Just how spectacular could a munitions genius make a fireworks festival when cost was no object!?
On this day, Buggy gave the world's pyrotechnicians a perfect demonstration!
At first, the fireworks were dazzling, but the area they covered was limited to where all the pirate ships had gathered.
But the moment the Going Merry entered the Pokémon Sea, everything changed in an instant!
The thirty-five islands of Totto Land all received Buggy's signal at the same time.
In an instant...
Whoosh!!!
Boom—!!!
The pyrotechnicians stationed on every island pressed the buttons in their hands at once.
Fireworks from all thirty-six islands shot into the sky simultaneously, bursting into brilliant, colorful light.
And from the deck of the Going Merry in the distance, they could clearly see figure after figure appearing in the heavens—each one depicting a different member of the Straw Hat Pirates in a unique pose.
Even Uta, Redfield, and little Merry, the Klabautermann who had only just joined, were all included among them.
"Woooow~!!!"
At that moment, even people like Zoro, who normally had little interest in flashy things like this, could not help but raise their heads.
The seven-colored lights reflected across their faces, bringing out the astonished smiles on each of them.
Then came the thunderous roar of fireworks from all thirty-six islands, like a festival being held across the sea.
The sheer scale of it made passing ships stop what they were doing just to admire this scene worthy of being written into history.
The fireworks lasted for a long time, only gradually quieting down once the Going Merry drew near the ships of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
Before the Going Merry had even fully approached, Buggy, who had been standing at the very front of the fleet, flew up directly and landed on deck with a fawning smile. Rubbing his hands together, he bowed toward Red and the others.
"Welcome home, Pirate Emperor Sovereign!"
"You've all worked hard, my lords!!!"
"Not bad at all, Buggy!"
Though it was mostly superficial showmanship, Red still praised him without holding back.
Why was it that even after defeating the Beasts Pirates and becoming one of the Four Emperors, the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story still had people looking down on them and refusing to acknowledge them?
Because their pomp and circumstance had simply been too small!
If your display was small, then your prestige would naturally be small too.
If you did not value your own status, if you did not bother to maintain it, then others would instinctively overlook your strength.
Even some underling's underling would dare act arrogant in front of you, sneering and refusing to submit.
Of course, before absolute strength, these trivial matters were hardly worth mentioning.
But if such petty things ended up affecting something important, it was still disgusting to think about.
So in the end...
"Very good! Extremely good!!!"
Red praised Buggy once more.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew also wore pleased and satisfied expressions.
After all, if someone had chosen to become a pirate, how many of them could really say they did not care about face?
"Hehehe~" Buggy grinned after being praised, yet still said modestly:
"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, my lords!"
If, a year ago, as a former member of the Pirate King's crew, he had still possessed his own pride—refusing to lower himself too easily, refusing to truly acknowledge the others in the Straw Hat crew...
Then at this very moment, he had completely thrown himself into his identity as the Number One member of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet!
Thank East Blue. Thank the weakness of the Buggy Pirates!
If he had not been so weak, if he had not delayed returning to the Grand Line for so long, how could he ever have had the chance to become the first man to join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet?
With that number-one position, even though Buggy was still at the bottom in terms of strength among the Grand Fleet, it did not stop him in the slightest from directing a whole crowd of powerful fighters.
And as the status of the Straw Hat Pirates continued to rise, his identity as the Straw Hats' number-one lackey naturally placed him far above all the other lackeys.
Buggy even had a premonition.
Perhaps in the near future, just by relying on his status as the number-one lackey, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the position Shanks currently held on the seas.
No!
Maybe he would end up even better off!!!
With Buggy and the Grand Fleet underlings making all the arrangements, the Straw Hat Pirates' return caused a sensation throughout the entire Pokémon Sea and the surrounding waters.
And yet, not a single person found it strange.
After all, this was the Pirate Emperor Sovereign, a pirate who had transcended even the Four Emperors. If there had been no grand display, that would have been the strange thing.
And the sight of it left the pirates who had come here from Festival Island absolutely boiling with excitement.
After all...
What they were seeing was the same scene as the Straw Hat Pirates.
Even though they knew full well that all those fireworks and cheers were meant for the Straw Hats, simply following behind them still made their hearts surge for no reason at all.
And that only strengthened their determination to join under the Straw Hat banner.
That was why Red had praised Buggy twice.
Well done.
Thus, a grand banquet was held across the entire Pokémon Sea.
Only this banquet, besides the eating and drinking, felt more like an annual gathering for the Straw Hat Pirates.
During it, Red first formally accepted Cavendish, Hajrudin, and the others as members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, then loaded Pokémon templates onto some of the stronger ones in turn, leaving them all staring in shock.
Their addition also meant that the islands which had previously stood vacant and unmanaged finally gained lords of their own.
