After surveying Reverse Mountain, Rosse lowered the ship, letting it flow down with the current, rapidly descending along the ten-thousand-meter-high waterway into the Grand Line.
The wind howled past their ears, clouds and mist swept by their eyes, and everyone on the ship clung tightly to nearby fixtures, their heartbeats resonating with the ship's trembling.
Finally, after a bout of turbulence and traversing, the ship jolted violently, then smoothly landed into the embrace of the Grand Line.
As the ship had just descended from the waterway, Gion looked at the bustling scene at the very front of the Grand Line and instinctively scoffed, "Back to the Grand Line again, huh. It's still as filthy and foul-smelling as ever."
At the sea area where the ship landed, pirate ships were densely clustered together, some were dilapidated, others extravagant and luxurious. These pirate ships gathered in this not-so-large sea area, surrounding the vessels descending from the current.
This was the welcome ceremony for new pirates from the Four Blues.
Crew members getting killed and treasures being stolen was a common occurrence. If one couldn't pass through this area in the end, getting buried at sea was highly likely.
Pirates who came from the Four Blues to the Grand Line had made thorough preparations, they would at least bring along all their possessions.
Rather than raiding allied nations with higher risks and lower returns, it was better to come here and reap ill-gotten gains from other outlaws.
But unfortunately, this time they ran into something far from a meek lamb from the Four Blues.
When the pirates on the ships saw the World Government's flag flying on the vessel, nearly all of them were dumbfounded.
Ships of the World Government usually passed through the Holy Land; they were never seen in the first half of the Grand Line. This was a first for them.
Immediately, some of the pirate ships quietly backed off, while others accelerated toward the ship.
Danger meant reward.
If they could capture a ship from the World Government, the return would certainly be far greater than robbing any pirate ship.
The pirates who ambushed here were already people who lived with their heads hanging from their belts, they didn't care about the prestige of the World Government.
Those pirates who backed off weren't scared of the World Government's intimidation, they merely wanted to observe first and then swoop in to reap the benefits.
"Kill!"
"Brothers, there must be treasure on that ship!"
"Split the men and women on board, nobles must taste damn fine!"
"..."
The surrounding shouts of slaughter rang out, and the pirates swarmed toward the ship.
"Gion, they're too noisy," Rosse stood at the bow, listening to the cacophony around him, and spoke the first words since descending from Reverse Mountain.
"Understood!", Gion moved. With a light step forward, it seemed as though she transcended the bounds of space, appearing instantly midair in front of the ship.
Her legs slightly bent, her figure steady, as if suspended in the void. Both hands slowly rose, one gripping the sword hilt, the other gently caressing the scabbard.
"Sakura: Dance of the Peach Blossoms!"
With her soft incantation, Konpira seemed to be imbued with life, bursting forth in the sky with a radiant pink glow, like the first ray of sunlight piercing the battlefield's gloom.
The flying slash burst open in a brilliant display of misty light, with countless small flying slashes shooting out in all directions.
Like cherry blossoms fluttering down, yet brimming with killing intent.
As if countless falling cherry petals danced gracefully in the air, weaving a net of death that covered the entire sea ahead of Gion.
In an instant, the sounds of the surrounding pirates seemed to stop, leaving only the sakura-colored flying slashes drifting in Gion's domain.
Shiing!
A sharp slicing sound tore through the sky.
Immediately after, an unending tide of cutting sounds surged forth, composing a symphony of death.
Ships destroyed, people killed.
Ship hulls were cleanly sliced through, as if brushed by an invisible giant hand, everything was smoothed and severed. Wood chips flew, seawater gushed.
Dozens of pirate ships under Gion's Sakura Dance were not spared, all turned into wreckage at sea.
"So beautiful…", Sora stared in awe at the scene before him.
'So it turns out, killing can also be so beautiful, so artistic.'
"Not bad," Watching the falling cherry blossoms, Rosse's eyes revealed admiration, as if appreciating a fleeting scenic wonder.
Every time he watched Gion practice her swordsmanship, it was a pleasure.
Not only were her sword techniques beautiful, she herself was even more beautiful.
The nearby pirates were instantly dealt with. Gion didn't stop; she quickly rushed toward the distant pirates who were trying to escape.
In mere moments, peach-colored sword light rippled in the air, and soon this entire sea area held only their one ship.
And just as Gion was preparing to sheathe her sword and return to the ship, in the distance, a green flying slash suddenly tore through the sea, shooting toward Gion.
Gion slightly furrowed her brows and gently raised Konpira.
BUZZ!
The green flying slash clashed with Konpira and was easily deflected by her.
"Flying slash?", On the ship, Rosse took in the entire scene, a look of interest in his eyes.
A flying slash was not something an ordinary swordsman could execute, much less one that spanned several kilometers across the sea, it was clearly no simple matter.
