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No way.
It's not that Red is heartless.
The truth is, they don't have much game time left, and explaining everything about the breeding house would take too long. Rather than wasting precious minutes here, Red figured it would be better to wait until the game was over and let Usopp ask questions then.
After all, it was only a ten-minute wait.
And as it turned out, Red's decision was the right one!
After leaving the breeding house, he took Nami and continued south. Before long, they reached a city passage guarded by staff who refused to let them through without offering [tea].
Luckily, Red, who was familiar with the game's storyline, knew there was an underground passage nearby that led directly to the Saffron City. Without hesitation, he took Nami and entered the passage.
All he could say was—thank goodness he wasn't forced into a fight!
Even though the passage stretched beneath an entire city in the game world, the actual travel time was at least an hour. But since the camera didn't like repeating uneventful scenes, only ten minutes later, Red and Nami emerged from the underground passage onto Route 6, the path connecting Vermilion City and Saffron City.
Just then, the game system flashed a low-battery warning.
Red quickly saved his progress, exited the game, and returned to the Merry.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he found Usopp staring at him with a confused expression.
Due to the limited space on the Merry, there were only two crew quarters—one for men and one for women. Even Luffy and Red, the captain and vice-captain, had to share a room with everyone else.
Glancing at Luffy and Zoro, who were still fast asleep, Red raised a finger to his lips, signaling Usopp to be quiet. Then, he gestured for him to step outside for a private talk.
That night, Red told Usopp everything about the breeding house and the Pokémon world.
Usopp had already heard bits and pieces about it over the past few days. Learning that he could also grow stronger through the Pokémon world, he was overjoyed and repeatedly thanked Red.
If it weren't so late—and if he weren't worried about waking the others—he might have even burst into song.
Seeing Usopp so thrilled, Red couldn't help but smirk.
"Alright, I've got things to do tomorrow. Go get some rest," Red waved him off.
It wasn't a big deal to begin with. After explaining things, he was ready to return to training his Ancient Power. Since he had used Surf too many times in the Pokémon world, he was already exhausted and didn't have the energy to speed up the Merry anymore.
But at that moment—
BUMP!
A sudden collision shook the Merry, startling Red and Usopp just as they reached the cabin door.
Then, a frantic voice rang out:
"Hey! Is anyone there?! Please save my friend!!!"
A short while later…
Aside from Luffy, who was still dead asleep, the entire Straw Hat crew had gathered on deck.
Under the dim light, a man in a blue jacket climbed onto the Merry using a rope. Strapped to his back was another man, his face pale and contorted in pain.
"…Huh?"
Red and Zoro were both momentarily stunned.
They immediately recognized the two newcomers.
Zoro, who had an old connection with them, was the first to speak. "Johnny? Yosaku? What the hell are you two doing here?"
"Brother Zoro!? You're here?!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Johnny and Yosaku looked up, their faces lighting up in shock. But then, relief quickly washed over Johnny's face.
"That's perfect! It's Brother Zoro!"
"Yosaku, you're saved!"
With that, Johnny rushed forward and dropped to his knees.
"Brother Zoro, you have to save Yosaku!!!"
"He's been feeling worse and worse since this afternoon! His body is weak, his face keeps getting paler—I don't know what's wrong!"
"Uh… this…"
Zoro, who had never been sick a day in his life, hesitated. He turned his gaze to Yosaku, watching as the man—who had been somewhat alert moments ago—suddenly collapsed weakly onto the deck.
Instinctively, Zoro looked toward Red.
Lately, Red had been the one managing everything, so Zoro had stopped overthinking things. His new motto was simple: if there was a problem, Red would figure it out.
And sure enough—
"Judging by Yosaku's condition, he's suffering from scurvy."
Red stepped forward calmly, placing a reassuring hand on Johnny's shoulder.
"Don't worry, this is just an illness caused by long-term sailing without proper nutrition. Judging by Yosaku's symptoms, it looks like it's only just starting to take effect," he explained.
"As long as he gets some vitamins, he'll recover quickly with his physique."
Turning his head, Red called out, "Usopp… There should be some specially prepared limes in the storage. Bring them out and squeeze the juice for Yosaku to drink."
