"I didn't expect I would end up trading with one of the Four Emperors so soon."
In the luxurious villa within an alternate space, Leo spent quite a while in front of the refrigerator, deciding. Finally, he chose a mango milkshake prepared by a five-star chef and slowly walked over to his desk.
Beside him, Eevee, sporting a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, was engrossed in a game. Its limbs and tail were all involved in controlling a character, wielding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, battling a sharpshooter named "Mikayla" against a bizarre boss called "Blade."
Seeing Eevee's intense focus, Leo couldn't help but lean in curiously, then sighed deeply.
Sigh...
He never imagined that the games he hadn't had time to play over the years would be enjoyed by this little guy.
After collecting his thoughts, Leo turned his attention back to the computer screen in front of him.
Ordering the Rotom computer to open the display, he immediately clicked on the homepage of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce.
In an instant, a detailed data report appeared before him:
[Current online members of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce: 2,058]
[1,780 VIP Level 0 members, 188 VIP Level 1 members, 77 VIP Level 2 members, 8 VIP Level 3 members, 1 VIP Level 4 member, 2 VIP Level 5 members, and 2 VIP Level 6 members.]
[Participants in the Pokémon League Conference: 82]
[Participants in the Pokémon Contest: 250]
By his calculations, more than 10 months had passed since he arrived in the pirate world.
Aside from the initial setup phase about a month ago, his subsequent trading endeavors had gone smoothly.
Not only had he gained unparalleled strength within the pirate world, but he had also steered the seas, inspiring many warriors to set sail in pursuit of Pokémon.
Of course, wealthy businessmen and dignitaries—those with deep pockets but little courage—had also played a significant role in Leo's plan to "Pokémonize the Pirate World."
With consecutive trades involving major clients like the Revolutionary Army, the Navy, and Whitebeard, Leo's points balance had finally surpassed 2 million.
Overall, things were looking promising.
In three months, the Pokémon League Tournament was set to begin.
Due to the high entry threshold, only 82 participants qualified for the tournament.
The preliminary requirement for the conference was to rank among the top 36 contestants. Essentially, as long as you met the VIP Level 2 entry standards, you had about a 50% chance of making it to the finals.
Currently, the top-ranked participant was none other than the naval hero Garp, who had just left Alabasta. With 67 victory points in the Black Iron rank, he was securely in first place!
Though Garp's physical strength and his Gyarados might not be the most formidable among Pokémon, as a trainer, he was invincible.
Even Cobra's Suicune could only wail and cower under Garp's iron fist, unable to mount a counterattack.
Ranked second was Ace, who had just parted ways with Leo.
With 60 victory points in the Black Iron rank, Ace was second only to Garp, making him second to none but above all others in the Alabasta battle region.
Third and fourth were Cobra and Robin, known as the Four Heavenly Kings.
These four were far ahead in terms of victory points, leaving the rest trailing behind.
Starting from fifth place, the rankings grew more chaotic.
Most who could afford the 1 billion beli required to become VIP Level 2 members were wealthy businessmen and powerful figures.
While these individuals had little strength themselves, they reached their current positions by splurging on powerful Pokémon.
Due to their lack of combat experience, these individuals struggled to command Pokémon effectively.
Despite some of their Pokémon being stronger than Robin's Espeon, Robin's combination of Devil Fruit powers and Espeon's abilities left them consistently on the losing end.
However...
Only a few dozen VIP Level 2 members qualified to participate in the Pokémon League Tournament.
While it was possible to hold a few qualifying matches each day for spectators, the constant repetition quickly grew tiresome.
In reality, the battle arena was primarily controlled by VIP Level 0 and Level 1 trainers, who were not eligible to participate in the Pokémon League Conference.
Most of these individuals were pirates from the Grand Line or warriors who had journeyed from the East Blue Sea into the Grand Line.
Anyone who could navigate the treacherous waters of the Rising Current and Upside Down Mountain was a monster by ordinary standards, regardless of strength!
Unfortunately, even those with real ability were relegated to low-level trainer status due to their inability to gather 1 billion beli.
Thankfully, there's always another way!
The open battle arenas offered new hope to this group!
Many had begun using these spaces to host unofficial tournaments.
This month alone, three large-scale competitions were being held.
Of course, these wealthy individuals weren't driven by a love for Pokémon.
The real allure was the excitement of Pokémon battles and the betting profits generated by these competitions!
Since the collapse of the Rainbase Casino, Alabasta's wealthy elite had lost a prime entertainment venue.
Thanks to months of hard work by Slowpoke, Alabasta was no longer plagued by chaos.
Even remote towns had become prosperous, and the desert kingdom's unique customs had turned it into a well-known tourist destination along the Grand Line.
The daily flow of tourists was endless.
As the saying goes, if you can ride the wave, even a pig can fly.
Today, the word "Pokémon" was synonymous with opportunity.
In the battle area, whether you were selling tea or snacks, adding a Pokémon-related word to your stall could draw a crowd.
Recognizing this, businessmen had set up small Pokémon battle casinos throughout the battle area. Through the competitions they organized, they emptied the pockets of gambling locals and tourists alike.
I have to admit...
No matter the time or place, running a casino is always profitable!
These businessmen only needed to invest some manpower into promoting their games, then they could sit back and count their earnings.
...
...
Early morning.
The scorching desert sun hung like a massive spotlight over the parched land.