His Hearing the Sea ability activated instantly.
Rosse's eyes lit up with realization.
'So it's him… just as I expected.'
In the distance, a small coffin-shaped wooden boat slowly appeared.
On the not-so-large boat stood a young man with short black hair, wearing a burgundy patterned shirt and a black trench coat.
He stood at the bow, like a perched eagle. His slender fingers gripped a wide cross-shaped black sword. His gaze was sharp, and those golden, hawk-like eyes were fixed intently in Gion's direction.
The sea wind lifted his coat, flapping loudly, yet couldn't shake him one bit.
Rosse recognized him.
'The future world's greatest swordsman…'
"Hawk-Eye" Dracule Mihawk.
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[Dracule Mihawk]
[Overall Rating: B-]
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If Rosse remembered correctly, Mihawk should be only 21 years old at this point, around the same age as Gion, and had not consumed any Devil Fruit.
The current Mihawk was still a newly debuted rookie. There weren't many rumors about him on the sea, and he hadn't even experienced the trial of the Grand Line, yet his strength was already on par with a Navy Vice Admiral.
Appearing here and now in the Grand Line, just as Rosse guessed, Mihawk was likely starting his path to becoming the strongest swordsman from the Grand Line.
Once Mihawk turned his foundation into strength, he would definitely undergo a breakthrough, surpassing the current Gion.
In terms of physical constitution and swordsmanship talent alone, Gion couldn't match him.
But Gion had undergone systematic training from the Navy. In the past year, she had not only consumed the Vampire Devil Fruit, but also entered the World Government's training program for CP0 and even the God's Knights.
The current Mihawk was equivalent to encountering the final boss at the start of the game.
Whether this setback would completely cut off Mihawk's path to becoming the number one swordsman remained to be seen.
Rosse had a look of anticipation in his eyes.
A show like this, he definitely didn't want to miss.
Pom
"Alcremie!"
After a pleasant chirping sound, a cute cream-colored fairy appeared in the brilliant white light.
This fairy was entirely milky white, looking as adorable as an ice cream cone.
Her big red eyes sparkled like rubies, with two strawberry decorations adorning her head.
She was indeed a regional specialty fairy from Galar, Alcremie.
The moment Alcremie appeared, she gently bit her finger and adorably looked at her trainer.
As a cream Pokémon, most Alcremies dislike battles.
What they prefer are cake shops that emit sweet fragrances.
"Alcremie, that girl stole our Fairy Gem, go get it back!"
Little Blue: "..."
'Hmph, as expected of men, all big pig trotters!'
'Before seeing Gardevoir, they all called me their little cutie, but after seeing Gardevoir, they all started calling that girl theirs.'
'So hateful!'
Upon hearing that Little Blue had stolen her trainer's Fairy Gem, Alcremie's cute eyes instantly turned fierce.
'How dare she steal from us? What if my trainer and I have no money in the future?'
'Unforgivable!'
Alcremie pondered for a few seconds and finally decided not to let Jigglypuff and Little Blue in the sky off the hook.
'But… is it really okay to directly attack with skills?'
'They both look so cute. If they get hit, they'll definitely cry from the pain, right?'
"Alcremie?"
Alcremie looked back at her trainer and gently touched the cream on her head.
'What a headache, trainer…'
Fairy Gem stall owner: "..."
Her own fairy just loved peace too much, with no fighting spirit at all.
"In that case, just smear cream over Jigglypuff's eyes."
"Alcremie!"
Alcremie's eyes lit up, she nodded vigorously, secreted a large blob of sweet cream from her body, and threw it toward the Jigglypuff in the sky.
The cream whooshed through the air and accurately hit both of Jigglypuff's eyes.
"Jigglypuff?"
Jigglypuff let out a panicked cry. Her previously stable upward floating body instantly lost balance, flailing through the air like a deflated balloon.
Just as Little Blue was about to crash into the ground, Axel gently waved his hand, releasing a psychic force that steadily caught both Little Blue and Jigglypuff.
Axel had no ill intentions toward Little Blue, this girl was still a trainer after all, and her nature wasn't bad.
"Are you done causing a scene? Can you return the Fairy Gem now?"
"If you're short on money, think of another way. But cheating, lying, and stealing are wrong."
"Hmph!", Little Blue angrily put her hands on her hips, staring at the Rotom Phone on Axel's waist.
"You researchers can talk all you want, easy for you when you don't have to worry about money!"
"This lady also wants to become strong. What's wrong with robbing the rich to help the poor?"
Axel chuckled, walked up to Little Blue, returned the Fairy Gem to the stall owner, then spoke slowly, "Are you really short on money?"
"Of course I am," Little Blue replied as if it were obvious.
