After successfully rescuing the Gekomon lord, ShogunGekomon, Zero's group quickly set up a temporary camp near the ruins of his former palace—now just a burned-out factory.
Though they'd only hastily extinguished the fire and cleared a small space amid the wreckage, it at least gave them shelter from the elements.
Here, they listened to ShogunGekomon and his followers recount their tragic ordeal.
The Gekomon had lived peacefully on this island for generations. A neutral, friendly bunch, their favorite pastime was simply singing and throwing parties—truly carefree.
That day had begun as usual: they were happily singing and enjoying hotpot when a gang of bandits descended out of nowhere, smashed their palace, burned their treasured instruments and musical scores, and enslaved them all.
ShogunGekomon briefly considered resistance, but after assessing both sides' strengths, depressingly concluded that even he—an Ultimate-level, strongest of his tribe—stood no chance against even the enemy's rank-and-file elite troops.
Those elite soldiers matched Ultimate-level strength, and behind them was the mythical Mega-level commander, MetalSeadramon himself. If they'd fought back, the Gekomon would've gone from charging bravely into battle to total annihilation in minutes.
MetalSeadramon wouldn't even need to take the fight seriously; just casually summoning a massive wave could drown the entire island. Though that wouldn't directly kill a tribe of frogs, it would certainly devastate the land they called home.
Thus, ShogunGekomon surrendered willingly to protect his subjects. But those bandits hadn't come for the land of some remote island.
After all, most of MetalSeadramon's Ocean Legion were aquatic Digimon who had little need for land. They'd prefer a world submerged entirely beneath the sea.
"Those bandits attacked our island because of…the oil and natural gas resources beneath us…"
When mentioning these two keywords, ShogunGekomon stumbled nervously. For a people whose technological sophistication remained stuck in the farming age, these resources were something they normally wouldn't encounter even in their next lifetime.
They were simply victims of their own geography: the oil and natural gas fields beneath their island inevitably attracted greedy attention.
But even if the Gekomon had no use for these resources, they still belonged to them. No one had the right to take what wasn't theirs by force.
Zero sighed heavily. This kind of situation was painfully common, far too many for him alone to handle. Standing up, he spoke seriously:
"This time, we could save you. But next time? As long as the Dark Army remains, this will happen again—perhaps tomorrow, perhaps any day."
ShogunGekomon and his followers exchanged worried glances. They knew Zero wasn't exaggerating. The Dark Army was arrogant, brutal, and vengeful. Today, Zero destroyed MetalSeadramon's factory and freed them. Tomorrow, the enemy might come back in full force.
Just as Zero said, as long as the Dark Army existed, weaker Digimon tribes like theirs would never know peace.
"Then… what should we do?" ShogunGekomon cautiously asked.
Zero paused briefly, then replied:
"Join us. Become our allies in the Resistance. Fight the Dark Army and defend your freedom with your own hands!"
"…"
ShogunGekomon and his subjects fell silent. Defending freedom with your own hands—it sounded heroic and passionate. But without strength or confidence, such words were meaningless.
But still…
"…If today the Dark Army could casually seize our home, tomorrow they'll just kill us for amusement."
One step back today, three steps tomorrow, eventually there would be nowhere left to retreat. Then what?
Better to join the Resistance and fight back. If they succeeded, the threat would be gone forever.
Sensing ShogunGekomon's growing determination, Zero quickly sweetened the deal:
"Of course, with your current strength alone, self-defense would be difficult. So I'll give you some help—a way to significantly improve your power."
As he spoke, Zero—still in his Agumon form—raised his claw, revealing a shining silver-white gear.
Rather than explaining, letting them experience it directly would be far more convincing. ShogunGekomon eagerly accepted the Hyper Gear, immediately feeling the energy flow through him. He flexed, testing his newfound power by aiming toward a distant mountain—
The horns on his shoulders unleashed an invisible shockwave. The sound waves condensed into a roaring gust that instantly crushed the mountain into powder.
"!"
ShogunGekomon himself was shocked. He hadn't expected the Hyper Gear to boost his strength this dramatically.
This was a refined product improved multiple times with data from Zero's Mega-level form. Though mass production had reduced its power somewhat, it still provided a substantial boost to anyone below Mega-level—particularly at the Ultimate-level.
"Besides the Hyper Gear, I can also provide your tribe with additional weapons and equipment to enhance your fighting strength."
Currently, Zero controlled the unmanned mechanical factory on File Island, Piximon's Fairy Lake, and the Pyramid Base previously occupied by Etemon. Each location had developed its own industrial capabilities.
With Mega-level data unlocked, mass-producing weapons was just a matter of materials. High-end materials like Chrome Digizoid were still very scarce, but common materials were abundant enough to ensure a steady supply. Equipping an entire army with Chrome Digizoid armor was impossible, but arming them heavily enough for effective self-defense was quite achievable.
For those willing to accept more comprehensive "mechanical modifications," Metal Empire technology, inherited by Andromon, made mass-production upgrades up to Ultimate-level possible—given enough materials.
Equipping the Resistance's entire army with heavy firepower was currently Zero's core strategy against the Dark Army.
Mega-level opponents like the Dark Masters would be dealt with personally by Zero, while the countless lower-level soldiers and minions could be effectively countered by the combined Resistance forces.
Because even if he defeated the Dark Masters, the remaining Dark Army members would still pose a significant threat. Leaderless, they'd likely cause even more chaos. It wasn't feasible to rely on Zero alone unless he was strong enough to single-handedly "format" the entire Digital World.
Not to mention, according to future plotlines, this war against the Dark Masters was only a beginning—a prelude to even greater conflicts with stronger threats yet to appear.
"I understand," ShogunGekomon finally said, "You've made everything clear, offered so much. If we refused now, we'd just look foolish…"
Without the Resistance's support, the Gekomon stood no chance against the Dark Army anyway. Rather than waiting helplessly for death, they might as well join the Resistance and fight back!
Zero was right: hoping some hero or savior would randomly appear again was unreliable. It was far better to rely on their own strength.
"Please let us join the Resistance! We'll fight the Dark Army alongside you!"
"Excellent! Welcome aboard, comrades—we'll fight together to reclaim our destiny!"
With the Gekomon alliance secured, the next step was straightforward. When Zero explained their mission to borrow a certain treasure to reach the ocean depths, ShogunGekomon immediately replied generously:
"If it's to fight the Dark Army, just take it! It's useless to us anyway."
Gekomon naturally could swim freely underwater; for them, this treasure was redundant—just an amusing decoration.
And so, Zero finally laid eyes on this so-called treasure: a finely decorated ornamental box.
"This is the treasure of Ryūgū Palace—the Urashima Box!"
Upon hearing that, Zero instantly realized this treasure was based on the famous Japanese folk legend "Urashima Taro," where a human visited the underwater Dragon Palace protected by magical powers.
Since the Digital World itself manifested concepts and legends from the Real World, the more widely-known a myth or tale, the more likely an object related to it would appear.
Using the treasure's power would allow them to move freely underwater, but there was one problem—
"This treasure can only be used by a limited number of people at once…probably not enough for everyone here."
ShogunGekomon revealed the critical issue, prompting Wizardmon to quickly ask:
"Exactly how many people can use it simultaneously?"
"Four people at most—that's the limit…"
Zero exchanged glances with his team, immediately beginning their discussion.
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