Meanwhile, the kitchen of Onigashima had been taken over by a different group of chefs—they were the royal chefs from the Flower Capital’s palace. The chefs of Onigashima were better at large-scale buffet-style meals and wild banquet-style cooking.
Having them handle the catering for a royal gathering was indeed somewhat difficult; instead, it was the local Wano chefs who specialized in refined and delicate cuisine who were more suited for the task.
After two days of preparation, everything was ready, and they were already busy at their respective stations.
At the same time, on the small Sky Island above.
“Olvia, what do you think of this formal outfit of mine? Should I trim my beard a bit more?”
“Professor Clover, isn’t this just your usual research attire? What’s the difference?”
“The difference is huge. Look at the collar and the hems, these have all been specially modified.”
Clover and several professors who had changed careers to study the life habits of Pokémon were tidying up their outfits; they were also among the invited guests for the banquet.
At this point, the Lunarians had already revealed their true identity, so it no longer mattered where these scholars came from.
These professors were all elites from various fields, and their combined academic qualifications even surpassed that of the entire Wano Country; it’s just that few of them were in science and engineering fields.
They had heard that this ceremony would reveal secrets about the origin of Pokémon, so each of them was extremely excited, especially those who studied Pokémon evolution.
“Forget it… Robin, you’re right. Help arrange things for them. Their outfits are far too sloppy.”
Looking at the eccentric scholars before her, Olvia expressed her stance through action.
“Cien Fleur • Change Outfit.”
Robin had already anticipated this, so she had prepared formal wear in advance according to the participant list. As the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit activated, in less than ten seconds, all the professors had changed into proper formal attire.
Saul was no exception. After changing out of his farmer’s clothes, the giant looked much more respectable.
“Everyone, you are scholars, so pay attention to etiquette. But I must warn you in advance, you should be prepared for your worldview to be reshaped, because what’s about to happen will greatly overturn your understanding.”
Beside Robin, Acier and Nightin were also dressed neatly in formal wear, waiting for the ceremony to begin. They had been assigned to the scholars’ group as well, but compared to the scholars from Ohara, Nightin and Acier knew much more.
After getting ready, the scholars gathered onto Saul’s shoulder and followed the vines to leave the small Sky Island.
Inside Onigashima, Queen was confirming some procedures with Carrot and Bepo to ensure nothing would go wrong.
From a popularity standpoint, Uta was far more suitable as a host than Queen, but since the nature of this event was different, Queen firmly held onto his position as the host.
“I heard you went to New Fish-Man Island to receive the Mermaids before. How was it?”
Zeraora sat on a chair behind him, casually asking about Queen’s previous experience. However, upon hearing the word “Mermaids,” Queen reacted as if he had been electrocuted.
“Don’t say that word to me!”
He had tried to become a friend to middle-aged and elderly women, but the results were far from ideal, and the faces of elderly Mermaids were deeply etched into his mind, impossible to forget.
“Seems like your experience wasn’t very pleasant. By the way, the people from Fish-Man Island will be arriving soon. That princess is said to be the most beautiful Mermaid.”
“I’m not going! Whoever wants to go can go! I’m absolutely not dealing with it this time! Jack! Stop feeding snacks to your Alcremie over there, you’re a Fish-Man too, so you go and receive them!”
After scanning the surroundings, Queen quickly locked onto his target and tossed what he considered a terrifying task onto Jack.
“Got it, Boss Queen, I’ll take care of it.”
Jack didn’t object and directly accepted Queen’s request, taking the address from Zeraora.
Then, looking silly, he walked out with Alcremie perched on his head. At this moment, all the Calamities had already returned to Onigashima. This was the first time since the Summit War that the Beasts Pirates had gathered all their senior officers.
“You’d better not regret it. I remember you’ve seen the photos before.”
“Regret? Impossible! I won’t fall for the same thing twice!”
“Wait, say that again, I’ll record it as evidence.”
Zeraora took out his phone, switched to video mode, and aimed it at Queen. It was precisely this action that gave Queen an ominous feeling.
But since he had already made such a bold declaration, there was no way to take it back, so he braced himself and repeated it again.
As an indispensable part of the Divine Blessing Ritual, Arceus did not appear on Onigashima, but instead came to the Reverse World.
“Lord Sacred Beast.”
“Lord Sacred Beast.”
At this time, the Reverse World had become even more complete, and the Lunarians living here, upon seeing Arceus appear, stepped forward one after another.
“Have you gotten used to living here? Is there anything uncomfortable about your new bodies?”
