Boom!!!
A thick cloud of smoke suddenly filled the strange-looking Gym.
The battle field that had shrouded the entire Gym began to fade away from the top, like a bubble slowly bursting.
Gym Leader Koga recalled his fallen Crobat, the shock still lingering on his face.
Maintaining a stern, disciplined expression, he stepped toward Red and said gravely,"You've defeated me!"
"It seems you truly have the talent of a ninja. How about becoming my disciple?"
Then he chuckled. "Hahaha, I'm just kidding!"
"But still…"
Koga amused himself with his own joke before pulling out a pink, heart-shaped badge from behind him.
It was hard to believe that a Gym specializing in Poison-type Pokémon and ninja combat would hand out such a cute—and deceptive—Heart Badge.
"Is this supposed to remind me that love is the most toxic poison of all?" Red muttered sarcastically as he accepted the badge.
The instant the badge touched his hand, a peculiar feeling coursed through his entire body. It came and went in a flash, vanishing almost instantly.
"Hm!?"
Red blinked.
Compared to the satisfying, invigorating sensation he'd experienced upon receiving other badges, this one felt strangely short-lived.
He had braced himself to enjoy that familiar "achievement reward ecstasy" when obtaining a new badge—but this time it ended before it even began.
Like the game had… finished before he could even start.
"How odd. What exactly did this one enhance?" Red murmured under his breath.
Before he could dwell on it, Koga handed him a Technical Machine, snapping his focus back to the screen displaying its description.
Move: ToxicType: PoisonCategory: StatusPower: —Description: When the user contacts the target, it implants deadly toxins within them, causing their condition to worsen over time.When used by Poison-type Pokémon, this move can be projected as a ranged attack with the same effect.
...
Red rubbed his chin."Toxic, huh? Not a bad move~"
"Problem is, no one on the ship's team has a Poison typing."
"Usopp's Bug and Grass combo is about the closest we've got—kind of like Poison's distant cousin."
"But without the typing, he won't be able to bring out the move's true power~"
"Verdict: situational junk."
Finding no current use for the strong move, Red tossed the TM into his backpack, where it joined the growing pile of dusty TMs.
He then hurried over to Luffy, pulling out a Super Potion and pouring it down the barely conscious captain's throat.
As Luffy's eyes slowly regained clarity, Red smiled and gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Nicely done~!"
"Shishishi~!" Luffy grinned widely, laughing knowingly.
He knew Red's praise wasn't for defeating Koga's Pokémon—it was for something far greater.
During that last battle, Luffy's understanding and control of both Conqueror's Haki and Fairy energy had reached a new, groundbreaking level!
"Even though he's still far from mastering Conqueror's Coating…""Luffy can finally use Conqueror's Haki in actual combat!"
Red thought to himself as he pulled the recovering Luffy to his feet with a grin.
"Come on!"
"We've still got plenty of game time left today."
"Let's head to the Pokémon Center to heal up—this game's only just getting started~"
"No problem!!!"
Luffy raised his fist in excitement, and the two immediately set off.
Under the Pokémon Center's absurdly effective healing system, Luffy was revitalized in seconds.
"Just two more Gym Badges left," Red mused. "Then we can challenge Victory Road and clear this game world."
"The endgame's finally in sight."
Standing at the Center's entrance, Red gazed down the red-bricked road ahead, his eyes gleaming with quiet anticipation.
Two routes lay before them.
One: continue south across Route 19, traveling over the ocean toward the island town of Cinnabar.
But—
"Even Fuchsia Gym's Pokémon were already at level 50. The next Gyms will only get tougher."
"With Luffy's current strength, no same-level Pokémon could match him in a one-on-one fight."
"But if they keep using that rotating team format…"
Red frowned in thought.
Gym Trainers' Pokémon were all highly gifted, expertly trained, and commanded with precision.
"...It won't be an easy run."
He sighed quietly, coming to a decision.
In this world, he wasn't allowed to switch Pokémon mid-battle.That meant—whether it was Gym Challenges or the Elite Four—he could only use one "Pokémon" to defeat all six of his opponent's.
It was a massive handicap.
And while Luffy wasn't afraid of the Pokémon world's seas, being a land-based creature still limited his combat potential in the water.
There was no need to drag him through Route 19's waves for nothing.
After careful thought, Red decided on the other path—Route 15, east of Fuchsia City.
The wild Pokémon and Trainers there weren't as strong as those on Route 19, but still enough to provide solid experience.
And since it was an unexplored area, there might be some unexpected surprises in store.
Most importantly…
If Red's memory was right, heading that way would eventually lead to the abandoned Power Plant—home of Zapdos.
Perfect timing.
They'd soon be heading to Sky Island.
Letting Luffy get some practice against Electric-type opponents sounded like an excellent idea.
After all, Enel was not an opponent to underestimate.
"Besides…" Red's eyes gleamed. "Zapdos counts as a Legendary Bird. I wonder if defeating or capturing it would trigger an achievement reward?"
His excitement ignited, Red briefly explained the plan to Luffy, and the two set off toward Route 15.
Time passed quietly.
Before they knew it, the calm night slipped away as they worked tirelessly.
When they awoke in their lakeside inn the next morning, the distant horizon beyond the window glowed faintly with golden light.
"A brand-new day begins."
Fresh from his return from the Pokémon world, Red didn't stay in bed long.Better to live awake now—there's plenty of time to sleep after death.
As the sunrise climbed, he stepped outside and found a quiet, scenic spot by the lake.
"Now then… it's my turn."
He washed his hands in the shimmering golden water, then focused his will to open the game's Achievement Lottery interface.
