"I really didn't expect you to actually defeat me!"
"Then, as a reward for your victory, this Volcano Badge is yours!"
"What an impressive challenger!"
"And also—this TM: Fire Blast shall be included as part of your reward for defeating me!"
The battle ended.
Red raised his hand, instantly spreading Grassy Terrain, allowing the nearly unconscious Zoro to slowly recover his stamina.
After that, he walked straight up to the Gym Leader, Blaine, and received the reward that belonged to him.
The moment the flame-like volcano badge fell into Red's hand, an incomparably scorching energy suddenly surged within his body.
"This is…?"
Red's face flushed as he felt as though something enormous had been crammed into his body.
Of course, this didn't mean anything strange was happening to him.
Rather, in that instant, the total capacity of energy within Red's body had doubled!
At the same time, his Pokémon energy recovery rate skyrocketed!
"As expected of a badge that represents flames!"
"This is truly… full firepower!!!"
Feeling the sudden changes within his body, a flash of astonishment crossed Red's eyes, and a satisfied smile immediately curved his lips.
The increase in energy capacity meant he could now use Pokémon moves far more freely—and with even more terrifying power and effects.
Meanwhile, the boosted recovery rate meant he now had far greater leeway to continue hypnotizing others.
This reward granted by the machine might not have doubled his strength outright, but it certainly relieved Red's most pressing concerns.
Shifting his gaze, he next looked at the new TM Blaine had given him.
As a Fire-type move—the very definition of simple and brutal—its design was equally straightforward.
The effect was simple: unleash flames in the shape of a large "大," strike the enemy, trigger an explosion, and carry a chance to inflict burn.
Its effect could hardly be more concise.
Yet its power reached a staggering 110, second only to the terrifying Hyper Beam.
Compared to Hyper Beam, however, this move was far easier to control.
In fact, its move effects themselves helped the user manipulate Pokémon energy more smoothly.
It was easy to foresee—
Once this move was mastered, Sanji's application of Fire-type energy would surely rise to an entirely new level.
Thinking of this, Red's gaze subconsciously drifted toward Zoro, who was still sprawled on the Grassy Terrain.
After a moment's thought, Red ultimately decided not to share this good news with him just yet.
If Zoro found out that the enemy he fought so desperately to defeat had ended up empowering Sanji instead…
Red was honestly worried Zoro might get so angry it would cause problems.
Even if that possibility was extremely slim.
…
…
Thus, after Zoro recovered a bit of stamina, Red immediately took him to the Pokémon Center to fully restore him.
Right after that, they exited the game world altogether.
Naturally, Red opened the machine, preparing to draw his brand-new move.
Moments later, a completely new move information panel appeared on Red's retina.
[Move: Sacred Fire][Type: Fire][Category: Physical][Power: 100][Description: Flames imbued with mysterious energy. They can be used offensively to deal damage to enemies, or cast upon allies to rapidly heal their injuries.Additionally, Sacred Fire has absolute suppression over ice—any ice that comes into contact with it will instantly melt.]
"Sacred Fire?"
"I remember… isn't this Ho-Oh's exclusive move?!"
A flash of pure delight burst into Red's eyes.
The next instant—
Fwoom!
A flame radiating a mysterious aura suddenly rose from his palm. Gorgeous and sacred, it was utterly different from ordinary fire, as though born of an entirely different world.
The blazing light illuminated the silent night—and also reflected in a pair of pitch-black, unfathomably deep eyes.
Red marveled, "I never imagined that with Fire-type moves being so limited, I'd still draw a divine technique like this."
"Machine… your understanding of my role really is unprecedented."
After sighing in amazement, he closed the Sacred Fire information panel.
Although he had drawn an exclusive move belonging to a legendary Pokémon, Red had long grown accustomed to the machine's previous surprises.
From the brief description alone, he immediately judged that this was yet another extremely powerful ultimate support move.
After all, the flames of a legendary Pokémon only had a power of 100—lower even than Fire Blast.
That meant either the move's effects were mediocre, or…
Its true strength did not lie in pure offense.
As the exclusive move of Ho-Oh—one of the most mysterious and powerful beings in the Pokémon world—Sacred Fire was at least on par with Hoopa's Hyperspace Hole. There was no way it was an ordinary move.
"So… its true power lies in healing?"
Recalling the Pokémon anime, where Ash and the Legendary Beasts were revived from death, even if Sacred Fire couldn't perform such miracles, healing non-fatal injuries should be more than feasible.
As for the ice-resistance effect mentioned at the end…
Even if it was merely a secondary ability, Red couldn't shake a strange premonition—
That he might soon have use for it.
"By all logic, Kuzan should still be out at sea searching for Whitebeard and the Akatsuki… he shouldn't arrive here like in the original timeline…"
Red murmured softly, his gaze drifting toward the distant horizon.
In that direction, an island shaped like a massive fountain was slowly coming into view.
…
…
No freely swimming frogs.No train racing across the sea's surface.
This time, the Straw Hat crew's arrival was unusually quiet and ordinary.
Blue skies. White clouds.
Leisurely townsfolk fishing from small boats outside the city, a gigantic fountain like a living miracle, and city gates thrown wide in welcome.
Thanks to the Sea Train developed by the legendary shipwright Tom, Water 7, as the Sea Train's central hub, shared the resources of several surrounding islands.
Coupled with the famous Galley-La Company, the city had reached unprecedented prosperity and splendor.
"Woooah!!! So this is Water 7?!"
As the small Going Merry approached the island, Luffy and the others—fresh from morning training—scrambled to the bow, staring in awe at the city before them, which looked like a work of art.
