“Lord Arceus would beat you to death. Have you completely lost your mind? You’re talking about that in a place like this? You’d be better off getting plastic surgery.”
Since the Divine Blessing Ritual began, no one’s reward had ever been granted on the premise of violating another person’s wishes.
“That doesn’t sound bad either…”
Who’s-Who gave up trying to continue the conversation. He was now certain that Dobon truly had no promising future ahead of him, so he simply headed deeper into Onigashima by himself.
What Who’s-Who didn’t know was that Dobon wasn’t the only one with strange ideas.
Others had similarly bizarre thoughts, and some had already voiced them.
“Queen, you’re serious about this?”
“That’s right, Lord Arceus. I’m not trying to make things difficult for you. Just give me some protection. Otherwise, I feel like sooner or later I’ll die at the hands of my own people.”
In the end, after considerable verbal effort, Queen managed to obtain a death exemption plate from Arceus.
No, more accurately, an exemption-from-being-beaten plate.
Queen had thought it over carefully. Hawkins’s divinations might have delayed effects, and securing some protection in advance was always a good idea.
With this item in hand, Queen felt considerably more at ease.
“Father, did you see that? Queen got something really good from Dad.”
“Hmph. That thing is useless.”
“You actually said Dad is useless!”
“Who taught you to take things out of context? Looks like I need to have a proper talk with you too.”
Kaido’s fists cracked loudly. If the occasion weren’t inappropriate, he probably would have attacked on the spot.
“You said it yourself.”
“Hmph. Exemption from beatings? Can training be called a beating? Can sparring be called a beating? The interpretation of that thing is broad enough to cover anything.”
Logically speaking, the final authority over anything Arceus granted should belong to Arceus. But Queen hadn’t specified any details. If he really wanted to define every detail, he’d probably have to write an entire dictionary.
If one wanted to accuse someone, excuses could always be found.
Besides, people who put too much faith in things like death exemption plates usually ended up dying miserably.
“Honestly, I’m more interested in seeing whether Queen gets a little more arrogant after obtaining that thing. When that happens, I’ll just have both of you do extra training together.”
“No thanks. Uncle Queen would only hold me back. I’ve already figured out a way to persuade Reshiram and Zekrom. Once I completely merge with this power, I’ll definitely overthrow you!”
“Worororo! Now that’s something I’m looking forward to. As it happens, I’ve found a few ideas of my own as well.”
The smell of gunpowder between father and daughter grew thicker once more.
Meanwhile, Queen quietly chose to make his exit. But Arceus’s business was not yet over.
The Divine Blessing Ritual had been held many times before. This time may not be the highest in terms of scale, but it was unquestionably the one with the most problem children.
Queen choosing for himself was a good thing as well. That way, there was no need to think about what to give him.
But aside from Queen, there were still some people who needed to be dealt with privately, such as Hancock.
The scale of this Divine Blessing Ritual was different from previous ones. Not only were there fewer participants, but there was also no combat exhibition segment. After all, one of the participants was Kuzan. Unless Kaido was willing to step in and fight him personally, there really weren’t many suitable candidates to put on a show.
But if the Shinuchi stepped up instead, ordinary pirates would lose the right to spectate. So the segment was simply canceled altogether.
Hancock’s issue wasn’t anything else, it was her personality.
“Boa Hancock, for Olga’s sake, let me give you a piece of advice.
Restrain your arrogance. The Kuja are now a subordinate force of the Beasts Pirates. Olga can grant you preferential treatment, but that doesn’t mean you can act capriciously whenever you please.”
The tone was calm and devoid of emotion, yet it carried an unquestionable authority. A pressure originating from the soul itself appeared in Hancock’s heart. It felt as though, on a spiritual level, she had encountered an opponent she could never hope to overcome.
Though both were former Shichibukai, Jinbe’s personality was far more straightforward. Once Jinbe decided where he stood, his way of doing things was also much more reassuring than Hancock’s.
With Olga around, Hancock could perform beyond her usual limits. But without Olga, it was extremely difficult for anyone else to command her.
Olga has her own strategic significance and fixed combat doctrine, so it was impossible for her to remain permanently bound to Hancock. Arceus was also using this opportunity to temper Hancock’s temperament and make her face reality.
“Yes…”
“The fact that you can still answer means you’re doing fairly well. You know your own personality issues, so I won’t say more. Just remember, this is not Kuja.
You once lived here for a period of time, so you know our rules. What is due to you will not be lacking.
If you wish to be proud, then do it the Beasts Pirates’ way. Fight and earn a pride that belongs to the Beasts Pirates. If you do that, people will naturally come to respect you.”
Unlike previous ability bestowals, Arceus’s energy took on a different form.
Then, under the combined power of the Bug-type Plate and Fighting-type Plate, it enveloped Hancock’s body.
If Barro’s Iron Moth represented a double divergence of both time and space, then Hancock’s ability originated from another dimension entirely. Salome, who had previously been terrified by Arceus’s aura, had long since retreated into a corner. Now it watched as its master’s body underwent a transformation.
Her overall physique did not change dramatically, but a layer of white enveloped Hancock’s body. Her figure became even more slender, while her hair lengthened further until it brushed the ground. The feedback from her body constantly reminded her of what had just occurred.
Lissome Pokémon, Codename: UB-02 Beauty, Ultra Beast from another dimension – Pheromosa.
This was not a formal ritual. It was merely the preliminary bestowal of her ability. The details would be announced publicly later.
But that didn’t mean there were no spectators. For example, Kaido.
Beyond that, those who will always be most concerned about Hancock are the people of Kuja, and among the Kuja, there was also Kaido’s “old friend.”
“Kaido, although this isn’t our first meeting, this is the first time we’ve actually spoken since the Kuja joined your side. We didn’t say much when you moved the island before.”
“Huh? Who are you? Have we met before?”
“I’m Gloriosa! You’ve completely forgotten me already?!”
40% Discounted Patreon Membership for T5-T7 tier. Code- 0A547. Available till 21/08
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!