Chapter 3: Akane's Smile

"Wuhu!~"

"I'm here to join the adventure of this magical world~!"

As soon as he set foot on the land of another world, Luffy grinned widely, raised his arms high, and let out a cheer of pure joy.

Following their agreement to "obey Akane's command in this world," Luffy quickly turned his gaze to Akane.

"Akane, can we go find that talking kitten from last time!?"

"That trio was so funny; I want to see their act again!"

"That's Team Rocket. They're an evil organization, not a comedy troupe."

"Huh?" Luffy looked confused, "But they are really interesting!"

Akane shot him an annoyed glance. "I'm not going to argue with you. Be quiet; I need to verify something first!"

With that, his consciousness shifted, and a bright interface appeared before him—visible only to Akane.

[Pokedex], [Bag], [Pokémon], [Record]...

Four options, each in a different color, were neatly arranged.

The [Pokedex] function allowed for detailed records of the Pokémon Akane and his friends encountered. It was mostly useless to Akane, serving only as a makeshift database.

[Bag] was the game's backpack function, used for carrying items Akane and the others had obtained. But since they'd just begun exploring this world, the interface was currently empty.

As for [Record], it saved the game progress, but for Akane, it was more like an exit button from the game world. Even after entering this world, their connection to reality hadn't completely severed. Their current state was strange—like being in a dream. Most of their consciousness was focused here, but any disturbance in the real world would pull them back through the [Record] function.

Lastly...

As Akane's thoughts wandered, the [Pokémon] icon lit up. A familiar yet unfamiliar interface appeared before him.

Six Pokémon slots were arranged in order, but only the first one was occupied by a small cartoon version of Luffy—the other five were grayed out.

Clicking to view Luffy's stats, Akane immediately accessed Luffy's Pokémon interface, accompanied by the background sound of "I am the man who will become the Pirate King."

[Pokémon: Monkey D. Luffy]

[Level: 46]

[Gender: Male]

[Personality: Bold (+Defense -Attack)]

[Attributes: Normal, Fairy]

[Features: Regeneration (rapidly recovers physical strength and injuries outside of combat)]

[Skills: Empty, Empty, Empty, Empty]

[Experience Value: 693/6787]

…

[HP: 194]

[Physical Attack: 141]

[Physical Defense: 156]

[Special Attack: 121]

[Special Defense: 135]

[Speed: 138]

…

This was Luffy's complete attribute interface.

Akane's eyes immediately locked onto Luffy's experience points.

"693 points!? It's gone up nearly 200 since last time?"

A gleam of understanding flashed in his dark red eyes.

"It seems experience points aren't limited to this game world—training and battles in reality also help Luffy, as a Pokémon, gain experience!"

Having uncovered another system mechanism, Akane's lips curled into a knowing smile.

Looking at Luffy, who was itching for a fight, he spoke softly. "Alright, Luffy! I've been idle all day; let's warm up a bit first!"

"Hey, I can't wait!" Luffy laughed, his excitement palpable.

He immediately focused on a small purple mouse with sharp front teeth that emerged from the grass—a classic low-level Pokémon, Rattata!

In a blur, Luffy's body moved like a shadow, suddenly appearing behind Rattata, as if he had teleported. At the same time, a strange field emerged, enveloping him and Rattata.

A domain barrier, switchable at will, appeared around Akane, who watched the show from the sidelines.

This game world was a blend of reality and illusion.

In reality, even if Luffy hadn't learned any Pokémon skills, he could still fight freely. Even the roadside Pokémon, usually passive, could suddenly show off battle prowess that matched their levels—running, jumping, dodging, and using magical skills with ease.

But the illusion lay in the fact that every time Luffy and Akane prepared to battle a Pokémon, a field isolated them from other Pokémon. Above Rattata hovered an information bar that followed its movements:

[LV: 5, HP: 21/21]

This indicated Rattata's level and health.

Furthermore, the world wasn't as vibrant as it seemed. Though the people they met had vivid expressions, they could only speak in fixed phrases, unable to hold real conversations.

But... who cares? As long as this world could make them stronger, it was good enough!

"Gum Gum... Pistol!!!"

Bang!!!

A lightning-fast fist shot out, smashing into Rattata without hesitation.

Level 46 vs. Level 5! The outcome was obvious before the battle even began.

"Squeak~"

The unprepared Rattata had no idea Luffy, this powerhouse, would sneak attack it!

With a mournful cry, Rattata's eyes turned into spirals—a sign it had lost the battle. This was a feature of the game world: no Pokémon ever died, they merely lost their ability to fight.

Once a Pokémon's eyes spiraled, it meant Akane could capture it with a Poké Ball. Though they couldn't gain new Pokémon, those captured would provide extra experience points and occasionally drop items—a bonus like a double XP buff.

"Do you want to catch it, Akane?" Luffy asked, having easily taken care of Rattata.

He was starting to understand the game world's mechanics.

But Akane shook his head. "No need. A level 5 Rattata isn't worth wasting a 200-dollar Poké Ball. Let's keep moving!"

As the field disappeared, Akane noticed the system prompt:

[Monkey D. Luffy defeated Rattata and obtained: Experience points +12.]

"Only 12 points? That's not enough to make a dent in Luffy's experience bar... We need to advance the plot and find a high-level area to train."

"Luffy's attributes are Normal and Fairy, meaning he can counter Bug-type, Ghost-type, Dragon-type, and Dark-type Pokémon..."

There are 18 Pokémon types, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. To become a powerful trainer, mastering these type advantages is essential.

As for why Luffy had both Normal and Fairy attributes, Akane had his theories.

First, Luffy's fighting style relies purely on his body, engaging in straightforward, primitive confrontations—a hallmark of Normal-type Pokémon. So it made sense for Luffy to have a Normal type.

The Fairy attribute was likely tied to his Devil Fruit ability. Written as Rubber, Luffy's Nika fruit—a mythical Zoan-type, isn't surprising to be categorized as a mysterious, ever-changing Fairy attribute by the game world.

"But..." Akane's thoughts paused.

"Before Nika's awakening, Luffy's style leaned more toward the Normal type. The Normal attribute isn't strong against others and can't even touch Ghost types... Even with Luffy's powerful Regeneration ability, we need to train him carefully. We must make Luffy stronger as soon as possible."

"Only a powerful Luffy can help me clear levels faster and earn more rewards from the system!" A strange light flickered in Akane's eyes.

He didn't believe his golden opportunity was just to make those around him stronger. He had pinned all his hopes on an untapped mechanism: by completing levels or achievements in the game, he could earn rewards unique to the game.

Akane was certain his path to power would be tied to these rewards! And to obtain them, he had to rely on his only "Pokémon"—Luffy!

But he couldn't let Luffy slack off!

Standing back, watching Luffy rush toward a Pidgeot with a hearty laugh, a knowing smile crept across Akane's face.

"Enjoy this world, Luffy."

"I hope you'll never tire and always fight bravely!"

"For your dreams and goals, I'll push you forward without hesitation!"

"When the time comes, don't forget who your trainer is~"