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When Sasuke woke up, he found himself on a massive deck, immediately filling him with anger. He stood up, his face full of displeasure and fury, and looked around. There were a bunch of big, burly men around him, some even standing at four or five meters tall, and a few at seven or eight meters.
Instantly, Sasuke calmed down.
What anger?
He didn't know what that was.
One must always remain calm to go further.
Having calmed down, Sasuke recalled what Naruto had said: this world, while dangerous, had most of its dangers stemming from wild beasts and sea monsters.
Though he had been kidnapped, there didn't seem to be any immediate threat to his life, so there was still room to negotiate.
He still hadn't killed Itachi. He couldn't afford to die here.
"Yo, kid, you're awake?"
Thatch walked by and, seeing Sasuke's composed expression, chuckled.
He could more or less guess why Sasuke was keeping a straight face.
"…"
Sasuke didn't know what to say.
Should he start by questioning why they kidnapped him?
But what if they weren't the ones who kidnapped him, and instead they had saved him?
If they were the kidnappers, would they lie to him and say they weren't, only to hand him over at the drop-off point?
"Stop overthinking, kid. You've probably heard of the Whitebeard Adventure Group, right? We saved you."
As Sasuke's thoughts grew increasingly wild, Thatch's words snapped him back to reality.
"Um… thank you."
Sasuke said, though he had never heard of any Whitebeard Adventure Group.
But since the man dared to claim this, they likely weren't bad people. They seemed quite well-known in this world.
"Hey, Thatch, a kid this young might not know about us. Our reputation isn't what it used to be."
Vista, the Fifth Division Commander, couldn't help but jump in.
Holding a glass of red wine, he sighed.
While today's peaceful life wasn't all that different from before, Vista sometimes missed the days decades ago when their whole crew sailed the seas together.
"True enough. Hey, have you heard of us?"
Thatch, reminded by Vista, realized he might have been assuming too much, so he asked Sasuke.
"No, I'm not from this world."
Sasuke, having calmed down, decided to tell Thatch the truth.
The people on this deck didn't seem hostile toward him, and from their conversation, they didn't seem like the type to deceive him.
Of course, the most important factor was the presence of many Pokémon on the deck.
Growlithe, Chansey, Snorlax…
And many more Pokémon that Sasuke couldn't identify.
Based on Naruto's bragging at the ninja academy, the Pokémon Alliance had high standards for trainers. At the very least, bad people had little chance of obtaining Pokémon.
The Inspection Teams could appear anywhere Pokémon were found, constantly observing the day-to-day interactions between Pokémon and their trainers.
If anything seemed off, an investigation would follow.
As the first and best-treated department of the Pokémon Alliance, the requirements to stay on the Inspection Teams were high.
Every team had performance targets; if no cases were solved in three consecutive months, the team would be disbanded, and all members fired.
There was no situation where every trainer and Pokémon got along perfectly.
Even in the original Pokémon world, there were plenty of issues, let alone in this pirate world.
If others can find problems but you can't, you're either corrupt or incompetent. Either way, you're out.
Under such competitive conditions, all members of the Inspection Teams worked hard, making having Pokémon in this sea a symbol of being a good person.
"Hey? Are you a child from Pokémon Island?"
Thatch was surprised.
"Thatch, you idiot! Haven't you learned anything after all these months of schooling? Pokémon Island was only created a few years ago. How could there be a kid this big from there?"
Vista couldn't help but scold Thatch.
He felt that while Thatch had learned a lot about Pokémon after going to school, his brain seemed to have gotten less sharp.
"So, you're from that new world, right?"
Thatch finally understood.
"Eh?!"
"A kid from another world?"
"No wonder he's so small. He doesn't even look as big as Little Oz's littlest son."
"Idiot! How can you be so rude? He's still a child; who knows how he'll turn out when he grows up."
"Doesn't seem all that different, really."
The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates on deck got excited upon hearing Sasuke was from another world.
They couldn't help it; the Pokémon era had left them with too much free time.
Many members of the Whitebeard Pirates had already, with Newgate's permission, taken their partners to challenge gyms in preparation for the first Pokémon Battle Tournament.
Even Newgate himself was a participant.
