Bonney—whose strength was just below that of an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral—and Law—whose strength was just below that of an elite Marine Vice Admiral.
That was the assessment Red made after checking the two of them's stat panels.
Of course, the "strength" here referred to their combat ability without using their Devil Fruit powers.
If the outrageous and terrifying effects of the Ope-Ope Fruit and the Age-Age Fruit were factored in, their actual combat power would easily rise by at least another tier.
But at the moment, that had little to do with Red.
No matter how absurd a Devil Fruit ability was, it would still be restrained by stronger Haki.
Compared to those eerie fruits that altered others or the environment, Red actually felt that Devil Fruits which enhanced the user themselves were ultimately more powerful.
And coincidentally…
All of the Straw Hat crew possessed that very type of ability.
Judging from their levels and attributes, both Law and Bonney could be considered top-tier geniuses in the world.
But one was a member of the "D." clan, and the other carried the bloodline of the Celestial Dragons—talent like that was only natural.
After all, in the original timeline, Saint Charlos had taken Luffy's furious punch head-on and still hadn't even been left disfigured…
From that alone, it was clear that the victory of the Twenty Kingdoms alliance back then had not been without reason.
Staring at the special note listed in Bonney's level information, Red fell into thought.
The power of the Age-Age Fruit was terrifyingly strong.
That much had already been clearly shown in the anime.
At only ten years old, Bonney was using her fruit to maintain herself at the age of twenty-four.
And along with that, she had gained the physical strength that a twenty-four-year-old version of herself should possess!
But the truly frightening part of the Age-Age Fruit was—
It didn't just allow Bonney to access her future body on this timeline.
After awakening, it could even grant her a mysterious power that seemed to transcend parallel timelines, manifesting alternate versions of herself from other realities!
The Age-Age Fruit—named after "years," yet wielding the authority to toy with time itself!
Paired perfectly with Law, who manipulated space, forming an ideal time–space combination!
…
…
"Mind's Eye and Prankster, huh."
"Their Abilities are decent—compatible with both of them—but nothing particularly eye-catching."
"Still, their type combinations…"
"Psychic + Poison, and Psychic + Fairy—those are extremely rare type pairings even in the Pokémon world!"
Whether these two would eventually join the Straw Hats like they did in the original timeline or not…
For the sake of the original story, Red decided to lend them a small helping hand.
"You two…"
Countless thoughts flashed through Red's mind.
Closing the status panels, he suddenly smiled at Law and Bonney and said:
"Let's go. Time is tight. In this world, you two should take this chance to properly train your new abilities."
As he spoke, Red lifted all three of them with Psychic Power and flew toward the depths of the wilderness.
Areas of the wilderness that normally required specific story triggers to unlock now opened wide under Red's various abilities, granting him full access.
Soon, Red found a coastline inhabited by Pokémon around level 40 and happily began grinding levels there with Law and Bonney.
Faced with two individuals possessing such special potential, Red showed genuine sincerity.
Not only did he tailor Pokémon move sets specifically suited to their traits, but over these two days before the operation, he planned to thoroughly train them and let them witness the wonders of the Pokémon world firsthand…
And make them truly pledge their loyalty to the Straw Hat Pirates!
…
…
Meanwhile—
The other Supernovas, who hadn't received Red's "favor," hurriedly contacted their crews after parting ways with him, urging them to finish coating their ships as soon as possible.
Following Red's instructions, none of the Supernovas explained their next plans to their crews. Instead, they had everyone sail ahead to Fish-Man Island and wait to regroup there.
Though filled with curiosity, under their captains' urging, these elite crews who had crossed the first half of the Grand Line immediately sprang into action.
And so, amid the bustle, time slowly passed.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the fourth day since the Straw Hat Pirates had arrived on the island.
…
…
Creaaak—
Accompanied by the light jingle of a bell, the door of the Rip-off Bar was suddenly pushed open from outside.
Under the night sky, the indoor lights cast a long, narrow shadow of the entrant behind him, shrouding the moonlit darkness stretching into the distance.
With a complicated expression, Drake focused his attention on the axe and saber at his sides, cautiously surveying the interior of the bar.
At that moment, a teasing, sultry voice rang out from deep within the bar:
"Is that little Drake?"
"You're quite late. I thought you weren't coming~"
"Hurry to the back courtyard. Everyone's waiting for you."
Shakky, still full of mature charm, leaned her soft, ample chest against the counter, one hand propping herself up while the other held a lit cigarette.
Wisps of smoke curled upward, eventually gathering beneath the ceiling.
"…Alright."
Still hesitant, Drake nodded lightly.
Yet in a corner Shakky couldn't see, his fist clenched tightly, as if making a final struggle.
If in the past, as a pirate, he could rely on his status as a Marine secret agent for protection…
Then from today onward, he might have to be prepared to abandon his Marine identity entirely.
This was a gamble where no matter what choice he made, he would lose.
And unfortunately, though he stood at the gambling table…
He wasn't the one placing the bet—he himself was the stake.
"Hah!"
After taking a deep breath and making his decision, Drake slowly loosened his grip and strode forward.
No matter what…
If Red hadn't lied to them, then this time he would become a "hero"!
A hero unacknowledged by the World Government!!!
…
…
"I knew you wouldn't give up."
In the backyard of the Rip-off Bar, as Drake stepped inside, a voice he wasn't especially familiar with—yet could never forget—suddenly sounded out.
Drake raised his head and swept his gaze across the courtyard.
The entire Straw Hat crew and every member of the Supernova Alliance—except himself—were already present.
In a corner of the yard stood a white-bearded, white-haired man with his arms crossed, leaning casually against the wall.
"Sorry. Something held me up."
Drake offered no real explanation for his lateness, brushing it off as he walked toward the Supernovas.
