**Boom!!!**
As soon as Sabo set foot in the town, a violent explosion erupted from the direction of the palace!
"What happened!?"
Sabo and Koala were both taken aback. The elite Revolutionary Army soldiers accompanying them also froze in place, stunned by the sudden blast.
All eyes immediately turned toward the explosion.
Before long, the sound of gunfire echoed from the palace, a cacophony of shots painting a vivid picture of the turmoil inside.
Sabo's brows furrowed as he considered the situation.
"Hyde Palace is under attack again!?"
Although the Wilson royal family is notorious for their inhumane actions, being attacked twice in one month seemed incredibly unlucky.
After contemplating for a moment, Sabo turned to those behind him and issued orders:
"Koala, you and the others wait for my signal near the palace. I'll go in and scout first."
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, Koala, who was fully aware of Sabo's capabilities, nodded in agreement.
The two exchanged a quick glance before Sabo vanished into the night, his figure melding with the shadows as he headed toward Hyde Palace.
---
Meanwhile, inside the palace...
"Liepard, use Screech!!!"
"Pikachu, use Discharge!!!"
Facing a group of guards armed to the teeth, Nami and Kuro shouted their commands as if they'd rehearsed.
"Pika!" "SHaa!"
The two Pokémon reacted instantly. Agile, the Liepard leaped forward, landing directly in front of the guards and unleashing a piercing scream.
"SHaaa!!!"
White circular waves erupted from the Liepard's mouth, enveloping the Hyde Palace soldiers in a shrill assault.
"Ahhh!!! My ears!!!"
The horrendous sound waves prompted immediate cries of pain. The soldiers clutched their ears, retreating in agony.
But the real terror was yet to come.
**Crackle!!!**
Suddenly, Pikachu appeared behind the Liepard, its body crackling with electricity as it darted along the walls. The fierce lightning left scorched marks in its wake.
In a flash, Pikachu, now a ball of electric fury, was among the soldiers. Dizzy from the Screech attack, they barely registered the Pikachu's approach.
A cold glint flashed in Pikachu's eyes. Ever since it had been defeated by Aokiji, it had undergone a profound change. It couldn't bear the thought of its trainer being attacked while it stood by helplessly.
For a month, Pikachu had trained relentlessly under Butterfree's tutelage. Despite being less than two months old, it had already reached the level of an elite trainer's top Pokémon—a remarkable feat even by Pokémon world standards.
Tobul begets Tobul. Pikachu felt Nami's affection and reciprocated with unwavering loyalty.
This is the essence of "eugenics and nurturing" that Leo advocates for: only the best trainers can raise the best Pokémon!
"Pika~chu!!!"
**Boom!!!**
Unmatched electricity erupted from Pikachu's small frame, like countless serpents of lightning writhing through the air. Electric arcs danced across the soldiers, leaving them paralyzed in their tracks.
In the blink of an eye, the soldiers fell, stunned, their bodies occasionally sparking with residual electricity.
Pikachu landed and looked down at the fallen guards with a hint of disdain. This wasn't the challenge it craved.
Now it sought a stronger opponent to push itself further.
However, today wasn't the day for that.
"Let's go, Pikachu!"
With the soldiers subdued, Nami quickly picked up Pikachu, cradling it to her chest.
"Just ahead is Wilson's bedchamber!"
"I'm going to take out King Wilson. Captain Kuro, you head to the vault we discovered last time and gather all the valuables. Have Butterfree-sensei transport them!" Nami instructed Kuro on their next move.
"Once everything's done, we'll head to the basement. If Carina's guess is right..."
"The slaves should be held in the palace's underground prison!"
"No problem."
Kuro nodded, approving Nami's plan. At the next junction, he swiftly turned and led Liepard toward the vault.
As for abandoning Nami and escaping with the treasure? Not a chance!
In this month, Kuro had witnessed Pikachu's incredible potential. If it hadn't been for a stroke of luck with Purrloin's evolution, Purrloin would have been at a much lower level by now.
