After exchanging a few brief words with the group of Supernovas, Red went straight to the point, fixing his gaze on the Celestial Dragon wrapped up like a dumpling on the table.
At that moment, Red and the gathered Supernovas surrounding the table looked as though they were about to share a delicacy.
In a sense, they really were preparing to enjoy a "feast"!
Even if this feast might be a little… ugly.
"Saint Charlos?!"
Red stepped forward and pulled back the tightly wrapped blanket. The moment he saw the Celestial Dragon's face, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
"I really didn't expect Law's target to be this guy!"
After all, this was someone who'd made it into the books—quite the ruthless character.
Though his name was a mouthful, Red's particularly vivid memories gave him an impression of this bloated Celestial Dragon that went far beyond the anime itself.
Of course, that wasn't the main point!
The key issue was that Saint Charlos was the eldest son of the head of the Rosward Family!
Even among the Celestial Dragons, he belonged to the upper echelon!
This guy might very well know exactly the information Red was looking for.
"Ugh… you damn bastards! Do you know who I am?!"
"How dare you treat me like this!"
"I'll have the Admirals slaughter every last one of you!!!"
Completely oblivious to his situation, Saint Charlos remained arrogantly unhinged even now.
Years of privilege and indulgence had truly convinced the Celestial Dragons that they were gods who ruled the world.
But in reality…
This world was ruled by strength alone!
"Usopp, he's yours."
"Get the information we need out of him."
"No problem~!"
Knowing exactly why Red had brought him along, Usopp grinned widely.
Under the curious gazes of the Supernovas, he stepped forward and stopped beside Saint Charlos.
With a flick of his fingers, he suddenly produced a strange, thorn-covered seed from nowhere.
A faint glow brimming with life gently pulsed.
"Then… grow—Bewitching Bloodvine!!!"
Tap…
Usopp released the seed, and it fell downward under gravity, its path clearly visible.
"Swarm Lord Usopp! Bounty: 1.08 billion Beli! Second only to the captain among the Straw Hats—excluding that bizarre ship!!!"
Although Usopp hadn't spoken a single word during their journey here with Red, none of the Supernovas dared underestimate this man they had to look up to!
Every movement he made was burned into their eyes.
Their gazes followed the falling seed all the way to Saint Charlos.
In an instant!
The tiny seed suddenly erupted with a dazzling blood-red glow.
Before anyone could react, a thick vine burst forth from the seed, tearing through the expensive blanket and lunging toward Saint Charlos's body!
"AAAAAH—!"
The thorned vine made contact, instantly carving several crimson gashes across Saint Charlos's flesh, rooting itself deeply and spreading along the surface of his body.
Bizarre. Horrifying.
Yet not a single drop of blood spilled.
In the blink of an eye, Saint Charlos's body seemed to fuse with the plant, hoisted high into the air.
Strangely enough…
Just moments ago, Saint Charlos had been barking arrogantly and uselessly—but now, faced with this grotesque transformation, he became utterly listless.
His eyes remained clear, yet he looked like a frostbitten eggplant, drained of vitality.
Or rather…
At this moment, he resembled a plant devoid of independent thought.
And the vines didn't stop growing because he'd quieted down—if anything, they accelerated.
BOOM!!!
Like a colossal hammer, the massive vine pierced straight through the solid wooden table beneath Saint Charlos and slammed violently into the castle's stone floor.
"Hey, hey! Don't just plant random things inside someone else's body!"
Sensing intense danger, Capone hurriedly called out a warning.
Staring at the vine structure that hung Saint Charlos up like a crucifix, he felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
As if…
If that plant were allowed to keep growing, even within his own territory, he'd end up controlled just like that Celestial Dragon.
Not just him.
Many of the Supernovas felt a chill run down their spines upon seeing Usopp casually unleash something so terrifying.
This was the Straw Hat Pirates!
Sailing the seas alongside them meant wielding power on par with the world's greatest forces!
Snap!
Just then, a crisp snapping sound rang out.
Usopp followed it with a mysterious smile as he explained:
"Relax. My plants won't grow without orders."
"!!!"
It was just a simple sentence, yet seeing Usopp's calm, world-above-all demeanor, the Supernovas felt a unique aura erupt from his body.
Like a raging gale, it swept through their hearts.
Of course, all of this existed only in their imaginations.
While Usopp was strong, he didn't possess Conqueror's Haki.
But in terms of raw strength…
Current Usopp could genuinely one-shot any Supernova here except Law and Bonney.
"S-So this is the man whose bounty is second only to the captain?!"
"No wonder the Navy is so wary of him!"
"I heard that during that incident, the rest of the Straw Hats were fighting Kizaru…"
"And this man destroyed the entirety of Enies Lobby all by himself!!!"
"Damn—can you imagine how strong he really is?!"
"..."
"..."
First impressions really did matter.
Usopp had only shown a tiny glimpse of his power, yet he instantly won the Supernovas' admiration.
Even Red couldn't help but chuckle and rub his forehead.
All he did was cut off the Grass-type energy supply for the plant and snap his fingers—how did that scare you all this badly?!
Aren't you supposed to be the Supernovas who stirred up chaos across the first half of the Grand Line?
Look at you—like you've never seen the world!
Well, whatever.
