"Y-Your world?"
Roronoa Zoro stared at Red with a completely stunned expression."You've got to be joking, Red!?"
No matter how he thought about it, that explanation was just way too outrageous!
Yet in the face of Zoro's disbelief, Red merely smiled calmly.
"What do you think?"
"This…!" Zoro was left speechless for a moment. "That's seriously unbelievable."
"Hahaha, there's really nothing unbelievable about it."
Red laughed loudly and continued, "Do you remember the Trainer abilities I mentioned before?"
"Compared to letting you train and grow stronger in the real world, this place is where I truly shine as a Trainer!"
"In this incredible world, as long as you defeat enough enemies, your strength increases immediately."
"You can even gain brand-new abilities and powers!"
"Time's limited. I'll fill you in on the rest as we move along."
Red smiled as his gaze briefly settled on the three swords hanging at Zoro's waist.
Although he didn't know the exact mechanics behind it, the fact that Zoro could bring his swords into the game world meant things would be far easier.
"Huh!? …Oh!"
Still utterly confused, Zoro scratched his head. Even though he didn't fully understand a word Red had said, for some reason he felt that he'd run into someone truly incredible.
Looks like I really chose the right crew to join…
Muttering to himself internally, Zoro followed Red toward the Gym's exit.
But just as they stepped outside, before Zoro had time to process everything, a spiky-haired boy suddenly called out to them.
"Hey! You over there!"
Zoro instinctively turned his head and saw a young man in a purple long coat approaching them with a confident grin.
The guy spoke arrogantly the moment he arrived."So you're Red, right?"
"Looking for trouble?"
Zoro subconsciously treated this like the real world. His hand was already moving toward his swords.
But before he could draw them, Red raised a hand and quietly stopped him.
"Just ignore him."
"…?"
Zoro paused for a moment, then obediently sheathed his blades.
Even though no one responded, the spiky-haired boy continued talking to himself.
"So it really is you! As expected of me! ..."
Zoro couldn't understand a word that followed. Soon after, the boy took something out and handed it to Red.
…What the hell?
So he was just here to give something away?
Zoro stared in curiosity.
At that moment, Red turned to explain.
"In this world, aside from combat, all beings lack true intelligence. You don't need to take what they say seriously."
"…I see." Zoro nodded half-understandingly. Though amazed, he accepted it surprisingly fast.
Meanwhile, Red looked down at the new item in his hand.
[Item: Great Ball]
[Effect: When successfully capturing a Pokémon, grants more experience and a higher item drop rate compared to a regular Poké Ball.]
"Didn't expect a gift the moment we left. That's a great omen."
With satisfaction, Red stored the five Great Balls given by the NPC Blue into his bag.
Unfortunately, they were still in the beginner area. Using such valuable Poké Balls for a small amount of experience would be a waste, so he decided to save them for later.
"Let's go." Red patted Zoro's shoulder and grinned."The real wonders of this world are just about to reveal themselves to you."
With Zoro in tow, the two headed toward Route 3 on the right side of Pewter City.
Red vaguely remembered that each city had a hidden side quest offering small rewards… but time was tight, and he didn't have the energy for that right now.
Besides, in the early cities, there wasn't really anything worth exploring anyway.
In just over twenty minutes, they swiftly passed through the city.
Soon, a mountain-side path with flat ground and steep rises appeared before them.
While traveling, Red had already given Zoro a basic explanation of the game world's rules.
Unlike Luffy—who still wouldn't understand no matter how many times you explained—Zoro grasped it almost immediately.
And then, he was utterly shaken.
A world where one could grow stronger simply by fighting!?
Was that even possible!?
Zoro couldn't wrap his head around it.
In the end, he attributed everything to some mysterious Devil Fruit power.
Aware of his own limited understanding, he didn't ask further and simply followed behind Red in silence.
He wanted to see for himself whether this world was truly as miraculous as Red claimed.
Before long, they encountered their first battle in this world!
Blocking the road was a forest ranger. The moment he spotted them, he rushed forward to stop them.
"Let me show you what a real Pokémon battle looks like!"
Without further explanation, the ranger tossed out a Poké Ball, releasing a level-11 Bulbasaur.
A circular battle field instantly expanded, enclosing everyone within it.
The battle began!
"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"
The ranger, now gifted with intelligence inside the battle zone, issued his command immediately.
Red didn't hesitate either.
"Zoro—use Oni Giri and finish it!!!"
"Got it!"
Facing the garlic-headed frog Pokémon, Zoro drew all three swords without hesitation.
A ghostly aura surged out from his body and wrapped around his blades.
"Three Sword Style—Oni Giri!!!"
Slash!!!
Before Bulbasaur's vines could even strike, Zoro had already moved.
An overwhelming killing intent exploded outward, freezing Bulbasaur in place!
Zoro's sheer pressure activated!
A dark purple flash cut through the air, and the level-11 Bulbasaur let out a shrill cry.
"Bulba—!"
[Roronoa Zoro defeated the Ranger's Bulbasaur. Experience gained: +68]
[Command evaluation: Average][Bonus reward: +14 Experience]
"The experience really increased!"
Seeing the notification, Red broke into a delighted smile.
Just a level-11 Pokémon gave nearly a hundred experience points…
At this pace, both Zoro and Luffy would grow stronger at a terrifying speed!
"Nicely done, Zoro!"
Red praised his decisiveness.
And just like that, the two carved their way from Pewter City straight into Route 3.
They cut down everything in their path—unstoppable and merciless.
From the start of the route to the end, they didn't even blink.
More than an hour later, Zoro's experience had exceeded a shocking 1,000!
At this rate, it would take less than four hours for him to level up.
This was far faster than Viridian Forest.
"If Route 3 is already like this… once we reach Mt. Moon, won't Zoro level up today!?"
Red clicked his tongue in amazement but never slowed his steps.
At the end of Route 3, a steep climbing path appeared before them.
Shielding his eyes from the sunlight, Red looked upward.
At the top stood a massive Pokémon Center—and a tunnel leading into Mt. Moon.
"So Mt. Moon is this huge when fully realized…"
"Perfect. Then let's push forward and get Zoro a level-up today."
Just as they stepped onto the path, a middle-aged ranger suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of them.
"Hey! Mt. Moon ahead is extremely dangerous! Only those with sufficient strength may enter!"
"Let me test your power!"
As he spoke, he threw a Poké Ball, releasing a level-13 Geodude.
The battle field spread out once more.
But after slaughtering countless Pokémon already, Red and Zoro moved on pure muscle memory.
Before the field even fully formed, Red shamelessly gave the order:
"Zoro! Oni Giri!!!"
Slash!
A black afterimage flickered past.
In the blink of an eye, three deep slashes appeared across Geodude's rocky body.
"Geo—!"
With a painful cry, Geodude collapsed instantly.
Yet just as Red and Zoro prepared to step over the defeated underling, the ranger stopped them again.
"I never expected you to be this strong!"
"Very well, you've passed the test. You may enter Mt. Moon."
"Oh—and take this as well."
The ranger produced a disc out of nowhere and handed it to Red.
"A TM!?"
Red's eyes lit up.
Getting a reward like this from a random NPC battle!?
That was completely unexpected.
He immediately opened his Bag interface and examined the TM's details.
Once, he would've scoffed at common moves like this.
Now, he analyzed every word like treasure.
[Move: Pay Day]
[Type: Normal]
[Category: Physical]
[Power: 40]
[Description: Condenses energy and throws small coins at the target. After defeating the opponent, the coins remain instead of disappearing.]
(End of Chapter)