Dak was stunned; he hadn't expected Newgate to suddenly pop such a question.
Moreover, for him, standing at 1.8 meters tall, Newgate's 6.6-meter stature was oppressively overwhelming, casting a shadow over him as if eclipsing the sun.
"Sorry, while I don't mind being friends, joining a pirate crew wouldn't be conducive to running my shop."
Dak shook his head, expressing his most genuine thoughts.
"Gurarara, I knew it, you're an extraordinary fellow."
Newgate laughed, not minding Dak's refusal.
He had seen it coming; Dak was destined for great things, whether through the power he wielded or the subtle air of authority he maintained even in the presence of the entire Whitebeard crew.
He wasn't wrong in his judgment.
"Then, please follow me, I'll take you to my shop."
Treating a customer like royalty, Dak became the ultimate salesman, very polite.
"Hmm, tell Marco the location, and he'll adjust the course."
Newgate hadn't quite caught on and called Marco over.
"Ah? Uh, sorry, I didn't explain properly. 'The Magical Breeding House' is located in the void, and while there are pathways to the shop from anywhere in this world, it doesn't actually exist within this world. So, it can't be reached by sailing."
Dak scratched his head, succinctly elevating the prestige of his shop in just a few words.
Having already shocked the Whitebeard Pirates, he might as well add a bit more flair.
He wasn't trying to show off or play coy; he was simply stating the truth.
"Hey, hey?! Are you serious? If it weren't for the power you just showed, I'd have thought you were crazy and kicked you into the sea."
Marco looked at Dak, not seeming to joke around and was somewhat shocked.
His worldview was beginning to crumble.
"Really?"
Newgate, however, remained calm, having already seen Darkrai demonstrate its spatial power.
Even though what Dak was saying now seemed even more unbelievable, it wasn't too hard to digest after the warm-up, that is, before hearing the next part of Dak's explanation.
"In truth, there are endless worlds within the universe, which I refer to as the myriad realms. Your world is but one among them, and 'The Magical Breeding House' exists in the spatial cracks between these myriad realms."
Did Dak lie?
No, everything he said was true, merely using the art of language to further elevate the prestige of The Magical Breeding House.
After he finished speaking, the entire Moby Dick fell silent.
The sea was calm, and the surroundings fell into a deathly hush.
"Do you realize the gravity of what you're saying?"
Newgate was the first to speak up, staring at Dak with wide eyes.
Dak's words were shattering his worldview; he couldn't believe what Dak was saying.
"I know it's hard for you to accept. Come with me."
Dak shook his head, understanding Newgate's perspective.
When he first crossed over and received the system, he felt the same way. It's one thing to face the brutal reality of crossing over; it's another to believe in such concepts before experiencing them.
Dak walked towards a certain door, with Newgate following behind.
As soon as Newgate moved, the entire crew of the Whitebeard Pirates followed suit.
"Wait, wait, wait! 'The Magical Breeding House' has just opened, and the shop is quite small. It can't accommodate so many people at once."
Dak quickly turned to stop them.
How could a space of just a hundred square meters fit so many people?
"Hey, you just made it sound so impressive!"
"I didn't say anything wrong, though."
Dak shrugged somewhat innocently.
The Magical Breeding House was indeed just starting out, but it was bound to become impressive in the future.
"Marco, Satchi, you two come with me, the rest stay on the Moby Dick."
"Yes, Pops." Newgate swiftly selected who would accompany him.
Marco was a given, and Satchi was chosen for his keen interest in Pokémon, which caught Newgate's eye.
Dak nodded and then led the three forward.
Newgate's exaggerated footsteps echoed behind Dak, a reminder of the exaggerated physiques prevalent in this world.
"Hey! Dak, don't trick us!"
Satchi, quite familiar by now, sidled up to Dak.
"Right, if you're lying, just join us and be Pops' son, hahaha."
Marco's wariness had dissipated; he could tell Dak bore no malice.
"I won't trick you."
Dak, now in full view, led everyone to a large door and began to push.
It wouldn't budge.
"This is the captain's quarters."
Marco stepped forward and opened the door, revealing the Moby Dick's captain's quarters.
Now everyone started to view Dak with skepticism.
After all, Dak seemed too weak to even open a door.
"No, it's not that you can't push the door, but that it has to be me who opens it to reach the destination."
Dak shook his head to clarify, then pondered his next move.
He couldn't just hand out 'Magical Tokens' willy-nilly.
"Then we'll just press your hand and push together."
Satchi bounced over.
"Alright, let's try."
Dak agreed, placing his hand on the door.
Satchi then pressed his hand over Dak's and pushed, creating a somewhat awkward scene.
But that wasn't important!
Because the door opened, and what lay beyond wasn't the familiar captain's quarters but another room.
"Nani?! It's actually real?"
"Where is that? There's grass and a lake, and I see a tree."
"Look, aren't those colorful eggs under the tree?"
"Those must be the Pokémon eggs he mentioned."
The scene became quite lively.
Members of the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't help but crowd around, craning their necks to peek into the space beyond the door.
Since the door was large, many could see into the interior.
This made Dak realize he might need to hang a curtain in front of the door in the future for some privacy.
"Let's go."
Dak, reassured by the sight of his shop, knew he was safe once inside.
Darkrai, eager as ever, flew into the shop first, checking on the eggs under the tree.
Then, Dak stepped inside.
Marco and Satchi followed without hesitation.
"Wait, Pops! Don't come in!"
"Don't enter!"
Just as Marco and Satchi had set foot inside, they immediately stretched out their hands to stop Newgate from entering.
"What's wrong?"
Newgate frowned, looking at Dak, not sensing any trickery from him.
