It wasn't just Queen who couldn't understand, Kuzan himself didn't understand either. The Beasts Pirates have two people in charge, and this is no secret across the seas.
Before the Summit War, Arceus didn't have a strong presence. Aside from the incident on Kuraigana Island, most of the time there was no news about him.
But all of that changed drastically with the Summit War. During the war, both the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates paid a heavy price, yet the Beasts Pirates ended up as the ultimate beneficiaries. Furthermore, Arceus demonstrated abilities far beyond natural disasters.
A person like that could never remain obscure, nor would he be content to stay under someone else. So the outside world redefined the internal structure of the Beasts Pirates. Their dual leadership system was beyond doubt, and there were even bigger secrets within.
It wasn't strange that Arceus could command the senior officers of the Beasts Pirates. What was strange was that he only wanted to meet his penguin.
Kuzan didn't care about his former Admiral status, but it was still an impressive credential. Compared to the Beasts Pirates as a "corporation," those Super Rookies were at best fresh graduates with diplomas from prestigious schools.
But the title of former Admiral was like having experience working at the absolute top of the industry. Yet in the end, he still wasn't as eye-catching as Camel.
He wasn't worried about Camel. This kind of penguin wasn't some sea cat living in Alabasta's inland rivers, living peacefully because of its symbolic significance. Wild creatures living in the open sea all have the ability to protect themselves.
Either they were fast enough that enemies couldn't catch them, or tough enough that enemies couldn't bite through, and if neither, then they needed to exist in large enough numbers to feed the predators. Only that way could their species continue.
These penguins, who liked to swim while standing upright, also had a bit of combat ability. Even though such strength didn't mean much on Onigashima, he believed that the people here wouldn't go after a penguin. Instead, the target should be him.
"Is this supposed to be a show of force?"
"Of course not. Dad wouldn't use such a weird method. Anyway, Dad definitely has his own plan. Just follow me first. Identity registration is a really important thing."
"You sure have a lot of trust in your Dad."
According to Kuzan's rough calculations, Yamato cursed Kaido every day on their way back to Wano Country—words like pevert, demon, and bstard constantly came up when referring to her biological father. In stark contrast, she showed genuine respect toward Arceus.
"You'll understand why with time. Do you think being Kaido's daughter is easy?! A world without Dad is just too terrifying."
"You look like you just remembered something horrifying."
Kuzan tucked his eye mask back into his jacket's pocket, covering his eyes with one hand. As he had just left Mogura Port, he found the sunlight a bit harsh. Meanwhile, Yamato's expression became rather abstract, as if she were seeing some kind of hellish vision.
"It's not imagination—it's... never mind. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Just come with me for the registration."
Thinking of the Wano Country in the other world, and then recalling the abstract Oden version of herself, Yamato could only feel a headache coming on.
[I don't know how you're doing now. I hope you've gotten back on track.]
Yamato took Kuzan to the registration office, while Queen followed order and headed to Onigashima. When he arrived, Camel was already asleep in the shallows beside Onigashima. In that regard, it was a lot like Kuzan, capable of falling asleep anytime, anywhere.
"Wake up. Your luck has finally arrived. Come with me. Cherish this chance. Otherwise, you'll never have the right to meet that person in your entire life."
"Gaa?" The awakened Camel looked at Queen in confusion, clearly not understanding what he was saying.
"Oh, I forgot. You're just a regular beast. Spending too much time talking to Pokémon makes you forget things like this."
Communicating with Pokémon was far easier than with ordinary beasts. A few Pokémon could even speak human language or communicate telepathically. But when it came to this wild penguin, Queen ultimately had to resort to using sign language as a special means of communication.
Kuzan's Camel couldn't understand human language, but it had some level of intelligence. Under Queen's exaggerated gestures, it wobbled and followed him into Onigashima.
"Lord Arceus, I'm here. I've also brought the penguin. Do you have any plans for it?"
Onigashima was designed spacious enough for Giants to move freely. Even with Camel's massive size, it wasn't affected. The only difficulty was climbing the stairs, which it managed by crawling up little by little.
"Do I have any plans? You should have some guesses, right?"
