One Piece: Luffy is My Pokemon

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Half an hour later.

The chaotic sea returned to calm, and the Straw Hats gathered back on the deck of the Going Merry one by one.

At Red's request, Laboon submerged to the bottom of the sea again and began searching for any trace of Blackbeard in the nearby waters.

Red didn't have high hopes for this search, though. After all, Laboon didn't possess Observation Haki, nor did he have any special ability to detect other creatures. Finding someone as small as a needle in the vast ocean would be difficult even for a powerful whale.

What's more, Laboon's line of sight was completely blocked by his massive head, making it impossible to focus properly.

However, even without directly confronting Blackbeard again, the outcome of this battle already satisfied Red immensely!

After all, the current overall strength of the Straw Hat Pirates wasn't much different from when they would first enter Fishman Island two years later in the original timeline.

Being able to defeat Blackbeard, who was at least as powerful as a Marine Admiral, at their current level, and annihilate all his companions—this result was more than satisfactory.

More importantly...

In this battle, the Straw Hats had gained far more than they had imagined!!!

Next, Red spent another ten minutes piloting the "Sky Rider" to the nearby Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City, bringing everyone in the Straw Hat crew into the game world one by one to restore them to their peak condition.

In just a few minutes, everyone who had been sluggish from energy depletion suddenly became reinvigorated.

Even Smoker, who had fallen into the sea and passed out, slowly opened his eyes and looked at the sky above him in confusion.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, two powerful spiritual auras suddenly rose above the Merry.

Smoker quickly sat up in alarm, shocked to see...

On the deck of the Merry, Luffy and Zoro were emitting an extremely oppressive aura!

Smoker, who often sparred with Zoro, was absolutely certain...

The aura surrounding the two of them now was definitely not the same "Pokémon energy" he had encountered during his previous matches with Zoro!

"Haki... Conqueror's Haki!?"

The shocked Smoker murmured softly.

The next second, the entire world seemed to fall silent!

The energy that had been building up suddenly erupted from Luffy and Zoro's bodies, as if they had broken through some shackles and limitations, descending upon the world!

At the bow of the Merry, Luffy and Zoro, who had fully recovered their physical strength, slowly opened their eyes.

A light of determination flashed in their eyes.

Luffy spread his hands, feeling this unprecedented power, and said with a serious expression:

"Next time! I won't be so helpless!!!"

"That's right!!! The feeling of defeat... I'm sick of it!!!"

Zoro, with one hand on his sword hilt, firmly responded to Luffy.

First it was Luffy, then Mihawk, and now Blackbeard...

After leaving the Twin Cape Lighthouse, he had thought that even if he wasn't the best in the world, he would at least be among the elite.

But one incredibly powerful opponent after another had appeared, making him question his entire path...

He truly... didn't want to lose anymore!!!

"Next time..."

At the same time, the soaking wet Sanji lit an equally wet cigarette with the help of his flames.

Looking at Luffy and Zoro, both surging with powerful auras, a blazing flame erupted from his body, instantly evaporating all the seawater on his clothes!

"You don't want to lose again!?"

Sanji snorted: "Hmph~! Who does?"

The three of them raised their heads in unison, their gazes intersecting.

Suddenly, a terrifying power condensed by their iron wills surged across the small deck and shot toward the distant sky!

The heavy clouds overhead suddenly parted under this stern aura.

Bright sunshine illuminated the pirate flag on the mast of the Going Merry, lighting the path ahead for the Straw Hat Pirates.

"What a perfect encounter!"

In a corner of the ship, Red, who had been quietly doing the dirty work, threw the bodies of Van Augur and Doc Q into the sea.

Then he looked toward Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He wasn't surprised at all by Luffy and Zoro's sudden awakening of Conqueror's Haki, or Sanji's suspected awakening of hidden power.

After all, Red, who had been monitoring their attribute panels, knew exactly...

How much improvement the three of them had gained from Blackbeard's devastating attacks during the battle.

First was Luffy as the captain.

Because he had been continuously attacking and taking damage throughout the entire battle, the experience points Luffy gained were the most abundant among the three!

However, after reaching level 50, the experience required for leveling up increased significantly with each level...

So even after such a intense battle, Luffy had only risen from level 54 to late level 57.

Although the level increase wasn't much, Luffy's strength had actually improved considerably!

As his level continued to increase, while the experience bar became longer, each attribute point brought more power to Luffy.

Besides Luffy, Zoro and Sanji had reached levels 49 and 44 respectively!

