บท 23: Chapter 23
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For $5][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] [Thank You For Your Support!]
In the hatchery, Dak and Bon were wiping eggshells when they were caught off guard by the standoff between the two newcomers.
Mihawk had just entered the hatchery and hadn't even spoken when Gion followed right behind him, seemingly bearing some hostility towards Mihawk.
Bon, catching on, became excited at the sight. He hadn't expected to witness such an interesting scene in the hatchery. Who knew what other entertaining events might happen here in the future?
Dak didn't expect Bon to be so entertained by the situation, especially since he was still trying to figure out what was going on between the two.
"Perhaps the two guests would like to sit down and talk?" Dak suggested, noticing their standoffish behavior. He patted the hatchery's lawn, inviting them to sit on the ground like he and Feng were.
Mihawk glanced at the lawn but remained silent, standing still. His pride and aloof nature wouldn't allow him to sit on the ground.
Gion didn't mind sitting, but considering she was wearing a very short skirt, she decided against it.
"Actually, our lawn is quite clean. After all, it will be a playground for the little ones. You can rest assured about the hygiene," Dak said, oblivious to their reluctance.
Both guests exchanged looks but remained silent. It wasn't intentional rudeness; neither wanted to be the first to speak.
"Cough, well, if standing is more comfortable, then let's talk like this. Darkrai, could you check my room for some tea or something to offer our guests?" Dak suggested, standing up.
"Dak."
Darkrai emerged from the shadows and floated into Dak's bedroom.
Mihawk had no reaction.
However, Gion was different. This was her first time seeing a Pokémon like Darkrai, and she couldn't take her eyes off him, realizing it was the Pokémon mentioned.
"So, I heard you were defeated by that Pokémon?" Gion suddenly smirked, looking at Mihawk with a slight taunt.
Mihawk didn't look at Gion but glanced at Dak, who pretended not to see, "Indeed."
Mihawk wasn't ashamed to admit his defeat; he was never a man to fear failure.
"Hmph, so much for the world's greatest swordsman," Gion said, arms crossed, chin up.
At that moment, Dak realized there was definitely some tension between them, which wasn't hard to guess. Gion, known as a great swordswoman within the Marines, and Mihawk, a renowned swordsman among pirates, likely had encountered or even clashed swords at sea.
"I'm not yet the world's number one. Besides, why does my defeat make you so pleased? Doesn't that just make you seem weaker?" Mihawk questioned Gion, puzzled.
Indeed.
Dak listened intently to their conversation, finding it thrilling. Although Mihawk was less talkative in the original story, it didn't mean he couldn't dish out insults. He had mocked Zoro for not being able to defeat a baboon, even though Zoro immediately proved him wrong.
"You—" Gion began, but Darkrai's return interrupted them, and the temporary truce was called.
"Ha, ha. If you don't mind, please enjoy some of our shop's beverages," Dak said, taking what Darkrai brought from him.
Board Blue Root granules.
Why would such a thing even exist in the world of pirates?!
Dak's face froze, wondering when he had purchased such an item. Was he really going to serve this to his guests?
"Dak."
Darkrai shrugged innocently. He hadn't found anything drinkable in Dak's room and had brought this as a makeshift solution.
"Bon, please prepare these two packets of supreme luxury Board Blue Root granules for our guests," Dak said, passing the granules to Bon with a stiff smile.
"No need,"
"Forget it,"
Both Mihawk and Gion declined almost simultaneously. While Board Blue Root granules might be harmless, they certainly weren't necessary.
"Well then, let's discuss business. Mr. Mihawk, since you arrived first, we'll deal with your matter first. Ms. Gion, is that alright with you?" Dak quickly changed the subject, eager to move on.
"It's nothing, just bored and decided to look around," Mihawk said nonchalantly, surprising Dak.
Mihawk had come to the hatchery on a whim, seeking something to do other than nap or sail. Discovering the intriguing Mystery Hatchery, it made sense for him to visit.