"A bit, yes. But Lord Arceus, do you really plan to do this? If that guy turns out to be trouble, this information could spread."
"At this point, it doesn't matter anymore. No matter how powerful the 'biological war weapons' are, compared to the methods used during the Summit War, it's nothing."
"What? You seem a bit unwilling?"
"No, no, you misunderstood. I'm actually happy."
Queen didn't know exactly what Arceus wanted to do, but he had some idea. Just as he suspected, Arceus planned to modify the oversized penguin.
Unlike experiments on regular people, Arceus's biological modifications took very little time. If Arceus modified Camel, it would basically tell Kuzan that the Beasts Pirates' ability to modify giant animals had nothing to do with Queen, but was due to some other means.
And as for who did it, naturally it was Arceus, the one who summoned the penguin.
This was only part of the blame being shifted. It might not completely clear Queen's name, but at least it gave him a sliver of hope. After all, if one thing turned out to be false, then other things might also not be reliable.
If Kuzan was an undercover agent, and this information got out, then maybe he wouldn't be treated as a prime target like he is now.
Reputation was good, but only if one lived to enjoy it. Overall, Queen naturally supported this action.
"The person was brought back by Yamato. That should put your mind at ease, right?"
"Lord Arceus! I swear my undying loyalty to you!"
If it weren't inappropriate, he would've even improvised a dance on the spot to express his admiration. Compared to Yamato's backstabbing, Arceus had genuinely given him a boost.
"No need to be so touched. I have another objective, this is just something done in passing."
"No no no, what you did is already more than enough."
At this moment, Queen reinterpreted what Hawkins had said. The "joy" in the "mix of joy and sorrow" was greater than he had expected.
Arceus also began modifying Camel. Just as he had said: shifting blame from Queen was only one part of it, and whether it could actually be shifted was still uncertain.
Sometimes, the truth is something people are unwilling to accept. The deterrent power of a so-called "genius scientist" is nothing compared to that of a true god.
Within the World Government, there had always been people who believed Queen was just a scapegoat. But more people simply refused to believe it.
Modifying this penguin was just an experiment. If, without any major changes, outside attention toward Queen began to decrease, then there would be a certain probability that Kuzan had leaked the information.
As for how much was leaked, and whether the World Government would pretend to know nothing and still treat Queen as a prime target on the surface, it would depend on how much intel Omastar could dig up.
At the same time, the modified penguin could also serve as an early warning system. Beasts modified by Arceus would instinctively submit to him, with the Creator's aura establishing absolute dominance as their leader.
This could also provide timely feedback on Kuzan's movements outside. After all, according to Yamato, Kuzan relied on this penguin even more than his bicycle.
Faced with the addition of Ryokugyu and Fujitora, the Marines directly awarded them Admiral positions, instantly elevating them to Marine high command.
So this also counted as a small benefit for Kuzan. But the rules of the Beasts Pirates wouldn't change. If one wanted to gain abilities, they had to have contributions that could justify it. Even a former Marine Admiral was no exception.
After all, he wasn't a reserve officer raised internally since childhood. But modifying an animal was a different story.
Camel was originally a penguin, and its overall body size hadn't changed.
However, its originally long and narrow beak began to shorten and extend upward toward its face, gradually forming a golden crown.
Its originally short wings began to grow larger and longer. Three small claws appeared on the inner side of the front ends, allowing it to grasp objects more easily.
Blue patterns appeared on the center of its body and along the edges of its wings. On both sides of its neck, feather-like protrusions resembling a collar emerged. The tail behind it also turned blue.
Sinnoh Region's Starter Pokemon, Water + Steel type, the Emperor Pokémon - Empoleon.
Due to its inherent Steel type, the edges of Empoleon's wings were extremely sharp. They could easily slice through layers of ice and ice floes, aiding its movement in icy seas. Their sharpness could rival that of Famed Swords.
Given Camel's size, describing them as battle axes or ship-slicing blades might be more fitting.
"Don't just space out. Your intelligence should've increased by now, right? Lord Arceus has changed your fate and given you a new life. What's the meaning of the blank look on your face?"
