Shiro raised his hand to interrupt Red Devil and said in a low voice.
"I am..."
He suddenly froze.
What exactly was he supposed to be? A fugitive Champion from Galar? A pending professor from an unknown region?
What nonsense was this?
He did not even have a proper, presentable official identity.
After a brief pause, Shiro still said, "I am with the League. I have already negotiated terms with the Octillery Pirate Crew. I am here to take the hostages."
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen people simultaneously lifted their heads. On the far left, a thin, tall middle aged man broke into a look of joy and was the first to rush toward Shiro.
The wave of stench that followed made Red Devil squint his single eye. He almost kicked the man away on instinct.
"Sir, my name is Dibor. I work for the Sinnoh Galactic Eterna Company." Dibor spoke at a rapid pace. "May I ask where the ship picking us up is—"
Before he could finish, a sharp pain hit his lower back. His already weak body was kicked straight to the ground.
Shiro froze for a moment. Red Devil beside him also looked startled.
The one who stepped forward was a filthy, disheveled kid about fifteen or sixteen years old. He replaced Dibor and stood in front of Shiro.
Dibor clutched his waist and tried to grab at the kid's pant leg, only to be kicked away again.
The kid shouted angrily, "Get lost, you bastard!"
Then he turned toward Shiro and yelled, "Hey! Why did it take you so long to get here? Which Elite Four are you? Hurry up and kill all these pirates! Now!"
What an annoying brat.
Completely unreasonable.
Shiro raised his hand without hesitation and used psychic power to seal the kid's mouth. Then he said coldly, "All of you, follow me."
He turned and walked away, ignoring the kid who was desperately slapping his own face in place.
A few others who had wanted to step forward and curry favor immediately settled down after seeing this scene. None of them dared to approach anymore.
Red Devil and Arne, the two pirates, were still following.
In just a short while, the group reached the shore. The S.S. Anne was anchored just over a hundred meters out at sea to avoid running aground.
"How are we supposed to get across?" Dibor whispered to the people beside him. "We are not expected to swim there ourselves, are we?"
The distance was short, but none of the hostages had Pokémon. Crossing the water was impossible.
Red Devil was about to release his giant Octillery when Shiro stopped him.
"I will handle it."
After speaking, he beckoned lightly to the group. Psychic power flashed, and everyone was instantly moved onto the deck of the cruise ship.
Two crew members waiting on the deck immediately ran into the cabin to report. The hostages looked as if they had been pardoned from death. One woman even squatted on the deck and burst into tears.
Shiro pinched his chin and looked at Red Devil. "Did your pirate crew do something criminal here?"
Red Devil immediately understood. He shook his head frantically and explained, "That woman lost control on the second day after being captured. The cell became filthy. The others, including me, all like cleanliness. We only go spend money on Tentacool Island..."
"So you would touch them if they did not lose control?" Shiro questioned.
Red Devil's expression turned solemn, his tone like an oath.
"Our Red Devil... our Octillery Pirate Crew is absolutely the strongest and most disciplined pirate crew in the Triangle Sea."
After seeing Octillery Island, Shiro temporarily accepted that explanation.
First Mate Tyler had already come out. Holding his nose, he arranged accommodations for the hostages. The first priority was bathing and changing clothes.
The hostage rescue mission was complete.
After giving instructions to the crew, Tyler jogged over eagerly and raised his hand obsequiously.
"We just caught a fresh Gorebyss. Dr. Shiro, would you like to have a taste..."
Shiro raised his hand to refuse. "I still have something to do. Eat without me. Do not set sail yet. Wait for me a bit longer."
"Yes, yes..." Tyler nodded repeatedly, then cautiously pointed upward. "Then, that one... should we..."
Shiro glanced at Walt, who had been hanging from the pole for two days. He looked more dead than alive. Even the Octillery clinging to him seemed exhausted. After all, it had gone two days without food while being blasted by sea wind.
"Take him down and throw him into the sea to feed the fish," Shiro instructed Arne.
Arne carried it out immediately. He had the Octillery lower Walt, then jumped into the sea together with it.
"Mm! Mmmm!"
A strange humming sound came from nearby.
Shiro turned his head. It was that same brat from earlier. He was still filthy and had not gone into the cabin to clean up. A crewman wearing gloves was trying to drag him but could not.
"Forgot about you," Shiro said, releasing the psychic seal on the kid's mouth. "What do you want to say?"
The kid jumped and shouted, "You actually dared to kill the captain and work with those pirates? I warn you. When the other Elite Four arrive—"
Another stream of nonsense.
Before he could finish, Shiro vanished from the spot along with the two pirates.
All that remained was the kid struggling and yelling at the crewman holding him.
"Let go of me! Do you know who I am? When the other Elite Four arrive, I will—"
The crewman steeled himself, pressed a filthy glove over the kid's mouth, and dragged him forcefully into the cabin.
* * *
"Where is the Sea Shard Rock? And where is Team Rocket?" Shiro asked Red Devil on Octillery Island.
"To the north," Red Devil answered respectfully. "Team Rocket is stationed on the northern side of Octillery Island, inside the Sea Shard Rock Cavern. The Sea Shard Rock is there."
Stationed there.
Shiro glanced at the one eyed pirate and said calmly, "Take me to see it."
Red Devil had no objections. After waving for Arne to leave, he continued north from the edge of the town.
Passing a small path beside the grassy Octopus Head mountain range, they could see a strange area filled with dark gray rocks on the northern side of the island. It lay in the middle of the forest, as if a chunk of the greenery had been shaved away.
Across this rocky region stood black tents bearing a large red R. Two Team Rocket grunts stood guard outside each tent. Along the edges of the rocky zone, more Rocket grunts stood silently on watch.
They wore standard Team Rocket uniforms and carried a cold, disciplined air.
"You did not sell the entire Sea Shard Rock Cavern to Team Rocket, did you?" Shiro stopped on the hillside and asked Red Devil.
Red Devil hesitated, unsure how to explain.
"Not exactly sold. Team Rocket said they wanted to conduct research at first. The research just took a bit too long, and they would not let anyone go inside to look..."
So Team Rocket had simply seized the Octillery Pirates' Pokémon resource mine by force.
Absolutely shameless.
Now Shiro also wanted Sea Shard Rock. That meant Team Rocket was occupying his resource mine.
Unacceptable.
On the sea, the biggest fist ruled.
Shiro waved his hand. "Alright. I understand. You can go back."
Red Devil thanked him repeatedly and turned to flee.
Shiro walked down the slope at an unhurried pace, passed through the forest, and stepped into the rocky zone.
The moment he emerged, several gazes locked onto him.
**
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