"Of course, welcome. Now, Ms. Gion, do you have any business here?" Dak asked Gion with a forced smile, "If I'm not mistaken, Vice-Admiral Tsuru or Fleet Admiral Sengoku must have sent you with a message for me?"
Dak's remark piqued Mihawk's interest, who looked curiously at Gion.
Gion, initially reluctant to speak in Mihawk's presence, decided there was no point in hiding her question, "We want to know your stance if the Pokémon that leave here become pirates and we have to take action against them."
Gion's query caused Mihawk to frown, as he too had only just considered the implication of his actions against Marine Pokémon potentially souring relations with the Mystery Hatchery.
"Oh, there's no need to worry. As long as the Pokémon isn't harmed or betrayed by its owner, we at the Mystery Hatchery won't interfere. They choose their own paths, actions, and futures, and we won't involve ourselves in any of it. How you deal with regular pirates should be how you deal with them," Dak clarified Gion's concern.
This principle was based on the norms from the Pokémon world. If a Pokémon commits wrongdoings, it should be punished just like any person would be, without any special treatment due to being a Pokémon but rather treated as an independent life form.
"Alright, I understand," Gion responded, seemingly relieved by Dak's answer.
Mihawk also seemed to relax slightly, his concern lessening with Dak's clarification.
(End Of Chapter)
บท 24: Chapter 24
Afterward, the atmosphere inside the store suddenly became quiet.
Dak and the others glanced at Gion and then at Mihawk, creating an awkward scene for a moment.
"How about this? Since both of you are here with nothing particular to do, why don't you help me find a suitable look for Darkrai?"
Dak felt that continuing like this wouldn't do.
So, he involved Mihawk and Gion to see if they could help him complete the main quest.
"A look?"
Gion tilted her head, looking at Darkrai.
"Yes, as individuals, Pokémon naturally have their own styles. In the world they live in, there's a profession called Pokémon Beauticians. And in our field as breeders, we are also required to possess a certain level of skill in Pokémon grooming. I'm currently practicing, but I'm at a loss for ideas."
"Interesting."
Gion's eyes lit up when she heard what Dak said.
Although Gion wasn't like the average girl, she would relax by studying beauty and makeup during her spare time. Now hearing about grooming Pokémon, she naturally became interested.
"Boring."
Mihawk wasn't deliberately opposing Gion .
He was just expressing his true feelings from the bottom of his heart. However, since he had nothing better to do, he stayed to watch, without any intention of leaving.
"Hmph, if you're not interested, you can leave."
"I won't."
Mihawk's words nearly made Gion have a brain hemorrhage.
If it weren't for the fact that they were inside the breeding house, Gion would have definitely swung her sword by now.
"Alright, Darkrai, come here and let Miss Gion take a look at you."
Dak quickly stopped the brewing conflict.
He couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if Newgate and Sengoku, Garp and Dragon, Luffy and Smoker were to meet in his shop.
Darkrai approached Gion without any objections. In his view, nobody could make him look worse than Dak and Bon had.
However, he was wrong.
Gion indeed knew how to apply makeup, but only women's makeup.
When Darkrai saw himself in the full-body mirror, with bright red lipstick, false eyelashes, and blush on his face, he almost buried his head in the ground.
Gion even combed his flowing hair down into a middle part.
"Ha ha ha ha ha."
Mihawk laughed.
This was the first time Dak had seen Mihawk laugh so openly, which genuinely startled him. He had never seen Mihawk laugh like this before, and now, Mihawk's laughter reminded him of Uchiha Madara's maniacal laughter.
"What are you laughing at?!"
Gion was annoyed.
Her sword was drawn horizontally across Mihawk's neck.
"Can't even hold a sword steady, don't bother drawing it at all."
Mihawk wasn't the least bit flustered, instead, he looked at Gion's trembling hands and blade with a mocking gaze.
Inside the breeding house, everyone's strength was suppressed to the level of a Totodile. Physical strength decreased, and neither Haki nor Devil Fruit abilities could be used.