At this moment, Queen was already showing signs of becoming a full-on bootlicker. Even though he hadn't seen the final result yet, the future looked promising.
Compared to Kaido, who occasionally dragged him into extra training, and Yamato, who constantly schemed about how to get back at him, Arceus's side was practically a blessing to him.
Even if he couldn't clear his name, he accepted it. After all, these accusations also came with a lot of glory.
While speaking, Queen even pulled out a mirror. As a narcissist who loved to dance, it was perfectly reasonable for him to carry a mirror to maintain his image. But seeing Camel's expression, Queen felt something was off.
"Hey hey! You're just a penguin, don't make that kind of face!"
At the moment, Camel seemed mesmerized by its reflection in the mirror. It repeatedly changed poses before finally confirming it was really seeing itself.
Queen was after all a human and had a bit of self-restraint. But Camel was different. It immediately flopped onto the ground and started rolling. However, it quickly stood up again.
Their species might have some strength, but most of the time, they relied on their looks to get by. Swimming near the Galápagos Island and acting cute so people would feed them. They were long used to that lifestyle.
But Camel was different. It always believed it was a tough, iron-blooded guy. Yet its cute appearance constantly brought it trouble.
Now, after transforming into an Empoleon, Camel seemed to have undergone plastic surgery. At this moment, its mental state was exactly like Duval's after being kicked by Sanji into a new face. This was the grace of rebirth.
A resolute face. Sturdy wings. This was the iron-blooded penguin it had always envisioned.
If it weren't for maintaining its penguin persona, it would probably still be rolling around on the ground right now.
The most direct change when native beasts received Arceus's power and transformed into Pokémon was intelligence. After calming down, Camel even gave Arceus a salute, something Kuzan had taught it during their travels together.
Arceus's power itself is not brainwashing. It doesn't interfere with their thought process. As long as Kuzan doesn't do anything strange, Camel won't be any different from before in his eyes.
"Alright, Queen, take it back."
"Understood. By the way, Lord Arceus, what's its species name?"
"Empoleon."
"Empoleon, huh? That really is a pretty cool Pokémon. Let's go, Camel. Let's give your master a little surprise."
Queen took Camel and left Onigashima again, even enjoying a bit of sea surfing along the way.
Due to the crown structure on its head, Empoleon is worshiped even in the Pokémon world. Some believe this Pokémon symbolizes royal authority.
In ancient Sinnoh, also known as the Hisui region, Empoleon was referred to by the Hisui residents as the "Master of the Waves."
Because it can dash through massive waves, and its speed is much faster than a jet ski.
The edges of its wings are extremely sharp, capable of slicing through ice floes, comparable to the swords crafted by a master craftsman.
"Are you Camel?" Looking at the Empoleon in front of him, Kuzan rubbed his eyes. The difference from the previous Camel was truly huge.
"Empo~leon~"
"Ara, ara, that really is an incredible ability. But is it really okay to tell me something like this? That's quite the confidence you've got."
Kuzan felt that maybe his suspicion wasn't wrong—this was a show of strength, just in a different form.
He didn't believe the Beasts Pirates trusted him so quickly. The only possible explanation was that even if they let a former Admiral like him know a secret, they believed it still wouldn't change the overall situation.
[But with that size... Are the other biological weapons of the Beasts Pirates created this way too? If they can control Sea Kings, that would truly be a catastrophe... Is that the power of that lord...?]
Thinking this, Kuzan kept looking at Queen. Feeling Kuzan's suspicious gaze, Queen felt completely at ease. Just then, Meowna and Wolff passed by. In a good mood, Queen casually pulled out a bag of candies from his pocket.
"Take some, newly made Berry candy. They are not even on the market yet."
There's a saying: don't celebrate too soon, things could still go wrong. Although Queen usually researched some bizarre inventions, with Arceus's rules in place, he was still very restrained toward his own people. So Meowna and Wolff didn't suspect Queen, and directly popped the so-called new flavor candy into their mouths.
"It's not sweet... it's like a glass marble."
"How could that be? That was made from Pecha Berry—Wait, WHAT?! Glass marble?? Don't swallow it! Spit it out, quick!!"
Chapter 1086 Empoleon
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