"Right, Red!"
"It's been ages since I last saw Luffy and the others!"
"Aren't they in the Pokémon Park right now!?"
…
…
After circling the entire Pokémon Park and getting a general idea of its facilities and functions, Red brought Cobra and the others back to the leisure area.
Even though the place wasn't officially open to the public yet, the staff was already fully prepared.
Rainbase had recently cracked down on the casinos, causing many casino employees to suddenly lose their jobs.
So Red decided to solve two problems at once—he directly recruited those service-industry workers into Pokémon Park, assigning them to handle reception in the leisure area.
Then he had Mr. 1 and the others send in some trustworthy muscle to act as park security or to patrol the Safari Zone.
Once they finished touring the park, Vivi—sipping on her mango pomelo sago—asked Red about their other companions.
"Huh? You mean Luffy and the others?"
Red smiled gently, harmless as ever.
"Actually… you already saw them just now!"
"Huh?" Vivi blinked, thinking hard as though trying to recall something.
But after a moment she frowned."I don't remember seeing them at all…"
"Ahahaha…"
Red puffed out his chest proudly."That's all thanks to the special magic mirror Wapol created~"
As he spoke, he raised his hand—an odd spatial vortex opened in front of them.
Red turned to Cobra and the others.
"Then, Your Majesty Cobra, please rest here for a bit!"
"I'll take Vivi to catch up with our friends~!"
"Wait—Lord Red!"
As Red clearly intended to leave, Cobra suddenly remembered the reason he came here and quickly shouted:
"Lord Red, that Marine captain named Smoker—he should still be somewhere on your side, right!?"
…
…
"How strange~ How did the Marines find this place!?"
Red stepped through the Hyperspace Hole with Vivi, returning to the Pokémon Battle Zone.
Only this time…
What had been an empty, unfinished expanse in Vivi's memory was now filled with massive dueling arenas.
Each platform was a different environment—lakes, forests, deserts, wastelands, snowy fields…
It was hard to imagine someone could fit so many natural biomes into the same area.
And atop the arenas, members of the Straw Hat crew were paired off in groups, engaged in battle training.
…
…
"Chopper, look carefully! That's not how you use the Green Vine!!!"
"Special Move—Green Vine: Man-Eater Flower Acid!!!"
"Heh~ I'm not who I used to be, Usopp! Rumble Ball—Fur Enhancement!"
…
…
"Aaahhh! This makes no sense! Fine, immune to Zoro's Dragon-type sword strikes—whatever! But why do my Electric-type finishers do nothing to you either!?"
"Huh? Because I'm a rubber man!"
…
…
"Captain Marine officer—sorry~"
"But I win this round too!"
"Damn it! Red said my ability should counter yours! Why isn't it working!?"
"Maybe it's… an individual difference, hohohoho~"
…
…
"Hey hey hey—this is ridiculous!?"
"Fine, Luffy being a monster is normal! But how are you two improving this fast too!?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"If we can't at least do this much…"
"How am I supposed to become the World's Greatest Swordsman / the strongest modified human!?"
BOOM!!!
A massive dragon radiating brutal cold flapped its wings while a blazing demon charged beside it.Together they smashed the flame-god-empowered Ace into the special heat-resistant metal wall, carving a huge crater with a deafening explosion.
"Th-This is…"
Vivi stared, wide-eyed, stunned beyond belief.
"Haha~ This is the magic mirror I mentioned~"
Red laughed, tapping lightly at the surrounding air.
A series of faint thunk, thunk noises sounded.
Red continued:
"It's true the public facilities of the Battle Zone aren't finished yet."
"But the event grounds and battle arenas have long been completed."
"As for why you couldn't see anything from the outside earlier…"
Red grinned.
"It's to stop people from freeloading by watching large-scale events without paying. So we had Wapol manufacture a special material for the outer walls."
"It has excellent sound insulation—almost nothing leaks outside…"
"And people outside will only see a mirror! Interesting, right?"
"Indeed." Vivi nodded.
But she couldn't help feeling that a strange glint flashed in Red's eyes when he described the material—almost like he'd remembered something amusing.
At that moment…
The battles ended one after another.
Smoker, having lost yet again, stepped off the arena in low spirits—right as Red spotted him.
Red raised his arm and shouted:
"Hey! Smoker! Your partner's here to pick you up!!!"
"Huh?"
Red's call yanked Smoker out of his post-defeat daze.
He instinctively glanced at Luffy and the others, then froze.
My partner?
I don't have any partners here!
I'm not part of the Straw Hat Pirates!
Wait—no, Red knows that.
And I'm… a Marine.
Which means—
"A Marine is here!?"
Smoker frowned, then strode to Red.
"What happened!? Marines came to Alabasta!?"
"Uh…" Red shrugged. "I'm not sure. Vivi will explain."
"That's right, Mr. Smoker."
At Red's cue, Vivi explained:
"Yesterday afternoon, a group of Marines arrived in Alubarna. Their leader was a female Marine captain named Hina."
"They approached the Nefertari royal family directly. And for some reason, that captain was absolutely certain we'd be able to contact you!"
"So she asked me to give you a message…"
Vivi cast him a nosy sideways glance.
Then she planted one hand on her hip, held her other hand like she was pinching a cigarette between two fingers, and—imitating Hina's stern tone—said:
"'If you've had your fun, hurry up and come back already! Don't tell me you actually want to become a pirate!? Hina's feelings are complex!'"
"..."
Silence dropped over the desert.
Smoker's entire face turned red. His ten fingers fidgeted wildly, practically carving a Pokémon Park into the floor beneath him.
Even after so long, Vivi's imitation told him everything—The Marine who'd come for him was definitely the Hina he knew.
But…
"That's strange! How does Hina know I'm here!?"
"Neither I nor the Straw Hats appeared in the Alabasta incident at all!?"
Like Red earlier, Smoker was filled with confusion.
Then, complicated emotions followed.
He and Hina were practically childhood companions.
They were in the same Marine recruit class—both trained under Zephyr, both scolded for relying too much on their Devil Fruit powers.
Before his transfer to Loguetown, the two had vaguely been in a romantic relationship.
They would often shop, drink, and eat together during breaks.
Hina even picked up smoking from him.
So upon hearing that Hina had come looking for him, his heart tangled instantly—
No.
Even more tangled than hers.
Because up until a few minutes ago, all he'd been thinking about was which Straw Hat to spar with next…
He absolutely wasn't ready to leave!!!
But—
Sigh… Smoker exhaled internally.
Hina's arrival shattered the problem he'd been avoiding.
At this point, he really couldn't stay here any longer.
"…I understand."
Smoker nodded and asked Vivi:
"The Marines—you said they're still in the capital, right?"
"I'll head there immediately."
Even though he wanted to properly say goodbye to the Straw Hats, his Marine identity forced him to make the correct decision.
But at that moment, Red cut in:
"Wait…"
He lifted his head, met Smoker's eyes, and smiled.
"I'm going with you."
(End of Chapter)