"Ah, okay!" Usopp nodded and immediately ran to the cabin.
The moment Red spoke, he took complete control of the situation.
His composed demeanor, clear instructions, and authoritative presence left no room for doubt. It was the kind of aura that naturally commanded respect.
Johnny, watching this unfold, blinked in confusion and leaned toward Zoro, whispering, "Brother Zoro, who… who is this guy?"
"This is our vice-captain, Red!" Zoro replied, grinning with pride.
Johnny's confusion only deepened. "Huh? Vice-captain? So, Brother Zoro, you…"
With Yosaku's crisis quickly resolved, Zoro's mood lightened, and he let out a small laugh.
He pointed at the straw hat flag waving atop the Merry's mast.
"That's right. I'm a pirate now!" he declared.
"The number one combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Straw Hat…" Johnny murmured, blinking as the name rang a bell.
Then, all at once—
"Wait a second!"
His expression tensed, and he quickly looked up, his lips trembling.
"Brother Zoro… the Straw Hats you're talking about… could they be those Straw Hats? The most infamous crew in the East Blue right now?!"
"Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy," Zoro confirmed without hesitation. "Our captain."
"Hisss~!!!"
Johnny inhaled sharply and stumbled back in shock.
"Monkey D. Luffy!!? The big pirate with a bounty of 50,000,000 Berries!?"
"Wait, if it's the Straw Hat Pirates… then I guess it makes sense that Brother Zoro became a pirate too…"
At that moment, Usopp returned, carrying a box filled with limes.
"Red, just juice, right? Can I squeeze it by hand?"
"Yeah," Red nodded. Then, he turned to Nami. "Nami, help Usopp with it."
"Mm-hmm," Nami yawned, exhausted but still responding as she walked over.
"Ah… no need, we can do it ourselves…"
Johnny stiffened, suddenly feeling like he had boarded a ship far beyond his understanding. Now that he knew the captain of this crew had a fifty-million-berry bounty, how could he dare trouble Usopp and the others?
But just then, Red placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Don't worry. Nami and Usopp can handle it," he reassured.
Then, with a subtle smirk, his gaze sharpened.
"But more importantly…"
"You've been wandering these seas for a while now, haven't you?"
"Ah, y-yeah!" Johnny stammered, nodding quickly.
The corners of Red's lips curled up, his eyes glinting with intrigue.
"Good."
"If that's the case, then you must've heard about the world's greatest swordsman—Hawkeye Mihawk, right?"
"…What?"
Zoro, who had been about to assist, suddenly froze, his eyes snapping back toward Red.
"Hawkeye!?"
His grip on his sword tightened, his jaw clenching. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Is he in this sea right now?"
"Ah…" Johnny nodded blankly. "I did hear recently that someone spotted Hawkeye in the Saba Sea."
Clang!
The unmistakable sound of a blade leaving its sheath rang through the night.
But realizing there was no immediate battle, Zoro slowly slid the sword back into place, his arms trembling slightly with anticipation.
A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead, yet his lips curled into an eager grin.
"I never thought… I'd get the chance to meet him so soon."
With that, he turned sharply toward Red, his eyes burning with determination.
"Red, you know where to find him, don't you!?"
Zoro was certain—Red wouldn't bring up Mihawk for no reason.
Sure enough, Red met his gaze and smirked.
"Yeah, I know exactly where he is."
"Well then… do you want to take your shot?"
"Even if it means risking your life?"
Zoro let out a low chuckle, the corners of his mouth lifting arrogantly. But his eyes held nothing but unwavering resolve.
"I have no reason to run away!!!"
"That's the spirit~"
Bathed in moonlight, Red gazed up at the endless sea of stars, the smirk on his lips deepening.
"Then…"
"Go see it for yourself."
"The gap between you and the summit of this world."
"And after that…"
"Train a thousand times harder to surpass it!!!"
"Prove to the world that the title of the strongest doesn't belong to just one man!!!"
Red's voice rang with unwavering conviction.
And in Zoro's eyes, a fire ignited—one of absolute confidence and determination.
"Understood!"