Just then, a kind fisherman suddenly called out to them:
"Hey! If you're pirates, it's best not to enter from the front."
"There's a small back street over there—you can use that to get into the city."
"Oh, thanks, mister~!"
Luffy grinned, showing no intention of changing course. Instead, he cheerfully replied:
"But we're heading to the Galley-La Shipyard. Red said going through the front gate is the shortest route!"
"Such willful youngsters~"
The fisherman muttered as he watched the Going Merry sail away, shaking his head with a smile.
"Let's just hope you don't disturb the shipwrights there~"
"Otherwise, your voyage might end right here."
Hearing this, the superhumanly perceptive Straw Hat crew exchanged amused smiles.
End their voyage here?
No.
Their voyage had only just begun.
…
…
Galley-La Company.
A massive shipbuilding conglomerate formed from the merger of Water 7's seven strongest shipyards.
Occupying the very heart of the city, it was divided into Dockyards No. 1 through No. 7, based on the locations of the original yards.
Each dockyard served clients of different identities and status, carefully preventing pirates, Marines, and bounty hunters from appearing in the same dock.
Among them, Dockyard No. 1 gathered the elite shipwrights of Galley-La—not only masters of shipbuilding, but warriors whose combat strength far surpassed that of ordinary Grand Line pirate crews.
It was undeniably the strongest dockyard in all of Water 7.
And today, this strongest dockyard had received a group of uninvited guests.
"Pirates, please leave this area."
"Without headquarters' approval, no ships are allowed to enter the facility."
"If you wish to repair a ship, follow Galley-La's official procedures."
At the entrance to Dockyard No. 1, Paulie, the leading foreman, blocked their path. His brows were tightly knit as he stared at the harmless-looking Going Merry, never letting his guard down.
Monkey D. Luffy—180 million Beli.Roronoa Zoro—79.5 million Beli.Sanji—77 million Beli.
Facing such a terrifying group, even Paulie—who normally remained unfazed by pirates worth tens of millions—couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Fortunately, the ship didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
After hearing his warning, it stopped outside the gate on its own.
Just as Paulie was about to breathe a sigh of relief—
A man in a red-and-white baseball jacket suddenly appeared at his side.
Before Paulie could even react, a mysterious psychic wave slammed into his mind.
The next moment, his consciousness went blank.
At the same time, Red grinned after successfully hypnotizing his target and said calmly:
"Paulie, give your mayor—Iceburg—a call."
"Tell him there's an urgent situation here, and he needs to come immediately."
"Yes~ Please wait a moment."
Like a puppet on strings, the hypnotized Paulie slowly pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and followed Red's instructions.
Half an hour later…
A puzzled Iceburg, accompanied by his black-stockings-clad OL secretary, hurried to the entrance of Dockyard No. 1.
Under Paulie's arrangement, the nearby shipwrights had all been sent away.
Thus, the moment Iceburg arrived, he saw the Straw Hat crew standing alone before the massive gates—
And Paulie, staring blankly into space.
A bad feeling instantly surged in Iceburg's heart.
But just like Paulie before him, before he could react, Red's figure suddenly descended beside him.
Powerful psychic energy activated once more.
This time, however, Red's target wasn't Iceburg himself—
But the curvaceous secretary beside him, clad in alluring stockings.
In an instant, this human beauty turned into a living doll, manipulable at will.
Snap!
With a crisp snap of Red's fingers, Paulie abruptly regained his senses.
The next instant, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind.
Shock instantly filled Paulie's eyes.
"Watch out! President Iceburg!!!"
As he shouted, several ropes shot out from his wrists, writhing through the air like agile serpents as they lunged toward Red.
But at that moment—
Shhk!!!
A flash of lightning-fast cold light streaked past.
The ropes instantly shattered into powder.
Residual sparks heated the air, causing the fragments to burn like brilliant fireworks.
Zoro had somehow already placed the famed blade Narukami against Paulie's neck, his voice low and threatening:
"Careful."
"Next time, it might not be the ropes I cut."
"G-gulp…"
The sudden scene froze both Paulie and Iceburg in place.
Still, as the seasoned mayor of Water 7, Iceburg quickly forced himself to calm down.
He could tell that Red was the one truly calling the shots.
"Don't hurt Paulie!"
"Who are you!? What do you want here!?"
"Water 7 is a vital transportation hub under World Government protection. Causing trouble here will bring you nothing but disaster!"
"The World Government? Pfft—"
Standing opposite Iceburg, Red—shrouded in a mysterious aura—burst out laughing.
His eyes gleamed with playful mockery as he met Iceburg's gaze.
"Mayor Iceburg, you haven't fallen so far as to ally yourself with the people who murdered your teacher—and father—have you?"
"That shouldn't be the case, right?"
"If you truly had such a good relationship with the World Government, there wouldn't be so many CP agents planted around you~"
"W-What did you say!?"
Under Red's stare, Iceburg's heart trembled violently.
He subconsciously followed Red's hint and looked behind him.
There, the once gentle and composed Kalifa suddenly moved—
And lashed out with a powerful kick toward the distant sea.
In an instant!
A flying slash shot from the tip of her elegant foot, striking the vast ocean.
BOOM!!!
The sea erupted as if struck by a cannonball, waves surging several meters high.
Under Iceburg's shocked gaze, Red grinned once more.
"Shave and Tempest Kick—"
"Exclusive techniques of the World Government's Cipher Pol Six Powers."
"With your status, Mayor Iceburg, you've surely heard of them, haven't you?"
(End of Chapter)