Chapter 57: Stage and Audience! [+10]

In a different dimension, Leo watched the surveillance footage transmitted by Rotom on his mobile phone, feeling relieved when he saw that Luffy had no intention of eating the Pokémon egg.

Instead, Leo's face lit up with anticipation as he continued to observe Luffy on the screen. 

"I hope you can awaken the bond and achieve evolution..." Leo muttered expectantly.

Yes, the reason Leo was so generous with Luffy and even showed him an illusion of Bond Evolution between Greninja and Charizard was that he wanted to witness Bond Evolution with his own eyes in the world of pirates!

In the omnipotent system, Leo could directly exchange points for Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, or Gigantamax. But the Bond Evolution of Ash-Greninja couldn't be acquired unless through a custom, expensive point exchange.

It made sense to him—after all, bonds are a mysterious and profound concept that can't be fully explained.

That's why Leo specifically gave Luffy a Froakie Pokémon egg. In his mind, Luffy, who is also a destined child, was the person in the pirate world most likely to form a bond similar to that of Ash and Greninja.

"Don't let me down~" Leo said with a smile, watching Luffy carry the Pokémon egg back home.

---

Bond Evolution is a form of evolution that only occurs when the bond between a Pokémon and its trainer reaches a certain level. After evolving, the trainer and Pokémon share a deep mental connection, greatly enhancing their combat effectiveness.

Because the system didn't have any specific examples, Leo didn't fully understand the mechanics of Bond Evolution. But before he traveled to this world, he had come across two theories online...

One theory from the Pokémon games suggested that only Pokémon with a special bond characteristic could undergo Bond Evolution. However, after thoroughly searching the system, Leo found no trace of such a characteristic or any Pokémon possessing it. This theory was obviously false.

The other theory was simpler: if the bond between the trainer and the Pokémon reached a certain threshold, it might trigger the Pokémon's bond characteristic, allowing it to evolve through that bond... or the evolution might be directly caused by the strength of the bond.

Which one was correct? Leo couldn't be sure. He couldn't even guarantee that Bond Evolution was possible.

Still, it wasn't a loss... Leo had exchanged 20 million Beli for 2,000 points, spent 1,000 on the experiment, and still made a profit of 1,000 points.

Whether his plan will work, time would tell.

---

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

The massive Wailord continued its journey through the deep sea, devouring tens of millions of tons of marine life along the way. Soon, Leo reached his destination.

The sea restaurant, Baratie.

This was also the final stop of Leo's planned journey through the East Blue Sea.

As a renowned maritime restaurant in East Blue, Baratie usually catered to famous nobles, wealthy gentry, and occasionally, passing naval officers or notorious pirates.

But today, the restaurant was filled with a peculiar crowd.

They all wore simple suits and hats, with the brims pulled low to hide their faces. Hanging around each of their necks was a camera, and a small notebook with a pen was tucked into the collar of their shirts.

There were hundreds of them, all nervously watching the sea as if anticipating something monumental.

And indeed, something was about to happen.

Not long ago, their newspaper had received a tip-off...

It claimed that Admiral Akainu of the Navy Headquarters had come to East Blue on a secret mission.

Typically, the Navy would never disclose an Admiral's whereabouts, and newspaper companies wouldn't believe such information without concrete proof.

Even with an endorsement from the president of the Kaya Chamber of Commerce, they were skeptical.

However, shortly afterward, a massive naval fleet was spotted entering the East Blue Sea.

Piecing together this new intel with their prior information, the reporters became excited.

They pulled strings and used favors to verify the commander of that fleet...

But no matter what connections they used or how much they prodded, they couldn't get any information!

But sometimes, silence is the loudest clue.

The lack of information was itself the best news!!!

Even if it wasn't an Admiral from the headquarters, the Navy's tight-lipped stance suggested that this was big news!!!

At this point, the paparazzi began tracking the fleet.

And just yesterday, they received another message stating that a war, one that would shake the world, was about to erupt at Baratie.

Following the principle of preferring to believe something than dismiss it, major newspapers and media outlets sent teams to Baratie overnight, all eagerly awaiting the breaking news.

---

"What a bunch of idiots. They've been here all day, just ordering fried rice and blocking our business!"

Inside Baratie, Patty, a waiter, grumbled as he watched the reporters clogging the entrance.

But since they were paying customers, he wouldn't kick them out. After all, money was money.

Other members of the restaurant also gathered in the lobby out of curiosity.

"Hey, old man, what do you think they're here for?" Sanji, not yet a smoker, frowned and asked Zeff irritably.

"How should I know!" Zeff snapped back.

But his tightly furrowed brows betrayed his own unease and concern.

Just then, something stirred in the calm sea.

"Hey!? What's that!?" a sharp-eyed reporter suddenly shouted.

Following his gaze, the others turned toward the sea.

Under the sunlight, a massive shadow appeared beneath the water.

Then the waves began to churn, the sea boiling as bubbles of various sizes surfaced.

The enormous shadow slowly rose toward the surface.

"This...this..." A collective gasp of shock spread among the reporters, diners, and restaurant staff.

Splash! ! !

A terrifying sound echoed as a colossal beast burst from the sea, floating on the surface and heading towards the sea restaurant.

With a height of over a thousand meters and a length of more than ten kilometers, the sheer size of the creature struck fear into everyone at Baratie.

"Is it coming to eat us?!" someone stammered.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!! How could such a monster exist!?"

"This is a human restaurant, not a Sea King's dining hall!?"

Panic erupted among the crowd.

Even the reporters, who had come on assignment, were now rushing back to their ships.

It was no joke! They were here to work, not risk their lives!!!

As they fled, they occasionally glanced back to capture images of the gigantic beast.

Even Sanji and Zeff were caught up in the panic.

"Old man, what do we do!?"

"What do we do!?" Zeff, sweating profusely, urged the chefs and waiters, "Set sail now! We have to get out of this monster's path!!!"

"Yes, boss!"

Everyone scrambled into action.

But the more they rushed, the more hopeless they felt.

The terrifying beast wasn't just enormous—it was incredibly fast.

Before they could even finish preparing to escape, the monster had already closed in on them, riding the waves.

"It's over! We're going to die!"

"Mom, I want my mom!!!"

"Husband, I'm sorry. The child is actually the neighbour's!"

In the face of impending death, people showed their true colors.

Some remained calm, while others broke down in tears...

One even wanted a reporter to capture his last moments, asking them to take a handsome picture of him with the monster.

Just as despair gripped everyone, a voice rang out from the sky, like a divine proclamation:

"Congratulations to all of you! You've been selected as the audience for this Pokémon Exhibition Match!"

"Please enter the venue in an orderly manner. We've prepared a fine banquet to warmly welcome you!"

"We won't disappoint you!" 

(End of this chapter)