The sea surface was scattered with search vessels, and everyone on them, dressed in heavy chemical protective suits and wearing gas masks, seemed concerned about dangerous items on board.
At the bow of the ship, Yamato, holding binoculars, was slightly puzzled by all this.
"Strange, isn't it said that this country's tourism is very prosperous?"
However, no one answered her this time. This was the biggest difference from her previous voyages; the ordinary crew members on the ship would follow her orders, but at most, these people were just ordinary followers. Neither Arceus nor Olga would interfere.
Arceus was worried about unexpected events, while Olga found her abilities most convenient; in situations where direct confrontation wasn't anticipated, no one's abilities were more practical than Olga's.
Yamato would eventually sail independently. Arceus had low expectations, at least she had to be able to survive alone. She couldn't end up like Luffy, for whom bad luck could make a water barrel his final resting place.
She wasn't expected to master every skill, but she needed at least basic judgment.
"Never mind, let's move on!"
As Yamato made her decision, Olga also received Arceus's gesture and marked a cross in a small notebook, clearly indicating that such behavior wasn't approved.
Yamato didn't realize that someone was secretly rating her where she couldn't see, and this rating would affect her subsequent courses and sailing schedule.
Yet those people didn't check this ship because the standard around the waters of Freyvans was now set as allowing entry but not exit. They searched outgoing vessels only out of concern that people from Freyvans might try to leave.
According to Yamato's orders, the navigator and sailors on the ship continued to operate the vessel. They weren't worried about Yamato causing trouble; after all, there were still others on board to keep order.
However, as the voyage continued, the small notebook accumulated quite a few more crosses.
"Lord Arceus, I think Miss Yamato... just needs more practice. After all, it's her first time commanding such an operation."
"No, in this aspect, she's very much like Kaidou. But that guy is too lazy to think; she's pretty much a lost cause in this regard."
But when docking, she finally received marks other than crosses; at least, she learned from previous practices, hiding the ship in a concealed location before using a small boat to approach the coast, docking not at Freyvans but at its neighboring country.
Because Freyvans's ports were sealed off, and the one responsible for this was precisely its neighbor.
Freyvans has two sea-facing sides, with a small land area, while its neighbor has a much larger territory, making it easier to find a docking spot here.
Most people on the ship didn't follow them. Even Olga and Arceus had concealed their presence; from docking onwards, this journey belonged to her alone, accompanied only by Maria, Robin, and Diancie.
At this moment, Pokemon was also one of her strengths. The reason she only brought Diancie was because Diancie's abilities made mining much easier, and Queen's chemistry lessons were somewhat useful.
Moreover, Diancie's strength far surpassed that of other Pokemon.
Yamato received almost a failing grade in navigation; she didn't have much talent in this area. Her next goal was to see if she could successfully enter Freyvans without Olga's help.
Freyvans not only faced a maritime blockade but was also surrounded by barbed wire on land, with guards stationed at intervals. This was due to the outbreak of the Platinum Lead disease in Freyvans.
Though Platinum Lead had various uses in different places, it was a toxic mineral.
This poison wouldn't harm users, and it wouldn't be released if not mined. However, once mined, the toxins it contained affected everyone in the area.
A hundred years ago, when Freyvans's Platinum Lead industry started developing, the World Government's geological exploration team had already surveyed the area and discovered the truth about Platinum Lead.
Nevertheless, faced with immense profits, the World Government and the royalty concealed everything, encouraging ordinary people of Freyvans to engage in the Platinum Lead industry, continuously extracting Platinum Lead for them.
The public gained massive wealth, and Freyvans's per capita income skyrocketed, momentarily boosting the national happiness index. Yet, they were unaware that this wealth came at the cost of life—not just one or two lives, but everyone's lives.
The toxin levels in Platinum Lead were minuscule, which was its most dangerous aspect. These trace toxins continuously accumulate, passing down to future generations, resulting in progressively shorter lifespans.
Now, after nearly a century of mining, the accumulation of Platinum Lead had reached the outbreak stage.
Due to the cumulative nature of Platinum Lead, families spanning three generations almost simultaneously showed symptoms: white spots on their bodies, dying in agony, with some families unable to even find someone to collect their bodies.
This disease resembled the South Sea Emperor Heat of the past, incurable, with no doctor currently knowing how to treat the Ore Disease.
Moreover, the neighboring country viewed this disease as infectious, sealing off all areas of Freyvans. Anyone attempting to leave would be shot.
The royalty escaped with the World Government's help, while ordinary people could only await death.
The World Government and these royals clearly knew the Ore Disease wasn't contagious, merely a deadly mineral disease. Yet, they chose to hide this truth because they still needed people to mine Platinum Lead for them.
If this news were exposed, mining Platinum Lead would become challenging. Once these people died out and the area was disinfected, ordinary people would believe it was safe.
An empty Freyvans would attract new settlers, who, facing immense profits, would again start mining Platinum Lead.
This way, other royals could continue reaping benefits, the World Government could continue obtaining Platinum Lead, profiting from the transport industry, while those ordinary lives were their forfeited stakes.
Yamato hadn't yet decided what to do next; years of education had some effect. Confronting the strange situation in Freyvans, she didn't rashly go in. Instead, she decided to investigate the circumstances before entering.
However, at this moment, she witnessed something hard to accept: inside the barbed wire, someone approached the border, seemingly unarmed and pleading for help, while the soldiers outside appeared frightened, repeatedly ordering them to retreat.
But the people inside did not retreat, as the lack of medicine and food in Freyvans had become unbearable due to illness. Waiting any longer meant only death.
In such a situation, the outsiders eventually chose to open fire, marking the tragic beginning of Freyvans...