"What… what kind of ability is that!? A Devil Fruit!?"
After withdrawing his palm from Red's hand, Smoker cast what seemed like a casual glance at Vivi before turning back to Red and questioning him.
"Aren't you already perfectly aware?"
Red didn't answer directly. Instead, a playful gleam flickered in his eyes as he looked at Smoker.
Even if Smoker hadn't truly stepped into the Pokémon world yet, he had been undercover aboard the Going Merry for several days now…
Red didn't believe for a second that Smoker hadn't gathered any information at all.
Besides, this was a good opportunity to let this justice-driven Marine in on a few truths. Maybe—without even needing to wait until Crocodile was defeated—Smoker could end up standing on their side.
Even though Red would bet his life that this prideful tsundere absolutely wouldn't admit it.
As expected.
Hearing Red's tone, Smoker immediately turned his head away stiffly.
"W-Aware of what!? You'd better explain yourself clearly!"
"Haha~" Red chuckled.
"Alright, Colonel Smoker. You've been with us for a few days now—surely you already know what kind of pirates we are."
"Even though you're a Marine and we stand on different sides…"
"I don't dislike your obsession with justice."
"If you ever want to obtain power from me, you can come find me anytime."
"But…"
Red paused, his gaze turning serious as he looked directly at Smoker.
"Your resolve still isn't strong enough to break through the barrier between us."
"I hope you can think it through properly—soon."
"Well then, I won't disturb your training anymore. Bye~"
With a smile, Red waved at everyone on deck. Then, exchanging a meaningful look with Vivi, the two of them headed into the ship's interior.
After all—things that come too easily aren't valued.
With someone as special as Smoker, the more initiative Red showed, the more guilt and resistance Smoker would feel.
Red understood this well.
So rather than wasting time on Smoker, it was better to devote more effort to Vivi.
Once inside the cabin, Red immediately picked up a blackboard and began explaining several of Vivi's moves to her.
From his earlier observations, he had already gained a solid understanding of Light Screen's actual effects.
While its defensive power wasn't as absolute against physical attacks as Reflect, it could still greatly reduce the damage of special attacks.
At the very least, it would play a crucial role when facing Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
What remained was to properly train Vivi over the next few days and raise her level.
There was no way she could reach a state where she could contend with Crocodile in such a short time…
But at the very least, Cobra and the officials of Alabasta needed to see clear, tangible results.
Only then would they cooperate with Red's plans moving forward, wouldn't they?
…
…
Time slowly passed.
Just as Red was explaining his future training plan for Vivi, an excited shout from outside the cabin suddenly rang out.
"Guys! I see land!!!"
"Hm!?"
Red stopped what he was doing and glanced at the blackboard filled with notes about Vivi's stats, traits, and information related to the Pokémon world.
Then he said to Vivi, who was listening attentively,
"We're about to land. That's all for today's lesson."
"We'll discuss the specifics in detail tonight when we get to the Pokémon world."
"Let's go take a look."
"Yes!"Vivi hurriedly scribbled down the last bit from the blackboard into her notebook, then nodded excitedly.
"Thank you, Teacher Red!"
"Heh…"Red's lips curled upward as he muttered softly,
"Compared to 'teacher,' I still prefer being called a Trainer~"
…
…
A short while later.
Above the calm sea, Laboon slowly emerged from the deep once more, like a pitch-black island rising from the ocean.
"Thanks, Laboon!"
Usopp popped out from the hatch on Laboon's back, smiling as he waved before leaping down onto the deck of the Going Merry. He greeted everyone enthusiastically.
"Hello, everyone! Long time no see!"
"Whoa! Long time no see, Usopp!"
Seeing Usopp—who had been in seclusion inside Laboon for three whole days—Luffy and the others gathered around him in amazement.
Because of the impressive performance of the Usoppgy Bomb, Zoro immediately asked curiously,
"So? How is it, Usopp?"
"Did you develop new ammo!?"
"Hmph~"
Usopp lifted his nose proudly and flashed a smug grin.