“Not at all, everything Lord Sacred Beast has given us fits perfectly. However, we do not wish to remain here. We can still fight, we still have the strength to wield swords. Please allow us to return to the battlefield.”
Shayna’s father stepped forward as the representative of the seven and expressed their request.
Arceus’s intention had been that their experiences were already difficult enough, so staying in the Reverse World and waiting for the outcome would be sufficient, but they did not wish to do so.
“We may not compare to Alber and Shayna, but we can still be the sword in your hand. Please believe in us.”
“…”
“Very well, I understand your intentions.”
A glow shimmered across the Thousand Arms behind Arceus. As the gems upon them emitted a metallic luster, the Lunarians before him were suddenly clad in magnificent armor.
However, this armor was far more ceremonial than practical.
“For now, serve as our honor guard and make an appearance outside. Announce your existence to those before you.”
A new portal then appeared before them, leading directly to a location within Onigashima Castle.
“Shayna is over there. Just follow her arrangements for now.”
“Understood.”
After arranging his followers, Arceus did not leave the Reverse World. As he had said before, his original intention was simply for the other Lunarians to enjoy the fruits of their efforts.
Arceus’s initial purpose in coming here was to find Kaido and Yamato.
As the captain of the pirate crew and its sole heir, they should not be absent. Yet ever since Yamato’s cross-dimensional sneak attack, the two of them had gone quiet.
When Arceus found Kaido and Yamato in the designated training ground, he almost didn’t recognize them.
“What are you two… doing?!”
At this moment, Hassaikai and Takeru VII were set aside, while Kaido and Yamato were fighting each other like boxers, exchanging blows with their fists. Both of them were clearly aiming for each other’s heads, and both were now bruised and swollen.
“Dad? I made a deal with father, we wouldn’t use Haki, weapons, or abilities. Just fists and kicks to see who gives out first.”
“That’s right, I’m trying something new with this foolish girl. Fighting the same way all the time is boring!”
Seeing Yamato lower her guard to look at Arceus, Kaido threw a punch at her head, only for Yamato to block it with her fist.
“Hahaha! I knew you’d try to sneak attack, damn old man! This is my chance!”
Using Kaido’s arm as a pivot, Yamato spun and kicked toward Kaido’s chest.
“Worororo! I already guessed that you’d guess my move, so you still fell for it. Don’t forget, my arms are longer!”
This kind of hand-to-hand fight wasn’t fair to Yamato, given the obvious height difference between her and Kaido. But she didn’t mind, being smaller also gave her an advantage in agility.
“That’s enough! You won’t kill anyone like this—no, what I mean is, fighting like this is pointless!”
Under Arceus’s reprimand, Yamato and Kaido reluctantly stopped, clearly still unsatisfied.
“Look at the state you’re in! The ceremony is about to begin, do you intend to meet others like this?”
“Just a moment, Dad.”
Yamato activated Seimei Kikan while looking into a mirror, quickly restoring herself to normal. Kaido did the same, controlling his facial muscles to dissipate the bruising.
“Dad, it’s all this damn old man’s fault. If it weren’t for him, I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten the time.”
“And isn’t all of this because you sneak-attacked me earlier?”
“Didn’t I sneak-attack you because you suddenly smacked me last month?!”
“And wasn’t that because you attacked me while I was drinking the time before that?!”
“That’s enough. If you keep tracing it back like this, you’ll have to go all the way to twenty years ago. It won’t be finished even when the Divine Blessing Ritual is over. Just come with me and preside over the ceremony properly. Whatever issues you have, deal with them afterward.”
Arceus didn’t give them a chance to continue arguing. He opened a portal and walked out. Kaido and Yamato followed closely behind, though even during this, their eyes were still locked in silent combat.
At Fish-Man Island, while everything on Onigashima was nearly ready, Neptune and Shirahoshi were still here.
Even Mjosgard was beside Otohime. After being rescued earlier, he had been kept on Fish-Man Island, and this time he had received special permission to go to Onigashima.
However, Neptune paid no attention to Mjosgard, instead glancing at the clock from time to time.
“Manaphy, there are only twelve hours left until the date on the invitation, right?”
“Yes, King Neptune. Is there a problem?”
“Twelve hours… can we still make it there on time? I don’t see anyone here to receive us.”
“Please rest assured, what the lord said will certainly not go wrong. We just need to wait.”
As soon as those words fell, ripples suddenly spread across the sea before them. Even in the deep sea, the waters began to churn. As the sea rolled and twisted, a dark purple entrance appeared before them, and Giratina revealed its figure from within.
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