As for the fewer than twenty thousand New World pirates who had come along, they were distributed among the various islands to serve as guards.
When there was time in the future, Red would personally travel to each island and systematically load them up with Pokémon templates and move skills.
But aside from all that, there was one other matter Red could not ignore...
And that was the man who had come to the Pokémon Sea alongside those nearly twenty thousand pirates under the identity of a "guard"—
The "former" world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk!
...
...
"Senior Mihawk, our transaction is complete now. May I ask what your plans are next?"
Midway through the banquet, after finally dealing with a mountain of work, Red at last found some time for himself. Holding a wineglass filled with fine liquor, he made his way to Mihawk, who was sitting alone in a corner.
"My plans?"
With elegant ease, Mihawk used the dining knife in his hand to cut the steak before him into small pieces suitable for eating. Only then did he lift his eyes toward Red in mild curiosity. After thinking for a moment, he answered:
"Now that this matter has come to an end, I naturally intend to return to my base."
Red smiled faintly. "By 'base,' Senior Mihawk means that Kuraigana Island that looks like a giant graveyard, yes?"
"That's right."
Though he had never publicly advertised his residence, he was not at all surprised that the Straw Hat Pirates had access to such information.
But just then, Red suddenly produced a faxed sheet of newsprint and placed it directly on Mihawk's table.
"It seems Senior Mihawk still doesn't know~"
A mysterious smile flashed through Red's eyes.
"This is an internal newspaper issued yesterday by the World Government's propaganda department. Some of the news on it hasn't been released to the public yet and is only circulating inside World Government institutions..."
"But it seems the Cipher Pol Organization has already grasped your movements."
"During the time you were away, the World Government's CP division led a fleet on the scale of a Buster Call to your Kuraigana Island."
"By now, that place has already been reduced to ruins."
"What!?"
Mihawk's arm halted abruptly in midair, the piece of steak still speared on his fork.
He immediately lowered his gaze to the faxed newspaper on the table.
There, written in bold detail, was the complete report of the attack on Kuraigana Island.
It clearly recorded that on the second day after the incident on Festival Island ended, CP0 and other Cipher Pol branches had directly deployed a force equivalent to three times that of a Buster Call and launched an assault on Kuraigana Island.
Though they had failed to ambush Mihawk after his return from Festival Island, they had successfully looted the residence of the world's greatest swordsman, seizing a large amount of treasure and famous blades.
Then, using a massive quantity of cannon fire, they flattened every building there to the ground.
There was no need to think too hard to know that everything the World Government had done at this point in time was naturally connected to the hidden piece Red had planted within CP0.
But Mihawk had no idea of the current relationship between the Straw Hat Pirates and Stussy.
And with the Marines having already set a precedent by attacking the other Seven Warlords of the Sea, he directly treated the whole matter as shameless opportunism from the World Government.
Seeing his old lair destroyed, even the usually tranquil Mihawk felt a nameless fury surge through his eyes.
"CP0..."
Invisible sword aura erupted around him, and the dining knife in his hand suddenly seemed to transform into some peerless divine weapon, radiating unprecedented might.
But in the end, Mihawk gradually calmed down.
The current world situation was far too murky. Even someone like him, once known as a "Marine Hunter," did not dare move rashly.
Not to mention that seeking revenge against the World Government was no easy matter.
Yet just then, Red suddenly spoke again:
"It seems Senior Mihawk isn't willing to swallow this insult so easily."
"But that makes sense~ A dignified powerhouse like the world's greatest swordsman, treated in this way—no one with any pride could accept that."
Mihawk, who had in fact been preparing to swallow it for now: "......."
"That's right! I'll definitely find a chance to settle this score!!!"
"That's wonderful!"
Under Mihawk's puzzled gaze, Red suddenly clapped his hands in delight.
Then, with bright anticipation flickering in his eyes, he looked at Mihawk seriously and smiled.
"Since Senior Mihawk is also planning to make a move against the World Government, then we have a common enemy."
"Your home has no meaning for you to return to anymore anyway, so why not settle down in the Pokémon Sea for the time being?"
"That way, if we take action against the World Government again in the future, we can notify you more quickly."
"This..."
A trace of hesitation appeared on Mihawk's face.
But in the next second, Red continued:
"Besides, if you stay here, Zoro can come challenge you often."
"Kaido interrupted your last battle, and he's regretted it ever since."
"Of course, we wouldn't let Senior Mihawk waste your time and effort for nothing."
"I'll pay a gift valuable enough to move even you, and we'll treat it as compensation for training Zoro."
"This..."
At that moment, Mihawk had already seen through Red's true intention.
He wanted to tie Mihawk to the Straw Hat Pirates.
Actually, Mihawk had already guessed as much from the moment Red invited him to come to the Pokémon Sea.
But whether in attitude or sincerity, Red had already given him more than enough respect.
