Participating in the banquet of Wano Kuni failed to interest the pirates; that bland food was only bearable to a few, while the revelry belonging to the Hundred Beasts after the battle was what they truly anticipated.
Moreover, the post-battle revelry not only promised wine and food; it was the awarded powers that they eagerly awaited.
"Yo-ho! Lads, are you all ready?!"
Within the banquet hall of Ghost Island, Queen took up his microphone to host the event, his rounded body twisting incessantly atop the stage, demonstrating his graceful dance moves, accompanied by several backup dancers.
"Ready!"
"Great! Since you're all veterans here, I won't waste words. As for those who fell, their compensations have been distributed. Lord Arceus stated that anyone daring to bully the families of the fallen would face his wrath.
Now, let us welcome the brave warriors from this great battle! We are about to introduce three new Divine Favorers!"
"Oh!"
Under Queen's command, the spotlight roved within Ghost Island, searching for its target.
"First is... Hold'em! During the previous battle of Wano Kuni, he defeated seven samurai! And was the first to breach the samurai defense to reach Miss Yamato's side!"
Two spotlights beamed onto Hold'em, a choice reported by the cadre beforehand.
The lottery process for these complete power grants ended earlier, and today was merely an occasion to announce it and bestow the powers upon them.
"Next, Vice-Warden Daifugo from the Udon Mine, who played a significant role in subduing the rebellion, assisting Babanuki in eliminating a large number of pirate rebels!"
"And last but not least, the young Fur Race girl, Setsuna! She... um... she dismantled numerous subordinates under Orochi during the purge at Oden Castle!"
It wasn't that he forgot his lines, but rather there seemed to be an extra card among the prepared cue cards. In terms of merits, Setsuna did far less in this battle compared to Hold'em and Daifugo.
However, her connections were strong. Ever since bringing Zeraora back to Zou, their relationship significantly progressed. Originally, the list only included Daifugo and Hold'em, with Setsuna being a last-minute addition.
Within the Hundred Beasts, power leads to status, but the so-called absolute fairness doesn't exist. Take Yamato, the favorite daughter, or Jack and Maria, children trained since their youth—their futures are destined to be different.
When the spotlight shone upon Setsuna, she was holding a skewer of grilled squid, still not comprehending what was going on. Her name was added at the last minute, and Zeraora hadn't even informed her about it.
Moreover, they received different things. Hold'em—modified form, Pyroar, lion form, appearance similar to an ordinary lion, but with a mane resembling red and yellow flames interwoven together.
Daifugo received a fruit. Initially, two Devil Fruits were obtained from an auction, one of which was the Bug-Bug Fruit—Cannon Beetle Form.
The remaining fruit, confirmed through Daifugo's personal experience, was the Bug-Bug Fruit Ancient—a King Golisopod Form. Later, after Arceus's modifications, it became the Bug-Bug Fruit Mythical—Golisopod Form.
The Golisopod looks like a massive upright Golisopod, with two giant clawed arms and two pairs of additional mandibles for feeding.
It's a Water Bug dual-type Pokemon modified from the Bug-Bug Fruit with a Splash Plate, its body covered in extremely hard scales reputedly as hard as diamond.
This ensured a few more layers of security at the mine.
But the most unique was Setsuna. Her transformation was different from Daifugo and Hold'em's.
Her transformation occurred under Arceus's guidance, based on the genes within her. Since she belongs to the Wolf Fur Race, possessing wolf-type genes allowed her to undergo this alteration.
Often appearing with Zeraora in certain illustrated works, the Aura Pokemon—Lucario.
"Live well with Zeraora; this is an early wedding gift for you both. Take good hold of this power."
"Thank you for the power, but Lord Arceus... it's still too early to talk about marriage..."
"That's why it's an early gift for you; it seems inevitable for you two sooner or later."
The power spent on Hold'em and Daifugo combined couldn't match that invested in Setsuna. Without Zeraora's connection, she would never have received such power.
The appearance changes when using the ability are minor. For Setsuna, it's just a color change, and additionally, a spike appears in the center of her hand and chest.
Lucario's greatest enhancement for her is the Aura Power it possesses.
Aura is something special. For Lucario, who can sense Aura, all things have their Aura.
By detecting the Aura emitted by others, it can read their thoughts and actions. By sensing the pulses, even the unseen movements of opponents can be detected.
This power, combined with the local strength, significantly enhances her Observation Haki. The combined Aura and Observation Haki play an even more potent role, not to mention the destructive force of Aura itself.
As for further usage, it depends on how she develops it. In any case, it's a high-potential ability.
"Alright then, don't just stand there, Divine Favorers! Use your abilities, feel the might of Lord Arceus, for the revelry has just begun! Next up are the new recipients, let's see who the new lucky ones are!"
Being a Divine Favorer is just a beginning, not an end. Witnessing the newly emerged ability users, the enthusiasm of the Hundred Beasts reached its peak. Ultimately, under the crowd's instigation, Hold'em and Daifugo, as the new Divine Favorers, engaged in a duel.
Meanwhile, Setsuna entirely stayed out of it. As for the reason, now it's a corporate outing; joking among colleagues was one thing, but joking about the boss's wife... in a private firm like Hundred Beasts, you might not see the sun rise again.
The electric light flickering on Zeraora explained everything, and Setsuna reverted to her original self, returning from the spectator row. So, while empowering the recipients, Daifugo and Hold'em also commenced their fight.
Both had just acquired their abilities and were yet to fully grasp the power, only leveraging their Zoan physical prowess in a match of fists and claws. Although Daifugo's ability stems from fruit modification, he held considerable advantage in the battle.
In terms of physical attributes, Golisopod was far more powerful than Pyroar; at the moment, Hold'em's claws couldn't harm his opponent's unusually tough armor.
"Bite him! Bite where he doesn't have armor! You're a lion, after all!"
"Grab him below, Daifugo! I bet everything on your victory!"