Chapter 227

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When Sasuke heard this amount, his expression immediately changed.

Even in the past, when his father, Fugaku, was still the clan leader, he might not have been able to gather enough funds to buy an ordinary Devil Fruit for him.

And that's saying nothing of the present.

Most of the wealth the Uchiha clan had left behind had been 'reclaimed for public use' by Hiruzen, and a small portion was forcibly taken by Danzo's Root under the guise of punishing the Uchiha for Itachi's crimes.

Although Sasuke still had a considerable amount of money, it wasn't nearly enough to buy a Devil Fruit.

He was already starting to think about how to make money quickly.

About half an hour later.

They arrived at Island 14.

Nowadays, Island 14 of the Sabaody Archipelago had become recognized as the main island due to the presence of a branch of the Magical Breeding House.

Many major companies and merchants set up their headquarters on Island 14.

This former lawless area had, in their eyes, become the safest and most stable island in the archipelago.

As for the auctions held these days, they were mainly organized by large maritime companies and shipping fleets, under the supervision and regulation of the Pokémon Alliance.

No one dared to play tricks, nor did they dare to auction forbidden items.

[The next auction will be held this Sunday]

"Hmm, it looks like there's no rush. Sasuke, you—"

Naruto noticed the auction notice was still five days away and turned to look at Sasuke, only to find he was gone. "Sasuke?"

Instead of Sasuke, there was a dazed, runny-nosed kid sitting behind Naruto, staring blankly at him.

Naruto panicked.

Instead of wandering around aimlessly, he immediately grabbed the runny-nosed kid and reported the situation to the nearby Alliance Security Team.

The Security Team immediately notified all members across the island to "search for a black-haired eight-year-old boy, known for always having a scowl on his face."

They also promptly arranged to send the runny-nosed kid back to his original place.

. . .

Rewind to fifteen minutes earlier.

On Island 19, which was a must-pass route to Island 14.

Former human trafficker, now poacher, Yuri had received a rare job targeting a human today.

Ever since entering the Pokémon era, those old bosses had lost interest in non-human races, mainly because the Celestial Dragons, their biggest clients, had been wiped out. The other nobles, under the pressure of the Pokémon Alliance, also refrained from such activities, fearing exposure and annihilation.

Yuri had thought he was going to be out of work.

Who would have thought that the underworld would see a surge in requests for capturing Pokémon?

Initially, these requests mainly came from those big pirates in the New World. The major players were Big Mom and Kaido, who wanted to use the power of Pokémon to strengthen their organizations and dominion.

But soon, the Pokémon Alliance caught on and shifted their strategy from a gradual approach to a swift strike, deploying large forces to annihilate both pirate crews.

Now, they were in the process of wiping out the remnants of these pirate groups.

But that didn't mean people like Yuri were out of jobs. After the example set by these big pirates, such tasks started popping up like mushrooms after the rain.

Requests for capturing Pokémon were frequent.

The type of Pokémon sought had also changed.

Initially, it was about capturing strong and potentially powerful Pokémon. Now, the focus was on capturing cute, fluffy, gentle, timid, and soft Pokémon.

Yuri now seriously suspected these orders came from some wealthy women or noble ladies.

Not that it mattered to him; as long as he got paid, he didn't care. The more orders from these women, the better. Capturing such Pokémon was far easier than the likes of Tauros, Heracross, Aggron, or even Onix. Those jobs had made him sick.

Those jobs had a high failure rate and were extremely troublesome to transport.

"Such perverts."

Yuri muttered to himself and double-checked the mission details in his hand.

It was an urgent task to kidnap a cute little boy.

Originally, Yuri had sworn never to take on kidnapping-related jobs again, but he had no choice; the pay was just too good.

He swore this would be his last job.

Once done, he would retire for good.

According to the information provided by the client, the target was on that Didi Pokémon ahead.

Yuri's gaze fell on a Stantler running along a dedicated road.

"Fortunately, it's just one."

Yuri relaxed as he observed the Stantler.

Stantler weren't particularly strong in battle, but they naturally possessed a strange characteristic.

The orb in the center of their antlers could easily induce dizziness in people.

Moreover, Stantler was a Pokémon that could easily learn Hypnosis.

One Stantler was manageable, but if there were two or more, there would be little chance of escaping hypnosis.

