"I can't believe it… there's actually such an incredible power in this world!"
Water 7.
With all CP9 members already taken care of by Red—and even dispatched across the world to gather resources—the entire city of Water 7 had, for the moment, become a safe haven.
Inside the rest area Iceburg had specially prepared for the Straw Hat Pirates, Robin, wearing black-framed glasses and a professional OL outfit, lowered her crossed legs clad in layered black stockings. Her lips parted slightly as she let out a soft gasp of amazement.
"How—how can that be…?"
Her voice instantly drew the attention of the entire Straw Hat crew.
Luffy craned his head over curiously, only for Red to grab him by the neck from the side and yank him back.
"Idiot! Don't lose focus at a critical moment like this!!!"
"Hurry up and seriously feel the power of MEGA already!!!"
"I gave you the only chance I worked so hard to obtain!!!"
Red shook the Key Stone bracelet on his wrist, his face full of exasperation and disappointment.
"But…" Luffy muttered innocently, "it's just a normal rock. I really can't feel any of that amazing power you're talking about, Red!?"
"Idiot! That's why I said we need to study it properly!"
Under the gazes of Zoro, Sanji, and the others, Red let out a long sigh.
Last night, during game time, he had taken little Chopper to grind levels in the grassy areas near Cinnabar Island.
On a random side path, he had triggered a rival event.
That rival—who had also collected seven badges—invited Red to return together to Professor Oak's laboratory.
And there, Red had finally obtained the long-awaited MEGA Evolution Key Stone he had been dreaming of.
Along with it came a Mega Stone whose effect had been altered by the system—capable of binding to only a single Pokémon.
[Mega Stone]
[Category: Item]
[Effect: A stone that contains mysterious power. When used in conjunction with a trainer who carries a Key Stone, and through the power of bonds, it allows Mega Evolution, granting far greater strength. The duration of the MEGA state depends on the strength of the bond between trainer and Pokémon. Bound Pokémon: Monkey D. Luffy.]
…
…
"This shouldn't be happening. With the bond between Luffy and me, there's no way the Key Stone shouldn't respond…"
"Could it really be that MEGA Evolution only activates when you're seriously facing an enemy?"
"But neither the anime nor the system description ever emphasized that it can only evolve during battle…"
Watching Luffy spar with Zoro and Sanji in the open area, Red could clearly feel a strange energy swirling within the Key Stone on his wrist.
That energy was tightly connected to the Mega Stone on Luffy's body.
Yet even so, Luffy still couldn't draw out the Mega Stone's power.
Confusion filled Red's expression as he began to think deeply.
"If it's not an issue of bond strength, and not because he's not in battle…"
"Then the reason Luffy can't Mega Evolve seems to leave only one possibility!"
Red suddenly lifted his head, shock flickering in his eyes as he stared at Luffy.
"Could it be that the current Luffy… isn't his final evolution form yet?!"
"Is it because certain conditions haven't been met, or does he need to develop Gear Fifth before Mega Evolution becomes possible!?"
Red frowned slightly. "If it's the latter… that would be troublesome."
Having a Mega Stone but being unable to use it wasn't a big deal in itself.
After all, it wouldn't take long before they cleared Victory Road and could freely buy and sell Mega Stones in-game.
But if Luffy's Mega Evolution truly had to wait until he unlocked Gear Fifth and swept through the Four Emperors, that would be far too late.
"It shouldn't require waiting for his Devil Fruit awakening."
"After all, both Gear Fourth and Gear Fifth are just forms—temporary transformations, not permanent evolutionary stages."
"Even if that were the reason, then it must mean Luffy is lacking in other areas."
Red immediately began comparing things in his mind…
What differences still existed between the current Luffy and the 'final form' Luffy he knew from two years later.
Future sight Observation Haki.Advanced Armament Haki that projects outward and destroys from within.Conqueror's Haki coating…
"Tch—!"
"When you think about it, the gap between Luffy now and his 'final form' two years later really isn't small at all!"
Realizing the core of the issue, Red pursed his lips.
"It seems I need to find Luffy a qualified teacher."
After all, even Red himself only had a surface-level understanding of these techniques—far from enough to teach someone else.
…
…
"So this… is the legendary Ancient Weapon, Pluton!?"
Inside the dim office, Iceburg and Franky stared in shock at the blueprints spread across the entire table, awe written all over their faces.
"Well?" Red interrupted their greedy gazes and asked expectantly, "Using the materials we requested before, is there a chance to replicate Pluton's technology onto the Going Merry?"
What he got in response was both Iceburg and Franky shaking their heads at the same time.
"Impossible! This isn't something materials alone can solve!"
Franky suddenly picked up one of the blueprints and pointed at a strange device on it.
"Red, look—this is the most critical component of Pluton: its power drive system!"
"Through ingenious design, this drive can release terrifying kinetic energy with minimal energy consumption…"
"But to replicate Pluton's effects, the required cost is something you can't just casually afford!"
"It's completely different from the cola-powered system in my body. The real Pluton doesn't run on conventional substances…"
"It runs on an extremely rare and precious metal in this world—gold!!!"
"And even setting aside whether you can gather such an insane amount of gold…"
"Even if you somehow do, you'd still need an equally terrifying energy supply to truly activate Pluton's design!"
"Just starting Pluton's power system alone would require enough energy to run every electrical device in Water 7 for an entire day!"
"That's not something brute force alone can accomplish!"
As he finished speaking, deep regret filled Franky's face.
Long ago, before he could even read the text on Pluton's blueprints, Franky had already been deeply fascinated by them—dreaming of one day recreating this legendary battleship.
