On the vast ocean, Buggy's pirate ship was struggling to escape.
After years of sailing across the East Blue Sea, this wasn't their first encounter with a formidable enemy. In terms of retreating, they had plenty of experience and a well-honed process that could rival any pirate crew in the world.
In just a few minutes, Buggy's ship was already a good distance away from the Kaya family's merchant vessel.
"Huff..."
Mochi, who had been rowing alongside his pet lion, wiped the sweat off his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems like they're not planning to pursue us."
Feeling relieved that his life had been spared once more, he quickly stood up to fulfil his duties as an officer.
"Curse those bastards! They actually sent a child to deceive us!"
Mochi's face flushed with anger, showing no sign of the relief he had felt moments before after narrowly escaping death.
He raised his hands in excitement and exclaimed,
"But..."
"Thankfully, our great Captain Buggy saw through their plan and allowed the Buggy Pirates to make their escape!"
"Now, let's hear a few words from Captain Buggy himself about the enemy's strategy!"
Swish!
Mochi quickly turned around and extended his arm towards the captain's throne.
As a veteran crew member who had served under Buggy for a long time, these actions and words were second nature to him, practically ingrained in his bones.
However...
When he looked back at the captain's throne out of habit, he was shocked to see... nothing.
The throne, where Captain Buggy usually sat, was empty, with only a pair of clown boots left comically tapping on the deck.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Mochi's cheek.
At this moment, a pirate approached Mochi and whispered,
"Boss Mochi, it seems... the captain's body didn't come with us..."
"..."
———
East Blue Sea, Baratie, the Sea Restaurant.
Since the arrival of dimensional merchants near Baratie, it had suddenly become a famous tourist attraction in the East Blue Sea. Countless merchants and nobles flocked here to visit and take photos.
Business at Baratie was booming, and the restaurant was extremely popular.
To cater to the tourists (especially the beautiful ones), Baratie even set up an independent small kitchen in the center of the lobby, where trainer Sanji performed cooking shows.
"Torchic! High heat for 30 seconds, then lower the heat and simmer!"
"Chi!"
The adorable little Torchic chirped happily, its eyes glowing with flames.
In the next second, the bird's pointed beak opened wide, and it instantly shot out sheets of fire, enveloping the entire pressure cooker.
After 30 seconds, the Torchic skillfully controlled the flames, gradually shrinking them into a gentle stream.
At that moment, Sanji reached out and grabbed the tiny stream of fire!
All of a sudden, the stream of fire behaved like a well-trained snake, curling around the pressure cooker at Sanji's command.
"That's amazing! It's like magic!"
"Indeed, a Pokémon from another world!"
"Sanji's performance is incredible too~"
Click! Click!...
The surrounding diners eagerly pulled out their cameras and snapped pictures of Torchic and Sanji, eager to use these photos as bragging rights in the future.
Seeing the beautiful women around them with their revealing outfits, both Sanji and the Torchic blushed, with two excited puffs of steam escaping their noses. Their desire to perform reached its peak!
Behind the tourists, Paddy stood holding a huge signboard that read "Feed for the Beloved Torchics." He kept a smile on his face as he collected tips from the tourists.
Up on the rooftop of Baratie, Zeff watched Sanji being cheered on by the women below, and couldn't help but snort jealousy:
"Hmph! No real cooking skills, just cheap tricks!"
But soon, a smile crept onto his face.
Although he envied Sanji's ability to win the hearts of the ladies with the help of Pokémon, he had noticed that Sanji, who had always been burdened with worries, seemed much more relaxed lately.
Moreover, Baratie's income has been very impressive recently.
So Zeff had made up his mind...
When Sanji matures, he plans to open another floating restaurant in his name, with Sanji as the head chef!
For a chef, becoming the head of a kitchen is the pinnacle of their career!
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
Praise the dimensional merchants and the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce! Zeff silently crossed himself in gratitude.
——
The restaurant was buzzing with activity.
Tourists continued to stream in, drawn by the news.
But none of them noticed...
Not far from Baratie, a massive, damaged pirate warship was slowly making its way towards the restaurant from another part of the sea.
...
"Captain, the sea restaurant Baratie is just ahead. Let's... head there to make some repairs first!"
On the damaged pirate ship, a thin man with a gloomy expression spoke weakly to his captain, who sat in a gold suit and armor. He suggested,
"After restocking our supplies, we can go look for our missing comrades."
"..."
The man's voice trailed off as the captain in gold armor clenched his fists together, gritting his teeth in anger as he said,
"That damn bounty hunter! I'll make him pay in blood sooner or later!!!"
The mention of the green-haired, three-sword style bounty hunter reignited the flames of rage within the man.
It had been a bright, sunny day when their pirate crew was pursuing a merchant ship in waters they controlled, as usual.
But unexpectedly...
The arrival of a strange boat shattered their peaceful day.
The sharp blades and immense strength of their opponent made them the strongest enemy he had ever faced since he set sail!
Fortunately, the new golden armor he had recently acquired saved him from serious harm, allowing him to escape in the chaos with the maneuverability of their warship.
And the giant mantis that could slice through his armor also left a deep impression on him.
Thinking of the recent rumors circulating on the sea, he couldn't help but ponder.
Dimensional merchants, Pokémon...
He had originally dismissed these stories as nothing more than fairy tales to amuse children...
But now, it all seemed real!
"By the way..."
The man in gold armor suddenly remembered something and looked at the gloomy man beside him.
"I recall that the place where the dimensional merchants first appeared was the sea restaurant Baratie, right?"
"Um..."
The gloomy man was caught off guard by the sudden question but quickly nodded.
"That's correct. And according to the intelligence, a chef at that restaurant was lucky enough to catch the eye of a dimensional merchant and obtained a Pokémon."
"Oh!?" The man in gold armor's expression grew serious, a cunning glint flashing in his eyes.
"Are you saying that the restaurant has Pokémon!?"
Thinking of the giant mantis, the captain of the golden armor fell deep into thought.
After a while, he spoke again,
"It's decided!"
"Gin, tell the crew to move full speed ahead!"
"This time, we're not just going to plunder the restaurant's supplies—we're going to steal that Pokémon too!!!"
"What!?" Gin's face paled, his mouth opening and closing in protest as he hurried to say,
"Captain, if they've gained favor with a dimensional merchant, attacking them rashly could be dangerous..."
"The crew is in bad shape as it is. We should..."
Bang!!!
"Shut up!!!"
Before Gin could finish, the man in gold armor slammed his fist onto the armrest, glaring at Gin with a threatening look as he shouted,
"Do you know who I am?"
"Move the ship forward..."
"I am the Pirate Admiral of the East Blue Sea—Don Krieg!!!"
(End of this chapter)