The meeting lasted from early morning all the way until lunchtime.
If it weren't for Luffy—who couldn't understand a single word of the discussion—raising his hand and loudly declaring that he was hungry, Red and the others might very well have continued the meeting even longer.
Some things are like that. When you think alone, you can make up your mind quickly.
But once many people think together, all sorts of details surface, and even more refined ideas begin to emerge.
Fortunately, after an entire morning, Red and the others had finalized plans for all the urgent matters at hand.
Including the choice of his next game world.
Although the world of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee still existed—and Mewtwo, that ultimate boss, was still waiting for them to challenge—it was ultimately too monotonous.
There were no held battle items, no Z-Moves, and certainly no power-boosting mechanics like Dynamax or Terastallization.
If the Straw Hat crew was to gain more initiative in the dangers that lay ahead, Red needed to use the system to unlock more power for his companions.
The achievement reward [King of Clearance] had granted Red the chance to open a second game world.
His first thought had been Pokémon Sword and Shield, hoping to find a way for Luffy and the others to use Dynamax in the pirate world.
However, after that morning's discussion, Red completely changed his mind.
...
...
"So then…"
During the post-lunch break, Red returned to his bedroom and opened the system interface.
Within the vast virtual glow, all Pokémon game icons—previously gray except for Let's Go—now flickered with an inexplicable light.
Red swept his gaze across all the games.
In the end, his eyes stopped on the icon right after Let's Go—
Pokémon Legends: Arceus!
That's right. After discussions with his companions, Red ultimately chose this game—one whose gameplay differed significantly from traditional Pokémon titles—as their second world.
Unlike the standard Gym-challenge structure, Arceus did have a main storyline, but its core gameplay shifted from town-to-town progression to vast open wilderness areas.
What players had to do was simple—face the Pokémon of the wild, defeat them, or capture them!
No more annoying Trainer-forced battles. In exchange came complete freedom to explore the open world!
And Red's reason for choosing Arceus was equally simple…
To rapidly raise the levels of the Straw Hat members who were still hovering around level 45.
After all, the stronger enemies they would face in the future, the less viable it was to rely solely on Luffy and the other three main combatants.
The Straw Hats had to develop evenly.
And Arceus was a game world perfectly suited for characters like Nami and Usopp to level up quickly.
Its extreme freedom meant more wild Pokémon and far more efficient combat methods.
Combined with the extra Pokémon slots from the [We Are the Champions] achievement and the system's later AFK capabilities, this place would become paradise for leveling enthusiasts.
Especially if they could eventually clear this world and fully exploit its potential…
From that point onward, the Straw Hats would have a steady supply of mid- to high-tier combat power.
Even members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet would benefit immensely!
And there was one more thing…
Arceus contained a large number of Legendary Pokémon. If Red could defeat and capture them all…
Whether it was experience points, rare items, or even entirely new transformation forms for himself, the rewards would be abundant.
A flash of white light burst forth.
In the blink of an eye, Red's consciousness plunged into chaotic darkness.
Endless void flooded his mind, stirring a trace of unease.
But soon, a beam of golden light—like a blazing sun—appeared.
"This is my world, transcending time and space."
"Welcome, Red."
A voice that seemed to echo from eternity rang out.
"Is this… the opening CG?" Red muttered.
Though the voice made him feel incredibly small, knowing it was just a cutscene kept him calm.
Suppressing his unease, he tried speaking to it.
"You know my name—do you have self-awareness? Can you hear me? Are you Arceus?!"
A triple barrage of questions.
Unfortunately, the glowing source offered no response, continuing its scripted lines.
"The world you are about to enter is home to wondrous creatures known as Pokémon."
"Red, meet all Pokémon."
"When that time comes, I will appear before you again."
"Yeah, yeah~" Red waved a hand. "Let's skip the useless formalities. I'm on a tight schedule."
As if sensing his words, the divine light flared brightly, then vanished.
Darkness enveloped him once more.
Moments later, a violent sensation of weightlessness seized his body.
Red felt as though he were plummeting into a bottomless abyss.
"Does the immersion really have to be this intense?!"
Unable to use any flight abilities, Red could only complain and let the system take over.
After a dizzying blur—
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a sandy wilderness.
"You're awake?!"
A dark-skinned man wearing a purple knit cap and a white lab coat—his fashion sense utterly hopeless—approached him.
Red recognized him instantly.
This was Professor Laventon, the Arceus equivalent of Professor Oak.
What followed was the usual scripted dialogue.
Mistaking Red for a newcomer who had fallen through a space-time rift, Laventon explained the basics and handed him several old-style Poké Balls, asking him to capture three runaway Pokémon.
The tutorial officially began.
"Seriously… can't the system be smarter and skip this useless plot?"
After failing to summon Pokémon in the new world, Red sighed helplessly—then vanished in a flash right in front of Laventon.
In less than half a minute, using Aura detection and Teleport, Red captured all three missing Pokémon.
Under Laventon's guidance, he arrived at the world's only safe zone—Jubilife Village.
After another tedious sequence, Red officially became a new member of the Galaxy Team and finally gained his freedom.
He immediately took off, leaving Jubilife Village for the wilderness.
Just as expected—Arceus was a world that truly belonged to Pokémon.