Meanwhile, Nami's Pikachu had skyrocketed in strength, gaining seven levels in the same timeframe. With such extraordinary talent, Nami was sure to surpass him in the future.
Given the unpredictable nature of the world and the combined might of Liepard and Pikachu, Kuro was already contemplating how to secure his alliance with Nami for the long haul.
---
"Pikachu, use Impact!"
Nami commanded in front of the ornate doors.
In a flash of golden lightning, Pikachu blasted a gaping hole through the palace doors, which creaked open to either side.
**Step!**
Nami, wearing light blue thick-heeled sandals, stepped into King Wilson's palace. Her eyes quickly fixed on the two figures within.
"It's you!"
A voice of surprise came from the bedroom.
Tobul, recognizing Nami and Pikachu, frowned.
"You dare come here again!?" Tobul asked incredulously.
He couldn't fathom how anyone would dare to attack the Kingdom of Hyde again after witnessing Aokiji's strength.
Looking around and realizing the absence of the suited man and the purple cat from before, Tobul breathed a sigh of relief.
If it was just this electric mouse, he could handle it!
At that moment, a sharp voice erupted from behind Tobul:
"Damn it!!! Who dares attack the Kingdom of Hyde!!!"
"Don't you know that Hyde is a member of the World Government!?"
"If you attack us, the Navy and the World Government won't let you off!!!"
King Wilson pointed his ornate pistol at Nami, his tone laced with arrogance.
In the previous incident, Aokiji had left with a haul of Poké Balls, leaving Wilson unaware of Tobul's defeat.
Being a man of pride, Tobul had kept the details of that battle to himself.
Thus, Wilson didn't consider Nami a threat. Seeing her, a mere girl, he carelessly discarded the phone meant to call for backup.
What harm could one little girl do?
He had a CP3 bodyguard sent by the Celestial Dragons. What was there to fear!?
Then...
**Boom!!!**
A flash of lightning struck Wilson's body.
Without hesitation, and without needing Nami's command, Pikachu darted forward, unleashing a high-speed discharge that engulfed Wilson.
The bolt of electricity, nearly invisible to the human eye, struck Wilson instantly.
**Sizzle!**
A burnt odor filled the room.
"..."
Tobul, still in shock, turned to see the charred, unrecognizable remains of Wilson.
"Wilson!?"
Tobul stood there, stunned.
The person he was ordered to protect, King Wilson, had been killed right under his nose.
"This..."
Tobul's eyes widened, unable to process what he was seeing.
How could the electric mouse, which seemed so weak just a month ago, have grown so powerful in such a short time?
Lacking the habit of staying informed, Tobul hadn't kept up with the recent Pokémon developments.
He was simply astounded by the speed of the discharging mouse, matching the speed of [Shave].
"Pika~"
After swiftly incapacitating Wilson, Pikachu returned to Nami's side, ready to defend her from any surprise attack by Tobul.
Nami, aware of Tobul's strength, leaned her back against the cold wall to minimize exposure to attacks, then pointed at Tobul with a confident smile:
"Now, it's your turn!"
"..."
At that moment, Tobul realized the gravity of his situation.
Seeing Nami's fearless gaze, he became furious.
Wilson's death might be a minor issue, but if his superiors or the Celestial Dragons learned of his failure, the consequences would be dire!
"Little girl, do you really think that gaining some power makes you a match for the World Government!?" Tobul growled.
Wilson's death was a fact of life.
Tobul's brain was running at an unprecedented speed, and he quickly thought of another way out.
The only thing he can do now is to quickly bring the murderer to justice, and then assist Wilson's son to take over the slave trading business in time.
As long as he can ensure that the special batch of "artworks" are sent to the Sabaody Islands, then he still has hope of escaping the punishment of the Celestial Dragon!
"World government?"
Nami smiled dismissively.
"If all this misery is caused by the world government, then sooner or later I will change the world!!!"
From Pikachu, Nami saw the hope of the new world!