"Of course! Who do you think I am!?"
Then his mouth twisted into a mischievous smile as his gaze swept suspiciously over Zoro and Sanji.
"Trust me! The ammo I've developed this time will definitely blow your minds!"
Three days of intense research had finally allowed him to find a way to integrate Pokémon energy into his ammunition.
And that opened an entirely new door for Usopp!
All that was missing now was a proper stage for him to show his stuff!
"Long time no see, Usopp~"
At this moment, Red walked out of the cabin and greeted Usopp with a smile.
With Red and Vivi joining, the deck of the Going Merry instantly became lively.
As the ship slowly advanced, they soon arrived at the shore of the new island.
After dropping anchor and securing the ship, the Straw Hats thanked Laboon for guarding the vessel. Filled with anticipation and a sense of adventure, they then headed toward the island's interior.
…
…
Meanwhile.
On a certain resort island in the first half of the Grand Line—
A man wearing glasses, with his hair styled into a "3", delicately sipped his black tea and wore an expression of perverse satisfaction.
"Ah~"
"I worked so hard to become a senior agent… all for this moment!"
"This—this is what life is all about!"
"Mr. 3…"
Sitting across from him, a small girl wearing a painter's beret watched her partner's utterly tasteless behavior. Several times she wanted to scold him—
But in the end, her social anxiety made her lower her head and stay silent.
At that moment, a gray eagle wearing strange goggles soared overhead, dropping a sheet of white paper before continuing toward the distant horizon.
"Hm!?"
"A new mission!?"
Seeing this absurd yet familiar delivery method, Mr. 3 immediately straightened up.
The paper slowly landed in his hand, lines of small text entering his view.
"What!? The next target… Little Garden!?"
…
…
"Little Garden?!"
Walking through the lively rainforest filled with an ancient atmosphere—
Even though the hot, humid air rushed toward them, Nami still chose to wear long-sleeved sun-protective clothing, following Red's advice.
At Red's hint, she suddenly raised a finger as realization dawned on her face.
"Oh, right! Now I remember!"
"I once saw information about this island in the travel logs of a famous adventurer!"
"Because of the Grand Line's unique climate, this island hasn't undergone any ecological evolution for tens of thousands of years…"
"So even now, ancient creatures like dinosaurs still exist here!!!"
"Dinosaurs!?"
Luffy's eyes instantly lit up as he leaned forward excitedly.
"Really!? Really!? Are there actually dinosaurs here!?"
"Hey, Red! Let's raise a dinosaur on the ship, alright~!"
"Raise one?" Red rubbed his chin seriously, pondering."On the Going Merry, that might be a bit difficult."
"But if we really encounter a dinosaur with exceptionally high intelligence, we could keep it inside Laboon's stomach."
"Please—have mercy on me!?"
Usopp immediately wailed.
"Unless Laboon swallows another island, there's no space left in there!"
"Unless, Luffy—you promise to come inside Laboon every day and shovel dinosaur poop!"
"Hahaha, as if that guy could ever manage that!"
Red laughed.
"It's fine. The island issue is easy enough to solve."
"We were going to expand sooner or later anyway."
"As for caretaking, we can leave it to Gem and Mikita."
"The real question is whether this island has dinosaurs smart enough to be worth keeping as pets."
The next moment, a glint of anticipation flashed through Red's eyes.
"That said…"
"The fun things on this island aren't limited to dinosaurs alone."
"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji…"
"How about it? Interested in testing yourselves against warriors of the Giant race?"
"Giants!?"
Red's words made the Straw Hats come to a sudden stop.
This time, even Usopp's eyes sparkled brilliantly.
"The Giant race? Aren't those legendary beings!? They really exist!?"
"Of course!" Red replied with a grin."They don't just exist—there are a lot of giants in this world!"
"Shishishi~!!!"
Luffy and Usopp immediately threw their arms around each other in excitement.
Meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji froze for a moment.
"Fight giants…?"
That sounded…
Kind of interesting!!!
(End of Chapter)