"Then why not go after Team Rocket? I heard your Kanto's Team Rocket is especially rampant. Go catch a few of them for bounty money, wouldn't that be great?"
Hearing Axel's words, Little Blue was stunned.
'Is this something a normal person would say?'
'That's the big villain group, not some cash machine!'
"If you don't want to, then fine. I'm just giving you an idea."
Axel didn't expect Little Blue to start hunting Team Rocket right away anyway. After all, character development takes time.
Even if he didn't plant the seed now, she wouldn't let Team Rocket off the hook in the future.
Seeing Little Blue flailing her arms, looking like she wouldn't stop until she got money from him, Axel changed the topic, "Battle me once. If you win, I'll give you twenty thousand pokedollar. How about it?"
Little Blue's eyes instantly lit up, and all her displeasure toward Axel vanished, "Really, handsome?"
Axel nodded, "Of course it's real."
From the first time he saw Little Blue, Axel had already seen the tags on her.
[Evolver (Gold): Can accurately grasp the timing for a Pokémon's evolution; after evolution, the Pokémon's individual strength increases greatly.]
[Charmer (Purple): Silver tongue, very skilled at creating internal conflict in enemies, making others willingly do her bidding.]
Axel had already verified the first tag, Little Blue's Wartortle and Jigglypuff were both larger than their species' average.
As for the second tag, although it didn't affect Axel, that didn't mean it was useless.
In the original work, Little Blue even used this tag to successfully manipulate Team Rocket.
Spending twenty thousand for a battle with Little Blue? Totally worth it.
More importantly, Axel had no plans to lose...
"So, have you decided? Want to battle or not?", Seeing that Little Blue didn't agree immediately, Axel urged her.
"What do I have to pay if I lose?"
Axel blinked and quickly realized that Little Blue lacked a sense of security.
As a character with a tragic background, if he said she didn't have to do anything, she might just walk away.
In that case, he might as well make a condition, "Not much, really. If you lose, just help me as a housekeeper for a few days. I've been a bit tired cooking for myself lately."
Hearing Axel's condition, flames of determination instantly ignited in Little Blue's eyes, "It's a deal!"
Beside them, Alcremie's trainer uncle consciously stepped into the role of referee.
"Trainers are Axel and Little Blue. The battle starts now."
"During the battle, attacking the trainer is not allowed. The match is..."
"Uh, how many vs how many are you guys doing?"
Axel gestured with his mouth toward Little Blue, letting her decide.
Little Blue didn't hesitate, "2V2 for me!"
"Okay," The referee uncle nodded.
"The battle is a 2V2 match. You can freely switch Pokémon during the match. When all Pokémon on one side are defeated, the other side wins."
"3... 2... 1... Start!"
Axel sent out first, beckoning to Gardevoir.
"I'll be counting on you for this battle, Gardevoir."
"Garde~"
Seeing that Axel didn't lead with Dragonair, Little Blue snorted and lightly pressed a Poké Ball, "Afraid I'd use Jigglypuff to counter your Gardevoir? I wouldn't stoop to that kind of battle."
"Wartortle, I choose you!"
After a flash of white light, a Wartortle appeared on the clearing beside the mountain path.
This Wartortle was huge, standing a full 1.4 meters tall, no less impressive than some underdeveloped Blastoise.
Its body was a light indigo color, with a pair of fluffy wing-like ears on its oval-shaped head, and a tail behind it that was just as cute as a Vulpix's.
"Wartortle, use Water Pulse!"
Wartortle rubbed its two claws together, and a rapidly rippling water ball quickly formed between them.
As it came into contact with the air, the water ball buzzed.
The move it used was a Water-type special skill, Water Pulse.
This skill had considerable power, and when it hit an opponent, there was a significant chance of causing confusion, a standard opening move for Water-type Pokémon.
Axel didn't rush to counterattack. Unhurriedly, he rummaged through his backpack to pull out a box.
By the time Water Pulse was nearing Gardevoir, Axel had already taken out the box and placed it in Gardevoir's hands.
"Use Teleport, get behind him and use Hypnosis."
"Garde~"
Gardevoir chuckled softly, perfectly cooperating with her trainer's shameless tactics.
'Hmph, trying to sneak a kiss from my trainer while I wasn't looking and not even wiping off the lip print?'
'From now on, I'll make you want to flee just from seeing my trainer!'
A flash of special psychic power flickered in Gardevoir's eyes, and the space around them instantly rippled.
By the time Little Blue reacted, Gardevoir was already standing between her and Wartortle.
Seeing the provocative look Gardevoir was giving, Little Blue felt like she was about to explode.
'The opponent's Pokémon can get in this close so easily?'
If this were a wild battle, she'd have already lost by now.
'Damn bastard, is this showing off your strength?'
'Unfortunately for you, today's battle is a tournament match!'