She firmly believes that as long as she keeps trading, she will realize her dream!
However...
Tobul, who has been brainwashed by the World Government since childhood, obviously cannot accept Nami's arrogant declaration.
"You bitch..."
Tobul suddenly let out a sarcastic laugh from his throat.
"Change the world!?"
Tobul raised his head disdainfully and looked directly at Nami.
"You don't think that you, a weak little girl, and a pet that ate a devil fruit can create anything new, do you?"
"The world is already dark!"
"Hundreds of years, countless heroes have appeared in the world, and they all dreamed of overthrowing the rule of the World Government..."
"But in the end, their souls could only return to the sea!"
"And you, a little girl who was born in the East Blue Sea and was lucky enough to gain some power, dare to say such a thing so brazenly!?"
"You really made me laugh to death!"
Tobul grinned, the muscles on his body suddenly surged, and countless hard hairs suddenly grew out from under his skin.
On his back, there were several rows of spikes that were as high as half a man!
In the blink of an eye, he turned from a normal human into a porcupine walking upright!
This is a devil fruit specially transferred to him from the naval base in the East Blue Sea by a Celestial Dragon after he learned that the Kingdom of Hyde had almost failed.
Zoan Type - Porcupine Devil Fruit!
"But that's okay..."
"I'll just use you to test my newly acquired strength!"
Tobul smiled and suddenly stretched out his hands behind his back.
"Iron block - stabbing flash!!!"
Swish! ! !
Two back thorns as strong as steel were suddenly broken off by Tobul himself, and then they were quickly thrown towards Nami and Pikachu.
"What!?"
Tobul suddenly changed his form, leaving Nami stunned.
But when the fatal attack struck, her energy instantly focused.
Although she doesn't have any powerful attack methods, Nami is still better than ordinary people in terms of agility!
"Get away, Pikachu!"
Nami shouted directly, and then rolled on the spot regardless of her appearance.
The next second, a sharp backstab suddenly appeared where Nami had just been. With powerful force, it penetrated directly into the wall, then shattered the wall and shot into the outer wall of the palace outside the palace.
On the other side, after Nami spoke up, Pikachu also jumped up high as if with divine help, avoiding the backstab attack.
"Is it a devil fruit!?"
Nami at this moment was not her clueless self like when she was at Arlong Park. She immediately understood the changes in Tobul and pursed her lips slightly.
Because she didn't know enough details, she didn't know at this time how much Tobul's strength would increase after eating the Devil Fruit.
But when she thought of those people who were tortured, killed and bullied, Nami immediately gritted her teeth.
"Pikachu, use electromagnetic waves!"
Nami shouted instantly.
"Pika!"
Upon hearing the command, Pikachu's body suddenly erupted with a very steady wave of radio waves, forming a large electromagnetic net and covering Tobul's body.
"Ha! Such a weak electric shock!? Are you begging me for mercy in this way!?"
Looking at the non-offensive electric grid, Tobul immediately stretched out two claws with sharp nails and faced it. The power grid suddenly waved!
But all of a sudden!
A numb feeling penetrated into Tobul's body, causing his body to suddenly enter a state of disobedience at this moment.
"What!?"
Tobul's expression changed. After feeling the abnormality in his body, he quickly used all his strength to get rid of the shackles of this electromagnetic force.
Fortunately...
how could he, who already had good physical fitness, be afraid of the weak electric current after eating the animal fruit?
Soon, he broke out of his paralysis.
Because of his previous experience of defeat and the feeling of being suddenly paralyzed just now, Tobul immediately put away his contemptuous thoughts.
Recalling that the other party's electric mouse seemed to have many other special abilities besides electric discharge.
"It seems that I really can't underestimate you!" He said.
But suddenly, a surprised look appeared on his face.
"Huh!?"
Because the power grid just blocked his sight, and when he looked ahead again, he suddenly found that only the electric mouse was left in front of him.
And that pretty orange-haired girl had disappeared into the palace without knowing when!
(End of this chapter)