【Humans are so strange.】
Tyranitar picked up a piece of island cloud, pondering if it was edible. After a brief hesitation, it stuffed it into the mouth.
Eating soil was Tyranitar’s habit, and island clouds were technically a type of soil. But it hadn’t actually studied whether this stuff was edible or not.
The moment the island cloud entered its mouth, it melted, and Tyranitar’s eyes sparkled—as if it had discovered a new world.
But after a couple of bites, it stopped. It didn’t want to risk falling off; it would hurt a lot.
【Yeah, humans are so strange. The way they interact is something we Pokémon just can’t appreciate. Little Hachi* must have picked up bad habits from them.】 [TN: Hachi means 8]
【I told you not to call me that! I am the Evil Dragon!】
【Tch, so you like the nickname your enemies gave you? Guess it’s best to discipline little brothers early on.】
Tyranitar, Emboar, and Hydrachton conversed in a language incomprehensible to humans, while they criticized Kaido and Queen’s odd behaviors and disapproved of Hydrachton’s tastes.
Though they shared the same creator, Hydrachton had a close link to the Yamata no Orochi fruit, so differences were inevitable.
Under Kaido’s drunken state, Queen suffered additional torment, and he realized that Kaido wasn’t a viable option.
Kaido despised subordinates who didn’t dare do something because they were afraid of a fight. If it happened again, he’d probably beat him half to death.
“Damn it, Lord Arceus just left, and who knows how long Miss Yamato will keep playing around…”
Queen wasn’t so rigid. If he couldn’t find top-tier fighters, he’d settle for ones slightly less powerful. Shayna left with Arceus, Olga was drifting around on the seas, leaving only Zeraora and King as suitable options.
After some thought, he decided to look for King first.
…
“Get lost.”
“Hey! You torture-loving pervert, I came here to ask politely, and this is how you treat me?!”
“A guy who can’t even control his appetite? I don’t have time for you.”
King appeared visibly impatient, with the long sword at his waist already drawn. Queen didn’t realize that, when he arrived, King had been using the Lily Carnation, and he’d interrupted this process.
The fact that he hadn’t kicked him outright was already a sign of restraint.
With King out of the question, Zeraora became Queen’s last option. Returning to his lab, Queen tinkered with some small items and then set off to Zeraora’s residence with a gift box in hand.
As for why he brought gifts: if it were just Zeraora, he’d go empty-handed, but the issue was that Zeraora has a wife. Based on Queen’s analysis, though Setsuna appeared easygoing, she was actually very petty.
It had been over a decade since Queen interrupted her date, yet she’d still bring it up occasionally to scold him.
Showing up empty-handed to ask Zeraora to do something potentially risky would most likely end with him being shot into a hedgehog.
…
“Isn’t he living a little too comfortably?”
When they first arrived in Wano Country, it was just a regular thatched hut, consisting of two ordinary flat-roofed rooms. Later, Zeraora and Setsuna built a new home here, and after their marriage, they transformed it into a villa.
Now, after several expansions, the villa had grown into a villa complex, with new buildings like warehouses, guest rooms, and even a small amusement park. It had everything one could want.
In comparison, though his own earnings weren’t any less, Queen’s life seemed pretty miserable.
“Uncle Queen, is there something you need?”
Meowna emerged from the flower bed outside.
“Oh, I’m here to see your dad. Is he home?”
“He’s not, but… why is your face so swollen? Did you eat too much?”
“…”
That question was difficult for Queen to answer. After all, Kaido had been aiming at his face during the whole beating. The fact he could still move normally without bandages was only because Kaido held back.
“Where did your dad go?”
“He and Mom went fishing by the seaside.”
“…Here, toys for you and Wolff. Go play with them.”
Just after handing the toys to Meowna, Queen saw the couple returning with a bucket of fish.
“Queen? What are you doing at my home?”
…
In the living room, Setsuna and Zeraora listened as Queen explained his reason for coming.
“So, you want to borrow Zeraora?”
“Hey, hey, hey, he’s a living person, not your property. Is that really an appropriate way to put it?”
“Don’t mind that; that’s not the main point. The point is, are you planning something dangerous again?”
“It’s really not dangerous. If I’m being honest, if there is any danger, it’ll only be risky for me; your Zeraora can retreat without any issues.”
To convince Setsuna, Queen gave a rather tragic reason, which the others around found quite reasonable.
“Then why do you have to drag him along?”
“With the two of us together, we can even handle a Marine Admiral. Even if something unexpected happens, he’s the fastest at calling for backup. Does that reason satisfy you?”
With a sigh, Queen gulped down all the tea from the teapot in front of him in one go.
For the people below, the power of a Marine Admiral or a Four Emperor was almost insurmountable. Even the least impressive among them, Ryokugyu, had easily dealt with King and Queen, although it helped that they were already injured.
Unless it was an opponent of equal rank, facing an Admiral-level enemy usually meant at most stalling them.
He and Zeraora were enough to handle a Marine Admiral, which reflects Queen’s slightly inflated confidence due to his own enhanced abilities and Kaido’s intense training
“Fine, do as you please. If Zeraora wants to go, he can go.”
Technically, he didn’t need to convince Setsuna, but Zeraora, Mandrell, and sometimes Tesoro all respected their wives’ opinions deeply.
For such risky missions, Queen needed a solid justification.
“Don’t worry. He’ll definitely come back safe. I’ve prepared very thoroughly this time.”
As he spoke, Queen pulled out a Devil Fruit and waved it in front of them.
“A Devil Fruit? What are you going to do with that? We all have our own abilities, so we don’t need it.”
Seeing the Devil Fruit in his hand, Setsuna looked puzzled. She and Zeraora already had their own abilities, and Meowna and Wolff also had the strength bestowed by Arceus. There was no need to add a potential weakness.
“This is for my own use.”
“Are you trying to commit suicide? You can’t be that desperate, right?”
The common understanding across the seas was that eating two Devil Fruits would cause a person to explode and die, so Setsuna didn’t understand what Queen was getting at.
“As if! This is a new move I’ve been secretly preparing. If anyone dares to mess with me, I’ll definitely show that b*stard just what I’m capable of.”
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!