"Wartortle, use Aqua Tail! Smack that Gardevoir behind you away!"
Little Blue didn't believe that at such a close range, Gardevoir could still Teleport away in time.
Against agile opponents like Gardevoir, trading damage was the best choice.
But in the next moment, she was stunned.
Just as Wartortle's tail became enveloped in water and before it could swing, Gardevoir's finger was already touching the top of Wartortle's head.
A flash of red light passed, and Wartortle's once-battle-ready eyes immediately turned dazed.
'Mmm... I feel so sleepy...'
"Hey, wake up, Wartortle!"
"Even if you got hypnotized, don't fall asleep immediately, okay?"
Little Blue shook Wartortle's head with all her strength, trying to wake him up.
Wartortle shrank his body and simply retreated into his shell with a thump.
*Sleeping soundly~*
"Hey, get up already, don't be like this!"
"Arghhh, I'm so mad I could explode!"
As Little Blue kept shouting, Gardevoir's lips curved up slightly and she opened the box in her hands.
The Toxic Orb immediately appeared, falling with a free-fall motion and landing steadily inside Wartortle's shell.
Corroded by the toxic power, Wartortle's entire body turned purple.
Little Blue was completely dumbfounded.
'Who even uses a Toxic Orb like this?'
"Hey hey hey, ref, he's breaking the rules, isn't he?"
The referee blinked, "What rule did he break?"
Little Blue: "..."
'How should I know?'
"Gardevoir, use Calm Mind."
Axel issued instructions at the right time, cutting off Little Blue's train of thought.
Gardevoir gently closed her eyes, and an arcane aura began to radiate from her body.
Two upward-moving light rings flashed past, and both Gardevoir's Special Attack and Special Defense rose.
"Damn damn damn, you two are so bad!", Seeing Gardevoir continue to use a powerful buff move, Little Blue gritted her teeth hard.
"If you want to play dirty, then don't blame me for fighting back," Little Blue's right hand swept across her waist, instantly pulling out Wartortle's Pokéball.
"Come back, Wartortle!"
After a flash of white light from the recall, Little Blue puffed out her chest and winked playfully at Axel.
"Even though you won the match, this Toxic Orb is mine now!"
"Heh~", Axel sneered coldly.
From the first day he prepared this tactic, Axel had taught Gardevoir the move Knock Off.
More than half a month had passed, and it was finally ready to use.
"Gardevoir, use Knock Off!"
"Garde!"
Little Blue's smile instantly froze, but not from disappearing. Instead, it turned toward Gardevoir's face.
A rich black light shimmered in her hand, forming a small palm that slapped down hard onto Wartortle.
Clack~
With a sound, the Toxic Orb fell to the ground, dyeing the area beneath it purple.
At the same time, Wartortle returned to its Pokéball, and Gardevoir closed her eyes once more.
Second Calm Mind!
"Arghhh, I'm going to explode!"
Little Blue bit her teeth hard, wanting to pounce on the Gardevoir just a few steps away.
But after glancing at her petite body, she decisively chose to back down.
'So you like playing dirty tactics?'
'Little Blue will never give in!'
"Jigglypuff, go! Start off with Safeguard. Let's see how she hypnotizes you now."
Jigglypuff nodded, activating Safeguard and walking in front of Little Blue.
Little Blue made a vicious face at Axel and resumed giving commands.
"Jigglypuff, use Disarming Voice, break her Calm Mind!"
Jigglypuff blinked and tilted its body, letting out a cute cry.
Gardevoir sneered coldly, continuing her meditation.
'Cute? In the face of my trainer's handsomeness and affection, it's not worth a dime!'
After two Calm Minds, the energy within Gardevoir's body was already enormous.
With every move she made, the pink Fairy-type energy fluttered like real butterflies.
"Gardevoir, use Moonblast."
Gardevoir nodded and gently floated into the air. The entire mountain base instantly darkened.
The moon, which hadn't appeared until now, slowly rose with a soft white glow, hanging in the sky above Mt. Moon.
Compared to the Moonblast Gardevoir used before, this time's moon was terrifyingly huge.
Bright and radiant, people looked like ants under its light.
All the trainers at the foot of the mountain were stunned, their eyes all fixed on Gardevoir.
At first, they only thought Axel's Gardevoir had dyed her hair and didn't pay her much attention.
Such things weren't uncommon in the Pokémon world.
Some people even painted their Metagross to look like a shiny and pretended to be shiny Metagross trainers.
But now? Who was just dyeing their hair?
What kind of Gardevoir dyes her hair and can use such a massive Moonblast?
This is a straight-up Fairy Queen.
In front of Little Blue, Jigglypuff was completely dumbfounded.
It tilted its head and looked at its owner, who had already been scared silly.
'You said Safeguard would be enough to win?'
'And now you want me to fight that thing?'