"Oh?"
Using his psychic abilities to read Aokiji's thoughts, Leo quickly located the special feed Aokiji wanted to purchase within the system.
Compared to other items that could enhance Pokémon's power, this special feed was surprisingly simple. It was essentially a chemically synthesized nutrient designed to stimulate Magikarp's cells, boosting their vitality and making them more active.
Pokémon scientists had discovered that Magikarp's difficulty in evolving stemmed from their small brain capacity, hard and lean bodies, and lack of natural predators. This led to their famously lazy behavior—Magikarp would rather lay down than swim, only exerting themselves during breeding season when their biological instincts kicked in.
In the Pokémon world, there was a phenomenon known as the "[Carp Leaping Dragon Gate]," where large numbers of Magikarp, driven by instinct, overcame various challenges to swim upstream and lay eggs, sometimes even scaling waterfalls. The intense physical exertion required for this process often triggered mass evolutions among Magikarp.
Scientists developed this special feed by studying this phenomenon, creating a product that could reliably induce Magikarp to evolve. Because it didn't contain any special energy, the feed was quite affordable.
A three-month supply of this feed for a Magikarp cost only a few points. Even with the addition of water energy cubes to ensure a 100% evolution rate, the total cost didn't exceed 10 points.
To Aokiji, spending 10 points—or the equivalent of 5 million beli—to gain a rear admiral-level combat unit was a bargain. Yet, as Leo smiled warmly under the moonlight, Aokiji couldn't shake the feeling that he was being taken advantage of.
"It must be my imagination. How could Sir Leo deceive me?" Aokiji muttered to himself. The thought of acquiring such powerful combat forces at such a low cost reassured him that he wasn't being tricked.
In the end, Aokiji spent 50,000 points to buy enough feed and water energy cubes from Leo to evolve his 5,000 Magikarp.
Six months ago, he had purchased 5,000 Magikarp for just 5,000 points. Now, half a year later, he was spending 50,000 points on their evolution—perhaps this was why Aokiji felt uneasy.
But Leo had been transparent about everything before the transaction. Aokiji had willingly chosen to buy the Magikarp. There was no deception involved.
After all, exchanging 27.5 billion beli for 5,000 Gyarados was a great deal by any measure.
Without batting an eye, Leo deducted the 50,000 points from Aokiji's account, smiling as he did so.
"It was definitely the right choice to have Aokiji purchase the Magikarp," Leo mused quietly.
Unlike Akainu's hawkish approach, Leo recognized that Aokiji was the kind of leader who would invest substantial resources into ordinary naval soldiers. This made Magikarp and Feebas perfect for the navy.
Still, since Aokiji had helped him offload so many of these "useless" Pokémon and had even spent his own money to ensure their evolution, Leo felt it was only fair to give him something extra.
"Mr. Aokiji, I'll load all the feed and energy cubes onto your ship for you," Leo offered.
"Thank you, Sir Leo."
"It's no trouble at all."
Making money was never a bother.
Leo smiled and waved his hand. Instantly, the transport ship that had just risen slightly sank again as Leo teleported enough feed for 5,000 Magikarp into the ship's cargo hold.
With 10,000 points left in Aokiji's account, Leo smiled again and said, "Now that the Magikarp evolution issue is resolved, should Mr. Aokiji consider purchasing a powerful Pokémon for himself?"
"For myself?" Aokiji hesitated, his tone uncertain.
He subconsciously glanced back at Sengoku and Tsuru.
After all, the points were technically naval funds, and using them for personal gain made him uncomfortable. He had initially planned to use the remaining 10,000 points to buy another 2,000 Feebas.
The Feebas had proven their worth to the navy. A thousand of them had combat power equivalent to a high-ranking Shichibukai, and 3,000 of them could easily match an admiral's strength. This had been Aokiji's original plan before the transaction.
However, he knew that dimensional merchants didn't make suggestions without reason. Since Leo had recommended it, it was probably wise to follow his advice.
Sure enough, when Aokiji turned around, he saw Sengoku and Tsuru giving him encouraging nods.
After a brief pause, Aokiji looked back at Leo and asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"
"There's a Pokémon that I believe is perfectly suited for you," Leo replied with a soft smile.
With a snap of his fingers, a large virtual screen appeared before Aokiji, displaying a powerful Pokémon made entirely of ice crystals.
[Pokémon: Regice]
[Type: Ice]
[Ability: Clear Body (Reduces damage taken in ice and snow, gradually restores health)]
[Level: 70]
[Price: 10,000 points]
Leo explained, "Regice is an ice-type Pokémon, one of the legendary Pokémon in the Pokémon world. Its body is made from Ice Age glaciers and has cone-shaped limbs that allow it to move effortlessly across icy surfaces."
"Its Clear Body ability, combined with your Ice-Ice Fruit powers, would give you incredible endurance in battle."
"In my opinion, this is the most powerful Pokémon that suits you, Admiral Aokiji."
"This..."
As Aokiji gazed at the "+" pattern of yellow dots on Regice's screen, he realized just how well this Pokémon matched his abilities.
Since achieving the rank of admiral, Aokiji had rarely engaged in coordinated operations with others. The other admirals weren't compatible with his powers—Akainu's fruit abilities clashed with his own, and Kizaru was too lazy to be reliable. The vice admirals, meanwhile, were too weak to keep up with him, and he always had to be careful not to accidentally harm his allies with his freezing abilities.
But with Regice, Aokiji wouldn't have to worry about any of that.
After just a moment of hesitation, Aokiji nodded decisively and said, "Sir Leo, you're right. I want this Pokémon!"
"A pleasure doing business!"
Leo smiled and extended his hand. A special Pokéball, made of ice crystals, slowly materialized in his palm.
The bright white moonlight reflected off the Pokéball, casting a cold, icy light. Regice's normal body temperature was minus 200 degrees Celsius, and even the ice-type Pokéball couldn't completely contain the chill radiating from it.
However, to Aokiji, this cold felt invigorating.
"Thank you, Sir Leo!"
Aokiji accepted the Pokéball gratefully. Despite the successful transaction, he couldn't help but lower his demeanor around Leo.
Leo's mysterious nature and the power of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce were enough to make even someone like Aokiji, who had eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit, feel a deep sense of fear.
The more powerful one is, the more they can sense Leo's terrifying presence.
In fact, a significant reason why Sengoku and Tsuru had decided to rebel against the World Government was the knowledge that the dimensional merchants had aided the Revolutionary Army.
Sengoku and Tsuru feared that the Celestial Dragons might offend Leo, leading to the destruction of their world.
Who knew what powers Pokémon like these might hold? If creatures as powerful as Regice could be sold as products, who's to say the people of their world couldn't be next?
Rather than waiting for the Celestial Dragons to provoke the dimensional merchants and doom their world, it was better to act first and prevent the danger before it could arise!
(End of this chapter)