After his "evolution," Sanji hovered high in the air, gentlemanly extending an invitation to continue the battle toward Agatha on the opposite side.
Seeing Sanji's current form, a look of appreciation flickered in Agatha's eyes as well—clear admiration for the younger generation.
But in the very next moment, her gaze shifted directly onto Red, the Trainer.
"This is truly unbelievable!"
"This is the first time I've ever seen such a novel form of evolution. It seems you're far from an ordinary Trainer."
"In that case, I'll have to get serious as well!"
Whoosh!
Agatha casually flicked her cane aside, no longer showing the slightest need for it, her aura surging as she spoke to Red.
"Uh…"
Red, who was just as dumbfounded by Sanji's evolved form, froze for a moment.
But since things had already reached this point, he could only play along—raising his head and forcing out a slightly chuunibyou smile.
"Then let's fight with everything we've got!"
"Battle—continue!"
As he spoke, Red suddenly swung his arm, and a faint yet peculiar ripple spread outward from his body.
It was none other than the Aura power he had only just obtained.
Under the influence of Aura, Sanji's physical condition instantly became crystal clear within Red's perception.
"So that's how it is…"
"So this is the true essence of evolution?"
Within the battlefield, Sanji—having received the signal—had already reengaged in combat with Agatha's Arbok.
Meanwhile, Red seized this opportunity to analyze the root of the abnormal evolutions undergone by Zoro and Sanji.
With the help of Aura, he could clearly sense that the Aura flowing within Sanji's body was fundamentally different from both his own and that of the Ghost-type Elite Four, Agatha.
Aura was the ripple of life itself.
At this moment, aside from the additional suit of flaming armor, Sanji looked no different from his usual self.
Yet drawing upon the knowledge in his mind, Red could distinctly feel it—
Sanji's life wave no longer resembled that of a human at all, but instead shared many similarities with Arbok across from him.
In other words, after "evolving," Sanji had completely become a Pokémon—not merely a standard template loaded by the machine.
"For a game, you guys really managed to turn it into a full-fledged cultivation system!"
At this moment, Red felt an indescribable joy in his heart.
Though his companions kept growing stronger in ways he never expected, making him—the Trainer—feel almost unnecessary at times…
Their strength would ultimately be fed back to him through the machine.
Red was already eager to know what kind of reward the machine would grant him once they completed the Champion Challenge.
With that thought, his gaze returned to the center of the battlefield.
After evolving, Sanji's strength—like Zoro's—had increased dramatically.
And unlike Zoro's evolution, which leaned toward a single Dragon-type manifestation…
Perhaps due to the scientific modifications within Sanji's body, his physique possessed greater adaptability and versatility.
In short, Sanji's evolution appeared more complete than Zoro's—still expressing a dual Fire + Fighting typing.
Not only were the flames he released now fiercer and more magnificent, but even his combat techniques had improved by leaps and bounds.
That handsome figure flashing continuously through the air embodied the very meaning of "impact."
Every single movement was flawless.
Watching Sanji battle Arbok, a completely ridiculous phrase suddenly surfaced in Red's mind—
"A feast for the eyes."
"This combat!? This exhilaration!? It's like watching a CG animation!" Red murmured softly, brilliant flames reflected in his eyes.
After all…
Sanji, transformed into a knight of flames, was the very definition of a dream figure for boys everywhere.
(Reference image)
"Flame Rider Sky Kick · Spinning Burn STRIKE!!!"
Blazing flames twisted into a terrifying vortex as Sanji slammed head-on into Arbok, which had activated Protect.
Unfortunately for it, this was already the third consecutive use of Protect.
Even as a level 63 Arbok—boasting combat power comparable to a pirate with a 500 million Beli bounty—it could only accept the blow helplessly under Sanji's assault.
With a violent crash echoing across the field, and without the slightest surprise, Sanji secured the first victory of the Ghost-type Elite Four challenge.
"So this is the power of evolution…"
"Zoro, I won't be handing over the vice-captain seat that easily!"
After landing, Sanji stared at his own palms in shock, memories surfacing of the scene days ago when Zoro had shared his insights on evolution with him.
Yes.
The reason he was able to complete this evolutionary leap in such a short time—
At least eighty percent of the credit belonged to Zoro.
The gratitude owed, he would never forget.
But the rivalry?
That, he would never yield!
Boom!!!
After defeating his opponent, flames erupted around Sanji's body, faintly forming the silhouette of a massive dragon in midair, releasing an almost imperceptible dragon's roar—like a silent tribute to someone.
From there, the remainder of the battle was fast-forwarded.
Before Sanji's overwhelming strength, even Ghost- and Poison-type Pokémon that held some degree of advantage against him could do nothing but take a beating.
In the end, when Agatha attempted to have Gengar use Destiny Bond to drag Sanji down with it—only to fail due to Sanji's overwhelming speed—the battle officially came to a close.
[Congratulations to the player for defeating the Ghost-type Elite Four—Agatha. Special reward obtained: Soul Body.]
[Congratulations to the player for defeating the Ghost-type Elite Four—Agatha. Special reward obtained: Ghost Crystal Seed.]
"Huff…"
With a heavy breath, the fiery crimson armor dissolved like melting flame, its glow slowly fading away.
Sanji exited his evolved state, returning to his usual black suit, a trace of exhaustion appearing on his face.
Clearly, even with scientific enhancements supporting him, that form consumed a significant amount of stamina.
If Sanji were dragged into a prolonged battle against an overly powerful enemy, the outcome could become dangerous.
Noticing this, Red briefly considered the matter—then, instead of examining his newly acquired abilities, stepped forward and handed Sanji a Super Potion.
