Tyranitar silently munched on sand, uninterested in the things happening around it. In the Pokémon world, Tyranitar is often depicted as a natural disaster, causing destruction even more severe than Gyarados.
While Gyarados mainly destroys objects on the surface, Tyranitar can actually change the course of mountains and rivers. For instance, when encountering a mountain, it might not choose to climb over or go around it, but simply eat its way through.
Tyranitar can carve a tunnel through a mountain or block a river to build a bridge—these are all things within its capabilities.
However, this particular Tyranitar is different; it's more laid-back, though a bit of a glutton.
"This big guy... is definitely Devil Fruit Users nightmare... cough cough..."
Solitaire and Mizerka helped Speed up, patting her on the back. They all got a mouthful of sand during the earlier sandstorm, but Solitaire and Mizerka, who hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, fared much better than Speed.
A couple of coughs and they were fine. Though they were covered in dust, and needed a good bath later. But Speed was different. Due to her performance, she had received a Devil Fruit at the last Beasts Pirates annual meeting.
What should have been her advantage had now become a disadvantage.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Cough, cough, just wait until you eat a Devil Fruit too. Then try it yourself—you'll know exactly how it feels."
Spitting out a few times to the side, she took off her coat and boots, shaking them for a while until the sand was mostly cleared out. The remaining dust didn't have much of an effect.
The powerlessness that Seastone brings to a Devil Fruit User is hard to describe; the weaker you are, the more it affects you. Without a way to block the Sandstorm, the area would become a terrifying anti-magic zone, affecting everyone, friend or foe.
As Pupitar evolved into Tyranitar, new issues arose—it needed a new place to live. When it was still in its pupa form, it could go anywhere, but now, with this monster-like body, many places were no longer accessible.
Onigashima could still accommodate it, but crossing the inland sea became a new problem. Pupitar could fly by jet propulsion, but Tyranitar couldn't. As a Rock-type, it couldn't swim, and building a special ship for it to cross the inland waterways wasn't worth it.
There were ships capable of carrying something this size—Jack, Kaido, and Arceus' ships could do it—but those ships had more important uses.
Previously, there was no bridge connecting Onigashima and Wano Country. Even the Beasts Pirates members on the island had to use ships to come and go. Now, with another member who can't swim, the bridge-building plan was finally put on the agenda.
At this point, there was no longer a need for Onigashima to be completely separated from Wano Country.
With Tyranitar's evolution, new plans began to take shape. Tyranitar wasn't just a pet or companion; like Emboar, it was intended to be used as a weapon of war.
Emboar has been around longer and had been on many of the Beasts Pirates' expeditions, but Tyranitar was still new and needed an opportunity to go out and take action.
Beasts Pirates have a legitimate business, Beasts Fruits, which generates enormous profits every year, but at their core, they are still pirates.
To the people living in the Beasts Pirates' territory, they are seen as protectors, benefactors, providing things that were never available before. But outsiders see them differently.
To outsiders, the Beasts Pirates are not good people but rather powerful villains. There are many things they won't do, but that doesn't mean they aren't pirates.
Fighting, looting, and plundering are still part of their daily lives, although they might be more selective about their targets.
Whether it was pirate treasure, goods from other merchant fleets or kingdoms, or even goods escorted by the Marines, they dared to loot it all.
Everything within their territory was under their protection, but for those outside, who weren't partners, it was a different story.
This more authentic pirate lifestyle was something Yamato didn't particularly like. She preferred adventure over plunder.
...
"Dad, is this really necessary?"
One day, standing in front of the treasure vault on Onigashima, Yamato questioned Arceus while he was checking some strategic supplies.
"What do you mean?"
"The money we make from Beasts Fruits and Tesoro should already be enough, right? Plus, we have a huge amount of treasures from that island, and the gold from Skypiea. I think just relying on treasure hunting is enough to cover our daily expenses. There's no need to fight them and loot all this stuff."
"If you put it that way, you're not wrong. They can indeed sustain the entire Beasts Pirates' expenditures, and we don't have to rely on plundering to survive."
Pirates who rely on looting to get by are low-level pirates. The Emperors of the Sea in the New World have long turned plunder into a form of taxation.
Essentially, there's not much difference. Most valuables of pirates were also looted from others; the only difference is that it doesn't pass directly through your hands, making it a bit easier on the conscience.
"Then why..."
"Because right now, the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates is Kaido. I wouldn't oppose you if you wanted to change all this—provided you can defeat your father."
"Huh..."
"This is a twisted world. A mere piece of paper can't bind anyone. The strong impose their idea of 'order' according to their own preferences. Whether you want to change the Beasts Pirates or the entire world, you need to be strong enough first."
The Beasts Pirates' current habits stem from Kaido being a combat enthusiast—it's harder to stop him from fighting than it is to make him quit drinking. While the Arceus faction focuses on development, the Kaido faction is busy developing military power, preparing for war in the future.
Kaido's philosophy has always been that the strong are supreme, and strength determines status. If he ever truly lost to Yamato, he might just accept her demands.
"Defeat him... Hey, Dad, what's Father's strongest state like? You must know, right? Does he have any weaknesses?"
"Don't think about unrealistic things. Unless you stab him in the heart beforehand, knowing his weakness won't matter. His fight with Whitebeard was basically his strongest state.
But he'll continue to get stronger. You've got a long way to go if you want to defeat him. Instead of daydreaming, you might as well try talking to Zekrom and Reshiram. They're easier to communicate with. I've helped you enough already."
Yamato is not in a fixed race; it's more of a chase. As she grows stronger, Kaido is also increasing his strength through endless battles. Him further perfecting Drunken Dragon Bagua is proof of that. Surpassing him won't be an easy task.
The power of the twin dragons is the most straightforward way to break through, but so far, Yamato has only managed to win half of Zekrom.
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