One had gained 3 levels, while the other had gained a full 5 levels!

Whether through hidden power or sheer effort...

Sanji was constantly closing the gap between himself and Zoro.

Perhaps someday in the future, he might actually surpass Zoro in level.

After all, compared to Zoro, who relied entirely on himself, Sanji's latent abilities had officially awakened under the stimulation of Pokémon energy!

Of course, Zoro wouldn't just passively wait for Sanji to become stronger.

Catalyzed by the intense pressure, Zoro had successfully awakened his own Conqueror's Haki, and could already control it freely!

At least in this aspect, Zoro had surpassed his two-years-later self from the original timeline!

Although judging from the current results, Teacher Teach's lessons were obviously less effective than Teacher Kaido's would be...

But still...

"Another fruitful day!!!"

Looking at the golden sea illuminated by the scorching sun, Red stretched lazily.

Just then, an arm suddenly rested on his shoulder.

A cheerful smile spread across Luffy's face: "Hehe~! Red, after a big battle, we need to have a banquet, right?!"

Although it was Luffy and the others who had directly faced Blackbeard, everyone knew that the key to winning this battle...

Was their vice-captain—Red!!!

At Luffy's call, joyful sounds soon filled the deck of the Merry.

This time, perhaps moved by Sanji's act of rescuing him after he fell into the sea, even Smoker, who had always been reluctant to "partner" with pirates, joined the banquet.

Though he remained taciturn, every time Luffy proposed a toast, he would raise his glass high to signal to everyone.

Even Robin, who had not yet fully committed to the Straw Hat Pirates as her final destination, couldn't help but be impressed after witnessing the incredible power displayed by Luffy and the others.

Her mind unconsciously recalled what Saul had once told her.

"There's no such thing as being born into this world completely alone."

Robin sipped the cocktail that Sanji had specially made for her. One moment he was going through a hard fight, the next he was stripping off his clothes and dancing terribly, only to be punched by Nami and collapse on the table. Watching this scene, Luffy and the others couldn't help but smile.

...

...

After Laboon searched for a long time without results, the Going Merry finally slowly sailed away from the area.

One day later.

A corpse-like body suddenly broke through the water's surface.

It was Blackbeard, whom Red and the others had been searching for!

As soon as he surfaced, he began gasping violently for air.

Blackbeard, while in seawater, hadn't completely lost his ability to move like ordinary Devil Fruit users.

Though he resembled a long-term paralysis patient who had suddenly awoken, he slowly raised his thick, hairy arm!

The next moment, he lifted a stone wrapped in rags from the water and held it up to the sun for examination.

If Usopp or Smoker had witnessed this scene, they would have screamed in surprise.

For what Blackbeard held was none other than the Sea Prism Stone they had so cleverly used against him!

"Damn the Straw Hats! Damn that long-nosed bastard! I won't let you get away with this!!!"

Blackbeard roared viciously.

He had been forced to hold his breath and force his body to expel the object while underwater...

Such a humiliating experience had instantly placed Usopp at the top of his must-kill list!

No matter what, he would kill the long-nosed man who had reduced him to this state!!!

Blackbeard cursed angrily with his last bit of strength.

The wound where his right arm had been severed had already begun festering in the seawater.

If he didn't possess special abilities, he might become a one-armed warrior like Red-Haired Shanks from now on.

After his angry outburst, Blackbeard immediately closed his eyes and allowed the ocean currents to carry him in an unknown direction.

However...

Blackbeard drifted on the sea for almost a full day and night before finally, from the distant waters, came a sound that made his eyes suddenly light up with hope.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, there appears to be someone drowning ahead!!!"

...

...

The Kingdom of Alabasta, a renowned world-class power in the Grand Line!

Its land area alone was several times, perhaps even dozens of times larger than other World Government nations!

The land where this kingdom stood could no longer be described as merely an "island."

It was more like a continent rooted in the great sea route!

Because of its vast territory, this country was home to many fascinating cities with their own unique characteristics, including a variety of strange plants and animals.

With its year-round tropical climate, the kingdom also had distinctive customs and traditions. Every first-time visitor couldn't help but be captivated by the charm of this desert nation.

Nanohana, the largest import and export port town in the Kingdom of Alabasta.

This was the city with the most interaction with the outside world within the kingdom. Being close to the port, water resources here were abundant.

Combined with the economic benefits of being a port city, the people of Nanohana were relatively wealthy and not suffering from the lack of rain that Vivi had described.

But that was just one part of the picture.

"It's so hot~!"

