"A new achievement reward?!"
As he looked at the system notification that flashed before his eyes, a spark of anticipation suddenly lit up in Red's gaze.
The very next second, he didn't even bother checking the Legendary Pokémon template he had obtained after defeating Moltres. Instead, he immediately opened the achievement interface and began examining the reward for this newly unlocked achievement.
[Achievement: The Legendary Birds][Reward: Randomly obtain one ability that can be possessed by the Legendary Birds.][Draw ability now?][Yes] / [No]
"An ability reward?!"
"I can't believe achievements even give rewards like this!!!"
Seeing the description of the new achievement reward, a sharp gleam flashed through Red's eyes, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upward.
Before earning this achievement, he had never even imagined that he would one day gain access to Pokémon abilities himself.
Without the slightest hesitation, Red focused his consciousness on the [Yes] button.
In an instant, a lottery roulette he knew all too well appeared before him.
Only this time, the surface was no longer packed with countless moves and skills.
The circular wheel was evenly divided into six sections. Three of them bore the exact same label:
[Pressure]
They were precisely the abilities carried by the three Legendary Birds Red had encountered in the Pokémon world.
As for the remaining three, they were:
[Flame Body][Snow Cloak][Static]
When Red focused his consciousness on any of these abilities, their detailed descriptions immediately appeared in his mind.
Pressure needed no explanation—it had already become an old acquaintance of the Straw Hat crew.
Flame Body and Static had very similar effects. Both had a high chance of inflicting the enemy with [Burn] or [Paralysis] when making contact-based attacks.
They weren't a great fit for Red.
Snow Cloak, however, was even more demanding.
Its effect was to greatly enhance Red's movement speed and agility in snowy or cold environments, while also granting partial immunity to Ice-type attacks.
It wasn't completely useless—but there weren't many situations where it would truly shine.
All things considered, the most frequently appearing option—Pressure—was actually the most useful for Red at his current stage.
At Red's mental command, the roulette quickly began to spin.
Perhaps because he had already drawn from this system many times, his heart was unexpectedly calm this time around.
In the end, the roulette stopped—plain and simple—on [Pressure].
"Phew… thank goodness."
Seeing the result, Red let out a long sigh of relief.
After all, Pressure was a power that acted directly on the spirit, making it an exceptionally good match for his Psychic Power.
Moreover, he had already experienced this ability's effects when loading Legendary Pokémon templates before—it was undeniably powerful.
But just as Red assumed that this Pressure ability would be no different from the ones he had experienced while using templates, a strange new power suddenly surged from deep within his body!
"This is…"
A look of confusion flashed through Red's eyes.
But in the very next instant, his expression became utterly spectacular.
At the moment Pressure fused into his body, his already world-class physical constitution and the overwhelming mental strength brought by his Psychic Power suddenly began to merge together!
Before Red could even begin to process what was happening, an immense aura erupted violently from within him!
Boom!!!
An inexplicable psychic shockwave burst forth inside the silent, dim cavern like a raging storm, scouring space and earth alike!
As the only person present who could feel this terrifying presence, Nami staggered as her steps faltered, nearly falling to the ground.
"Re… Red…"
She clutched her forehead, calling out in shock.
But the moment she lifted her head, she saw that Red's face wore the same stunned expression as her own.
"Nami… I think I accidentally…"
"…awakened Conqueror's Haki!!!"
...
...
The night was quiet, shrouded in mist.
On the deck of the Going Merry, even though there were still two or three hours of game time left, Red—eager to test his newfound power—said a few words to Nami and logged out of the game world early.
Levels could be trained at any time.
But the sudden awakening of Conqueror's Haki had sent waves crashing through Red's heart, leaving him utterly unable to calm down.
"I really didn't expect the Pressure ability to have this kind of effect…"
"Come to think of it, even though Pressure isn't especially strong in the games, it's true that only Legendary Pokémon or special high-ranking Pokémon are qualified to possess it."
"I just never imagined that possessing an ability myself would be so different from merely loading a template."
"Looks like I can't rely too heavily on template power in the future."
Staring into the dense fog with visibility of less than ten meters, Red fell into deep contemplation.
Yet his bright, piercing eyes stood out vividly in the darkness.
Boom!!!
Without any warning, he suddenly released another terrifying wave of aura, surging forward across the sea like a violent storm.
From time to time, pitch-black lightning flickered through the air.
It simply wasn't very noticeable due to the surrounding mist.
In an instant, the sea before Red began to churn violently, sending towering waves crashing upward.
Thanks to his prior experience using Psychic Power and the Legendary Birds' templates, even though he had only just awakened Conqueror's Haki under the influence of Pressure, Red was already able to use it to affect the physical world.
And more importantly…
With Conqueror's Haki now in his grasp, Red finally lived up to his status as the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates!
"The day I clear my first playthrough of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! / Let's Go, Eevee! is getting closer and closer."
"I really wonder what kind of rewards I'll get after defeating the Elite Four and becoming the League Champion?"
Curiosity welled up deeply in Red's heart.
...
...
At the same time.
While the Straw Hat crew enjoyed the tranquil, fog-filled night, a massive island surrounded by walls slowly appeared in the nearby sea.
If one were to pull back their view and look down upon it from above, they would be shocked to discover—
This "island" was actually a pirate ship of unimaginable size!
Thriller Bark!
That was the name of this colossal pirate ship, and it was also the vessel of one of the World Government's Seven Warlords of the Sea—
Gecko Moria!
However…
This enormous warship—one that inspired awe and fear in ordinary people merely by its appearance—had now fallen into complete chaos due to the arrival of a pirate crew bearing a sheep-headed figurehead.
"M-Moria-sama!!! T-T-T-Terrible news—!!!"
"Something's gone terribly wrong!!!!"
(End of Chapter)