Half an hour later.
The chaotic sea gradually returned to calm, and the Straw Hat crew one by one made it back onto the deck of the Going Merry.
At Red's request, Laboon once again dove beneath the waves, searching the surrounding sea for any trace of Blackbeard.
But Red wasn't holding out much hope. After all, Laboon didn't possess Observation Haki, nor any kind of biological detection ability. Expecting him to locate a being the size of a needle's eye in the boundless ocean was simply too difficult a task for even a giant whale.
Not to mention, Laboon's line of sight was completely blocked by his enormous head — he couldn't even focus on what was directly in front of him.
Even so, although they hadn't found Blackbeard's corpse, the results of this battle were already more than satisfying to Red.
After all, the Straw Hat Pirates' current overall strength wasn't far from their power level in the original timeline right after entering Fish-Man Island following the two-year timeskip.
Being able to defeat Blackbeard — whose power was at least comparable to the Seven Warlords of the Sea — and completely annihilate his crew was already an extremely impressive result.
More importantly…
The gains the Straw Hats obtained from this battle far exceeded anyone's expectations!!!
Red spent another ten minutes using Sky Dash to reach the nearest Pokémon Center in Saffron City's game world, bringing the entire Straw Hat crew in one by one to fully restore them.
In just a few minutes, the crew who had been mentally drained and exhausted from energy depletion suddenly recovered to peak condition, lively and energetic again.
Even Smoker, who had fallen unconscious after sinking into the sea, slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the sky.
Before he fully processed what happened, two overwhelming auras suddenly surged above the Going Merry — overwhelming, tyrannical pressure that felt like it was drilling directly into his spirit.
Smoker jolted upright in fear — and immediately froze in shock.
On the deck of the Merry, Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro were radiating an overwhelming, crushing presence.
As someone who sparred frequently with Zoro, Smoker was absolutely certain—
This aura…This was definitely not any kind of "Pokémon Ability" he had encountered before.
"C–Conqueror's… Haki!?"
Smoker whispered in disbelief.
And in the very next second, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
The pressure that had been building erupted from Luffy and Zoro's bodies — as though some invisible shackle had been broken — descending over the sea like a falling sky.
At the bow of the Merry, Luffy and Zoro slowly opened their eyes after fully restoring their stamina.
A sharp, domineering glint flashed through both their gazes.
Luffy opened his palms, feeling this unprecedented power surge through him, and said in a heavy voice:
"Next time… I won't be caught off guard like this ever again!!!"
"That's right!!! I've had enough of losing!!!"
Beside him, Zoro gripped his sword hilt with one hand, answering Luffy with firm resolve.
First Luffy… then Mihawk… and now Blackbeard—
Ever since leaving the Shimotsuki Dojo, he thought that even if he wasn't the strongest in the world yet, he was at least among the top.
But one after another, monsters beyond anything he'd imagined kept appearing, each strong enough to make his scalp numb and shake his worldview.
He was DONE losing.
"Next time, huh…"
Meanwhile, Sanji — dripping wet from falling into the sea — lit a soggy cigarette with a burst of flame.
As he stared at the fierce aura surrounding Luffy and Zoro, the heat within him also surged, evaporating all the seawater clinging to his clothes.
"Not wanting to lose, huh?"
Sanji scoffed."Hmph~! Who doesn't?"
The three men lifted their heads in unison, their gazes crossing.
In that moment, on the small deck of the Merry, a terrifying wave of willpower surged upward, exploding toward the sky.
The oppressive clouds overhead were pierced by their will, opening a huge hole.
Brilliant sunlight cascaded down onto the Straw Hat flag flapping atop the mast, illuminating the path ahead for the Straw Hat Pirates.
"What a perfect encounter battle this turned out to be."
In a corner of the ship, hiding while disposing of the bodies of Burgess and the sick horse Stronger, Red glanced toward the trio with a faint smile.
He wasn't surprised at all by Luffy and Zoro suddenly awakening Conqueror's Haki or by the mysterious awakening happening within Sanji.
After all, Red had been closely monitoring their stat panels the entire time…
And he knew exactly how much each of them had grown during Blackbeard's repeated deadly assaults.
