It was noon.
The breeze was gentle, and the sunlight was just right.
On the training grounds of Marine Branch 153
After looting Morgan's savings and treasure, Red brought Luffy and the other two back to the open space here.
The crucifix that had bound Zoro had already been silently taken down by the thoughtful Marine soldiers, and even the holes in the ground had been filled.
Seeing this, both Zoro and Red couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Only Nami, who had been dragged here against her will, looked extremely displeased.
"Ugh, why did we give the Marines so much money?!"
"Don't they already get subsidies from the World Government?!"
"That was five million Berries!!!"
"If you guys don't want it, just give it to me!!!"
Nami grumbled under her breath, though in truth, she simply couldn't understand Red's decision.
Red, having caught the meaning in her words, turned and smiled slightly:
"It's only five million Berries, don't sweat the small stuff, little Nami."
"Just look at our team, wherever we go, we can earn billions with ease!"
"That Marine lieutenant commander is a local of Shells Town. I believe he'll use the money wisely."
"Spending five million Berries to give the people of Shells Town some peace of mind—don't you think it's worth it?"
"No, I don't!" Nami pouted without hesitation, fully displaying her money-loving nature.
Though no one knew what she was really thinking inside.
When she looked at Red's back, her eyes revealed a flicker of surprise.
'A pirate willing to give up money? What a weirdo...'
…
…
"Alright, now that our team is coming together, it's time for proper introductions."
On the open ground, Red didn't have Luffy and Zoro start sparring immediately.
Instead, he guided the group to formally get to know each other.
He and Luffy were easy—one had a god's perspective, the other carefree and unconcerned.
But Zoro and Nami had only just joined.
Nami, especially, was hiding her own agenda, ready to make off with the loot at any moment.
To get the team up and running quickly, Red, as the vice-captain, had to take initiative.
Hearing Red's suggestion, Luffy raised both hands excitedly: "Introductions?! Yeah! Sounds great!"
He was thrilled to have gained two new crewmates—his joy was overflowing.
Red smiled. This was exactly what he wanted.
"Then, as the captain of this crew, why don't you go first, Luffy?"
"Hehe! No problem!" Luffy grinned widely and goofily.
He placed the straw hat on his head with one hand, his face glowing with confidence:
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and my dream is to become the Pirate King, the freest man on the seas!!!"
"I also ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, so I'm a rubber man! My body stretches like rubber."
"Like this...!"
To demonstrate, he performed his signature move in front of Nami and Zoro, stretching his mouth as wide as his arms.
Faced with this absurd scene, both Zoro and Nami were stunned.
Zoro quickly snapped back and asked:
"Wait! You said your body turns to rubber, but what about that crazy speed you showed earlier? It looked like you teleported!"
Having never left the East Blue, the weakest of the seas, Zoro had trouble wrapping his head around what he'd seen.
Luffy, pulling his stretched mouth back with a snap, answered nonchalantly:
"Oh, that? That's a special battle technique, 'Soru,' one of the six styles Red taught me!"
"It lets you explode with incredible speed in an instant."
"Correction!" Red laughed, cutting in: "I didn't invent it. It's actually one of the standard combat techniques used by the Marines…"
"The official name is the Six Powers of the Navy. I happen to know a little about it."
"After all, I am a Trainer."
"Trainer!?"
Hearing that word again, Zoro finally caught the chance to ask:
"So… what exactly is a Trainer?"
"That's a long story," Red smiled again. "But I guess it's my turn now."
"As you know, I'm the vice-captain of this crew. I don't have any big dreams, just going with the flow, seeing where the journey takes me."
"And I'm also a Trainer."
"As for what Trainers do… well, it's just like the name says: we train others, help them grow stronger quickly, even gain miraculous powers!"
"Like this..."
As he spoke, Red suddenly lifted a hand.
The primal energy within him surged again, forming small rocks that floated behind him.
Since it was only a demonstration, Red quickly stopped the energy flow, letting the rocks fall and vanish.
"As you can see, Trainers can help others gain all kinds of incredible abilities."
"Of course, it takes a little time and effort on your part."
"No way! Is that a Devil Fruit power too!?" Nami exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Nope…"
"But you could say that for now, if it helps you understand."
Red shook his head, but his lips curled in a mysterious smile as he looked at Nami:
"Even someone like you, Nami, who isn't made for combat, I'm confident I can train you into a top-level fighter who can take on powerful enemies!"
"You mean... I can have powers like you?" Nami asked in shock, pointing to herself.
"Of course!" Red answered without hesitation.
"After all, I am a Trainer!!!"
He emphasized the word again, like a mantra, firmly branding the label onto himself.
