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[News! I've Already Confronted the Five Kage, and the System Just Arrived! Event!!!]
<150 Power Stones/Chapter!>
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No one could have predicted where the headquarters of the World Government would relocate.
They moved to the beginning and end of the Grand Line, opposite the former location of Mariejois, atop the Red Line near Reverse Mountain.
The current state of the World Government was dire. With only a handful of Celestial Dragons left, they were in despair, fearing when the Pokémon Alliance might come to wipe them out completely.
This fear prompted the Five Elders to rescind the bounties on the Pokémon Alliance and retract all measures against them. In short, they had capitulated.
The World Government, now acting like a turtle hiding in its shell, avoided making appearances on the seas, leaving their member nations largely unsupervised.
The weaker and poorer member nations, though dissatisfied, were too afraid to protest, fearing retribution from the Celestial Dragons, who still controlled vast wealth.
In a luxurious temporary office, the Five Elders convened, joined by the leader of the Holy Knights, Grincu.
"Do not provoke the Pokémon Alliance anymore. We are no match for them. That Sceptile alone defeated me effortlessly," Grincu said, covering his blinded right eye. No one could understand the overwhelming power he faced unless they fought that green lizard themselves.
"Are you suggesting we swallow our pride?! How can the Celestial Dragons maintain their dignity if—" Warcury, the bald Elder with a mustache, slammed his hand on the desk in anger.
"Shut up! We're nearly extinct, and you still talk about dignity?" A young survivor of the Holy Knights leapt onto the desk, pointing and cursing at Warcury. "Five of you held back by one Giratina, and you have the nerve to talk about face? If you can't do the job, step down and let me!"
Celestial Dragons were never known for being reasonable. They were akin to Charles (the one Zoro nearly killed at Sabaody) in temperament, only differing in their strength. The few surviving Celestial Dragons were mentally on edge, leading to frequent outbursts.
"Preserving our lives is paramount. Everything else comes second. If you want to provoke the Pokémon Alliance, do it without dragging us down," another survivor of the Holy Knights added.
"Enough. Lord Im has made a decision. We cannot contend with the Pokémon Alliance. Our priority is to suppress any rebellious member nations and increase their tributes. Use these funds to rebuild," Nusjuro, arms folded around his sword, spoke decisively.
"What about the Navy? They keep requesting more funds," Bit, the blond Elder, questioned Nusjuro. "And the Revolutionary Army is growing bolder with our forces scattered."
"The Navy... may have already allied with the Pokémon Alliance," Saturn's expression darkened. The Navy had repeatedly ignored orders to act against the Pokémon Alliance, and their delay during the Mariejois attack was too conspicuous.
"Even if that's the case, we can't sever ties with the Navy yet. We need them to stabilize the member nations and control the pirates. We can't allow the Pokémon Alliance to gain more forces," Mars shook his head, highlighting the precarious balance they needed to maintain.
"Give them some funds, a few billion berries should suffice. With the current unrest, claim we need to recruit more troops," Nusjuro suggested indifferently.
"Dr. Vegapunk has been taken along with his research. He may now be working for the Pokémon Alliance," Grincu sighed, reflecting on their precarious situation. They had nothing but money left.
"Let Kaido's Beasts Pirates' attempt to capture Pokémon leak. Let them fight it out," Bit proposed, trying to instigate conflict between their enemies.
"Forget about Kurozumi Orochi. We need to focus on our own survival," Mars agreed, wrapping up their meeting.
Pokémon Island
Dak raised an eyebrow, surprised to see the four branch managers he summoned already had Pokémon partners.
Galdino had partnered with a Zangoose, showcasing a combined move they called "Zangoose Armor," where Zangoose donned wax armor. Mr. Tanaka had teamed up with an Arbok, combining his Swim-Swim Fruit abilities with Arbok's constriction and venom for sneak attacks.
Mikita had a Braviary, leveraging her Light-Weight Fruit to enhance Braviary's speed. Baccarat, on the other hand, had a Lapras, though Dak couldn't immediately see their synergy, considering her Luck-Luck Fruit could potentially enhance any Pokémon's abilities.
Their Pokémon were blue-tier, mostly around level 40, indicating they were mature adults of their species. While their strength was average for the Grand Line, they were more than capable of defending the North Blue branches alongside their trainers.
With their Pokémon needs settled, Dak planned to allocate recent earnings towards future expenses, particularly for the anticipated large-scale purchase of Pokémon eggs by the Revolutionary Army.
That very night, Bon Clay informed Dak that a former Revolutionary Army officer had arrived at the Sabaody branch.
Curious and puzzled by the term "former officer," Dak rushed to the branch, only to recognize the tall figure in a gray-green cloak as Bartholomew Kuma, holding a baby girl—Jewelry Bonney.
"Here for the Sapphire Scales disease?" Dak asked, realizing Kuma's purpose.
(End of Chapter)