi's Psychic attribute actually overshadowed her Ground type, becoming her primary type.
That tiny detail alone said a great deal.
Coupled with the system directly marking the Will of D in her name…
"Heh… looks like I've somehow been dragged into something truly terrifying."
"But…"
"Good thing I've already been standing at the very center of this vortex!"
Closing the stat window, Red opened the Move Tutor list once more.
Since he'd finally encountered a Psychic-type partner, he naturally intended to build her properly!
First was the Partner Move—Glitzy Glow. This had to be equipped.
Not only did it deal damage, it could also create a Light Screen to block special attacks!
Hands down the most cost-effective move in the current version.
Although it required returning to Celadon City to learn, that wasn't an issue at all for someone who possessed Sky Dash.
As for the remaining three move slots, Red assigned her:
A defensive move capable of blocking physical damage—Reflect;
A pure psychic power that function just like telekinesis—Psychic;
And the indispensable divine move for all Psychic-types—
Teleport!
In that instant, an offense-and-defense–balanced Psychic Queen—One who could even release something akin to Conqueror's Haki—
Was born!!!
(End of Chapter)