When Arceus arrived here, the Mountain God Wild Boar was already lying down, believing in the illusion that it had returned to the deep mountains, while the little wild boar was still digesting the seeds produced by Eldegoss in its stomach.
The first thing Arceus did upon arriving was to send away the gathering Whimsicotts. They were braver than other Pokemon, gathering directly at his feet, making it nearly impossible for him to move.
"Alright, all of you go back to the room, be careful not to get blown away later."
After sending those Whimsicotts away, he continued to look at the huge wild boar.
Some scorched marks could be seen on its back, remnants of the previous rocket bombings. However, they were merely superficial wounds to the boar and had naturally healed over time.
Not long ago, a particularly bold Whimsicott played near its nose and almost got blown away by a single breath.
"Kojiro, when did this wild boar start being called a Mountain God?"
This time he had brought Kojiro, a local, because some things were only familiar to those from here.
"I heard my grandfather talk about this legend when I was a child. Anyway, it's been a long time, and no one knows how long this wild boar has lived. Last time, it destroyed quite a few houses."
"Even so, do they still regard this boar as a Mountain God?"
"Yes, Lord Arceus, because this wild boar has no natural enemies in Wano Kuni, most people believe it's a divine spirit birthed by the mountains here.
If it could be tamed, then to ordinary people, it would seem like the mountain's will has accepted us."
A controllable belief is beneficial to the ruling class, and the Mountain God Wild Boar usually doesn't leave the deep mountains, so they've allowed it to remain there.
"Very well, Olga, remove the illusion."
"Understood."
She snapped her fingers, not as a necessary move to dissolve the illusion, but as a signal to those around that she had done so. However, in the Mountain God Wild Boar's sight, everything turned to dust.
Before it could react, it felt a terrifying pressure from the side, and the legs it had lain on gave way, unable to stand.
This fear was something it had only experienced once since growing to this size; last time, a man with dual swords terrified it, but compared to this, that person was nothing.
"Don't be afraid, this is your child; it's fine and has eaten quite a bit of our goods."
Two vines picked up the little piglet, placing it beside the Mountain God Wild Boar.
"The loss of goods causes us no small damage, so I'm giving you two options: submit or be beaten into submission. Which one do you choose?"
Arceus had taken a fancy to the symbolic significance of this boar in Wano Kuni. After all, taming the Mountain God would be a feat, and handing it over to Kojiro and using some marketing strategy could dissolve much of the locals' resistance.
And even if it only knew how to charge around, its size could cause significant destruction, making it a ready-made war machine once modified.
It might be of no use against the strong but would be a formidable weapon in future battles.
There's no rush on this; it can wait since there are no major battles at the moment.
Although it consumes a lot of food, the waste produced daily can be turned into quite a bit of fertilizer, making it reasonably cost-effective.
Submitting to a vastly superior being is normal for animals, and the Mountain God Wild Boar had no interest in getting beaten. A few years ago, a person could slice it in half, and now this more terrifying presence could likely roast it whole.
But it asked a question critical to a pig's survival.
"Does it include meals?"
...
In the end, the Mountain God Wild Boar chose to submit on the condition that the Hundred Beasts Pirates would be responsible for its food. It was then assigned to Kojiro's command, and with the wild boar and a Growlithe, Kojiro's safety was pretty much assured.
During a few days of training, King noted that Kojiro had some talent for swordsmanship, but not having undergone strict training from a young age wasted that talent, and even picking it up again wouldn't reach the level it could have been.
However, Kojiro didn't regret it much, as he was satisfied with his current life.
A few days later, riding atop the giant wild boar as he returned near the Flower Capital, Kojiro indeed caused quite a stir among the locals; many thought the wild boar was about to go on a rampage again.
But when they discovered the truth, just as Kojiro had hoped, more people accepted his commerce guild, including some stubborn old holdouts against foreign goods who changed their thinking, believing it to be the will of the gods.
Kojiro took the opportunity to run a promotion, collecting juice bottle caps for a prize. If someone could collect every type of cap, they could exchange them for a prize of 100 gold.
The promotion aimed to advertise, and the prize was indeed redeemable, but it was impossible to collect them all in a short time, not because he wasn't making them, but because the two rarest caps were in his own hands.
Until the promotion reached its desired effect, those two caps wouldn't be released.
On the other hand, near the factory in Udon, Queen arrived alone.
It was already late at night, and the factory had stopped working long ago. Even willing workers weren't enough to run it in three shifts, so no more workers were inside.
Queen approached the drainage pipes.
"Are you there, my little darlings? I'm back, you know."
At his call, a mass of colorful sludge gradually gathered from the crevices, emerging as several Alola Region-form Muk.
"Grime?"
"Brought it, brought it, here you go." He opened two boxes: one with bitter Pokemon Poffins and another containing toxic waste from his experiments.
Since acquiring Muk, the waste had become Muk's feed, and Queen became the Hundred Beasts Pirates' best member in managing relations with the Muk.
The toxins crystallized by Alola Muk suited him perfectly, showcasing complex poisons he'd never before encountered, discovering dozens of unknown toxins, and enhancing his Plague Bomb formulation.
Watching the Muk enjoy their meal, Queen pulled out a large syringe, this time without a needle.
"I need some samples for research. Who's up for it this time?"
His goal was the internal secretions of Muk. Besides their toxin crystals, the secretions contained unknown viruses, which were also within his research scope.
Since Alola Muk didn't naturally secrete these fluids, they needed to be extracted using a syringe.