There is never a shortage of fun-loving people among pirates. They'll remember the embarrassing moments of their comrades and bring them up in casual conversation. If that person unfortunately dies, the incident often becomes a way to remember them.
[Remember so-and-so? That guy almost got electrocuted by an Ampharos, but sadly he didn't make it after that battle.]
Topics like this always come up. Of course, most of these amusing incidents are treated as drunken entertainment, and even quite a few officers have made the list.
Sasaki, who got knocked over by Aggron. Queen, who was backstabbed by Omastar. Queen, who accidentally inhaled Galarian Weezing's poisonous gas. Queen, who got bitten by Toxapex.
As for why it's always Queen….
Although the unluckiest pirate was the one given a love hug by Bewear, Queen still holds the record for the most incidents. The other officers' incidents are old news from when they first joined, but Queen keeps adding new entries.
In a way, Queen wanted to put an end to this record, but the ones keeping it weren't even human, they were Rotoms. Having a mischievous streak being a Ghost-type and the convenience of their job monitoring Wano Country, they created this record post.
Since it didn't cause any real harm, Arceus didn't bother interfering. The Rotoms simply set up a gossip section in the Rotom Phone, filled with similar stories.
Even Queen eventually accepted it, because he realized the section could indirectly boost his popularity.
"This injury is pretty severe, but it's nothing major. Let me handle it."
Touching the other person's arm, Nightin slowly adjusted the position of the bones. Amid waves of screams and cracking sounds, she reset the dislocated arms.
"Alright, go to the Pokémon Center for an X-ray. I'm sure your bones aren't broken, but whether there's a hairline fracture is another matter. Drink more milk for a while to strengthen them."
In just a few moments, Nightin had made her diagnosis, then found a machine to test out her new form.
"Claws can boost destructive power, and this ability is actually quite handy."
Even though Nightin was still a certain distance from the target in front of her, her punch still landed on it. At the instant she threw the punch, her arm extended.
Breloom is a speedy attacker. Though it lives in warm, humid forests or grasslands and feeds on plants, it possesses impressive combat power.
Its body, somewhat similar to mushrooms and other fungi, is very light. Using nimble footwork to close in on an enemy, Breloom unleashes a flurry of rapid combos. Coupled with the ability of plants to extend, its seemingly short arms can suddenly elongate during battle, catching opponents off guard.
If you had to compare it to something, even Luffy's Gum-Gum Gatling Gun would have to be called a knockoff.
However, Breloom can only do this with its arms and lacks the ability to bounce back bullets.
It can photosynthesize, but that doesn't make it the sun god.
"My body feels a lot lighter, my jumping power's improved too, and this tail… I guess I'll have to change my fighting style."
Kanpo Kenpo forms the foundation of Nightin's combat and won't become useless just because her form has changed. As long as she gets used to this form, she might even develop more tactics.
The extra tail is another change. A freely controlled tail can work wonders in battle, and Breloom's tail can cause more than just physical damage.
Watching the powder scatter after a tail swing, Nightin caught some in her hand, intending to analyze its exact effects.
"Acier, I'm going to the lab for a bit. Want to come along?"
"Ah, um… no, I'll go tidy up your room. Haven't been back in a while, it must be pretty dusty."
Back in Arceus's office, Acier had been speaking with some confidence. There were quite a few people here now, but most were training or sparring, and a few meters around them formed a sort of special no-man's land.
In this environment, Acier once again became timid and quickly ran back to the living quarters.
Nightin didn't immediately follow him. She needed to get used to her new abilities first. After all, there would be plenty of time later, and judging by Acier's behavior, he would also need a while to adjust.
Moreover, Nightin had to register some things and reapply for her access privileges on Onigashima.
A familiar laboratory, a familiar metal door, only now Nightin no longer had access to it.
Updating her records would take some time. In other places, it wasn't a big issue, Rotoms could quickly exchange information through the electronic network. The laboratory, however, was an exception.
The lab's access rights belonged to Queen. Its security was the strictest, and its information updates were also the slowest.
Although there were Rotom devices, their functions were only to prevent the lab's defenses from accidentally harming their own people. Updating the information had to be done by Queen himself. This was a privilege he had specifically requested from Kaido and Arceus, because when it came to matters of life and death, he trusted only himself.
Looking at the doorbell, Nightin didn't press it. Queen's door modifications could be absurd, and who knew if he had gone crazy enough to modify the doorbell as well. Instead, she simply waved at the surveillance camera.
Not long after, the door opened, and Queen appeared.