Wild Pokémon filled the land almost everywhere.
Since this was only a test of the new mechanics, Red didn't venture too far.
Choosing a plain filled entirely with Bidoof, he willed it.
Two flashes of white light appeared before him.
"Red?!"
Usopp and Nami greeted him, then stared in amazement.
Seeing companions inside the Pokémon world was a novelty even for them.
Red then set both of their experience-sharing rates to 0%, preventing them from splitting EXP with each other.
Next, they each claimed a zone—one unleashing a pitch-black swarm like a dark cloud, the other summoning towering bolts of lightning.
The swarm buzzed. Thunder roared.
Centered on Red's position, over twenty Bidoof on both sides of the plain were struck by mysterious attacks and instantly rendered unable to battle.
A flood of EXP notifications scrolled before Red's eyes.
Though each provided only single-digit experience, Red's smile widened.
"Just as I thought!"
"The different mechanics from Let's Go give Arceus a far freer open-world combat system!"
Without battle-zone restrictions, Usopp and Nami could use large-area moves to wipe out vast groups of wild Pokémon in an instant, drastically boosting leveling speed.
Of course, by "Pokémon," Red didn't mean these low-level creatures worth only a few EXP.
"Alright! Test complete!"
Satisfied, Red waved his hand, sending Usopp and Nami back to the pirate world.
He soon left the Pokémon world as well.
The testing was done—there was no need to stay.
After all, the Going Merry would soon reach their destination—
Sabaody Archipelago.
Without Laboon as underwater transport, Red needed to make extra preparations to avoid problems ahead.
...
...
Sabaody Archipelago—an island chain floating atop the blue sea, famed for its dreamlike beauty.
Eighty islands of varying sizes clustered together, surrounded by crystal-clear yet surging waters that shimmered like jewels.
Yet beneath the Holy Land Mary Geoise, only one-eighth of these islands were controlled by the Marines under the World Government.
The rest were occupied by pirates, merchants, nobles, and even human traffickers.
Soap bubbles drifted through the air, refracting rainbow hues in the sunlight, adding splendor to the scene.
But beneath the surface, corruption and filth cast a suffocating, oppressive shadow.
At noon, the blazing sun scorched the land, drawing sweat from all who labored.
At one bustling port, ships were docked in droves as sailors hurriedly loaded cargo.
Everything appeared normal—prosperous, lively.
Then—
"What's that?!"
A shout rang out above the port, drawing curious glances.
More cries followed.
"A pirate ship!"
"Wait… that flag—could it be?!"
A merchant on the gangplank pointed toward the sea, his face pale with shock.
Given his apparent status, others stopped working and looked outward.
Their expressions changed instantly.
A pirate ship bearing a Jolly Roger was sailing toward the harbor.
"It's the Hawkins Pirates' flag!!!"
Someone shouted.
"That's right! It's Basil Hawkins' crew—the infamous Supernova!"
"The pirate with a 249 million Beli bounty!"
"Wait—doesn't that mean there are already seven Supernovas in Sabaody now?!"
"This place is about to get lively!"
"Enough chatter—finish loading and get moving!" an older sailor urged.
"Even if the Supernovas have been quiet lately, who knows when some lunatic might attack indiscriminately."
"Yes, yes…"
The shock lasted only minutes before fading.
After all, this was already the seventh time such a scene had occurred that week.
The Marine base may have moved, but with Celestial Dragons present, naval defenses were still terrifyingly heavy.
No one believed pirates would dare cause trouble here.
After all, they weren't the legendary Straw Hat Pirates…
...
...
"Interesting. Even the Hawkins Pirates have arrived in Sabaody?"
"Looks like all of this year's Supernovas are finally gathered."
Inside a luxurious tavern, pirates dressed in black like mobsters stood around a round table.
Nearby, a short middle-aged man in a striped suit dined elegantly while responding to intelligence reports.
This was one of the year's Supernovas—
The Fire Tank Pirates' captain, Castle-Castle Fruit user—
Capone "Gang" Bege.
At his side, pirates playing cards looked up.
One of them—a Longarm Tribe man with braided hair, headphones, black glasses, and extra arm joints—smiled meaningfully.
"How scary~"
"So many pirates with hundred-million-plus bounties gathered here. If the Marines get involved, things won't be fun."
"I say we finish coating and head to the New World."
"Hmph." Bege glanced sideways at another Supernova whose bounty exceeded his by 60 million Beli—Scratchmen Apoo—and scoffed.
"Didn't you read today's newspaper?!"
"The Marines don't have time to worry about small fry like us."
"They're gathering forces to suppress the Black Lion Alliance in the South Blue!"
"Ridiculous~"
At that moment, another group in the tavern spoke up.
"That's Blackbeard—wielder of both the Float-Float Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit!"
"A mission doomed from the start, yet they waste so many resources for a Celestial Dragon."
"So this is the World Government?"
The light shifted.
A burly man with white wings on his back held today's newspaper, gazing at the image of Blackbeard and his crew soaring into the sky.
Then he raised his head, scanning the tavern.
"Basil Hawkins, X Drake, Trafalgar Law, Jewelry Bonney…"
"So—who will be the one to lead the world next?!"
(End of Chapter)