"Good, there's a little kid. Now, I can use the bait and switch."

Yuri grinned and sprang into action.

He was a Switch-Switch Fruit user.

These days, if you weren't a Devil Fruit user, you couldn't make it in this line of work.

The Switch-Switch Fruit had a similar effect to the Operation Fruit's Room ability.

However, while the Operation Fruit could only switch things within the Room, the Switch-Switch Fruit could switch items globally.

But the Switch-Switch Fruit had a major drawback—it was limited in its function, unlike the versatile Operation Fruit.

The Switch-Switch Fruit could only switch the object touched by the left hand with the object touched by the right hand. The exchange could occur within a 12-hour window, after which the record would refresh, making the switch impossible.

Yuri had already used his right hand to tag an eight-year-old boy in a roadside shop a few minutes ago. The boy wouldn't run off anytime soon.

Now Yuri just needed to find an opportunity to touch the target with his left hand, then return to the shop to switch with the boy and successfully kidnap the target.

Stantler was fast, but anyone daring to attempt such a job in the pirate world couldn't be weak.

Although Yuri wasn't great in head-on combat, he still had a bounty of sixty to seventy million Berries on his head. A Didi Pokémon was only at the level of about ten to twenty, no match for him.

On the other side.

Thud.

Sasuke, sitting on the Stantler behind Naruto, was enjoying the ride when he suddenly felt a gust of wind, and someone brushed against his shoulder.

He didn't pay much attention, just instinctively glanced to the side.

A figure quickly ran off.

Sasuke merely marveled at the person's speed in his mind, not realizing anything was amiss.

Five minutes later.

Sasuke suddenly felt his surroundings change, the rushing wind disappearing.

It seemed like he was in a café with hardly anyone around.

As soon as Sasuke became alert and started to look around, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck, and he blacked out.

"Got him."

Yuri grabbed a large sack and sprinted out of the shop, racing towards the shore.

The client had already arranged for another group of bounty hunters to meet Yuri in the southeastern waters of the Sabaody Archipelago.

All he had to do now was hand over the sack and collect his bounty. Then he could retire and live out his days in peace.

He had already planned to buy six Pokémon and become a trainer to chase his dreams.

The first Pokémon Battle Tournament would take place next month, which he couldn't make, but his goal was to win the second tournament.

Half an hour later.

Yuri finally reached the sea.

There had been too many search parties, especially those annoying canine Pokémon.

Yuri had to use his Switch-Switch Fruit ability multiple times to escape.

"Damn, I lost a lot of time. Better hurry up."

Yuri boarded a small fishing boat he'd prepared earlier, pretending to be a fisherman out for a catch.

As he reached the designated spot, Yuri saw another fishing boat.

On the boat, he spotted a figure in a black cloak.

Yuri shook his head.

"Must be a newbie."

Yuri thought the guy's disguise was so obvious it was practically inviting suspicion.

A real pro would be like him, seamlessly blending in. Anyone would think he'd been a fisherman for ten years.

"You here?"

"Yeah, took a while."

"Got the goods?"

"Here."

Yuri handed over the large sack.

The man peeked inside the bag, then casually tossed it aside, lifting his head to reveal his face beneath the mask.

"I knew anyone wearing a black cloak wouldn't be a good guy. Who'd have thought I'd catch a big fish?"

"You're... Thatch, Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?!"

Yuri was so terrified his soul almost left his body, his face turning pale.

His guess was correct; the man here to receive the handoff was indeed a newbie, struggling with poverty. And on his first day, he ran into Thatch, who was coincidentally on his way to visit Alliance City.

"What do you mean Whitebeard Pirates? Watch your language. We're the Whitebeard Adventure Group. You're under arrest."

As a student of the Pokémon Academy, Thatch had to uphold the honor of both his crew and the academy.

Catching a criminal like this would surely earn him praise at school.

Thatch quickly reached out, grabbing Yuri's arms and pinning him to the deck.

Even though he hadn't fought or trained much lately, the Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates was still no pushover.

"Snorlax, hold him and dunk him in the sea. He might be a Devil Fruit user."

Thatch summoned Snorlax, and the fishing boat nearly sank under its weight.

Luckily, it held.

"Snor~"

Snorlax grabbed Yuri, submerging him in the water from the neck down.

It's over.

Yuri was utterly despairing now.

(End of Chapter)