At this moment, only eight eggs remained under the tree.
One had been sold to the Whitebeard Pirates, a purple-grade egg costing one million Berries, which used up all their funds.
Another was left for the employee, Bon Clay, to care for, also of purple grade. Whether it could become Bon Clay's partner would depend on the little one's attitude after hatching.
The remaining eight eggs consisted of one white, three green, three blue, and one purple.
Dak quietly watched Mihawk approach the eight eggs.
Although Mihawk wasn't the first customer, he was the first to enter the Nursery of his own accord.
"This one."
Mihawk didn't seem like the type to get caught up in indecision.
He casually pointed at a deep yellow egg, then turned to look at Dak.
"One hundred thousand Berries."
Dak glanced over.
Perfect, Mihawk, a chosen one, had picked the only remaining white egg.
Truth be told, green and blue eggs were of average quality, and even though the probability of purple-grade eggs was higher than that of white ones, white-grade eggs could potentially be problematic.
Dak wondered if Mihawk would come after him with a sword if he found out about this.
"..."
Though a flicker of confusion passed through Mihawk's eyes, he didn't bother to ask too many questions.
Like Whitebeard and his crew before, he found it odd that such potentially powerful creatures were sold for so little.
However, Mihawk didn't consider that perhaps only this egg was priced so low, and others might cost more.
Looking down, Mihawk was momentarily puzzled.
He never kept money on him.
Despite his strength and renown, if he were wealthy, he wouldn't need to live in someone else's leftovers.
Typically, it was the foolishly brave bounty hunters who provoked him, whose heads he would then exchange for money to buy supplies until it ran out.
"If you didn't bring money, other items of equal value to one hundred thousand Berries are acceptable. We can exchange them ourselves."
Dak offered a solution upon noticing Mihawk's awkwardness.
After hearing this, Mihawk nodded and handed Dak the dagger from his neck.
"Enough."
Not only was it enough, but it also exceeded the amount.
According to the system's evaluation, the dagger was worth no less than eight hundred thousand Berries, though its material was unknown.
"Hmm."
Mihawk nodded, holding the deep yellow egg and turning towards the door.
"Wait, this is a medium for entering our Nursery, a Pocket Token. Simply hold it and open any door to enter our Pokémon Nursery. We welcome your next visit."
Dak handed Mihawk a jade token, which he held with a slight daze.
After all, Dak seemed to be speaking of something quite extraordinary.
Mihawk, however, showed little interest, categorizing it as some sort of Devil Fruit ability or Pokémon power, then walked out with a swagger.
"What do we do now?"
Bon Clay watched the door close again and asked.
"Tell the eggs a bedtime story, then rest. It's getting late."
"A story?"
"Yes, you're responsible for your egg. Just talk to it about anything, your past experiences or sights seen, to build a connection."
Dak acted as if it was the most natural thing.
Although it felt odd for Bon Clay to speak to an egg, it wasn't something he couldn't accept.
About half an hour later, after completing their daily tasks, Dak and Bon Clay returned to their rooms.
"Let's tackle the main quest tomorrow. First, let's see how to spend those 1000 Poké Coins."
Dak opened the Poké Mart, looking for items that could directly enhance his combat capabilities.
Mihawk's speed today was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye, meaning if Mihawk had intended to kill him, Dak would have been in real trouble. This instilled a sense of urgency in Dak to strengthen himself.
[Evergreen Force (Seed)]: 100k Poké Coins
[Psychic (Seed)]: 100k Poké Coins
[Aura Guidance (Seed)]: 100k Poké Coins
The most direct upgrades were these special powers from the Pokémon world. However, it seemed he could only purchase the seeds of such abilities, with each seed costing one billion Berries, and every level upgrade requiring 100k Poké Coins, which was undoubtedly expensive for Dak at the moment.
Cheaper options were auxiliary training items, usable by both Pokémon and humans.
Aside from these, there wasn't much else that could enhance combat ability. The Poké Mart mainly offered items related to Pokémon, with only a few functional consumables applicable to humans.
"1000 Poké Coins could buy a not-so-low-level Pokémon, but I already have Darkrai."
After much deliberation, Dak found almost nothing useful in the Poké Mart for his situation.
[Poké Spin]
Unsure where to spend but itching to do so, Dak opened the forbidden wheel.
One hundred Poké Coins per spin, exactly enough for a ten-spin.
The system is tempting me! With gritted teeth and gleaming eyes, Dak decisively opted for a ten-spin draw.
[Congratulations on receiving]
[Berry Gift Pack x1]
[Berry Mixer x1]
[Armament Haki Lv.1]
[Random Pokémon Egg x10]
[100k Belly]
[100k Belly]
[Three-Dimensional Enhancement Level 1]
[1m Belly]
[1m Belly]
[New Moon Feather (Bound) x1]
"Keep 200k Belly, convert 200k into 200 Poké Coins, then check my personal panel."
Dak was exhilarated.
His first ten-spin draw was of exceptionally high quality, possibly a marketing strategy by the system, but he made a huge profit from this round.
[Dak]
Identity: Pokémon Nursery Manager, Novice Breeder
Abilities: Strength Lv.2, Agility Lv.2, Stamina Lv.2, Breeding Lv.1, Conqueror's Haki Lv.10, Armament Haki Lv.1, Talent Detection
Pokémon: Darkrai (Lv.100)
Balance: 200k Belly, 200 Poké Coins
Special Items: New Moon Feather (Bound), Berry Mixer
"Ha, a significant boost in combat capability!"
Dak raised a fist, which turned pitch black, showcasing his newfound strength.
If one disregards the max-level Conqueror's Haki, Dak might still be a small fry in the Grand Line but would already be quite formidable in the Four Seas.
He could easily claim a few million Berries as bounty.
The only downside was, despite his physical enhancements, he still lacked combat skills and experience.
Opening the Berry Gift Pack scattered a hundred Berries across the bedroom floor, featuring a variety of species only found in the Pokémon world.
However, there were no exceptionally rare or powerful Berries among them, mostly common with a few rare ones, but none with significant effects.
Dak had Darkrai move the Berries to the crafting room.
(End of Chapter)