Gion and Mihawk being able to wield large swords was already quite impressive.
"..."
Gion realized the kind of suppression power spoken of by Tsuru.
Truly terrifying.
Gion sheathed her sword and glanced at Dak.
With such a terrifying suppression power, the breeding house could run rampant across the seas, and they could simply hide inside if others dared to enter, waiting for their doom.
No wonder the breeding house dared to warn and threaten the navy.
In just a moment, Bon had already washed off the makeup from Darkrai's face before he could get angry.
"Mihawk-san, how about you give some suggestions?"
Dak then turned his attention back to Mihawk.
Honestly, there was something oddly similar between Mihawk and Darkrai.
"A suggestion? Trouble. Just wearing a hat or a scarf would do."
Mihawk seemed to find it somewhat boring and spoke dismissively.
And with that single sentence, Dak suddenly realized what he should do.
In the Pokémon world, indeed, many beauticians put quite flamboyant makeup on Pokémon, which seems to be the only thing they consider 'beauty' worthy.
But Dak forgot, among most ordinary trainers, adding a little something to their Pokémon already counted as dressing them up.
Like Meowth wearing boots, Pikachu with a hat, or Treecko biting a twig.
Most Pokémon do not like having things added to them.
Especially Darkrai, who often has to battle, would find those things burdensome. Only Pokémon that are primarily for 'companionship', or rather, kept as pets, wouldn't mind having those flashy decorations.
"Ah, that's it!"
Dak suddenly understood what he needed to do.
Darkrai looked at Dak, already having lost faith in Dak's aesthetic sense.
"Hats won't work. Scarves, neither."
Dak circled around Darkrai, then shook his head.
The flowing white hair and red serrated neckband were Darkrai's signature, which couldn't be covered; that would be uncool.
Dak looked at Darkrai's bare torso, had an idea, ran back to his bedroom, and brought back a strip of ice-blue ribbon, then tied it around Darkrai's left arm.
The color of the ribbon matched the color of Darkrai's eyes, making it somewhat match.
"Wow, don't tell me, just this simple touch, and it actually looks good."
Bon commented from the side.
In his view, at least Darkrai's body didn't look so monotonous anymore.
Darkrai glanced at his reflection in the mirror, felt indifferent, then looked at Dak, who was looking forward to his approval.
Well, it didn't bother him.
"Dak."
Darkrai nodded, giving Dak a bit of recognition.
Dak was delighted, genuinely happy to have received Darkrai's approval.
He didn't even notice that his personal panel in breeding had reached Lv.2.
[Main Quest: Pokémon Grooming Course - Completed]
[Rewards: Evolution of Tree, Lake, and Warm Lamp]
[Effects: The tree can now produce a large amount of berries for Pokémon to eat; the lake can now be used to keep marine life; the sunlight from the warm lamp can accelerate the hatching of Pokémon eggs]
Dak had yet to observe the changes in the store when a new system prompt arrived.
[A new main quest has been assigned]
[Main Quest: Breeding Course Three - Skill Teaching]
[Content: Teach a Pokémon to learn a new move]
[Reward: Pokémon Check, Recovery Device]
[Magical Store]
Seeing this reward, Dak immediately opened the Magical Store to search what exactly it was, only to find, to his surprise, that it wasn't just one thing, but two machines.
[Check Device: Provides a comprehensive check of a Pokémon and organizes a detailed data panel about that Pokémon, an essential machine in Pokémon Research Institutes.]
[Recovery Device: Strongly restores a Pokémon's physical strength, quickly repairs injuries caused by battles, an essential machine in Pokémon Centers.]
"Both are great items! Together they cost 10k Magical Coins."
The price for both devices in the Magical Store is 5000 Magical Coins each, equivalent to 500 million Belly.
Fortunately, this task isn't very difficult.
With Darkrai's gold-tier potential, learning a new move is a simple task, right?
(End of Chapter)
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
200+ การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
54 หินพลัง 
ความคิดเห็นย่อย