"So that's how it is… So you'll be staying with the Revolutionary Army for the time being?"
"Come to think of it, Koby really does suit the Revolutionary Army. Maybe this is actually the right choice for his life!"
Fish-Man Island, Sea Forest.
After wrapping up a busy day, Red answered the call from Issho right on schedule.
Because Den Den Mushi in the pirate world don't have a missed-call function, Red had long ago made an agreement with Buggy, Issho, and the various Supernovas to call each other at fixed intervals.
So when he heard that Koby wanted to join the Revolutionary Army and take part in the liberation war, Red wasn't surprised at all.
You could even say… that when he sent Issho to act as the Straw Hat Pirates' representative in their handover with the Revolutionary Army, he had already anticipated this outcome.
He had only thought Issho himself would directly join the Revolutionary Army.
The process deviated slightly from his expectations.
But that was only natural.
After all—who could have imagined that the most righteous organization in the world would be so tightly intertwined with the Straw Hat Pirates!?
The Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon, was Luffy's biological father.
Its second-in-command and future leader, Sabo, was Luffy's sworn brother.
Although Sabo hadn't yet regained his memories due to Ace's death as in the original timeline, Red believed that his recovery was only a matter of time.
In other words, the Revolutionary Army and the Straw Hat Pirates were practically brothers wearing the same pair of pants. Sending Issho to lend a hand was only right.
After briefly catching up on the Revolutionary Army's current situation, Red hung up the call.
Under the pitch-black night sky, mosquitoes—somehow brought to Fish-Man Island by passing ships—buzzed softly around the night lamps on the Going Merry's deck.
From the distant training grounds came the occasional shout of diligent members of the Straw Hat forces.
Everything felt vibrant, quiet, and peaceful.
And then—
"It worked!!! I did it!!!"
"Wahahahaha~!"
"I, Captain Usopp, am indeed the greatest genius under the heavens!!!"
In the stillness of the night, an outrageously arrogant burst of laughter suddenly rang out from a dense forest some distance away from the Going Merry.
Though it was far from the ship, the silence of the night and Red's superhuman physical abilities allowed him to hear Usopp's shout clearly.
"It worked!?"
Red, who had been about to randomly pick two hardworking members of the Straw Hat forces to take into the game world for some leveling, abruptly stopped and turned toward the source of the laughter.
"Could it be…?"
A flicker of doubt and excitement flashed through Red's calm eyes.
In the next instant, he stepped backward and entered an interdimensional portal.
When he reappeared, he found himself inside a damp, dark underground cavern.
This was the larval cultivation base Usopp had specially created to breed unique insects.
To simulate different nurturing environments, he had even worked with Franky to build several devices capable of using Evolution Stones to release flames, ice, lightning, and life-energy fields.
At this moment, Usopp stood outside a massive metal door, staring excitedly through a circular pane of reinforced glass at what lay beyond.
"Did the experiment succeed, Usopp?" Red asked, stepping forward when he realized Usopp hadn't noticed his arrival.
As if he had already guessed Red would show up, Usopp didn't even turn his head. Instead, he waved excitedly.
"That's right! Hurry over here, Red!!!"
"Look…"
"This is the miracle life-form I created!!!"
"Oh?"
Curious, Red walked up beside Usopp and looked into the laboratory beyond the metal door.
What greeted his eyes was a sea of blazing fire.
Roaring flames erupted from every corner of the lab, as if intent on burning everything to ash.
At the center platform lay a vast field of charcoal-like residue, along with countless massive insect cocoons that were burning and writhing violently.
Each cocoon was etched with rings of flame-like patterns, over a meter in length.
At a glance, there were thousands of them.
"These are Flame Butterfly cocoons~!" Usopp began explaining enthusiastically.
Although most of these insects had passed through Red's hands at some point, there were simply too many creatures he had granted Pokémon status to for him to remember each one's name and traits.
Usopp continued, "The Flame Butterfly is a special insect I discovered in the Black Lion Alliance's base."
"Its outer body has thermal conductivity comparable to metal, and inside it has a unique organ that stores heat energy."
"When it encounters enemies, it releases heat from its surface to damage them."
"After multiple generations of crossbreeding and energy infusion, I've successfully developed a larger Flame Butterfly capable of storing far more heat!"
"Once matured, they can release both powder and heat energy simultaneously, creating external flames for combat."
"After being granted Pokémon status, their average individual combat power is already comparable to pirates worth several million Beli!"
"And these cocoons here are individuals with exceptional potential that I selected from countless larvae!"
"Right before they pupated, I placed them into my body storage and created an environment that suppresses cellular activity."
"All of it… was for this final experiment!!!"
Usopp spoke with pride.
Improving an entire insect species in just over a month was indeed an achievement worth boasting about.
Even if he had consumed a massive amount of potions and Evolution Stones supplied by Red.
However…
"So… what exactly are you doing right now?" Red asked curiously, looking at the cocoons gradually losing vitality and turning into blackened residue under the intense flames.
Usopp grinned enigmatically.
"My original plan was to keep increasing the temperature, further optimizing the species and breeding an even stronger insect race."
"But just now, I suddenly realized… I don't need to wait any longer!"
His eyes sparkled as he pointed at the glass.
Following his finger, Red noticed something unusual among the countless cocoons.