The reason the Moby Dick was near the Sabaody Archipelago now was that some members were preparing to challenge the Sabaody Gym.
"Yes."
Sasuke nodded, looking at the crowd before him, his mind racing with other thoughts.
"How did a kid like you end up here?"
"Power. I need power to exact my revenge."
Sasuke's face darkened instantly.
His small face radiated intense killing intent and hatred.
"Interesting."
The leader of the Whitebeard Pirates, Newgate, spoke up, looking at Sasuke with interest. "Tell us about this 'revenge.' If you can convince me, we might be able to provide you with that power."
Newgate's willingness to make such an offer showed how bored he'd become.
He sometimes even thought about going out and picking fights with Garp and Sengoku.
Sasuke's appearance had brought some excitement to him.
"…"
Sasuke raised his head to look at the tall man sitting in the center.
Not only did everyone seem to defer to this man, but Newgate's sheer size made him appear incredibly powerful to Sasuke.
The sense of pressure he felt even surpassed that which he had felt when Itachi stood before him with a blade.
If he could defeat this man, then he could definitely defeat Itachi.
Thinking of the power Newgate mentioned, Sasuke hesitated but ultimately decided to tell him everything.
After hearing what Sasuke had to say, the entire crew on the Moby Dick fell into silence.
To them, Itachi's act of slaughtering his parents and entire clan was nothing short of monstrous—something that they would hunt to the ends of the earth.
Even though Sasuke's story was told from his perspective and might have some misunderstandings, the fact remained that Itachi had committed those acts.
Regardless of the reasons, Itachi had to die.
"Alright, no problem. We'll help you gain that power."
Newgate was the first to speak up, nodding.
He hadn't expected the "revenge" to have such a heavy backstory.
While he had stirred up painful memories for Sasuke, Newgate had no intention of apologizing. He would express his apology by helping Sasuke gain power.
"That's right! Don't worry; we'll make sure you become strong."
"Uchiha Itachi? We can handle him easily."
"We'll make sure you get your revenge with your own hands."
"When the Whitebeard Pirates make a promise, we keep it."
With Newgate's endorsement, the rest of the crew spoke up, determined to help Sasuke achieve his goal.
They would make sure Sasuke personally took down Itachi.
"I need something that will make me stronger quickly. I'm willing to pay any price for it!"
Sasuke clenched his small fists.
"Something like that…"
"Yeah, only a Devil Fruit could boost someone's strength that quickly."
"But eating that stuff makes you a landlubber. Hardly anyone wants to eat a Devil Fruit these days."
"True, everyone wants a Water-type Pokémon to explore the ocean depths with."
The Whitebeard Pirates discussed Sasuke's request.
"We do have some of those, but even Devil Fruits require development, and they depend on the user's own strength."
Newgate glanced at Sasuke's small frame. "With your current physique, you might not even be able to harness the power of a Devil Fruit."
"I can."
Sasuke stubbornly retorted.
The storm had passed, the rain had stopped, and Sasuke felt confident once again.
"No, you can't."
The one who spoke was Marco.
Except he was already in his Phoenix form, covered in blue flames.
"…"
Sasuke stared blankly at Marco.
The next moment, his eyes shone with fervor.
Yes, this was it. With such power, he could surely kill that man!
"To wield a Devil Fruit's power effectively, the user needs to have a strong physique."
"With your current state, even if you got a Devil Fruit, you wouldn't become that powerful. I don't know exactly how strong this Itachi is, but to kill someone who could wipe out an entire clan by himself seems beyond your capability right now."
"Plus, using Devil Fruit abilities drains more stamina. How long do you think you can last in a fight with your current stamina?"
Marco spoke to Sasuke seriously.
He didn't want Sasuke to get a Devil Fruit and then, overestimating himself, go off on a reckless revenge mission.
"Then what should I do?!"
"You weren't planning on finding this guy soon anyway, right?"
Newgate spoke again, watching Sasuke's anxious expression as he slowly continued,
"So, how about this: while you look for him, you can train with us. We can help you develop the necessary strength and, during this time, find a suitable Devil Fruit for you."
"…Why should I believe you can make me that strong?"
(End of Chapter)