Chapter 118: Undercurrent!

"Secret of the One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six Winds of Woe!"

*Whoosh—*

With Zoro's shout, a fierce storm erupted within the pirate base. The brilliant light of his sword danced through the air like a demon, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.

"Ahhh!!!"

The pirates screamed in terror, scrambling to escape, but none dared to stop.

Just then, a dark green figure suddenly soared over the fleeing pirates and landed before them like a meteorite.

Move — Fury Cutter!

A cruel and fierce glint flashed in the eyes of Scyther that had just landed. In an instant, the creature crossed its two sharp arm blades before its chest.

With two slashing beams of icy light, a blade storm—much like Zoro's technique—was unleashed, creating a deadly pincer attack that made it impossible for the pirates to evade!

When the whirlwind subsided, not a single pirate remained standing on the entire base.

"Fuuu~"

Zoro exhaled deeply, then smiled at Honedge in his hand. Glancing at the Scyther across from him, a grin spread across his face.

"Great teamwork!"

"Chaa!"

Scyther responded with a smile, raising its arm blades.

At that moment, the ground trembled.

Not far from Zoro and Scyther, Alvida, carrying a massive mace, approached step by step, Koby slung over her shoulder, unconscious.

"Boss Zoro! Kita, the one with an 8 million bounty, has been taken down. This base is ours now!" Alvida announced proudly, as if seeking praise.

"Yeah."

Zoro nodded, then looked curiously at the pink-haired boy Alvida was holding.

"What happened to Koby?"

"Him?" Alvida lifted Koby effortlessly, as if carrying a basket of vegetables. "Well… He got knocked out by a pirate I threw. I thought it was too dangerous to leave him alone, so I brought him along."

"…"

So, you accidentally knocked him out? Zoro thought, a helpless expression crossing his face.

Seeing that Koby was okay, Zoro didn't press further. However, he still looked at the boy with concern to make sure he was alright.

In truth, Zoro cared much more for this seemingly weak boy than he let on. In Koby, he saw something Johnny and Joseph lacked…talent and determination!

Compared to his usual sidekicks, Zoro was much more hopeful about this skinny boy. Though Koby's current strength was only on par with a typical pirate, Zoro was confident that in the near future, Koby would become one of the strongest fighters on his ship, second only to him and Scyther!

But what the future holds will only be revealed with time.

Zoro's gaze shifted to the treasure room deep within the pirate base. Johnny and Joseph were already raiding it on his orders, and it wouldn't be long before they tallied their haul.

Thanks to Alvida's betrayal of the Pirate Alliance, their loot this month would be beyond imagination!

Today marked the final battle to dismantle the Pirate Alliance. After gathering supplies here, Zoro planned to contact the dimensional merchants for trades and officially participate in the Pokémon League Conference!

With time to spare, Zoro pulled out his Rotom Phone. But suddenly, a notification popped up.

[Ding dong! You have a new system notification. Please check it!]

Zoro recalled hearing Rotom's voice during the battle earlier. Too occupied at the time, he had asked Rotom to delay the alert.

The sudden reminder prompted Zoro to carefully read the new system messages.

"The Grand Line? The Kingdom of Alabasta?"

After scanning the information, a flash of emerald green light flickered in Zoro's eyes. A grin crept across his face as he glanced at Johnny and Joseph, who were finishing up with the trading supplies, and murmured:

"A special area for ranked matches? This is… exactly what I wanted!!!"

——

As news spread, the entire sea erupted in excitement.

Nothing stays secret in this world!

Within days, major newspapers had caught wind of the system notification and worked tirelessly to report every detail.

Suddenly, anyone with an interest in the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce and Pokémon knew that a Pokémon Center had been established on the Grand Line!

People who believed in the reality of Pokémon could no longer sit still. They did everything they could to reach the Grand Line.

Pokémon were no longer mere fantasy. As more people traded with dimensional merchants, information about Pokémon became more widespread. These adorable, powerful, and loyal creatures quickly gained popularity across the seas.

In every sea but the East Blue—whether North, South, or West—people lamented…Why didn't the dimensional merchants appear where we are!?

Because of this, the number of people migrating to the East Blue from the other seas had skyrocketed over the past month.

But crossing seas in the pirate world isn't something just anyone can do!

Unless you're a powerful pirate who can sail through the Calm Belt…you can only enter other seas through official channels via the Red Line's passages.

And those who can manage that are typically…either rich or noble!

This left many ordinary pirates staring longingly at Pokémon in newspapers, unable to reach them.

Now, with the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce constructing a public landmark in Alabasta on the Grand Line…

Suddenly, people from the other three seas set sail, heading toward the Grand Line!

For those who loved Pokémon but couldn't obtain them, this was their best chance!

They all wanted to see what these creatures from another world looked like!

Even if the journey might cost them their lives.

But this is the world of pirates. For some inexplicable reason, a mere thug can rise to become one of the world's strongest!

Fueled by belief, they always find a way to achieve the impossible!

Suddenly, ships bearing the flags of trainers appeared all over the sea, yet not a single Pokémon could be seen on board as they sailed towards the Grand Line's entrance, the Reverse Mountain.