Compared to the others writhing desperately in the flames, this cocoon's flame patterns were darker, glowing an even deeper crimson than the surrounding fire.
Most importantly—
It wasn't moving at all.
Instead, it rested quietly, its body rising and falling rhythmically, as if breathing.
With his powerful mental perception, Red instantly "saw" inside the cocoon—a larva undergoing rapid growth and metamorphosis.
Terrifying heat energy surged into the cocoon, pouring into the larva's body. Not only did it cause no pain or burning, it was absorbed rapidly and transformed into a unique energy fueling its growth.
Evolving within flames!!!
The thought flashed through Red's mind.
And indeed, that was exactly what this special cocoon was doing.
From larva to pupa, from pupa to butterfly—wasn't that evolution as it existed in nature?
"Is this… a genetic mutation?" Red murmured, utterly intrigued.
He raised a hand and summoned an interdimensional portal, then said to Usopp:
"That's enough… move the other cocoons out."
"Cultivate them properly—another powerful insect legion is ready to be born."
"And then…"
A sharp gleam flashed in Red's eyes.
"I'll personally meet this mutated Flame Butterfly!"
...
...
Half an hour later—
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion shook the entire laboratory, sending a massive shockwave rippling outward.
The next moment, a butterfly with wings spanning over a meter burst out from the swirling inferno, releasing a blazing halo of fire around itself.
Its enormous wings looked as if they had been dyed by flames, glowing a vivid crimson, with golden ripples along their edges like a blazing sun.
Its body, however, was pitch-black, as though scorched by prolonged exposure to fire.
"It finally came out!?"
"And it's a hereditary flame-vortex insect!?"
At the same time, Red—who had been maintaining a Flame Bird form inside the lab—reverted to his human shape and landed on the ground.
His earlier tests had already proven how extraordinary this mutant cocoon was.
He didn't know the maximum temperature it could withstand, but even under flames powerful enough to incinerate an ordinary Marine vice admiral, it not only remained unharmed—it grew faster, accelerating its emergence!
"Chi—chi—chi…?"
The newly evolved Flame Butterfly froze when it saw Red's human form.
It had been planning to thank that big bird once it emerged…
So why was the bird suddenly gone?!
Though it had mutated successfully, it was still an insect—its intelligence and perception remained at the lower end of the biological spectrum.
Just as it stood there confused, Usopp hurried into the laboratory.
The moment he released familiar Bug-type energy, the Flame Butterfly forgot everything else and flew straight toward him.
While absorbing the pure nourishment that promoted rapid growth, it affectionately clung to Usopp.
Don't be fooled by how ruthless Usopp could be with insects—using tens of thousands of lives for experiments without hesitation.
That was simply how insect hierarchies worked.
To the insect race, the insect king's decisions were absolute.
Even if he wanted to kill them and use their bodies as nourishment, the swarm would obey without question.
After long communication and commands from Usopp, the Flame Butterfly finally acknowledged Red as a "special-status member" of the insect race—a Bug-type Trainer.
Thus, the Flame Butterfly naturally became a Pokémon and was brought by Red into the Pokémon world for testing.
And those tests…
Left even Red stunned.
At first, its status panel looked like this:
[Pokémon: Flame Butterfly][Level: 12][Gender: ♂][Nature: Hasty (+Speed, −Defense)][Type: Bug / Fire][Ability: Flame Body][Moves: Ember, Fire Spin][EXP: 0 / 375][Total Base Stats: 233]
Level 12, 233 total stats, and two inherited moves.
Even if it wasn't freshly hatched, possessing such a stat total at that level proved its innate potential ranked above average—even among the Straw Hat crew.
After a short power-leveling session with Red, once it reached level 20, its total stats soared to an astonishing 367!
But the truly shocking part wasn't the number itself.
It was the fact that Flame Butterfly gained a staggering 16.5 total stats per level!
Even little Chopper only gained 16 points per level at most!
This alone proved the success of Usopp's "Insect Prodigy" breeding plan!
...
...
"Are you really sure about this, Red!?" Usopp asked nervously in the lab, holding a Devil Fruit covered in flame-feather patterns, with wing-like protrusions on either side.
He had already brought it to the Flame Butterfly, yet still hesitated and asked again.
Red, however, smiled with anticipation.
"Relax! It's just a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!"
"It'd be a waste otherwise!"
"Letting a naturally gifted individual like this Flame Butterfly eat it is absolutely worth it."
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how it performs after gaining the Vermilion Bird's power!"
Monstrous talent, bizarre flame-absorption abilities, and a Vermilion Bird Fruit rivaling Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit…
Red could already envision—
The majestic sight of a Flame Butterfly, commanding sky-covering flames under Usopp's direction!
"Oh, right!"
As the thought crossed his mind, Red suddenly added:
"Since this mutated Flame Butterfly is now one of your most important commanders, it should have a new name to distinguish it from the others."
"A name!?" Usopp paused, startled, the Vermilion Bird Fruit still in his hands.
Then he nodded seriously.
"You're right—it needs a powerful name."
"Red, got any ideas!?"
"An idea, huh…" Red grinned, sizing up the Flame Butterfly as it used its slender proboscis to feed on the Devil Fruit.
"Since its original name is Flame Butterfly, and now it's eaten a Divine Beast fruit…"
"Then how about calling it—"
"Volcarona!"
(End of Chapter)