In the Pokémon world, battles between Pokémon were commonplace, and it is common for Trainers to compete against each other. However, this was the One Piece world, where most Pokémon created by Arceus generally get along quite well.
Even if conflicts and disputes arise among individual entities, they have never fought against fellow Pokémon under the command of humans.
Uta and Luffy were unaware of what Pokémon represented, but with their competition as the goal, the duel between Heracross ultimately unfolded. It was the first battle under human command since Pokémon were born in this world.
“Oh, they seem eager for battle. Let’s take this outside and not cause trouble here.”
Seeing that the two Heracross really planned to duel, Shanks pulled a child with each hand to leave the Makino’s bar. Other Red Hair Pirates members also followed Shanks, except for one—Gab.
Gab, resembling a lion-like beastman, looked intimidating but has a kind heart and a fear of bugs.
Heracross is also a type of bug, albeit much larger than typical bugs. It still falls under the category of bugs. After Uta returned with Heracross, Gab felt extremely uncomfortable.
Luckily, Heracross was a beetle, not a caterpillar-like bug or it might have made him panic.
Beetle duels were children’s games, but witnessing such large beetles fighting was a first for them. Given the overall personality of the Red Hair Pirates’ members, they certainly wouldn’t miss out on such entertainment.
Yasopp, who proposed the duel, marked out the duel area on the ground for the Heracrosses. The rules were simple—knock the opponent out of the ring, much like sumo wrestling.
“Ready? Then let’s begin!”
With both beetles in position, Shanks and the referee gave the command to start.
The levels of the two Heracrosses weren’t high, but the levels of their “Trainer” were even lower. Uta and Luffy didn’t know what Pokémon were or their moves, so their battle commands were weak, mostly just cheering them on.
The two Heracross clashed horns, the typical way for Heracross duels.
“Go, beetle! I’ll treat you to delicious fruit juice afterward!”
“I’ll not only treat you to fruit juice but also sing you a new song!”
Apart from material incentives, they couldn’t do much else. The two children cheered on their Heracross due to their desire to win, while others noticed the uniqueness of these Heracross.
The current Red Hair Pirates staying in the East Blue is simply bullying others. Their crew members were the top experts of the Grand Line, so they naturally recognized the uniqueness of Heracross.
“Shanks, regular beetles shouldn’t have this much strength, and they… are too clever.”
“Who knows? Isn’t it the unknowns in the sea that make people want to explore it? Besides, Uta seems happy.”
Shanks joined the cheering crowd, and the duel ended with Uta’s victory because she unintentionally used the strongest move in the Pokémon world—Dodge it.
Before Luffy’s Heracross could charge, she tried to get her Heracross to listen to her and dodge the opponent’s attack, as they had decided to determine the winner by seeing who left the ring first.
Whether knocked out or charging out, both counted as leaving the ring.
In the end, Heracross followed her advice, leading to this outcome.
“Yay! 183rd win, Luffy, you lost again.”
“This doesn’t count! You cheated! Why did you make it dodge?”
“Hmph~ I didn’t say it couldn’t dodge, you crybaby.”
“I’m not! Let’s have one more round. Anyway, I won 182 times before this!”
Amid Uta and Luffy’s argument, the duel ended, and the two Heracross became part of their lives.
The joyous time was short-lived, as the time soon arrived for Shanks’ to leave. Their destination this time was Elegia, where he planned to take Uta, who is gifted in music, to learn more about music.
“Uta! Come back soon!”
At the seaside of Foosha Village, Luffy and his Heracross watched as the Red Force disappeared from their view.
…
Red Force set sail from Foosha Village, while Tesoro’s merchant ship departed from the Red Line. Although they had different starting points, and Tesoro set off earlier, due to the merchant ship needing to transport supplies along the way, Tesoro’s journey was much longer than Shanks’s.
So, the two ships arrived in Elegia almost at the same time, with Shanks even arriving a few days earlier.
“Mr. Tesoro, it’s the Red Hair Pirates. Should we proceed with the landing as planned?”
“Land as planned, no need to worry. They’re not evil pirates, and even if they were, we have nothing to fear. But why are they here?”
Shanks’s reputation has increased significantly now, with his name being the most prominent among the “new generation.” As a former crewmate of the Pirate King, combined with his considerable strength, he had become a notable figure on the seas. However, for some reason, he hadn’t entered the New World yet.
Among the pirate community, the Red Hair Pirates were undoubtedly a more “friendly” type, and there hadn’t been any negative news about them so far.
“Then, Mr. Tesoro, where are we going now?”
“Let’s first meet the king here. This team-building activity won’t be short; we’ll be troubling them for quite a while. Tanaka, go and deliver the visitation letter first.”
“Understood, please wait a moment.”
Shortly after, Tanaka sent a letter on behalf of the Beasts Fruits’ Entertainment Department. The letter mainly expressed their intention to interact and study here for some time, and they hoped he could arrange matters for their admission.
Things like this were not uncommon in Elegia; foreign exchange students were the island’s main economic source. Many people come here every year to study vocal music, including some nobles who provide them generous sponsorship.
Tesoro believed Elegia had no reason to refuse their visit, so he led the people on the ship straight into the streets of Elegia. However, they encountered an unexpected creature here.
“Little White, where are you going?”
Walking down the street, Stella’s Persian suddenly ran off in another direction. Persian’s unusual behavior puzzled Tesoro and the others, so they followed along. Soon, they saw the Persian standing in front of a large beetle.
“A Heracross? Are the creatures created by Lord Arceus here as well?”
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