First was the captain, Luffy.
Since almost the entire fight revolved around Luffy doing the damage and taking the hits, the experience he earned was by far the highest among the trio.
However, after reaching level 50, every new level required exponentially more experience.
So despite such a brutal battle, Luffy only rose from level 54 to level 57 (late-stage).
Even though the numeric level didn't rise that much, his actual combat power skyrocketed.
As levels climbed and experience bars lengthened, each stat point granted Luffy more and more power.
Zoro and Sanji's levels had also risen — Zoro to 49, and Sanji all the way to 44.
One had increased three levels.The other, five.
Hidden strength… personal effort… whatever the cause—
Sanji was rapidly closing the gap with Zoro.
And someday, he might even surpass Zoro in level.
After all, unlike Zoro who relied purely on himself, Sanji had his own "external cheat"… one that was now awakening thanks to Pokémon energy infusion.
Of course, Zoro wasn't going to sit back and let Sanji catch up.
Boosted by his Pressure ability, Zoro had successfully evolved his own Conqueror's Haki — and could now control it freely.
In fact, in this aspect, Zoro had already surpassed his two-years-later canon self.
Although if we compare teachers…Teach-sensei was far inferior to Kaido-sensei…
But still—
"Another day full of gains!!!"
Red stretched lazily as golden sunlight shimmered across the sea.
At that moment, an arm suddenly draped over his shoulder.
Luffy grinned brightly."Shishishi~! Red! After a big battle, a feast is a must, right!?"
Even though Luffy fought Blackbeard head-on, everyone on the ship knew the truth—
They won because of their vice-captain, Red.
Luffy's call ignited the deck into joyous celebration.
Even Smoker — who normally refused to associate with pirates — joined, perhaps moved by Sanji's act of saving him from drowning.
Though taciturn as always, he still raised his cup every time Luffy called for a toast.
Even Robin — who hadn't yet fully accepted the Straw Hats as her home — couldn't help but feel her eyes sparkle after witnessing their overwhelming strength.
Saul's words surfaced in her mind:
"There's no such thing as a person who's forever alone."
Sipping the cocktail Sanji made just for her, Robin watched as Luffy — who moments ago had been locked in deadly combat — stripped down and danced horribly off-beat before being punched into the floor by Nami.
Unconsciously, the corner of her lips curved upward.
…
…
After Laboon searched fruitlessly for half a day, the Going Merry finally departed the area.
One day later—
A corpse-like figure suddenly burst up from the sea.
It was Blackbeard — the man they had been searching for.
The moment he surfaced, he began gasping desperately for air.
Remarkably, despite being submerged, Blackbeard had not lost the ability to move entirely like a typical Devil Fruit user.
Though he looked like a bedridden invalid suddenly awakened after years, he slowly raised his thick, hairy arm.
He then lifted a rag-wrapped stone out of the water, holding it up toward the sun.
If Usopp or Smoker had been present, they would've cried out in shock.
Because the object in Blackbeard's hand was unmistakably — a piece of Seastone.
"Damn Straw Hats! Damn long-nosed bastard! I won't forgive you!!!"
Blackbeard's voice erupted with fury.
Forced to hold his breath underwater while constantly… expelling waste…
Such humiliation had etched Usopp permanently onto his kill list.
No matter what, he would make that long-nosed brat pay!!!
His severed right arm had long since turned swollen and pale in the seawater.
Unless he found some special Devil Fruit, his future would resemble Red-Haired Shanks — a one-armed pirate.
After cursing until his final bit of strength faded, Blackbeard closed his eyes and let the current carry him.
Just like that…
Blackbeard drifted another full day and night before a voice suddenly echoed across the sea — one that made his dull eyes flicker with light.
"Colonel Tashigi, I think there's a castaway up ahead!!!"
…
…
The Kingdom of Alabasta — a massive, world-renowned superpower of the Grand Line.
Its landmass was dozens, even hundreds of times larger than most member nations of the World Government.
Calling it an "island" was no longer accurate.
It was a continent rooted into the sea.