"Good work, Sanji."
"Huff… huff…"
"…Thanks, Red."
Still steadying his breathing, Sanji nodded slightly, took the Super Potion, and downed it in one go.
Under the miraculous effects of Pokémon items, his condition visibly recovered.
Then Sanji turned to Red, breaking into a delighted and excited grin.
"I did it, Red!"
"You saw that, right!?"
"If that moss-head can do it, then so can I!!!"
"Yes, yes, yes…" Red sighed helplessly with a smile.
Creating a completely unprecedented evolutionary form should have been a moment worthy of remembrance…
Yet when it came out of Sanji's mouth, it sounded more like children arguing over who scored higher on an exam.
Shaking off the strange sense of déjà vu, Red immediately asked the questions he cared about most.
"So… what exactly is your evolution?"
"Is it really like what Zoro said—finely controlling Pokémon energy and spreading it throughout your entire body?"
"…Yeah."
When the topic turned serious, Sanji also calmed down and nodded.
"Just like that green-haired bastard said, during normal combat, all Pokémon energy feels like it's stored in some unknown space inside the body…"
"You can freely draw on and use it, but it's always in this weird state of being both inside and not inside the body."
"It's very similar to that quantum state you mentioned before, Red."
"What I did before evolving was extract all the Pokémon energy from that unknown space and truly distribute it throughout my body—as if it were power I naturally possessed."
"And then… I somehow evolved."
"I see~"
After hearing Sanji's explanation, Red nodded in understanding, showing little surprise.
After all, he had already heard the same explanation from Zoro once before.
And combined with what he had just observed through Aura…
The "evolution" mastered by Zoro and Sanji wasn't true Pokémon evolution like the Going Merry's case.
Instead, it resembled something far more akin to Digimon's Armor Evolution!
That's right.
Although using concepts from Digimon to describe Pokémon power felt strange, in form at least, Zoro and Sanji's "evolution" was strikingly similar to Armor Evolution.
From the fact that Sanji could wield both Fire and Fighting types simultaneously after evolving, while Zoro could only use a single Dragon type…
Their method of evolution was clearly highly flexible.
Zoro, as the first to take the plunge—and because he far excelled at using Dragon-type power over Steel-type in daily combat—had only transformed into a single Dragon-form when evolving.
And just like how Digimon armor evolutions had humanoid and beast forms…
There must still be a Steel-type power hidden within Zoro, yet to be unearthed.
When he could flexibly control both Dragon and Steel types, Zoro—like Sanji—would enter a truly complete evolutionary form.
That, however, would depend on Zoro's own efforts.
Still, Red believed that day would come soon.
He suspected this might be related to Zoro's approach to swordsmanship training.
Swordsmanship in the pirate world was endlessly diverse.
Some focused on sword intent, some on technique, others on raw cutting power or blade durability…
All were valid paths for a master swordsman, yet each carried its own bias.
Compared to others, Zoro likely belonged to the category that emphasized self-improvement above all else.
His training had always been about strengthening himself.
Swords were merely an extension of his power—not the entirety of it.
Even without blades, he could still unleash devastating No-Sword Style techniques!
That was why, even after Red obtained the Wano national treasure Meito · Shusui—far stronger than Sandai Kitetsu and Narukami—Zoro had no intention of changing swords.
Rather than acquiring a stronger blade outright…
He preferred tempering Sandai Kitetsu and Narukami through his own effort, turning them into world-renowned meito!
"Come to think of it, I haven't had Zoro try tempering his blades with Steel-type energy yet…"
"Maybe that could help strengthen his control over Steel-type power."
Countless thoughts swirled through Red's mind.
Soon after, he turned to an even more crucial matter—
Naming this special form of evolution for Zoro and Sanji.
He obviously couldn't just call it Armor Evolution.
A good name might subtly help his companions grasp this ability faster.
After some thought, Red finally chose a name that was simple, direct, and easy to understand—
Pokémon-ization!
"Perhaps…"
"This is why Luffy's MEGA Evolution has never succeeded~"
While pondering this, Red shifted his attention to the brand-new abilities granted by the machine.
…
…
Whoosh—
A few minutes later, white light flashed once more.
And Sanji, who had been standing beside Red smoking, instantly transformed into a swordsman wearing a green bandana, three long blades at his waist.
The long-awaited great swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates—
Roronoa Zoro!
"So it's finally my turn?"
Zoro, arriving in the Pokémon world, narrowed his eyes as if flames danced within them, lifting the corner of his mouth.
"That perverted cook took way too long. I almost fell asleep waiting."
Just as Red expected, Zoro immediately insulted Sanji upon arrival.
Hearing this, a mischievous grin crept onto Red's face.
He reminded Zoro with ill intent:
"You can't blame Sanji for that, Zoro."
"He only just mastered that ability—and he even defeated two Elite Four members. Taking a bit longer is only natural."
"Huh!?" Zoro froze mid-preparation. "That ability?"
He shot Red a stunned look. "Don't tell me that perverted cook also—"
"That's right!"
Before Zoro could finish, Red nodded firmly and added with a grin:
"Sanji also successfully completed Pokémon-ization—that special evolution you achieved earlier."
"And unlike you…" Red paused deliberately, his tone turning smug, "Sanji completed a dual Fire + Fighting evolution in one go!"
"Compared to your Pokémon-ization, his was even more complete!"
"..."
Zoro's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp glare aimed straight at Red.
One hand tightened around his sword hilt.
After a moment, Zoro's eyes hardened with resolve.
"Stop wasting time, Red!"
"Right now…"
"I can't wait to cut something!"
(End of Chapter)