"Eeheeheehee…"
"This kind of power is really beyond imagination!"
On Thriller Bark, Moria and his crew struggled to keep their footing, desperately clinging to the walls beside them to steady themselves.
Absalom and Perona were even worse—both of them wore expressions of sheer terror.
"Lo… Lord Moria, are we really going to listen to the Straw Hat Pirates and attack the Celestial Dragons!?"
"Isn't this… way too dangerous!?"
"Exactly!"
"No matter how you look at it, we're one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Taking the initiative to provoke the World Government—especially by killing Celestial Dragons—is insanely serious! If the World Government finds out, they'll never let us off!!!"
Perona's eyes were unfocused as tears streamed down her face, her body swaying up and down with the rise and fall of the island.
Even now, none of them had fully processed what was happening.
Just half a month ago, they were still living carefree, sunless but peaceful lives in the fog of the Florian Triangle.
So why, in just a few short days, had their entire world been turned upside down!?
Sure, both Perona and Absalom admitted that the Pokémon powers Red had given them were incredibly strong—and incredibly tempting…
But that didn't mean they were willing to throw their lives away for it, right!?
Their relationship with the Straw Hats…
When did it become this close!?
"It's useless! It's already too late!"
Faced with his subordinates' doubts, Moria's eyes flickered briefly—then he burst out laughing again.
"Once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back! We've already… lost our way back!!!"
"Eeheeheeheehee~"
From the very moment Red dragged him into the Pokémon world, Moria had understood one thing clearly—
They had no choice anymore.
They knew too much.
They had gained too much.
Moria was absolutely certain that if, during the time he spent alongside the Straw Hat crew, he had shown even the slightest hint of disobedience, his fate would have been no better than Blackbeard's or Golden Lion's.
Now, Blackbeard was dead—turned into the most perfect zombie imaginable.
Golden Lion, on the other hand, had been reduced to a vegetative state and sealed away inside Usopp's storage space.
Two titanic figures—one destined to become a legend, the other already a legend—had both met such ends at the hands of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Moria had no doubts whatsoever about Red's ruthlessness.
Just the island whale Laboon alone, which was currently carrying them at high speed, possessed enough power to wipe out Moria's entire zombie army by itself.
With such an overwhelming gap in strength, Moria couldn't even bring himself to think about refusing the Straw Hat Pirates.
And yet—
Having personally witnessed their endless arsenal of methods, Moria didn't believe this was a wrong decision.
"After all…"
"The feeling of returning to the sea… is unexpectedly refreshing."
"Maybe I should've left that cursed region much earlier."
As some of his strength gradually recovered under Red's influence, Moria sighed inwardly.
Then his gaze shifted toward the specially sealed coffin nearby—inside it lay Zombie Blackbeard.
Powerful zombies, Pokémon abilities, and the training methods of the Six Powers…
Moria wasn't exaggerating.
They really had gained far too much from the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Eeheeheeheehee…"
"The era really has changed."
…
…
"What!? The Celestial Dragons again!?"
"Can these pirates seriously not come up with something new!?"
"Why are they so obsessed with the Celestial Dragons!?"
At New Marineford, Akainu wore a rare expression of pain and frustration as he received the report sent back by Aokiji.
After hesitating for a long moment, he finally picked up a special Den Den Mushi on his desk and dialed the Five Elders in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
More than ten minutes later—
After being thoroughly scolded, Akainu slumped into the Fleet Admiral's chair, his face dark, his breath heavy and sharp, howling like a raging wind.
At that moment, a head with tightly curled hair suddenly poked in through the office door.
With graying temples and an unusually relaxed expression, Sengoku took one look at Akainu's face and immediately covered his mouth, snickering—completely lacking the dignity he once had as Fleet Admiral.
"Heh heh heh, I told you that seat wasn't comfortable, didn't I?"
"The Five Elders aren't exactly easy to deal with."
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
As he spoke, Sengoku casually transformed into a harmless old man passing by, munching on senbei he'd stolen from Garp while strolling past Akainu's door.
"That old bastard…"
Akainu cursed inwardly.
But strangely enough, his frustration from being berated by the Five Elders faded considerably because of it.
After thinking for a moment, he picked up the Den Den Mushi again and began mobilizing Marine forces.
At this moment, Akainu wished more than anyone else that those idiotic Celestial Dragons would just hurry up and die.
The world situation was already tense to the extreme—yet the Five Elders still insisted on mobilizing massive forces for the sake of a single idiot Celestial Dragon.
To the Five Elders, this preserved the dignity of the World Government.
To Akainu, the Fleet Admiral—
It was nothing but a colossal waste of resources.
Across the Four Seas, the Revolutionary Army was stirring beneath the surface, inciting liberation wars across multiple nations.
In Paradise, troublesome rookie pirates kept emerging—some had even earned the humiliating title of "Supernovas."
In the New World, Whitebeard's influence continued to expand, drawing countless pirates who dreamed of joining his crew.
The other three Emperors were also making secret moves, ensuring that no one could rest easy.
Meanwhile, the Marines had suffered repeated defeats, losing massive numbers of soldiers and officers, leaving them critically understaffed.
Worse still, those losses had severely damaged the Marines' reputation worldwide, making recruitment nearly impossible.
The Marines were nothing more than a gigantic mess.
Before becoming Fleet Admiral, Akainu believed he could use thunderous methods to cut through everything and forge a brand-new Marine force.
But reality proved otherwise.
No matter what he tried to do, obstacles rose up everywhere.
Either the people below were inefficient, or the people above deliberately caused trouble, preventing anything from moving forward.