Its vast territory created countless unique cities filled with exotic flora and fauna.
The tropical climate shaped its culture, turning the desert kingdom into a place that mesmerized every first-time traveler.
Nanohana — Alabasta's largest import–export port city.
Because of its proximity to the harbor, fresh water was abundant, and the people lived relatively comfortable lives — not yet in the dire condition Vivi had described.
But only barely.
"So hot~!"
Luffy hung his mouth open, eyes sparkling as he stared at the lively streets of Nanohana.
To him, every new island was a thrilling adventure.
But Sanji suddenly slapped a firm hand on Luffy's shoulder.
"Oi, Luffy!"
"We're not here to play. Don't you dare get off the ship and start causing trouble!"
"Usopp and I are going to restock supplies. After that, we're heading to the next port!"
Luffy's expression instantly wilted into exaggerated disappointment.
"What!? You're going off to have fun without me!"
He then puffed up his voice and imitated Nami's tone:
"Sanji, you're being so mean~!"
"Bastard!"
WHAM!
Sanji kicked Luffy's head."Don't give me that disgusting crap!"
"You eat way too much! Our supplies for everyone were supposed to last days, and you devoured half of it in one night! We had to ration because of you!"
"You have no right to complain!"
Sanji ground his heel into Luffy's skull.
"I'm sorry!"
Luffy instantly apologized, face smashed flat onto the deck.
Red stroked his chin at the scene.
He suddenly turned to Usopp.
"By the way, Usopp, does Laboon still have unused internal space?"
"Huh? I think there's still some!" Usopp blinked. "Originally I planned to work with Gem to build a holding cell for Wapol."
"But he's been surprisingly cooperative lately, so I've been considering giving him more room so he can work better."
"Hm… reasonable."
Red nodded."When you get the chance, bring Zoro with you to Laboon's stomach. Use your Conqueror's Haki to scare Wapol a little."
"With his life on the line, he'll know exactly how to behave."
Red continued:
"Since Laboon has spare room, buy some crop seeds this time."
"It's not healthy for our support crew to eat nothing but fruit. Poor nutrition lowers work efficiency."
"A bit of farming, a few small ranches — it'll improve their meals."
"And since it's food for the support crew, I'm sure they'll be happy to tend to it."
"And if Luffy ever eats everything again, at least the rest of us won't starve."
"..."
Usopp stared at him for a long moment, then muttered:
"You're… really a good person, Red."
"Haha, everyone says that!"
With Red watching them off, Sanji and Usopp disembarked for their tasks.
Luffy, desperate for adventure on a new island, silently watched them leave and melted over the railing in despair.
But the next second, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Hmm!?"
Luffy leapt to his feet."I suddenly remembered something important! Wait for me!"
"Eh!?" Nami reached out. "We have important things to do later!"
But before she finished, Luffy had already launched himself off the Merry in a diving leap.
"That idiot…" Nami muttered.
Red suddenly added:
"Luffy must really have urgent business."
"To avoid trouble, I'll follow him."
"Well… I guess that's fine." Nami sighed, then turned to Robin.
"We should be okay if we arrive a little later, right?"
"No problem," Robin smiled mysteriously, as though she had expected this outcome. "I made sure to give them plenty of time."
"That's good~."
Nami nodded, then glanced curiously toward Red as he followed Luffy.
…
…
Meanwhile—
On a secluded Alabasta shoreline, an extravagant ship docked quietly.
From it, Mr. 2 Bon Clay disembarked while clutching a Baroque Works encrypted telegram.
Scratching his head, he muttered:
"So strange~"
"Why would the boss suddenly change the meeting location?"
"But… the encrypted message is exactly like the usual ones. It must be genuine!"
"Actually…"
Bon Clay reached behind his waist and pulled out the previous message.
"That last report was weird… The tone was different, the code usage was off…"
"Could it be… someone cracked Baroque Works' cipher and forged a message!?"
Suddenly, enlightenment flashed through his eyes.
"That's it! It must be!!!"
"Good thing the boss caught the problem early and sent a correction message~~~!!!"
"As expected of Baroque Works' brilliant leader!"
(End of Chapter)