Chapter 157

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Kawamatsu was imprisoned a year ago. Dak had initially forgotten about him, but after being reminded by Hyogoro of the Flowers, he decided to rescue him as well.

Convincing Ashura through connections was almost impossible. Ashura only listened to those stronger than himself. To gain his respect and acknowledgment, one needed to be not only strong but also possess a sense of "righteousness."

This was true for everyone except Oden, such as Kaido. Due to Oda's portrayal, Oden was depicted as a character that brought others down in intelligence, with a very impressive personal resume.

Born with extraordinary strength, by age 0, he was throwing his nursemaid, at age 6, visiting brothels, at 15, grabbing women in monasteries to build a harem, and by 18, traveling Wano Country, gathering the Nine Red Scabbards and a host of retainers.

Given such an inflated background, Dak faced similar skepticism from Ashura. Even though Hyogoro and Kawamatsu were willing to believe in Dak's ability to deal with Orochi and Kaido, Ashura was not so easily convinced. He did not think much of Dak's seemingly frail figure.

Hyogoro and Kawamatsu had similar doubts before witnessing Darkrai's power. They believed that such a powerful creature obeying Dak indicated Dak's greater strength. However, Dak himself wasn't as formidable physically but as a trainer, he was unmatched.

Feeling a bit awkward, Dak decided that it was time to invest in strengthening himself.

"Sceptile, please convince him," Dak said, releasing Sceptile from its Poké Ball.

Sceptile emerged and cracked its neck, facing Ashura. The warriors were all stunned by the sudden appearance of the green creature, including Hyogoro and Kawamatsu, who recognized that it was no ordinary being, akin to the "Nightmare God."

"Are you mocking me?" Ashura fumed.

"Sceptile," Dak said. Sceptile nodded, acknowledging that it did indeed look down on Ashura. In Sceptile's sharp eyes, Ashura's combat ability was only about 70% of Mihawk's.

Before Ashura could continue his rant, Sceptile struck. A flash of lightning followed by a barrage of attacks left Ashura bewildered and defeated within 15 seconds.

"What?!" Ashura stared at his broken sword, speechless. He had never encountered such overwhelming power, not even from Oden or Kaido.

"He's Sceptile, known as the 'Wood Leaf God' on the sea," Dak explained to Hyogoro and Kawamatsu, further adding to the lore of Wano Country.

"Now you know our Pokémon Alliance has the power to crush Orochi and the Beasts Pirates' tyranny!" Dak proclaimed, addressing the warriors. He needed to speak words that would resonate with the samurai.

"Today, Wano Country is in dire straits. You know better than I do the state of the lands outside the Flower Capital!"

"Ordinary citizens don't know the truth and lack the means to resist. In such times, samurai must stand up and fight back!"

"Like the dragon-slaying samurai Ryuma, who faced the dragon's threat without fear and saved the land from destruction. If samurai of the past could slay a dragon, why can't the samurai of today cut off Kaido's head?!"

"If even samurai run away now, who else will stand up?"

Dak took a step forward, his passionate speech moving many warriors to tears.

"But can we... really do it?"

"We can't defeat Kaido."

"We're willing to fight, we're not afraid to die, but... we don't want to die in vain."

The samurai were not afraid of battle, only of meaningless combat without results.

"Your fight is a necessary one," Dak declared. "If you don't understand that, how can you call yourselves samurai? Don't think about the outcome. Do you have any other path besides fighting? Can you endure watching Wano Country fall apart from the shadows?"

"Pick up your weapons and prepare for war. The Pokémon Alliance will bring you hope of victory."

Gathering the armed forces of Wano Country was crucial, but winning the people's hearts was the next step. This was simpler. In this feudal society, the bloodline of the Kozuki family was a shortcut to gaining the people's support.

Dak didn't need to slowly win over the people; he just needed to make a deal with Hiyori. At 16, Hiyori was known as "Komurasaki," a famous courtesan in the Flower Capital, but she was secretly under the protection of Denjiro, one of the Nine Red Scabbards.

Hiyori performed during the day, so Dak decided to wait until nightfall to find her at Denjiro's base, "Kyoshiro's Family."

Around 10 PM, Hiyori returned home, carrying a large amount of money she had taken from corrupt officials to help the poor secretly.

"Good evening, Princess," Dak said, startling Hiyori. She turned to see Dak sitting on a tatami mat.

"Who are you?"

"The leader of the Pokémon Alliance?"

"Oh? You recognize me, that makes things easier," Dak said, smiling. He was surprised she knew him but realized it wasn't odd given her interactions with influential people who could access newspapers.

"Why are you here?"

"I plan to open a Breeding House in Wano Country, but you know how the people here are. Doing business would be difficult without their support," Dak explained.

"I can't help you with that."

"I understand. I'm here to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

"Yes, I need you to reclaim your identity and, after Orochi's death, become the shogun. With the support of the Nine Red Scabbards and your legitimate bloodline, the people will rally behind you. Then, implement policies to open Wano Country and promote Pokémon."

"You..."

"My alliance will take care of Orochi and the Beasts Pirates," Dak said directly.

Hiyori's eyes widened, and after a moment of contemplation, she nodded. "If you can eliminate them, I'll ensure that everyone embraces Pokémon. We can't afford to be powerless anymore."

This deal was entirely beneficial for Hiyori. She believed someone capable of destroying Mary Geoise could handle the Beasts Pirates.

"Prepare yourself and the Nine Red Scabbards. Tomorrow, Wano Country will have a new future," Dak said, leaving.

"Tomorrow, so soon..."

Tomorrow was December 31, only two days before the New Year.

If Dak left everything to Sceptile and Lapras, it would take just a few hours. Although Kaido was strong, he wasn't as formidable as he would be ten years later, and even now, his level was around 90, comparable to young Admirals like Kuzan and Sakazuki.

This level of strength was barely enough for Sceptile to have some fun, akin to how Kaido first fought Luffy.

However, Dak planned for Sceptile and Lapras to only handle Onigashima and Orochi.

The Beasts Pirates' forces were spread across Wano Country's six regions, each with its own contingent of the Beasts Pirates.

These would be handled by Hyogoro and Ashura's forces.

Using his psychic abilities, Dak flew towards Onigashima. Having trained his psychic powers, he had reached level 4, saving 100,000 Pokécoins.

Raising levels early on wasn't difficult; later on, it would be easier to spend money to level up. Dak's physical attributes had also improved to level 5 through daily tasks and training, comparable to Luffy's physique during the Summit War.

(The detailed battles will be skipped; it would be similar to the previous one at Mary Geoise, and dragging it out for two more chapters isn't interesting.)

(T/N: I will give a summary of the battle as the Author was to lazy: Dak arrived, b*tch-clap them to the floor and went back to get a bath. For dinner he choose sushi.)

(End of Chapter)