"Our strength, it's suppressed."
"Right, I feel incredibly weak upon entering here, probably couldn't even beat a goose in the kitchen."
(End of Chapter)
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Marco and Satchi looked serious as they could clearly sense their own condition.
Marco raised his hand to use his fruit powers, only managing to produce a spark.
"Oh?"
Newgate wasn't in a rush to pull Marco and Satchi back since Dak had no intention of harming them.
He didn't sense any malice from Dak.
"This is one of the rules of The Magical Breeding House, designed to prevent unruly customers from harming the Pokémon inside the shop. So, the strength of anyone entering the shop will be suppressed. If you're worried, it's okay to stay outside."
Dak turned and smiled at Newgate, who was still outside the door.
Now, Dak wasn't panicked at all. Attacks from outside couldn't penetrate into the breeding house, and even if he couldn't handle them, Darkrai was there.
Dak didn't overestimate his ability to defeat Marco and Satchi, even if their powers were suppressed to his level. Their combat experience and skills were not something he could match.
Conqueror's Haki wasn't something to be used lightly.
"I see."
Newgate nodded, agreeing with Dak's explanation, tossed his bisento onto the deck behind him, and walked into the shop with confidence.
The moment he stepped onto the grass, Newgate too felt significantly weaker.
He probably hadn't been this weak since he was born.
Dak, unaware he had been silently criticized, went under the tree to check on the eggs with Darkrai.
They were just as they had been before he left.
He didn't know how long it would take for them to hatch, but he suspected it wouldn't be a short period.
Dak turned to see the three men behind him, who were examining the shop's environment and layout.
"Let's close the door first; it's too noisy outside and might disturb the babies."
Dak gestured to Newgate and pointed at the eggs under the tree.
Newgate looked at the eggs and then closed the door, instantly quieting the shop.
"My god, he was telling the truth."
"Is there really another world? Pops, I want to see it."
Marco and Satchi looked as curious and bewildered as when they first set out to sea with Newgate.
"..."
Newgate didn't respond.
That wasn't something they were meant to know about, even Roger was unaware of such things.
Without Dak's revelation, they likely wouldn't have believed in the existence of other worlds.
"Can we visit these other worlds?"
Satchi asked Dak curiously, with Marco and Newgate also looking on.
"I'm not sure if I can let you visit other worlds. Maybe, maybe not. But you will definitely come into contact with people from other worlds through The Magical Breeding House."
Given the system's inter-dimensional level, it was inevitable that people from other worlds would visit The Magical Breeding House eventually.
"When people from different worlds are in The Magical Breeding House at the same time, they'll come into contact with each other."
"Interesting!"
Marco grinned, intrigued by the idea of meeting people from other worlds.
"It's too early to talk about that. Right now, The Magical Breeding House is only open to your world. Linking to another world won't happen for at least a year or two."
"Alright."
Marco and Satchi's excitement cooled, and their attention shifted to the eggs.
Eggs that could hatch into mysterious creatures.
The prospect of unboxing these creatures thrilled them.
"Marco, Satchi, pretend you don't know about this when we get back."
Newgate spoke up, anticipating the chaos that would ensue among his crew if they learned of these revelations.
Such worldview-shattering information wasn't suitable for widespread dissemination.
If these events weren't happening for a year or two, there was no need to discuss them yet, granting him a couple of years of peace.
"Hmm."
Marco and Satchi, both sensible, understood Newgate's intentions.
"You said you're selling these eggs? The Whitebeard Pirates will buy them all."
Newgate looked at the eggs and then addressed Dak.
"You can only buy one for now."
Dak immediately shook his head in refusal without hesitation.
He didn't doubt the treatment Pokémon would receive among the Whitebeard Pirates, one of the few groups he trusted to care for Pokémon.
They would undoubtedly become great companions for the Pokémon.
However, the Whitebeard Pirates had no prior experience in breeding Pokémon and knew nothing about it, unlike Dak, who at least had a book to learn from.
Pokémon and humans have entirely different habits.
Moreover, each Pokémon species has specific lifestyle habits; just that knowledge alone is vast.
Giving the Whitebeard Pirates ten Pokémon eggs all at once was too much.
Even if they could treat each egg equally and attentively, the care needed before and after the Pokémon hatch is not something they could provide.
If every egg belonged to a different species, it would throw the Whitebeard Pirates into chaos.
Thus, he was only willing to sell them one egg, allowing them to focus their care on this little one.
Only after he was convinced the Whitebeard Pirates could properly care for the Pokémon would he consider selling them more eggs.
Dak candidly shared these thoughts with the three men before him.
After hearing Dak's explanation, they understood why he was only willing to sell one egg.
They realized Dak was different from profit-driven merchants; he genuinely cared about the happiness of his Pokémon's future lives.
"Alright, then just one."
Newgate nodded, not pressing further.
Ultimately, he respected Dak's philosophy. Just like he wouldn't want to marry off all his daughters at once without knowing if they could be happy, he understood Dak's concern.
"But, which one should we choose?"
Marco was now in a dilemma, suffering from choice paralysis.
"Damn, can't tell anything useful from the outside!"
Satchi also became frustrated, scrutinizing the ten eggs without discerning any clues.
"Please, don't rush. You're not choosing a pet but a future companion and family member. Take your time, even if it takes longer. I'm not in a hurry."
Dak tried to calm them, feeling nervous himself during his first sale of a Pokémon egg.
"Family, huh?"
Newgate squatted down to examine the tiny eggs.
To him, the eggs were incredibly small, and the world's strongest man found himself in a rare moment of indecision, more challenging than attacking Marine Headquarters.
(End of Chapter)
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