Although he couldn't be completely sure yet, something deep inside told Red that this was the correct way to bring others into the world of Pokémon and its game mechanics.
And without letting Nami ask more, he clapped his hands:
"Alright!"
"This whole explanation might be a bit much to process right now."
"Rather than waste time trying to understand it all, let's just let time answer the questions."
"So next up… your turn, Zoro."
"Huh?" Still stunned by Red and Luffy's powers, Zoro blinked, but quickly composed himself and began his self-introduction.
Compared to the reserved and vague intros of Luffy and Red, Zoro's was straightforward and typical.
The same old lines, but they were his honest words.
Once Zoro finished, it was Nami's turn.
Feeling the three pairs of eyes on her, Nami's heart skipped a beat, she was unexpectedly nervous.
But maybe it was Red's earlier act of giving money to Shells Town's people that touched her. She took a deep breath and began seriously:
"My name is Nami. I'm a thief who specializes in stealing from pirates."
"Just to be clear, I don't have the amazing navigation skills you mentioned, though I do know a little about it."
Like Red and Luffy, Nami also downplayed her abilities a bit.
Mostly because she was still confused and unsure about the whole situation.
If it weren't for Red and Luffy forcing her along, and the fact that all the looted cash and luxury goods were still in Red's hands, tempting her.
She'd probably already be plotting her escape.
But in comparison, Zoro, with nothing to hide, suddenly seemed like he lacked depth.
'What's going on, Zoro? You gotta step it up!'
Zoro: '???Aren't we doing Nami's intro right now? Why's the vice-captain staring at me like that?'
"..."
As the weird air filled the scene, Nami confirmed her inner thought once more:
"These people… not a single one of them is normal!!!"
After the brief intros, Nami didn't go into much detail about herself.
Red didn't press her, either.
He simply smiled, drawing everyone's attention back again, then said to Luffy:
"Well, Luffy? Didn't I say Shells Town wouldn't disappoint us?"
"We got two excellent crewmates just like that, you've taken another step toward becoming Pirate King!"
"Shishishishi! And it's all thanks to you, Red!!!"
Luffy laughed loudly.
He didn't even need Red to say anything, he was already praising him on autopilot:
"I knew it, listening to you never goes wrong!"
"Of course!" Red laughed along, then turned to call over a nearby busy Marine soldier.
"Hey! You there!"
"...Huh?!"
The Marine soldier froze in fear.
He hadn't forgotten how Red had taken down Captain Morgan in seconds.
"W-What is it?!"
"Relax. No need to be so tense." Red smiled. "You guys should have a Den Den Mushi camera or a regular camera, right?"
"Go get it, we want to take a group photo!"
"HUH!?" The Marine's jaw dropped. "Here? A photo?!"
"Of course!"
Red clapped Luffy on the shoulder: "Today marks the official formation of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"A historic moment like this deserves to be recorded!"
"Right, Luffy?!"
"Right, right!" Luffy nodded vigorously, clapping in excitement. "Red, you really think of everything!"
"W-Wait a minute!"
Nami suddenly cut in, shouting: "You want us to take a photo!? Here!? In a Marine base!?"
"What's the problem?" Red asked calmly.
Nami immediately grabbed her hair in frustration, losing her mind.
"This is a huge problem!"
"You're pirates! Since when do pirates take group photos in front of a Marine base?!"
"Didn't it just happen today?" Red kept smiling as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Seeing the Marine already running to fetch the camera, Red patted Nami on the shoulder to reassure her, then let Luffy drag him away to pick a good spot and angle.
Watching the two of them so carefree, Nami's expression grew even darker.
'A group photo… in front of a Marine base?'
'If this gets out, the humiliation for the Marines would be unimaginable!'
'Every single person in that photo would be hunted down relentlessly!'
She could already see her tragic future unfolding before her, summed up in four words:
"Wanted Dead or Alive."
At this moment, she finally understood why Red had called this a pirate ship, because once you boarded, there was no getting off!
In desperation, she turned to Zoro, hoping the fellow new recruit would be of some help.
Surprisingly, Zoro seemed to pick up on her silent plea and nodded.
"Don't worry, I get what you're worried about!" Zoro said reassuringly.
Under Nami's hopeful gaze, he then shouted at Luffy and Red:
"Hey! Don't just focus on yourselves! Think about Nami too!"
Nami: 'Yes! Yes!'
'Finally, a sane person in this world!'
Zoro: "Nami's a girl, after all. You can't just have warships and cannons as the background!"
"That flower bed over there would be much better! And the Marine logo, perfect!"
Nami: "......"
'Forget it.'
'I'm done.'
'Just Let it be'