Luffy stood on the Merry, mouth agape as he looked at the bustling streets of Nanohana with an excited smile on his face.

For him, each arrival at a new island was an adventure worth celebrating.

However, at that moment, Sanji suddenly put his hand on Luffy's shoulder and said:

"Hey! Luffy!"

"We're not here to play! Don't get off the ship and cause trouble!"

"Usopp and I are going to purchase supplies, and then we'll set sail for other ports!"

When Luffy heard this, a look of indignation suddenly appeared on his face:

"What~ I only know how to have fun by myself and don't involve others!"

Then, he cleared his throat and imitated Nami's tone, saying, "Sanji is really being too harsh!"

"Idiot!"

THWACK!

Sanji kicked Luffy in the head: "Don't do those disgusting impressions around me!"

"You're such a glutton! Food meant for all of us—you ate most of it yesterday, so now we have to be frugal!"

"How dare you complain?!"

Sanji ground his heel hard, pushing Luffy's head down firmly.

"I was wrong!"

Luffy, his face distorted under the pressure, immediately apologized sensibly.

Meanwhile, Red, watching this scene, couldn't help but rub his chin thoughtfully.

He suddenly asked Usopp beside him:

"By the way, Usopp, is there any extra space inside Laboon's body?"

"Huh? There should be some!" Usopp was stunned for a moment, then quickly replied: "Originally, I wanted to discuss with Gem about creating a special area to imprison Wapol."

"But he's been very cooperative recently, and I've been considering whether to give him more freedom so he can work better for us in the future."

"Well... that sounds good~!"

Red nodded in agreement: "Find some time and then you and Zoro to go in there and intimidate him with his Conqueror's Haki."

"I think Wapol will know exactly what to do when his life is properly threatened."

He then continued with a change in tone: "But since there's still space in Laboon's body, consider purchasing some food crop seeds this time."

"It's not healthy for people to always eat just fruits. If they're malnourished, it will affect their work efficiency."

"Planting some agricultural products and creating a few small pastures can improve the food supply for everyone inside."

"These tools are meant to help people eat better. I think they'll be happy to take care of them."

"Besides, if Luffy ever has one of his extreme appetite episodes and eats all our food, at least the others won't go hungry."

"..."

Usopp was silent for a moment, then raised his head and said with a strange look:

"You're such a kind person, Red."

"Haha, everyone says that!"

Under Red's watchful eye, Sanji and Usopp departed the ship on their mission.

Luffy, who truly wanted to explore the new island, silently watched their retreating backs, his entire body seeming to melt as he slumped over the ship's railing.

But the next second, his eyes suddenly widened, and he stood up in surprise.

"Hmm!?"

Luffy shouted suddenly, immediately stepping onto the railing with one foot, and announced to the Straw Hats behind him:

"I remember something! Please wait for me!"

Hearing this, Nami immediately stretched out her hand: "Didn't we agree that there's something important happening later?!"

However, before Nami could finish, Luffy had already leapt into the air and jumped off the Merry.

"This guy..." Nami looked confused.

Red suddenly said:

"Maybe Luffy really does need to go urgently."

"To avoid any problems, I'll go check on him."

"That's all we can do..." Nami sighed helplessly, then turned around and asked Robin:

"It shouldn't be a problem if we're a little late, right?"

"No problem at all." Robin smiled softly, as if she had anticipated such a scene.

"That's good~!" Nami nodded, then shifted her curious gaze to Red as he chased after Luffy.

...

...

Meanwhile.

On a hidden coastline of the Kingdom of Alabasta, an ornate and extravagant ship slowly docked.

After bidding farewell to all his subordinates, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, a senior Officer Agent of Baroque Works, stepped off the ship. In his hand, he held a telegram written in Baroque Works' exclusive cipher.

The okama scratched the back of his head in confusion and murmured:

"This is very strange~"

"Why would the boss change the meeting place?"

"But... the cipher on this order matches exactly what we usually use. It must be the boss's command!"

"To be honest..."

Bon Clay reached behind his waist, pulled out a piece of paper identical to the one in his hand, and then murmured again:

"To be honest, the tone and style of the last secret report were very different from usual."

"Could someone have cracked Baroque Works' cipher and forged a secret report!?"

Suddenly!

Bon Clay's eyes flashed with inspiration, and a dramatic scene played out in his mind.

"That's it! It must be like this!"

"Fortunately, the boss acted quickly and discovered the abnormality in advance, sending another secret report. Isn't that right?!"

"He is worthy of being the boss of Baroque Works~!"