"Hey, Red Flag, what are you spacing out for?"
"It's normal for him to space out, this should be his first time here, right? Last time he was directly thrown into Udon, and he held out for a long time before giving in. He's quite tough."
"Is that so? I only held out for three days. Come on, Red Flag, you finally got back. Go relax a bit. I know a shop that makes really good yakitori."
"You brat, the shop owner got exhausted because last time you ate over seven hundred skewers all by yourself. If he sees you again, he'll probably just close the place."
"Hahahaha, well, his skewers were so small. Besides, he was clearly happy when he was counting the money. No way he'd close down."
Under Jack's lead, all his subordinates were hardcore workaholics. If they weren't fighting, they were recovering from injuries. Basically, there was never a moment of leisure.
As long as you wanted it, there was never a shortage of battles across this sea.
Ordinary pirates were chatting idly and discussing where to go for drinks. After a while, they realized Drake was still staring blankly.
"You brat, what are you looking at—oh, it's Kuzan. No wonder. You guys were both Marines before, so looking at an old acquaintance, huh."
"Come on, let's go. It's got nothing to do with you. Even if you were close back in the Marines, it's not like you can just switch captains whenever you want."
High-ranking officers could pick out subordinates they liked, and if those subordinates already belonged to someone else, they could negotiate a transfer. But it was different for someone who already had a captain.
If they themselves requested to switch captains, that was basically a slap in the face to their current captain.
What, are you looking down on me?
No?
If not, then why do you want to switch?
That's why such a thing was basically impossible. Even if someone proposed it, other officers wouldn't necessarily accept that person.
An undercover agent being sent out didn't need to be especially strong, but they had to be mentally tough—able to endure torture, able to resist temptations. If an undercover agent defected, it would cause huge trouble.
Drake's will was indeed very firm. But even for him, upon truly seeing Kuzan, something felt off.
There was already an undercover agent here: him. If another one was being sent in, he should've been informed.
What's more, if they intended Kuzan to go undercover, then why send him here at all?
He had endured so much hardship to get in, while Kuzan looked like he was on vacation. The contrast was too much.
Drake quickly adjusted his state of mind. It was understandable that he was momentarily stunned at first due to sheer shock, but it would be suspicious if he didn't snap out of it now.
The situation was unclear, so he didn't approach Kuzan to talk. Instead, he simply followed the other pirates away. Yet, deep in his heart, a new worry had surfaced.
Did Kuzan know he was a member of SWORD? Did he truly join the Beasts Pirates, or not? Would his identity be exposed because of this? These questions pressed down on him heavily.
All Drake could do was gamble, waiting for time to reveal the truth.
As the pirates dragged Drake away to relax, Kuzan didn't choose to follow. Watching the silent Kuzan, Who's-Who couldn't tell what he was thinking, and just casually changed the subject.
"He's really unlucky. Because of the name clash, almost no one calls him by his actual name. We already have a Delia here, and Boss King looks after her quite a bit.". [TN: Pinyin of Delia and Drake's name is the same.]
Saying this, Who's-Who seemed to recall something and glanced at the date on his watch.
Nowadays, the Beasts Pirates' senior officers were all famous, with bounties among the highest. Forget second-in-command, most pirate captains can't even compare to these senior officers.
Beyond them were the numerous high-ranking officers. And the simplest way to learn the roster of Beasts Pirates' high-ranking officers wasn't to collect intel, it was to get hold of Delia's ledger.
Delia's ledger, Setsuna's diary—these two represent the interpersonal relationships and historical development of the Beasts Pirates. When the time comes to study history, these will be extremely important historical records.
"That really is unfortunate. But if every country on the seas could live like this, that should be the goal the Marine strives for, right?"
"What a coincidence, that's also the Arceus Cult's stance. Only when the Lord's glory spreads across the world can true salvation be brought to everyone. That's their latest doctrine."
"Doctrine, huh… This place is getting more and more unusual. But protecting this peace is indeed a good choice."
Who's-Who didn't know what Kuzan was thinking, and Kuzan didn't mention much about Drake either. Though he said he joined, Kuzan still leaned more toward being a free agent, more like someone looking for support after leaving the Marines.
He knew about SWORD, and he knew its principles, but he didn't intend to expose anything directly. There were still things he wanted to observe further.
Very quickly, Kuzan slipped back into vacation mode. Meanwhile, a broadcast echoed across Wano Country.
"Attention, attention, it will rain nationwide today! Rainfall will begin in 36 minutes and 28 seconds, and is expected to last three hours. Please take care to avoid getting caught in it! Special reminder: Pokémon know how to take shelter on their own, so you don't need to worry about them."
"Stay away from Mareep flocks during rainy days. If you encounter a drenched Whimsicott, contact the region's security officer immediately and refrain from taking any unnecessary actions."
Kuzan looked up at the sun. Even with sunglasses shielding his eyes, the sunlight was a little dazzling. He couldn't figure out why the weather forecast here was accurate down to the very second.
The World Government does have the capability for weather forecasting; they possess the technology. However, in most cases, only the Marines pay attention to maritime weather conditions before setting sail.
Aside from that, most islands didn't have such services. Forecasts only existed in Mariejois and a few of the Future Countries.
Kuzan was certain that no country could possibly forecast weather with this level of precision.
"Isn't this a bit too accurate?"
"You'll get used to it. In Wano Country, not only the land but even the weather is under control. Over time, Mr. Kuzan, you'll see even more interesting things."
The weather in the New World was notoriously unpredictable. Forecasting it to such an exact degree was basically impossible by human means. But Wano Country was different. Here, the weather wasn't naturally formed, it was shaped by Pokémon intervention into the most suitable climate.
Most of the time, Pokémon didn't interfere with natural weather. But recently, Wano Country had been suffering from drought. And when the land was too dry, artificial rainfall was needed. The broadcasts announced the timing of Pokémon's Rain Dance, so naturally, the precision reached the second.
"Mr. Kuzan, if you want to do something, you'd better hurry. Since the broadcast said there are thirty-some minutes left, then it really won't be off by even a minute.
After the rain, it'll be nightfall. If you want to do anything else, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"I see. I'll go take a walk around town. Do as you like. Camel, you too. Play here for a while."
****Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my pa*reon.