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As the Navy procession reached the grand tournament venue, everyone came to a unanimous stop.
They surveyed the majestic field arranged in a tri-star configuration and the cluster of buildings shimmering with rainbow hues across the lake.
Sengoku couldn't stay calm and pulled aside a nearby receptionist to whisper urgently.
"How much did all this cost?"
"We're not sure, the boss never told us, but I guess it must be at least a billion Belly."
The staff member looked somewhat bewildered but quickly grew proud.
A billion Belly—something unimaginable to him!
Sengoku, however, just smirked. As the current head of the Navy, he was well aware of the value of a billion Belly.
Not to mention the colorful porcelain buildings, just the kilometer-long arch bridge nearby might cost a billion Belly to construct.
"What is that place? Can we go in and take a look?"
Sengoku knew he wouldn't get much out of these folks, so he asked instead.
With over an hour left until the opening match at eleven o'clock, they had plenty of time to check it out.
"Sorry, that's not possible."
The staff member promptly refused.
The leader had already emphasized that it was the Pokémon League's headquarters, off-limits to non-League personnel.
"Let's go, then."
Sengoku nodded and continued towards the tournament venue.
The others didn't seem to mind, but Sakazuki appeared slightly irritated. Who dares to obstruct the Navy in their duties?
But remembering that the Mystery Hatchery House wasn't a den of pirate villains, and the Navy had no right to force an investigation, he calmed down.
Besides, with his current power, even dealing with this lackey in front of him would take some effort.
As Sengoku led by the staff into the spectator seats, he stopped dead.
Because he recognized a group of familiar faces.
"Whitebeard?!"
Sakazuki was the first to shout, raising his fist and striking the air.
His fist glowed briefly red.
He then remembered, this was the Hatchery's territory, and no one here could start a fight; everyone had to follow the rules.
"What's that magma brat up to? Is that some new greeting on the high seas?"
Whitebeard and his crew were quite far from the Navy.
Although the Navy had numbers on their side, the Whitebeard Pirates weren't intimidated, knowing well that the Hatchery would deal with troublemakers.
It was like being guests on Whitebeard's turf, and they were obligated to ensure their guests' safety.
"Doesn't look like it, should Marco and Jozu respond?"
Izou, with his keen eyesight, could see the hostility on Sakazuki's face.
"Alright."
Marco raised his chin and lifted a hand, fully activating his Phoenix Devil Fruit powers.
Then, a purple light glimmered on his fingertips.
Seeing this, Marco's face twitched.
"I'll pass."
Jozu glanced at Marco's fingers and then shook his head.
At best, he could produce a bright light, which would hardly be visible in broad daylight and would only be more embarrassing.
Elsewhere.
"The audacity! They dare provoke us! Let's go smash them up, even if our strength is suppressed, we have more people. It's the perfect chance to keep Whitebeard here permanently."
Sakazuki was furious. When had he ever tolerated such humiliation?
"Calm down, Sakazuki! This isn't the open sea, look up."
At this moment, Sengoku spoke up.
Sakazuki first glanced at Sengoku, noticing cold sweat on his forehead.
He then looked around and saw that Garp, Kuzan, and others were also staring blankly at the sky.
Subconsciously, he too looked up.
Miles of white clouds obscured the blue sky, seemingly hiding nothing.
But within a second, a shadow hundreds of meters long emerged from the clouds, its true form unclear, but one thing was certain—it spelled death if provoked.
"Is that a Pokémon too?"
"It must be."
"Remember what Dak said, this world was created by a Pokémon."
"What kind of Pokémon could be so massive, when even the likes of Sceptile and Darkrai have such power, how strong must this one be?"
"Pokémon size doesn't correlate with power, remember, a newborn Onix is huge but is still afraid of a baby Marill."
"Even so, with the size of that Pokémon in the sky, it's definitely not ordinary."
The Navy wasn't really panicked because they knew they wouldn't be attacked.
They were just shocked to see such a massive Pokémon and began discussing among themselves.
"Let's go there."
Zephyr quickly recovered and pointed towards a direction opposite the Whitebeard Pirates.
Thus, the Navy's ranks headed that way.
When they sat down, they suddenly realized there was another faction present in the spectator seats.
"Hawkeye."
Tsuru noticed but quickly diverted her gaze.
Mihawk's dealings with the Mystery Hatchery House were hardly a secret, so his presence was not surprising.
