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In no time at all, the "King of Peeping" led his four companions to a grassy thicket.
This was an unnamed village in a corner of the East Blue, with only about fifty residents.
The five huddled low, each covering their heads with grass and wielding sticks, peering through the leaves.
Ahead lay a field where the old man was planting a root-like vegetable with a hoe.
Beside him was Oddish. Although too small to offer much assistance, it vigilantly patrolled the field, keeping an eye out for rodents or rabbits that might eat the old man's crops.
"Oddish, if you're tired, take a break."
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiling in satisfaction at Oddish, who dutifully watched over the field.
He remembered how his son had once followed him, catching small animals in the field, and how the two would roast and eat them at night.
Rustle.
Suddenly, a noise came from the nearby woods.
The old man and Oddish turned to see a drooling gray wolf emerge from the underbrush.
"Huh?"
Dak's eyes widened from afar. He hadn't expected to find wolves in such a small village.
A month ago, the old man and Oddish would have been in serious trouble, but now that Oddish had been around for a while, it was uncertain if this scrawny wolf would stand a chance.
"Odd?"
"It's fine, let's see how Oddish handles this."
Dak restrained Bellamy, who was ready to act, urging him to watch quietly.
The group looked out again, focused on the unfolding scene.
"Oddish, hurry back and call for help."
The old man raised his hoe, gesturing for Oddish to leave quickly and call the villagers for assistance.
It seemed the village's fences had been damaged, otherwise, the wild animals usually wouldn't venture inside.
The old man assumed Oddish was still the timid little sprout who'd cry when attacked by field mice.
"Odd!"
Oddish wouldn't abandon his grandfather. Gathering his courage, he positioned himself in front of the old man and puffed up his cheeks, trying to intimidate the wolf.
But a starving wolf wouldn't be frightened by such a small, seemingly inedible creature.
It advanced cautiously, more wary of the old man's hoe than Oddish itself.
"Oddish, bury yourself in the field!"
The old man knew Oddish could camouflage itself as wild grass, so he waved his hoe to scare off the wolf.
Splat!
Seeing the wolf dare to approach, Oddish spat out a blob of purple slime.
The slime hit the wolf's face with a sizzling sound, and white smoke began to rise.
This was Oddish's Acid, a poison-type special attack.
"Awoooo!"
The wolf howled in pain, but instead of fleeing, the burning sensation ignited its primal fury, and its gaze grew more vicious.
This time, it targeted Oddish directly.
Oddish's attack had enraged it.
"Oddish, can you use that again?"
The old man realized that Oddish was capable of spitting acid and felt a little more confident, but he still held the hoe firmly.
"Odd!"
Oddish, unfazed by the wolf's aggression, used another move: Growth.
Oddish's body grew larger, increasing its attack and special attack power.
Splat!
Oddish spat out Acid again.
The wolf dodged to the side but couldn't avoid it entirely. It took a hit to the ear, which promptly burned away, leaving the wolf with only one ear.
Terrified, the wolf fled back into the woods, tail tucked between its legs.
"Galdino, take care of that wolf."
Dak noticed the wolf fleeing in their direction.
Wolves are vengeful creatures; if allowed to escape, it might return to attack at night. It was best to eliminate it to prevent future trouble.
Although Oddish could defeat the wolf in direct combat, the wolf could easily ambush the old man while Oddish slept, as it often buried itself at night.
"Understood, boss."
Galdino nodded, his fingers turning into candle-like wax.
He swiftly immobilized the wolf with wax, turning it into a solid sculpture.
Oddish's first Acid attack had injured the wolf's nose, preventing it from detecting the humans nearby. Otherwise, it would have steered clear of that direction.
"Oddish, you're amazing!"
The old man scooped up Oddish, celebrating.
Thanks to Oddish, he had escaped a dire situation.
"Let's go."
To Dak, this wasn't extraordinary, but to Bellamy and the others, it was the first time they'd witnessed the power of Pokémon.
Oddish's Acid was super effective.
While it wasn't terribly potent against the wolf due to its fur, it would have been devastating on human skin.
The four now had a deeper desire for their Pokémon.
Mikita's longing was unique; she didn't care much about having a powerful Pokémon but dreamed of one that could help her make delicious chocolate.
"Our next stop: Mihawk."
---
That day, Mihawk was still living in the same winter island village as before, with Psyduck.
Dak and his group cautiously approached Mihawk's house and peered through the window.
Mihawk sat on a wooden chair, holding the latest newspaper, with a steaming cup of coffee on a small table beside him.
Every so often, he'd put down the paper to check on Psyduck, who stood blankly in front of the fireplace, holding a pink egg.
Mihawk worried that Psyduck might wander into the fire itself.
As for Psyduck, he wasn't clutching his head this time and stood obediently by the fireplace, warming the egg.
"Quack."
Psyduck suddenly quacked, his vacant eyes turning to Mihawk.
Outside, Dak couldn't understand it. He couldn't sense any emotion from Psyduck using his psychic powers and guessed Psyduck had just quacked randomly.
Yet Mihawk seemed to have understood something profound, grabbing a scarf from the table and wrapping it around both Psyduck and the egg.
"Quack."
Psyduck looked away.
Outside.
"Huh?"
Dak was baffled.
He was sure his psychic powers hadn't detected any emotion from Psyduck, so had his powers failed?
Or could Psyduck consistently maintain Luffy's mindset from his fight with Enel?
Dak was puzzled, but Mihawk had proven himself to be a competent trainer.
"Let's move to our next destination: the Whitebeard Pirates."
---
On the Moby Dick.
Since little Eggy had hatched, her cries had become the morning wake-up call for the Whitebeard Pirates. (Eggy is her nickname)
It had turned into a habit.
If Eggy wasn't crying, everyone stayed in bed, knowing it wasn't time to wake up yet.
"Old man! Eggy's rock is missing again!"
"Grab one from Blenheim."
Newgate replied skillfully.
He had given this instruction countless times now, and Blenheim had resigned himself to it.
"Take it. Who can stop that little rascal?"
"Sigh, where do all those rocks go, disappearing into thin air?"
Marco rubbed his temples, holding the wailing Eggy, whose tears always seemed to outweigh her body.
"I heard Doflamingo has a subordinate who ate the Ishi Ishi Fruit. Maybe..."
One crew member hesitated, suggesting an idea.
"Forget it, it's not worth it."
Jozu shook his head.
Even though the Whitebeard Pirates weren't afraid of the Donquixote Family, and weren't known for being reasonable, it was too much to trouble them over such a trivial matter.
Not far away on an icebreaker.
"That's it, Vulpix, use Ice Shard again!"
Compared to Eggy's carefree life, Vulpix seemed more like a standard Pokémon.
Whitey Bay often trained Vulpix to perfect their combo moves.
Vulpix spat out an ice shard, which Whitey Bay shattered with her sword, creating shards that shot forward.
"Nice work!"
Whitey Bay was pleased with the result and picked up Vulpix, giving her a kiss.
"Mew~"
Vulpix wagged her tails in satisfaction, clearly pleased with herself.
At Newgate and Whitey Bay's locations, Dak and his group were hidden in the Door-Door space, observing.
Even the "King of Peeping" Dak found it difficult to remain undetected in person, so he used the Door-Door Fruit to help.
Afterward, Dak took the group to see the Krabby on a nearby island.
There wasn't much to see there.
Krabby lived a relaxed life, eating and sleeping whenever it pleased. When annoyed by the village kids, it would hide at the lake's bottom.
"Next stop: Marine Headquarters."
(End of Chapter)