"Long time no see. Just in time, I have an experiment that needs assistance. You're better than me at analyzing and balancing the herbal medicines."
Queen's current project was the Rumble Ball Q5.0 plan. Versions before 4.0 had already ended in failure.
Although Queen had removed the berserk factor from the drug, he had overdone it.
As a result, Rumble Ball Q4.0 ended up becoming a throat lozenge, which had already been launched as a new product through Beasts Fruits' sales channels.
Nightin's return was perfect timing for him.
"I don't mind helping, but I want to analyze this powder first. The abilities bestowed by Lord Arceus are truly amazing."
"Muhahaha, that's for sure! This is something only people on our side can experience. Acier really went all out this time. You already know how to use the lab equipment, do whatever you need. I'll go check when that brat Hawkins is coming back."
In order to get Hawkins back as soon as possible, Queen had even specially requested the Chubby Express Courier's people delivery service. He should be returning soon. Queen planned to go check on him first because the mysterious dark omen made him extremely uneasy.
After Queen left, Nightin entered the familiar laboratory once more. Silver-white metal walls, high-tech instruments; this lab, built with massive funding, rivaled any top laboratory on the seas.
Placing the powder into a special device, Nightin discovered what it truly was. It wasn't anything else, but a special kind of poisonous spore.
Breloom is a Mushroom Pokémon, and before evolving it was no different from a mushroom. Although it doesn't have a Poison type, it's not uncommon for Grass-type Pokémon to possess poison-related moves, and Breloom is one of them.
The object on its tail that looks like a tail hammer is actually not very tough. Its hardness is about the same as the shell of an ordinary plant seed. It is formed during evolution when poisonous spores harden.
The fruit-like exterior is only camouflage. While it doesn't contain lethal poison, eating it certainly won't end well. It can make people experience severe vomiting and diarrhea in minutes.
The holes on the mushroom cap of its head and the hammer-shaped object on its tail can both release spores during battle. If these spores, which cause severe diarrhea when ingested, are inhaled into the lungs, they can bring intense pain.
If this causes an opponent to stiffen up, Breloom gains an even better chance for a surprise attack. In the natural world, Pokémon also follow the law of the jungle, and for the sake of survival, they will show no mercy.
"Looks like my fighting style will need a few more changes… and I should also try out the effects of Poison Heal. With all the herbs here, I can make some medicine and give it a try."
Queen's laboratory still had a plentiful supply of herbs; some cultivated by Nightin in the past, and others gathered by Queen for improving the Rumble Ball.
For Nightin, this was a material stockpile rich with resources.
While Nightin continued her experiments, Queen was on Onigashima's rooftop, counting the time. Centered on Wano Country, within the Beasts Pirates' directly controlled territory, Chubby Express Courier had the reputation of guaranteed same-day delivery. Not even the New World's weather could slow them down.
Outside of their territory, however, things were much slower. There were still plenty of troublesome things out at sea.
Before long, a Dragonite descended from the clouds, landing steadily in front of Queen. On its back was Hawkins, his hair blown into the shape of a broom.
Queen had requested expedited express service, and once Dragonite located Hawkins, it returned at incredible speed, and Hawkins's hair was the proof.
Normally, Hawkins spent a great deal of time maintaining that long hair, keeping it smooth and neat. Now, even after Dragonite had stopped moving, his hair still stood straight up like antennae, showing just what he had gone through on the way back.
"Lord Queen, I'm back. What's the matter?"
Not bothering to fix his hair, Hawkins immediately asked Queen. Although his promotion speed, like Apoo's, was not fast, his position was not low, all thanks to Queen. If one day Queen decided they were no longer useful, the road ahead would become very difficult.
"Nothing major. I just want you to recalculate for me in person. That dark omen from before has been making me uneasy. Let me tell you, earlier…"
Before having Hawkins divine again, Queen recounted what had happened earlier. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he slapped his large hand on Hawkins's shoulder.
"You'd better work hard, and I promise I won't treat you badly. But you've learned a lot of my secrets, if I ever find out that you've let any of it slip from your mouth, you'd better watch your head."
While making his promise, Queen also gave Hawkins a threat. As for why he was only threatening Hawkins?
The other possible people in the know were only Setsuna, King, Shayna, Yamato, and Kaido. The further down the list, the more troublesome they were, and he knows he can't afford to provoke them.
"I understand, Lord Queen. Please wait a moment."
A deck of tarot cards appeared in Hawkins's hands and he began the familiar process of divination. Soon, he saw an extraordinarily bizarre reading.
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