And Mihawk really did have nowhere else to go for the moment.
Besides, he also wanted to see just how far a swordsman like Zoro could go.
After thinking it over for a long time, Mihawk gave a slight nod.
"It seems that until I find a new residence, I can only trouble you for a while."
"Haha~ How could that count as troubling us?"
Red beamed with delight, then immediately struck while the iron was hot:
"Don't worry, I'll definitely have them prepare an excellent residence for Senior Mihawk."
"And one more thing... to avoid too much hassle later, I'll just pay Senior Mihawk Zoro's tuition in advance."
...
...
[Pokémon: Dracule Mihawk]
[Level: 86]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Calm (+Sp. Atk, -Speed)]
[Type: Dragon, Steel]
[Ability: Normalize (All moves become Normal-type. Their power follows the standard for Normal-type Pokémon.)]
[Moves: ————]
[Exp: 0/22447]
[Total Stats: 1520]
...
...
"This..."
Looking at Mihawk's status panel, Red was stunned for a moment.
This was the first time he had ever seen a Pokémon ability that not only failed to help the Pokémon, but actually seemed to work against it.
Mihawk's strength was undeniably terrifying.
His level was the same as Issho's had been at the start—Level 86—but his total stats were significantly higher, enough to prove just how monstrous his talent was.
At the same time, a stat total of 1520 also meant his strength was firmly at Admiral level. Perhaps only veteran Admirals like Aokiji could still suppress him a bit.
But...
"Why is it Normalize!?"
Red was not surprised that Mihawk possessed the same dual Dragon-Steel typing as Zoro.
After all, one of them sought to become the strongest swordsman in the world, while the other already was the strongest in the world.
But the Ability Normalize would not only remove the boosts Mihawk gained from Dragon- and Steel-type moves—
Judging from the way Chopper's Pixilate had worked, there was a strong possibility that Normalize would also turn many moves with special effects into something ordinary.
Because Normal itself had no special effects of its own.
"Could it be because of Mihawk's swordsmanship?"
"From what I remember in the anime, Mihawk's path seems to be one of great simplicity—an ultimate form of swordsmanship built around the purest and sharpest slash."
"Because his sword intent is the most simple and absolute form of a normal attack, the system gave him Normalize?"
"I just don't know whether this Ability will ultimately help him or not."
After briefly thinking about how Normalize could be used, Red stopped dwelling on it.
At the very least, judging by Mihawk's stunned expression, he was clearly already extremely satisfied with the result.
...
...
And so, after experiencing the charm of Pokémon power, Mihawk officially took up residence in the Pokémon Sea as a teacher of swordsmanship.
Only, when people watched him teaching Zoro how to forge a Black Blade, while Zoro taught him Pokémon-ization...
For a moment, it became impossible to tell which one of them was actually the teacher.
And after a few days of observation, Red confirmed that his earlier guess had been correct.
Under the power of Normalize, the oppressive force and destructive nature of Mihawk's original Dragon-type energy had vanished, while the hardness and solidification of his Steel-type energy had also been greatly weakened...
But the first time Mihawk condensed Dragon Pulse into his swordsmanship and unleashed a brand-new wave slash—
The move's power, because it matched his own sword intent so perfectly, burst forth with a terrifying might!
That strike allowed Zoro to truly see the gap between himself and Mihawk.
And that was with Mihawk only merging Pokémon moves into his sword intent. For someone capable of comprehending such an extreme path of the blade, his talent and insight were naturally among the very best in the world...
If he really managed to learn Pokémon-ization like Zoro had, who knew to what level his strength might evolve!?
A Four Emperor!?
Or perhaps...
Beyond the Four Emperors?
Red, who had originally been worried about the Normalize Ability, suddenly realized that he might have accidentally created yet another absurdly overpowered monster for the pirate world.
In the blink of an eye, a full week had passed since Red and the others returned to the Pokémon Sea.
After several days of nonstop work, the Pokémon Sea had finally begun to settle down. Each island was now starting to perform its own duties and carry out its own work.
And on this day, Red finally called Queen and Caesar, who had been neglected all this time, over to Whole Cake Island.
As for the reason...
Vegapunk, who had been sneaking around for quite some time, had finally transferred all of Egghead's research project data and finished products into the Pokémon Sea.
Among them were the near-complete infinite energy source, the Mother Flame, the Pacifista clones of Kuma that were already in production, and the Seraphim—whose existence had become unknown even to the World Government after Saint Saturn's death.
And "Punk Records," the artificial brain system Vegapunk had created by cutting away part of his own brain, had, at Red's suggestion, been sent directly into outer space.
Of course, there was also Kuma, whom Bonney had longed to see all this time.
All that could be said was that Saint Saturn had died at the perfect moment!
Everything had been halted right before the tragedy could begin.
And that gave Red far more room to maneuver.
(End of Chapter)