Chapter 56: Test Point! [+9]

Boom! ! !

With a final explosion and the fierce collision of water shurikens, the entire arena was instantly engulfed in an overwhelming wave of energy that surged in all directions like a violent storm.

Thick smoke filled the arena, obscuring everything from view.

Luffy, watching all this unfold, his eyes brimming with excitement, eagerly anticipated the emergence of the battle's victor.

But just at that moment, the scene abruptly vanished.

He was suddenly back in the real world.

Luffy: ? ? ?

"Huh? Why am I back here?"

Luffy's neck stretched out and twisted 360 degrees as he looked around in bewilderment. "Of course, you're back," Leo replied, watching Luffy's antics with exasperation, now Leo fully understands what Zoro and the others had to put up with in the storyline.

It was sometimes impossible to tell if Luffy was truly clueless or just pretending.

If he was genuinely foolish, then how could he be so brilliant at times? 

And yet...

Watching Luffy twist his neck around a dozen more times before fainting from exhaustion...

Who could believe he wasn't a little dim-witted!?

"That was just an illusion," Leo quickly explained, fearing Luffy might do something reckless. 

"That battle took place in another world..."

"A world where magical creatures called Pokémon exist, living in harmony with humans."

"Some people train Pokémon to battle, and they're called trainers. And I am a Pokémon merchant, a dimensional trader."

Leo smiled and asked, "So, young man, would you like to buy a Pokémon from me?"

"Pokémon?!"

Luffy's eyes sparkled like stars, bursting with excitement as he exclaimed, "I want to buy a Pokémon!"

After witnessing the incredible battle earlier, he fully understood the power of Pokémon! Just imagining the adventures he could have with a Pokémon by his side made his heart race.

"Haha..." 

Leo, having anticipated Luffy's enthusiasm, smiled knowingly and continued to explain the rules.

"Let me explain how this works."

"To buy a Pokémon from me, you first need to accumulate points."

"Points!? Points?" Luffy's excitement turned into confusion.

"What's that?"

"Think of it as the currency for dimensional transactions," Leo explained.

But even after hearing this, Luffy tilted his head in that peculiar way, with a "smart" look on his face.

"Forget it."

Seeing Luffy's expression, Leo realized further explanation was pointless. 

He cut to the chase, saying, "In short, you need to provide Beli or treasure to exchange for points, which you can then use to buy a Pokémon."

"Oh!" 

Luffy suddenly slapped his palm with realization.

Seeing that Luffy finally understood, Leo breathed a sigh of relief and flashed his signature smile again.

"So, how many points would you like to redeem now?"

"Well..." Luffy crossed his arms, appearing deep in thought—or perhaps just in a daze.

After a long pause, he asked, "So, buying a Pokémon costs money, right?"

"..." Leo was speechless.

"That's right."

Whether Luffy truly grasped the concept or was simply pretending, Leo decided to stick to his plan and continued:

"If you don't have money right now, you can also sign a loan agreement with me. With some interest, you can spend it in advance."

"After all, the earlier you buy, the sooner you can start training your Pokémon and making it stronger!"

Leo, trying his hardest to sound convincing, summoned a pre-prepared loan agreement and looked at Luffy expectantly.

He had crafted this agreement specifically to help Luffy get his first Pokémon today.

The terms? Simple—whatever amount you borrow, the interest doubles the principal every year.

He was, after all, a fair and honest businessman!

But just as Leo was about to suggest—or perhaps trick—Luffy into signing the agreement...

Luffy asked, "A loan? No need, I have money, Uncle!"

"Huh?"

It was Leo's turn to be stunned, but he quickly remembered that Luffy indeed had quite a sum.

It was the money that Ace and Sabo had saved over five years to buy a ship and set sail.

Ace and Sabo had planned to use that money to become pirates...

But after what happened to Sabo, no one touched the money, even though they continued to steal and loot.

Now, thanks to Leo's reminder, Luffy had recalled this stash which also made Leo remember it.

...

...

Ten minutes later, under Luffy's guidance, Leo found himself standing beneath a treehouse.

As Leo had predicted, Luffy knocked twice on the left side of the tree trunk, then twice on the right, and a hidden door in the trunk opened.

Rumble!

Suddenly, a cascade of Beli, gold, and silver jewelry poured out of the tree.

Luffy laughed with glee and said, "Uncle, now I can buy a Pokémon, right!?"

Leo used his system's ability to assess the amount and was surprised to find it was quite substantial...

Enough to redeem 2,000 points!

In other words, the stash was worth about 20 million Beli...

It turned out Leo had underestimated Luffy!

"Of course!"

Leo smiled as he transferred all the treasure into the system.

Watching Leo make the treasure disappear instantly, Luffy became even more excited.

"That's amazing!"

From start to finish, Luffy never doubted that Leo might deceive him.

And of course, Leo wouldn't deceive him.

In fact, he planned to give Luffy a significant discount!

The original 20 million Beli should only have been worth 400 points according to his exchange rate...

But...

This time, Leo generously exchanged the entire amount for a Pokémon egg worth 1,000 points.

Without offering Luffy any choices, he handed the Pokémon egg directly to him and said:

"This Pokémon egg will hatch into a Pokémon after 15-20 days."

Given Luffy's confusion, Leo didn't bother explaining further.

After all, Luffy was just a test case for him.

He had no intention of making much money from Luffy.

And knowing Luffy's character, he wasn't exactly a goldmine.

But Leo did make sure to emphasize one important point:

"Remember! Do NOT EAT the Pokémon egg! If you eat it, you won't get a Pokémon!"

He was genuinely worried that Luffy might eat the egg as emergency rations.

To ensure this, Leo even used his powers to implant a subconscious reminder in Luffy's mind.

Then, he handed Luffy a Rotom Phone.

He didn't explain what it was for, only giving Rotom a few instructions before passing it to Luffy.

...

...

Shua!

In a flash of light, Leo teleported back to the Wailord.

He couldn't handle Luffy's antics any longer—he felt like he was constantly on the verge of breaking character and doing something reckless.

Another minute with Luffy, and he feared he might become just as foolish.

The infectious silliness of One Piece's world was no joke!

(End of this chapter)