"This field is really big."
Borsalino sat with his legs crossed, looking at the battle area below and the Whitebeard crew, which seemed like mere specks in the distance.
Such a battlefield, capable of accommodating two thousand troops, was to be used for a few Pokémon battles?
Regarding this, Dak could only say that the Navy would understand in time.
Pokémon battles were never just simple 1v1 duels.
Double battles, team fights were all part of the competitions, just not shown in the animations.
Likewise, effects of Earthquake, Blizzard, Sandstorm, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Grass Terrain, and other wide-range moves and abilities weren't depicted either.
As people from the Navy discussed what they had seen and heard along the way, even Sengoku and Tsuru were whispering about some plan, making the time pass not so slowly.
Close to ten o'clock, five mysterious individuals in cloaks took their seats in the spectator stand, opposite Mihawk.
Now, the seating was divided into four sections.
Navy.
Whitebeard crew.
Revolutionary Army.
Shichibukai.
As ten o'clock approached, everyone's attention shifted towards the entrance.
Next would be the arrival of numerous prospective trainers who had purchased Pokémon in Water Seven City.
The Whitebeard crew and Mihawk were probably just there for the spectacle.
But for the Navy and the Revolutionary Army, it mattered a lot.
Outside the tournament venue.
Every person entering Pokémon Island had two reactions: either stand agape or scream in astonishment.
Doflamingo and Morgans, both big shots from the underworld, were seen walking together, at least somewhat familiar with each other.
"Hehehe, this is too extravagant."
Doflamingo, excited by everything he saw, had initially been uninterested in the invitation to Pokémon Island. His Donquixote family was busy plotting over celestial gold and had no time for shows.
But then, he had handed the Crescent Feather to Senor Pink.
When he visited Senor Pink's room at midnight, seeing his tough family member tear up in his sleep, muttering apologies and regrets, tightly holding the gradually dimming feather, Doflamingo knew he had to make a trip with the Yuki Yuki no Mi and a billion Belly.
The Mystery Hatchery House was not just any powerful force; it was an extraordinary organization beyond 'normal' bounds, wielding powers other than Devil Fruits.
He needed to know more about the Mystery Hatchery House.
At that moment.
Doflamingo finally understood what kind of existence the Mystery Hatchery House was.
Wasn't this just another world's Celestial Dragons?!
No, they had surpassed those powerless fools.
Controlling the power of an entire world, developing it according to their whims, playing all people within their grasp.
Doflamingo envied Dak immensely.
He too wanted such power and status.
He too wanted...
To stand above the heavens!
Morgans had no time to worry about Doflamingo's reactions; he brought three cameras, fearing today's events wouldn't be enough to capture.
His fingers were nearly flying off from pressing the shutter.
When he saw the tournament venue and the League headquarters, he literally crowed with excitement.
Around ten-thirty, Doflamingo and Morgans entered the spectator seats, sitting near but still some distance from Mihawk.
Other ordinary spectators were quite dispersed, mostly gathered around the Navy and Revolutionary Army areas.
Few dared to sit near the Whitebeard Pirates, as they were all ordinary people and didn't feel the bodily changes; the world's suppressive effects were ineffective on them.
Their inherent strength was even lower than that of Newgate and others after suppression.
By eleven o'clock, the spectator seats looked quite filled.
The entire venue buzzed with excitement, voices everywhere discussing passionately, unable to stop sharing their experiences.
One could imagine, once these people left Pokémon Island today, the story would spread across the seas.
The Mystery Hatchery House would once again surge to the pinnacle of public discourse.
Surely more people would come to the Hatchery to buy Pokémon Eggs, even wondering how to enter Pokémon Island to see for themselves.
Some wealthier individuals in the audience began speculating on how much it might cost to buy permanent residency on Pokémon Island from the Hatchery.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our Pokémon Island!"
As people discussed, the central screen in the tournament arena started showing images and sounds.
But hardly anyone watched the screen.
Because all eyes were on the man floating in the center of the arena.
The man with the microphone and green hair.
"I'm Dak, the manager of the Mystery Hatchery House! Delighted to meet you all!"
Dak floated in mid-air using psychic powers and gracefully bowed to the surroundings.
"I know many of you are filled with questions, but please be patient. Before the exhibition match starts, let me explain."
"About the story of another world."
(End of Chapter)