Since there's no rush, let Usopp enjoy the spotlight a bit longer.
And so, Red listened to three full minutes of nonstop praise directed at Usopp.
Seeing Usopp secretly recording everything with a Tone Dial, Red could already imagine him playing it back for Chopper later and showing off all over again.
"Alright, alright."
Finally, just as the Supernovas were about to run out of compliments, Red stepped forward, clapping his hands to end the spectacle.
With a calm smile, Red said, "We're all allies now. There'll be plenty of chances to get to know each other better."
"Let's handle the real business first."
"You're done, right, Usopp?"
"Huh?" Usopp quickly shut off the Tone Dial and replied with forced composure,"Of course! Under my hallucinogenic toxin, this Celestial Dragon is now nothing more than a question-answering machine!"
"Ask whatever you want, Red."
"Reliable~"
Red gave Usopp a thumbs-up.
Although his Psychic Power could achieve the same effect, there were too many Supernovas watching.
Such a domineering ability would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Just like when Lelouch's Geass was exposed…
Even though he never used it on his companions, doubt still followed.
To avoid unnecessary rifts within the pirate alliance, Red deliberately chose the research-loving Usopp.
What followed was a full interrogation of Saint Charlos!
From the architectural layout of the Holy Land · Mary Geoise, to slave detention zones and treasure storage sites.
Expecting Saint Charlos to provide everything they needed in detail was unrealistic.
But after decades of living in the Holy Land, he still offered many details never shown in the anime—details that would truly aid Red's plans.
...
...
One hour later.
Snap!
Red closed the notebook filled with detailed intelligence on Mary Geoise and turned toward the Supernovas with a meaningful smile.
"Excellent. I'm very satisfied with this operation."
"And as promised, I'll now deliver the rewards you deserve."
"Rewards?"
The Supernovas stared at each other in confusion.
Come to think of it, Red had mentioned rewards that morning…
But under the pressure of Red's overwhelming presence, they'd been too focused on kidnapping a Celestial Dragon—and on what to do if Red decided to silence them afterward.
They'd completely forgotten about rewards.
Now that they remembered, anticipation surged.
A pirate crew that had risen meteorically within a single year…
What kind of reward would they offer?
The Supernovas waited in eager suspense.
And in the very next second, their answer arrived.
"Have you ever heard of the title… Trainer?!"
...
...
Night fell.
Even darkness that could devour everything ultimately yielded to humanity's brilliant lights.
Thin moonlight gently spilled across the land of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Reflected through soap bubbles, the lights from bustling districts illuminated even the loneliest corners—leaving no true darkness…
Yet birthing shadows everywhere.
"This should be the place, right?"
Whoosh—
As space rippled, two stones in front of Shakky's Rip-Off Bar transformed into a man and a woman.
The man wore a white spotted hat, while the woman donned overalls and sported long pink hair.
They were none other than Law and Bonney, who had split from the Supernovas after receiving Red's telepathic message.
The bar's lights were already out.
Under Shakky's arrangements, the Straw Hat crew was staying in the backyard.
Under faint illumination, Law scanned the surroundings, checking for any message Red might have left.
Bonney, however, had far less patience and took a deep breath.
"Hey—mmph?!"
A mysterious force suddenly sealed her mouth shut, pressing firmly to ensure not a sound escaped.
"Shh!"
At that moment, a figure crossed the spatial divide and appeared before them.
"Honestly, causing trouble on someone else's turf."
"You really are just like Luffy."
Red smiled lightly at the two of them.
Then he snapped his fingers.
Snap.
Under Red's Psychic Power, the three instantly arrived inside an empty storage room of the bar.
Three large beds had already been prepared.
Red picked one and lay down casually.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
"If you don't want to wake up covered in dust on the floor, lie down now."
"W-Wait!"
Recalling what happened a few hours earlier, Law and Bonney instantly guessed what Red was about to do.
They quickly chose beds and lay down obediently.
The next moment, a gentle white light enveloped their vision.
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing on a vast, untamed wilderness.
"The Pokémon… world!"
Though they had visited once before when Red granted the Supernovas their abilities, the wonder of this world still left Law and Bonney amazed.
"Red, about my father…"
With her identity already exposed, Bonney no longer hid her concern.
But Red raised his hand, stopping her.
"I'll use my connections within the Navy to help you find a way to contact Bartholomew Kuma."
"Relax. I don't want him harmed any more than you do."
"After all, in a sense… Kuma stands on our side."
"But before that…"
"Instead of worrying about Kuma, you should be focusing on yourself!!!"
Red's eyes gleamed as he looked toward a virtual screen invisible to anyone else.
Displayed upon it were Law and Bonney's stat panels.
[Pokémon: Trafalgar D. Water Law]
[Level: 53]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Calm (+Sp. Atk −Speed)]
[Type: Psychic / Poison]
[Ability: Mind's Eye (Uses psychic perception to sense the world, greatly enhancing awareness and allowing observation beyond ordinary limits.)]
[Total Stats: 889]
...
[Pokémon: Jewelry Bonney]
[Level: 42 (Current)]
[Gender: Female]
[Nature: Hasty (+Speed −Defense)]
[Type: Psychic / Fairy]
[Ability: Prankster (Allows faster execution of status-type moves.)]
[Total Stats: 710]
(End of Chapter)