The true era of Pokémon has officially begun!

...

...

While the outside world buzzed with excitement, a strange event took place in a small villa in the central town of Goa Kingdom.

"Koala, has Captain Sabo's fever gone down yet?"

As Koala emerged from Sabo's room, Nami and Carina rushed towards her, worry etched on their faces.

"..."

Koala sighed, a look of helplessness in her eyes, and shook her head.

"Not yet. Even after seeing so many doctors, no one can explain why Sabo suddenly fell ill."

"It's strange!" Carina murmured in confusion. "Everything was fine before, so why did Captain Sabo suddenly get sick as soon as we arrived in the Goa Kingdom?"

The three girls fell silent, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.

After a while, Koala raised her head, determination in her eyes.

"We can't wait any longer!"

"Tomorrow night, we must take action!"

"Action?" Nami was taken aback. "But with Captain Sabo in this condition, we're leaderless. Isn't it too risky to act now?"

Nami's concerns were valid.

After taking over James's mission, the Revolutionary Army quickly mobilized, gathering a large force in the East Blue and positioning themselves at the edge of the Goa Kingdom. Sabo, who held considerable prestige within the Revolutionary Army, had been appointed commander-in-chief of the operation.

Though Nami and the others were new to the Revolutionary Army, the power backing them allowed them to participate in high-level meetings. However, upon setting foot in the Goa Kingdom, their leader, Sabo, had suddenly fallen ill, struck by a splitting headache, and lost consciousness.

It had been nearly a week, and Sabo showed no signs of waking up, leaving everyone in a state of confusion.

However, seeing the doubts in Nami's eyes, Koala shook her head firmly.

"We can't wait any longer! The Navy has already caught wind of our movements. If we delay, it will only lead to more trouble!"

"Before the Navy can respond, we must launch a blitzkrieg and seize the Goa Kingdom instantly!"

"Then, with the Revolutionary Army's resources, we can purchase powerful Pokémon from the dimensional merchants and fire our first shot at liberating the world, starting with this kingdom!"

Koala paused, then turned to Nami with a serious expression.

"Nami, I've received approval from headquarters..."

"If Sabo doesn't wake up by tomorrow, I will assume command of the army."

"And Sabo's original mission to capture King Goa—tomorrow, it will be up to you!"

"Me?"

Nami was momentarily stunned. But as she considered the situation, she realized that aside from Sabo, she and her Pikachu were the most capable among them.

Though she felt the weight of the danger, Nami finally nodded, speaking resolutely:

"Leave it to me!"

With that, she smiled confidently. After all, if she didn't contribute, she wouldn't be able to enjoy the half-price discounts offered by the Dimensional Merchant.

——

——

"Colonel Smoker, a large number of suspicious ships have recently appeared near the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue. According to the World Government's intelligence department, they are suspected to be from the Revolutionary Army..."

"You are ordered to change course immediately and head to the Goa Kingdom to investigate!"

In the Calm Belt, Smoker, who had just received orders to prepare for the Kingdom of Alabasta, abruptly halted his ship.

He stared at the unfamiliar face on the phone with a resigned sigh.

"Why me? I just received orders from Navy Headquarters to investigate the situation in Alabasta."

"Because you're closest to the Goa Kingdom and have sufficient strength." came the unfamiliar voice through the Den Den Mushi.

"And..."

"This is a direct order from the World Government!"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Smoker suppressed his frustration and finally responded into the Den Den Mushi:

"Understood. I'll head to the Goa Kingdom to investigate."

"Good..." The voice on the other end sounded satisfied. "I'll leave it to you!" With that, the line went dead.

"This..."

Tashigi, standing beside Smoker with her sword Shigure in hand, sighed in disappointment. She looked dejected, her excitement over visiting the Pokémon Center dashed.

"Why now? Couldn't they have called earlier? This is such a letdown..."

But there was nothing they could do about the whims of the World Government officials.

Tashigi pouted in frustration and couldn't help but complained.

"And the Revolutionary Army isn't our concern! Are the World Government officials just there to eat!? And why are these Revolutionary Army people so foolish!"

"While everyone else is heading towards the Grand Line, they insist on going to the Goa Kingdom. Aren't they just walking into a trap!?"

"..."

Smoker, puffing on his cigar, gave Tashigi a bemused look.

Ever since the World Government's orders to attack civilians were revealed, Tashigi's view of the Navy seemed to have undergone a complete transformation!

Once a staunch supporter of the Navy, she now acted like a tax dodger, thinking only of Pokémon and famous swords, uninterested in anything else.

Exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, Smoker, worried Tashigi might say something out of line, quickly interrupted her.

"Alright, alright, complaining won't change anything! Let's head to the Goa Kingdom and see what's really going on..."

"The sooner we resolve this, the sooner we can head to Alabasta."

"Headquarters has invested a lot in me; they're expecting me to achieve good results at the Pokémon League Conference. I need to deliver!"

After persuading Tashigi with a few words, Smoker lit three cigars and sat silently in his office.

The swirling smoke filled the room, casting a hazy veil over the space.

After a while, Smoker pressed his cigar into the ashtray and muttered softly:

"What a foolish World Government…"

(End of this chapter)