So despite being in office for quite some time now, Akainu had achieved almost nothing.
If this time they still couldn't completely eliminate Blackbeard and the forces behind him…
Then the Marines would truly become a worldwide joke.
…
…
"I really didn't expect the plan to go this smoothly!"
Night.
Near the waters of the Sabaody Archipelago, aboard the Going Merry, which drifted quietly across the sea as if waiting for something—
Red set down the Den Den Mushi with a light smile, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
Blackbeard being weakened by Zephyr's Seastone device and rendered unable to use his Devil Fruit—
That was the excuse Red had fabricated for Boa Hancock before leaving Amazon Lily.
The explanation wasn't especially airtight, and Red didn't even know what had happened on Amazon Lily during the day.
But judging by Aokiji and the Marine fleet withdrawing and heading south afterward…
The plan had clearly succeeded.
Next, as long as Moria used Zombie Blackbeard to assassinate a Celestial Dragon…
Even if Hancock's story was full of holes, no one would suspect Amazon Lily.
And with that, the Marines and the World Government would dispatch massive forces to hunt down the new "civilian hero"—
Marshall D. Teach.
Sabaody Archipelago and the Red Line would be left completely unguarded.
That's right!
This time, Red planned to take the Straw Hat crew on a truly heart-pounding operation!
They were going to—
Storm the Celestial Dragons' holy land, Mary Geoise, and just like Fisher Tiger thirteen years ago, free the slaves imprisoned there!
This was a real gamble—and the first time Red had ever devised a plan that placed the entire Straw Hat crew in genuine danger.
Although they had discussed it for several nights and gained everyone's approval…
As the moment drew near, Red couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Honestly… didn't I swear I'd lie low for life?"
"Why choose now to play the hero?"
Looking up at the starry sky, Red stood and let out a long sigh.
"Hopefully this isn't Luffy's influence rubbing off on me."
"Huh!? My influence!?"
Standing beside him, Luffy froze for a moment, then looked at Red with curiosity.
But Red merely turned away and waved his hand lightly.
"It's nothing—just me talking nonsense."
"So…"
"Is everyone ready?!"
Red smiled as his gaze swept across the four figures before him.
A relaxed Luffy.
An easygoing Zoro.
Sanji, still nostalgic for the tenderness of the women of Amazon Lily.
And Usopp—terrified stiff, yet desperately pretending not to care!
These four were the strongest fighters Red had chosen from the Straw Hat Pirates.
To prepare for the powerful enemies and battles ahead, he planned one final sprint—
Defeating the Pokémon League's Elite Four and clearing the first playthrough of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee!
The battle on Amazon Lily had already proven just how much Luffy and the others had grown.
Aside from Usopp—who was mostly there to make up the numbers—Red had complete confidence in the other three.
He was certain they could defeat the Elite Four and their Pokémon.
So today—
The Pokémon League Champion title was his for the taking!
He said so!
Even if Arceus showed up, it wouldn't change a thing!
…
…
Whoosh—
Blinding white light erupted across the world.
In an instant, Red's consciousness descended into the Pokémon world.
He found himself standing in a vast plaza styled like a grand colosseum.
Four enormous stone pillars soared into the sky around him, as if meant to imprison anyone who stood there.
Beneath his feet lay pristine white marble, radiating solemnity and majesty.
Looking ahead, towering stairs rose like a path to the heavens—the final gateway to the Pokémon League.
However—
Swish!
Red raised his hand, and a pitch-black Hyperspace Hole instantly opened before him and Usopp.
For the first battle against the Elite Four, Red chose Usopp—the weakest—as the vanguard.
There was no special reason.
If any of the other three went first, Usopp probably wouldn't even get a chance to appear.
Because the Straw Hat crew's three main combatants now…
Were terrifyingly strong.
And still, Usopp had prepared for this fight for so long—leaving him out entirely would've felt wrong.
"Get ready, Usopp!"
"What's coming next isn't something you can beat with cheap tricks!"
"…Hmph!"
Despite his overwhelming nerves, Usopp stubbornly shot back:
"Don't underestimate me, Red!"
"Don't forget—the last Gym was one we challenged together!"
"Hahahaha!"
Red burst out laughing, then stepped toward the Hyperspace Hole, leaving behind one final sentence:
"I've never underestimated you…"
"Usopp!"
Swish—
Massive glass doors slowly slid open, revealing a magnificent and solemn hall before them.
Without pausing to marvel, the two strode forward, heading straight down the corridor toward the Elite Four.
The guards checked Red's Gym Badges out of routine, then immediately let them pass.
…
…
"You're finally here!"
"I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
As they emerged from the dark corridor, a damp, icy chill washed over them, frost instantly forming on their skin.
Then, from ahead, a mature and intellectual woman's voice rang out.
"The first battle is an Ice-type Elite Four!?"
"That's a bit of a bad matchup…"
Red immediately recognized the speaker.
One of the Pokémon League's Elite Four—
Lorelei, the Ice-type specialist!
And Ice-types happened to counter Usopp's Grass-type Pokémon.
Even though—
Usopp's fighting style had very little to do with standard Pokémon moves.
"Be careful, Usopp."
"She's exactly the type you're bad at dealing with…"
After his gaze briefly lingered on Lorelei's black stockings, Red quickly reminded him.
But to his surprise, Usopp suddenly broke into a wide grin.
Pointing proudly at his long nose with his thumb, he laughed:
"No problem!"
"Ice-types, huh?!"
"That's perfect timing!"
"I've been dying to test the power of my new move!"
As he spoke, Usopp flicked his wrist—
And instantly pulled out a brand-new device from his body.
(End of Chapter)