Now that he finally understood every detail… he discovered, in despair, that even the combined power of all Water 7 was still not enough to bring Pluton back into the world.
"I really wonder how people in the past managed to build such a terrifying monster."
"This almost doesn't feel like something that should exist in this world at all…"
Franky murmured softly.
Just then, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
"Wait a moment, Franky…"
Franky turned around to see Red staring at him in stunned disbelief.
"If it's a two-hundred-million-volt current… would that meet the activation standard you mentioned?"
"Uh… energy isn't measured in volts," Franky corrected reflexively.
But then he nodded.
"Still, if you can find a power source capable of releasing that level of energy in a short time, it would be enough to activate Pluton's drive."
"Also, aside from startup, Pluton's daily operational consumption would be about one percent of the activation energy."
"I see."
A thoughtful glint flashed through Red's eyes.
Then he suddenly grinned, opened a Hyperspace Hole, and cheerfully invited Franky and Iceburg:
"In that case… why don't you come take a look at our pirate crew's gold reserves?"
"If it's not enough, we'll think of something else."
"It's just gold. As long as money can solve it, it's not a problem for us."
A confident smile spread across Red's face.
…
…
"Damn the Marines!!!"
"They actually wanted to trade me to Whitebeard! Good thing I'm smart!"
On the seas near Marineford, Blackbeard—wearing a tattered Marine justice cloak—sat aboard a Marine emergency lifeboat, quietly slipping away through the shattered sea routes under the moonlight.
Looking back at the distant Marineford, an angry grin crept across Blackbeard's face, hatred flickering in his eyes.
He had already planned to leave the Marines the moment Whitebeard successfully attacked Marineford and retreated unscathed.
But leaving voluntarily and being forced out were two very different things.
"So that's why they never let me into Impel Down no matter what. Turns out the Marines never treated me as 'one of their own' from the start."
"Hah… in this world, the only one you can trust is yourself!!!"
Blackbeard let out a cold, mocking laugh.
Despite being beaten down by reality time and time again, he showed no sign of discouragement.
Instead, each blow only piled more fury into his heart—until it reached a terrifying level.
Now, all he needed was a trigger to completely set it off.
The night passed without incident.
Blackbeard drifted aimlessly across the sea in his small boat, eating the rations he'd taken from Marine Headquarters while pondering his next opportunity to turn the situation around.
Time slowly slipped by in thought.
Until a pale glow appeared at the edge of the horizon, piercing the darkness of night.
At that very moment, a streak of golden light suddenly swept across the distant sky.
"Hm!?" Blackbeard looked up in surprise.
That golden figure also seemed to notice Blackbeard drifting on the sea and abruptly stopped in midair, letting out an equally surprised sound.
"Huh!? A shipwrecked Marine!?"
Golden Lion Shiki looked at the Marine cloak on Blackbeard and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
But the next second, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Wait!"
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before!?"
"Zehahahaha! Golden Lion—never thought I'd run into you here!"
"Worthy of a legendary pirate, still alive after all these years!"
Staring at the golden-haired figure floating in the sky, Blackbeard's eyes gleamed as he burst into laughter.
At the same time, a terrifying pressure erupted from his body, crashing toward Shiki!
"What!? Conqueror's Haki!?"
Shiki's eyes widened.
Suddenly recalling something, an equally vast aura surged out to meet Blackbeard's.
"I remember now!"
"You're that brat who used to follow Whitebeard, aren't you!?"
"Didn't expect you to grow into something this ugly after all these decades!"
"Zehahahaha~!"
Pitch-black mist rolled out from Blackbeard's body.
"To be remembered by a legendary pirate… what an honor."
"But, Senior Golden Lion, after all these years, it looks like you haven't exactly been living well either, huh?"
Blackbeard's gaze flicked over the ship's wheel embedded in Shiki's head and the twin swords beneath his feet, a mocking smile curling his lips.
Shiki narrowed his eyes. "Brat… are you challenging me?"
"Zehahaha~" Blackbeard grinned.
At this moment, he could fully confirm that the ability Red had used before was definitely not a Devil Fruit power—
And certainly not the power of the Float-Float Fruit!!!
Still, at this point, Blackbeard's expectations had been lowered again and again.
He couldn't obtain the Straw Hat brat's ability.Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit was almost certainly out of reach as well…
If he could get the power of the Float-Float Fruit, that would already be a near-perfect outcome.
Especially now, when he was completely alone—he desperately needed the Float-Float Fruit to enhance his mobility.
From their brief clash of Conqueror's Haki alone, it was clear that Shiki's strength was no longer what it once was.
This was the perfect chance to strike!
And Golden Lion Shiki was never the kind of man to take a beating without fighting back.
He had originally planned to head toward Marineford after hearing about Whitebeard's attack, hoping to pick up some benefits there…
Who would've thought a wild card would appear halfway!?
The moment these two titans—one old, one new—met, words barely exchanged before they unleashed a storm of blood and chaos upon the sea!
…
…
"Another calm and peaceful day!"
Morning in Water 7.
After helping Nami finish a night of training, Red stretched lazily toward the sunlight.
Although being unable to Mega Evolve despite obtaining the Key Stone and Mega Stone left him slightly disappointed…
The successful initiation of the Going Merry's Pluton-style modification instantly filled that void.
The specific modification plan would still take some time to finalize.
But good work takes time!
Taking advantage of this period, Red planned to let the Straw Hat crew rest and recharge—
And then clear Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Eevee in one decisive run!
(End of Chapter)