"Maylo-chan, do you find this place interesting?"
Maylo - daughter of Mandrell and Rusalka and a half-Mermaid, was five years old. She looked no different from a human, except for the small gill marks behind her ears and a few scales on her body.
Unlike Meowna and Wolff, Mandrell was a human, not a Mink. Rusalka herself had never gained any abilities, so Maylo was just an ordinary mixed-blood child.
Meowna and Wolff were nearby as well. You could say this place was a gathering spot for the third generation of the Beasts Pirates. Yamato, in contrast, seemed a bit out of place among them.
"It's a little noisy..."
"True, you're still young. In a bit, you guys can go play outside..."
"Miss Yamato, would you like to hear what the Governor-General Kaido just said?"
Mandrell reminded Yamato. He didn't mind Yamato playing with his daughter. Once he retired, Kaido would likely step down too. At that point, the one ruling the Beasts Pirates would definitely be Yamato. There was no harm in getting close to the future boss early.
But Yamato showed no reaction to Kaido's bizarre remarks, which Mandrell found very strange.
If it weren't for the added protection of Arceus on Yamato, he would've suspected she'd been possessed by something foul.
"I heard him. I'm used to it. It'd actually be strange if that p*rverted old man didn't try something new. At least this time he didn't take action himself. Normal people can't deal with me anyway. Uncle Mandrell, don't tell me you're planning to join the queue too?"
Ordinary pirates weren't a threat to Yamato. Even most mid-level officers couldn't break her defenses. What she had to worry about were the single-digit Numbers possibly ambushing her….people like Mandrell.
Their attacks could still be quite troublesome for her.
"Uh... I'm definitely not interested. As for the others, I can't speak for them."
"Yeah, once the banquet ends, I better keep my distance."
Kaido's comment essentially meant lifting all restrictions; it was a green light for everyone to attack her. Not everyone was as laid-back as Mandrell.
And compared to the other pirates in the Beasts Pirates, what she feared more was Kaido suddenly going crazy and hitting her with a Legendary Dragon Bagua. She hadn't forgotten what Kaido said to Whitebeard during the Summit War.
She was already preparing to use the excuse of a "trial" to sneak out of Onigashima.
But what she didn't know was that this was another part of Kaido's plan. Even though she had been slacking off during the Summit War, Kaido still had a solid judgment of her strength; ordinary people simply couldn't deal with her.
Besides, when it came to poison, Yamato's constitution probably allowed her to eat poisons like food. As for ambushes, that was even harder, just breaking through her defenses would be a challenge.
Kaido's goal wasn't that insignificant sense of tension; it was about being able to fight her more effectively.
Only once she left Wano Country would it be convenient for Kaido to make his move. While she was away "seeking refuge," Kaido would also leave, and then they would just so happen to "bump into each other" in the wild for a sparring match. That was Kaido's real objective.
By making what seems real fake and what seems fake real, Kaido had already started playing mind games with Yamato. He would use this method to show her just how dangerous the world could be.
But all of that was for later. Kaido then tossed the mic back to Queen, letting him resume hosting the proceedings.
"Ahem, Boss Kaido has finished saying his piece, so boys, before the banquet begins, it's time for this round of the Divine Blessing Ritual!"
"Fourtricks, Hamlet, come out, you both are lucky!"
Since this Divine Blessing Ritual had been combined with the war banquet, Misu did not appear this time and instead handed the hosting duties over to Queen.
By now, the Divine Blessing Ritual had a fully developed process. The others simply waited quietly for their turn to gain their own abilities.
The first to receive the ability was Hamlet. He looked like a rather young pirate and had performed well in the recent overseas war, thus earning the qualification to gain an ability.
According to tradition, the ability he would receive had already been determined.
Light once again radiated from Arceus's plate, and under the influence of this energy, Hamlet's body began to undergo changes.
His face became covered with brown fur, marked by dark brown stripes. The exposed parts of his limbs have ring-shaped, jagged fur, with segmented patterns like a snake.
Around his eyes, decorations appeared that looked like sunglasses — Tiny Raccoon Pokémon: Zigzagoon.
He naturally had a strong sense of smell, and the fur on his back was rather stiff. How far he could push this power would be up to him.
Fourtricks' modification differed from Hamlet's. His skin was noticeably darker, giving off a Latin American vibe. However, after being exposed to the same energy, his body turned green.
A thick, keratinous layer appeared on the surface of his body as if it had hardened, his body slightly bent forward, forming a crescent shape. Because of the sunglasses he wore, others couldn't see his eyes, but this "armored" appearance drew everyone's attention.
"What kind of ability is that? Steel type?"
"Doesn't look like it. That color's more like a turtle. Probably a turtle, right?"
"What kind of turtle has scaly armor on its legs? It's probably something similar to Tyranitar."
People around speculated about Fourtricks' ability, but none of them guessed correctly, because his ability belonged to Cocoon Pokémon: Metapod.
Which is the evolution of Caterpie, the Pokémon often said to evolve into Rayquaza.
As the second form of a Bug-type Pokémon, Metapod is always in a state of awaiting evolution. It hardens its shell to protect itself, and while the shell is very tough...
Metapod has no ability to move, and the moves it can use are extremely limited, making it, in a sense, comparable to Mandrell's Magikarp back in the day.
However, this ability still has its own advantages.
Metapod ability is fundamentally different from an actual Metapod.
Even after his modification, Fourtricks can still move. He isn't a stationary Metapod, he's a mobile fortress clad in a suit of hardened armor.
Metapod's specialty is Harden, and as its ability user, Fourtricks is no exception.
Moreover, after transforming, he felt as if his body were submerged in water. That was because wild Metapods have a gelatinous, sticky inner body, but once that becomes an ability, everything changes.
The outer shell didn't grow on him inch by inch; it was fitted onto him, and the inside was filled with a specialized liquid that reduces the impact of external forces.
Though it's not a Steel-type, the enhancement that Metapod gave Fourtricks was still very significant. The boost provided by this armor was far greater than what Hamlet received from Zigzagoon.
As long as he can evolve successfully, he'll even gain the ability to fly. While he might not match Mandrell in terms of explosive power or future potential, he still has his own unique advantages...
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