Outside the battle area, at a place called the Slowpoke Hotel, a middle-aged man with a pointed head and thinning hair held a form and addressed the green-haired man before him:
"Mr. Zoro, please confirm once more. You have two Pokémon: one named Honedge and the other named Scyther, correct?"
"That's right," Zoro nodded affirmatively.
"Hmm..."
The middle-aged man hummed thoughtfully, smiling as he made two checkmarks in his notebook, confirming the names of the two Pokémon.
Immediately, he looked at Zoro and said with a smile:
"Alright, Mr. Zoro, I've registered your participation. Let me explain the rules of our Wolf Warrior Cup."
"Our competition is a 1v1 battle, meaning one trainer against another. Unlike traditional ranking battles, there's no limit on the number of Pokémon you can use. In other words, Mr. Zoro, you can use both your Pokémon simultaneously during the battle."
"I'm aware of that," Zoro nodded in response.
It was this very feature that convinced him to sign up for the Wolf Warrior Cup. In addition to this competition, there are two others currently ongoing—one restricts Pokémon to long-range attacks only, and the other limits participation by gender. Neither was suitable for him.
But beyond the rules, Zoro was more interested in what the middle-aged man would say next.
"It seems Mr. Zoro did his homework before registering," the man smiled, continuing:
"Then you must already know a bit about the competition. Right now, we're still in the registration phase. With you included, we have 126 participants. We expect the number to exceed 128 by this evening, at which point you'll be notified of the start time."
The man coughed lightly before continuing:
"After paying a rental fee, we've secured six battle venues. The preliminary stage will have 36 matches over two days..."
"Hold on a second!" Zoro interrupted, his impatience showing. "I'm already clear on how the competition works. What I want to know is if the prize money you mentioned is real."
Zoro suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp and direct, making his intentions clear.
"Huh?" The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned, having never been interrupted during a competition briefing before. But he quickly recovered and smiled. "Of course, it's real!"
"The registration fee for the Wolf Warrior Cup is 300 million Beli. If you make it past the preliminary round, you'll get your registration fee back. If you make it to the top 32, there's an additional bonus of 300 million Beli. For the top 16, the prize is 5 million Beli, and the top 8 get 10 million Beli. If Mr. Zoro wins the Wolf Warrior Cup, you'll receive a grand prize of 100 million Beli!"
"Rest assured, Mr. Zoro. Our company has held three competitions here with a solid reputation. We've never defaulted on prize payments. You can ask around to verify that."
"Yeah," Zoro replied, a grin spreading across his face as he heard the 100 million Beli prize. His eyes sharpened.
"I'm confident in your credibility. After all, you should know the consequences if you try to deceive me."
An intense, invisible pressure emanated from Zoro, causing the middle-aged man to break out in a cold sweat. He quickly laughed it off, saying nervously:
"Please, Mr. Zoro, rest assured. Integrity is the cornerstone of my business!"
"Good," Zoro muttered, retracting his aura. He glanced back and called out, "Koby, give him the registration fee."
"Yes, Master Zoro!" Koby, who had been standing quietly behind Zoro, snapped to attention like a soldier. He slowly retrieved 300 million Beli from a money pouch and handed it to the middle-aged man.
The man's face lit up as he took the money, his smile growing even wider. He hadn't expected such a windfall from handling contestant registrations. Although Zoro had seemed a bit threatening earlier, the man considered himself adaptable.
What was a little intimidation? As the founder of the Wolf Warrior Cup, nothing thrilled him more than strong contestants with unique Pokémon. He was certain that when the names of Honedge and Scyther were announced, the Wolf Warrior Cup would draw even more curious spectators. With increased popularity, his casino's business would naturally boom!
The smile on the middle-aged man's face brightened further at the thought. With Zoro and his two unknown Pokémon participating, he was confident that the Wolf Warrior Cup would outshine the competitions organized by the other two companies. What was the Shooters Cup? What was the Rose Cup? One didn't allow close combat, and the other restricted participants by gender. How could those be as exciting as the Pokémon battles in his Wolf Warrior Cup!?
The smile never left the man's face as he left the hotel. Even the blazing sun couldn't dampen his joy. As luck would have it, on his way back to the company, he encountered the founders of the other two competitions.
There was Mond, a middle-aged man around his age, with two guns at his waist—an infamous arms dealer from the first half of the Grand Line. And Bella, a slightly older yet still graceful and charming woman. Though the details were murky, rumors said she was once a king's concubine, who fled with her wealth after the king's sudden death to escape the ensuing royal strife, eventually seeking refuge in the Grand Line.
"Haha, hello," the man greeted them with a half-smile, his cheerful demeanor fading as he adopted a poker face. They were all colleagues in the competition business, after all. No matter the rivalry behind the scenes, cordiality was the rule in person.
After all, peace fosters prosperity.
"Well, if it isn't Boss Brown and Boss Mond! Up for an early morning walk? You two really live a healthy life," Bella said with a smile.
"Ah, haha," Brown laughed, waving his hand. "Can't be helped. The world's getting more interesting. I want to stick around longer to see what happens next."
"Yeah," Mond nodded in agreement, looking as if he shared the sentiment.
The three of them stood at the intersection under the bright sun, exchanging pleasantries and idle chatter for quite a while. Eventually, Bella ended the conversation, concerned about her skin being exposed to the sun.
The three passed each other, but a sharp glint appeared in their eyes simultaneously.
"Just you wait! With Zoro (Usopp) (Nami) participating, our Wolf Warrior (Archer) (Rose) Cup will be the most popular competition this month!"
(End of this chapter)