The one who has spent the most time with these Charizard is King. Because of this, he has gained a deeper understanding of their habits and behavior.
When he handed over the shift to Queen, he left him a note—not because he was worried that the Charizard would do anything to Queen.
From King’s perspective, Queen was now as tough as they come. After years of training, his HP could even rival that of a Lunarian. At worst, he would just get burned to a crisp.
In that situation, not only would King not be worried, but he would even mock Queen to his face.
King simply didn’t want Queen to do anything stupid and cause trouble for Charizard.
[When a Charizard’s tail flame burns intensely and swings up and down at a certain frequency, it means that it is full of fighting spirit, recognizing the person in front of it as a strong opponent and wanting to fight them.]
“Oh, so this guy also thinks that I, the great Queen, am strong. Guess all these years of experiences weren’t for nothing…”
A montage of memories flashed through Queen’s mind. Ever since he left MADS, his life hadn’t been easy.
The blames he carried only grew more and more, his Haki became stronger, and thanks to the knowledge he absorbed from the library, even his brain capacity had passively increased.
[There is one Charizard with wider wings and a special pattern on its tail. That is the leader of the Charizard. It’s fairly strong and, just like Boss Kaido, it loves to fight.]
“Fight…”
Queen locked eyes with the Charizard in front of him. In those eyes, he seemed to see its burning fighting spirit, and the flames brewing in its mouth made it clear what this Charizard wanted to do.
“Why… Why do I have to fight even when I’m working overtime?! That torture-loving pe*vert should’ve told me earlier!”
Even Mandrell, who used to work overtime every day like a corporate drone, has found his days becoming much more leisurely. As one of the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, Queen’s goal is clearly to live a carefree and enjoyable life.
In terms of food and treatment, he hasn’t been lacking, and things have only been improving. Thanks to Shaymin’s special powers, his plantation has been revitalized, even boasting higher-quality soil than before.
However, his workload had also skyrocketed along with his improved treatment. On top of that, he had to deal with unexpected incidents, such as Kaido and anything or anyone related to Kaido.
Hearing that the Charizard had a personality similar to Kaido’s basically meant that a fight was unavoidable. So while the pirates below were still struggling to clear their challenges, Queen ended up having a brief fight with the Charizard in front of him.
When the Charizard realized that Queen was like an iron-shelled turtle, completely uninterested in direct combat and only dodging attacks in every possible way, it quickly lost interest.
After breathing fire for so long, all it hit were either Substitutes, Protect barriers, or dummies made of vines. Despite having the body of a meat shield, Queen was as slippery as a loach.
This fighting style successfully discouraged the Charizard, which returned to the valley at the island’s center to resume its nap.
…
Because the outskirts of the island were covered in tropical rainforest, the dense trees obstructed the view of those within. They had no idea what was happening in the sky above.
Even if they did know, it wouldn’t have mattered to them—at this moment, they were fighting for their own futures.
After defeating their rivals, a few pirates teamed up and ventured into the jungle, eventually spotting the “examiner” that Queen had mentioned—the one carrying the emblem they needed.
A dinosaur-like creature was drinking water by a pond. Although its body was already drenched, the flame on its tail was still burning intensely.
This was Charmander, the offspring of the Charizard on the island. The flame on its tail was a sign of its good health.
Just like with Charizard, this tail flame symbolized Charmander’s vitality. Its flickering flames indicated that it was in a good mood.
And hanging from its chest was the tag that the pirates needed to pass their trial.
“You idiot, what are you doing?!”
Seeing one of the pirates about to step forward, his companion immediately scolded him.
“I’m going to grab that emblem! How else am I supposed to join the main crew? That little guy doesn’t look very strong.”
“You fool! This is a rainforest. Did you already forget about that python earlier? If this little thing can survive in an environment like this, how could it possibly be weak?!”
Lowering his voice, he berated his reckless companion.
At that moment, another Pokémon, one that looked even more like a dinosaur, emerged—its claws still impaled with chunks of some unknown creature’s flesh.
This was Charmeleon, the evolved form of Charmander.
Compared to Charmander, Charmeleon had a more prominent ridge on its head and a darker, crimson-colored body.
Compared to Charmander and Charizard, the middle form, Charmeleon, has a much more fiery temper and often uses its sharp claws to tear apart its enemies.
If Charmeleon’s intimidation wasn’t enough, the Charizard that landed right after it gave the pirates a real scare. They instantly realized how wise they had been not to act recklessly.
Over these three days, some pirates were eliminated due to infighting, while others lacked the strength to snatch the emblem and ended up being taught a lesson by the Charizard family.
A select few, who were exceptionally strong, managed to take the emblem from a Charmander or Charmeleon and successfully passed the trial.
An extremely lucky handful triggered the hidden condition that Queen had mentioned. Due to special circumstances, they got along well with a Charmander and, in the end, were directly flown to the finish line by a Charizard.
…
Meanwhile, Sengoku received new intelligence.
“The agents we sent out have gone missing again?”
“Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. It seems they were suddenly exposed. They might have been betrayed by someone, but we haven’t confirmed the details yet.”
“I see. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes, sir!”
Tapping his fingers on the desk with one hand, Sengoku fed a document to his goat.
After a moment of contemplation, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and attached a white Den Den Mushi designed to prevent eavesdropping. Then, he dialed a number and spoke a code before receiving a response.
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku?”
“Rear Admiral Drake, I have a special mission for you. Put aside your current assignments and report to me at headquarters immediately.”
“Understood!”
…
Recently, there had been multiple intelligence leaks within the Marines. Sengoku had long suspected this, but he had no concrete evidence to prove the existence of a traitor among their ranks.
Coupled with the external pressure from the Four Emperors, the unstable internal and external environment led to the creation of the special unit, SWORD, which began secretly infiltrating the forces of the Four Emperors.
Some time later, following Sengoku’s orders, Drake arrived at headquarters and went directly to Sengoku’s office.
“Reporting, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Rear Admiral Drake, reporting for duty!”
“Hmm. Our recent infiltration operation has failed again, Drake. Your time has come.”
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you mean…”
“Your ability is a perfect fit for the Beasts Pirates’ needs. Your Ancient Zoan ability would integrate well with them. For the Marines’ justice, we need someone to infiltrate their ranks. In terms of identity, ability, and trustworthiness, you are the best choice I can think of.”
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