Seeing all the other Supernovas present didn't surprise him in the least.
If not for his special identity, after witnessing Red's miraculous methods and the limitless possibilities of the Pokémon world, he would have grabbed onto the Straw Hat Pirates without hesitation!
To gain entirely new power and abilities in a single instant…
Even though Red had said it only worked like that the first time, and that further growth required "leveling" and "clearing story content"—terms they didn't fully understand—feeling the tyrannical power surging through his body and the jaw strength that had more than doubled…
Over the past two days, Drake had repeatedly debated whether he should sacrifice his life right now and send this crucial information back to Marine Headquarters.
That was the real reason he was late today.
X Drake, Level 53.Type: Normal / Dragon.Ability: Strong Jaw, greatly enhancing biting power through reinforced jaw structure.
A Normal type focused on physical enhancement combined with the destructive power of the Dragon type, plus an Ability born purely for biting…
Compared to Law and Bonney, Drake was a pure close-range physical attacker!
He lacked flashy abilities, but sometimes…
The purer something was, the stronger it became.
"It's fine. You came—that's what matters."
Faced with Drake's perfunctory reply, Red merely chuckled unconcernedly.
He then swept his gaze over the surrounding companions and Supernovas.
"Since everyone's here, it's time to carry out our plan."
"Everyone—though it may be redundant to say—this operation is nothing like our previous skirmishes!"
"One misstep, and we may awaken a demon hidden deep within this world!"
"When that happens, what you'll face won't just be one or two Admiral-level enemies."
"..."
"..."
Gulp!
One or two Admiral-level enemies… simple?!
Even knowing Red spoke the truth, the Supernovas collectively swallowed hard.
In contrast, the Straw Hats all wore expressions of anticipation.
"What a shame…"
Zoro's aura subtly trembled, and even the long blades resting in their scabbards at his waist hummed excitedly.
"The wielder of the Shodai Kitetsu… a swordsman possibly even stronger than Hawk-Eye…"
"If possible, I'd really like to fight someone like that!"
"Exactly."
Click.
With a crisp metallic sound, Sanji lit a cigarette with his expensive lighter, flames blazing in his eyes as he spoke:
"Treating women like commodities—playing with and trading them at will…"
"Celestial Dragons like that are just wasting food by staying alive. They should go to hell sooner rather than later."
"Hehehe~" Luffy leaned back with his hands behind his head. "By the way, Red…"
"Even if we don't provoke them, if they hear something and come looking for us themselves, there's nothing we can do about that, right?"
"Hey, hey, hey—Luffy! You're not already cooking up some terrible idea, are you?!"
Usopp shuddered violently, hurriedly grabbing Luffy's arm with a panicked look, trying to stop him from doing something stupid.
"The Celestial Dragons' treasury…" Nami, who had been muttering nonstop for three days, was completely captivated by those words alone.
At this point, she was even more eager to break into Mary Geoise than Luffy and the other troublemakers.
Robin wore a solemn expression, murmuring inwardly:
"I wonder if the Celestial Dragons' palaces record any truths of history…"
"Professor Clover… everyone… please rest assured. With my companions' help, one day I'll uncover all of history and reveal it to the world—returning truth to its rightful place!!!"
Franky, polishing his arm cannon, suddenly looked up as if remembering something.
"Oh, right—Usopp, do you still have any of the old Usoppgy Bombs that got phased out?"
"Huh? You mean the older versions?" Usopp paused, then spread his hand.
A door suddenly opened in his palm, and a specially made safe dropped onto the ground at his feet.
"I've got plenty of those outdated rounds… but their firepower can only handle Marine Vice Admirals at best. What do you need them for?"
"Oh, nothing serious."
Franky calmly stood up, his steel fingers twisting as he suddenly produced a crowbar.
As he opened the safe and loaded the bowl-sized shells into the power core in his abdomen, he explained to Usopp and the others:
"Didn't Red give me a Battle Crystal Seed a couple days ago?!"
"After eating it and gaining the Fighting type, I suddenly felt contempt for my old combat style—and had this urge to rush in and brawl up close."
"But Wapol's still over with Laboon, and I haven't had time to properly modify myself."
"Then I remembered you still had these unused shells…"
"Maybe I can use the impact from their explosions to assist my new fighting style."
"I see…"
Half-understanding, Usopp scratched his head before saying:
"As long as it helps you."
"I've still got thousands of these obsolete shells stored in my body anyway. I was wondering how to get rid of them."
"If you need more, just tell me anytime."
"OK!"
With a series of clang clang metallic sounds, Franky stuffed dozens of Usoppgy Bombs into his body in a bizarre fashion.
Anyone watching might've thought he was the one with the Storage-Storage Fruit.
"Yohohoho~"
"To think we're heading to the Celestial Dragons' holy land—Mary Geoise! Even these old bones are getting excited, my heart's pounding!"
"Though I don't have a heart!"
Brook delivered his trademark cold joke.
Red then turned his gaze to Chopper, who was so nervous his body had gone stiff.
"Hahaha, relax, Chopper."
"As long as Luffy doesn't start trouble, I guarantee this trip will just be sightseeing in Mary Geoise!"
"Think about it—the highest, most prosperous city in the world. Aren't you curious?!"
"The highest… most prosperous city?!"
Simple-minded Chopper's tension immediately began to melt away, replaced by bubbling anticipation.
With a personality like a child's, he was endlessly curious about everything.
Red stepped forward and patted his hat.
"Although it hides many filthy, unspeakable things…"
"There's no denying that after countless ages of accumulated resources, it truly is the most magnificent city in the world."
"So… is everyone ready?!"
"Our nighttime journey into the Holy Land—Mary Geoise…"
"Is about to begin!!!"
(End of Chapter)