The familiar spinning wheel appeared, with the same golden pointer—but this time, every move name on the wheel glowed a deep, poisonous purple.
"A Poison-type move, huh? Wonder what I'll get this time."
Maybe because the badge reward had been underwhelming, Red's anticipation for the lottery's outcome was unusually high.
He spun the wheel.
One by one, the Poison-type move names blurred past beneath the pointer—until it finally stopped.
"'Venomous Chains'!?"
"What kind of move is that? Sounds straight out of a fantasy novel!"
Feeling the strange new knowledge forming in his mind and the surge of Poison energy through his body, Red blinked in confusion.
Then again, he'd never been fond of Poison types in the first place. It made sense he wouldn't recognize some moves.
He opened the move description.
Move: Venomous ChainsType: PoisonCategory: SpecialPower: 100Description: Summons a sturdy chain formed of concentrated venom. Striking a foe with it inflicts them with severe poison.
"A Poison move with base 100 power!?"
"Holy crap~!"
"Is my lucky streak finally here!?"
Red's grin widened.
It might not be his favorite typing, but at this point, he wasn't picky—finally, an offensive move!
A man deserves to charge into battle once in a while!
Whoosh—!
Dark purple energy burst from Red's hand, rippling outward like venomous light.
Then came the sickening, sloshing sound of thick fluid twisting into form.
In seconds, a toxic chain materialized in his grasp, dripping corrosive venom as it hovered in midair.
"Well damn—it really is a chain."
With a single flick of his wrist, Red cracked it through the air, the chain slicing a purple crescent arc.
Poison splattered across the ground with a sizzling hiss, burning small black holes into the earth.
That potency was no joke.
"Not bad for a 100-power move—its toxicity is insane!"
"Though…"
He flicked the chain again, bringing it up before his face.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but using this move made him think of someone—the Impel Down jailer, Sadie.
Just to be clear—he didn't have any particular kinks.But he had to admit…
Sadie's fanart was really something.
"Ah well, whatever—it's an attack move. I'll take what I can get!"
As the faint light faded, the Venomous Chains dissolved into thin air.
Red was just about to head back to the inn to rouse the Bellamy Pirates for breakfast when—
A strange figure suddenly appeared in the distance.
"Hmm!? No way," Red muttered, eyes widening.
At first he thought he was seeing things—but then he squinted toward the sky.
High above, against the clear blue expanse, a small black dot dressed like a flamboyant pink flamingo bobbed up and down as it glided closer.
"…You've got to be kidding."
Red frowned, raising his hand as an interdimensional rift opened before him.
Stepping through, he emerged into the open sky.
And there—just ahead—was a man in a flamboyant pink coat and red sunglasses, suspended from the clouds by threads.
"You're…"
A shadow flickered across Doflamingo's lenses as he instinctively raised his guard.
But soon, his grin returned, sly and sharp.
"A member of the Straw Hat Pirates? You must be that 'Red' Bellamy mentioned, huh?"
His eyes gleamed with faint surprise as he noticed the golden lightning crackling faintly at Red's feet.
"So Bellamy really is loyal," Doflamingo sneered. "Even in this situation, he still had the nerve to pass our intel to you."
Red raised a brow. "You've got quite the loyal dog yourself, Doflamingo."
The remark made the man's smirk widen.
Still, Doflamingo's early arrival wasn't something Red had expected.
And the more surprises there were…the worse their odds became.
Not good.
Raising his hand, Red opened another rift before him and smiled lightly."Please, Doflamingo."
"Come take a seat. I'll fetch my captain."
"Heh… interesting."
Watching Red vanish into the rift, Doflamingo's grin deepened.
He'd already expected this little "paradise journey" to be anything but boring—but to meet someone this intriguing right off the bat? That was a surprise.
Through his Observation Haki, he could tell Bellamy hadn't exaggerated.
Even this unbountied man called Red possessed power beyond ordinary Paradise pirates.
Perhaps this Straw Hat crew wasn't as simple as it appeared.
And besides…
"The Will of D, huh~"
Doflamingo chuckled.
"Fuffuffuffu…"
"This just got very interesting."
With a smirk full of curiosity, he stepped through the rift.
...
Half an hour later, inside the lakeside inn's main hall—
Red, Luffy, Ace, and Doflamingo sat around a round table.
On either side stood Bellamy and Sarquiss, attending quietly.
Everyone else had been cleared out.
After all, the conversation to come might touch on world conquest and the Celestial Dragons—best to keep ears to a minimum.
"Let's get straight to the point," Ace said impatiently, skipping all pretense.
"Doflamingo—what's the situation with the Whitebeard Pirates in the New World!?"
"Fuffuffuffu…" Doflamingo chuckled darkly, eyes glinting. "Sounds like you've already noticed something."
"But unfortunately…"
"If even you, a commander of Whitebeard's crew, don't know their current state—how much could an outsider like me possibly know?"
Clearly, even though he'd been called here by a single Den Den Mushi transmission, Doflamingo wasn't about to hand over intel so easily.
He was here to watch the show—and maybe gather a few cards for himself—not to play the benevolent informant.
What he didn't expect was—
The "mysterious" Red suddenly spoke up.
"Let's drop the act."
Leaning forward, eyes locking onto the Flamingo's, Red said calmly,"If you don't want the Marines finding out about Vergo's true identity…"
"My advice? Let's all be honest. Take what we each need."
"That's the only way this stays mutually beneficial. Don't you agree…"
"Donquixote Doflamingo—Saint?"
(End of Chapter)