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Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng! …
A series of wine bottles shattered in rapid succession.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Red's eyes.
He had assumed that a one-kilometer shooting distance would pose a challenge for Usopp at this stage.
But with just a homemade slingshot and ordinary lead bullets, Usopp had effortlessly shattered ten bottles in a seamless motion.
"I really underestimated you," Red murmured.
Still, he didn't increase the difficulty. Instead, he let Usopp continue as he ran 1.1 kilometers away to place more wine bottles.
Running was part of the training as well.
"If the early training is simple, it might help build Usopp's confidence."
Now that the Straw Hats had been introduced to Armament Haki early, they wouldn't have to worry about Perona's Negative Hollow on Thriller Bark. Usopp wouldn't need to maintain an overly pessimistic mindset anymore.
From the very first conversation when they met, Red had been subtly guiding Usopp to recognize his own strengths and value.
Whether it was negotiating his way into the Straw Hat crew or the words Red had just spoken to him—
They all served the same purpose: to make Usopp realize that he was an important member of the Straw Hats.
Red's goal was simple.
He wanted to prevent the scene from the original timeline where Usopp left the crew.
Even though, with Red's presence, the Going Merry wouldn't suffer the same tragic damage, the ship's inability to continue was only a trigger.
The real issue was Usopp's struggle to keep up in battle and his inner guilt.
There was no way around it.
Before the Enies Lobby incident, Usopp hadn't had any truly standout moments.
Aside from teaming up with Chopper to defeat two Baroque Works officers in Alabasta, he had mostly lagged behind.
This time, Red wanted Usopp to understand something early—
Even if he couldn't match Luffy and Zoro in direct combat, his long-range support made him an irreplaceable part of the crew.
A sniper in the pirate world wasn't just an attacker. They were a key support, capable of turning the tide of battle at crucial moments.
With Usopp now joining the training, the entire Straw Hat crew—except for Red—was thrown into a fierce cycle of self-improvement.
From the second-floor window of Kaya's villa, Red sipped red wine as he watched the Straw Hats training below.
He had also asked Butler Merry to help prepare additional supplies and training equipment for their upcoming voyage.
"Finally, the crew is all pushing themselves."
"This is a good thing."
Red smiled in satisfaction.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, two days flew by as the Straw Hats trained relentlessly.
Then, at dinnertime, Butler Merry finally brought great news—
Thanks to the shipwrights working overtime, the Going Merry would be fully repaired and ready to set sail by tomorrow!
Upon hearing this, excitement spread through the Straw Hat crew, including Red.
That night—
With everyone's approval, Nami once again entered the Pokémon world with Red.
After two days and nearly six hours of game time, her progress had skyrocketed.
On the first day, she and Red had spent over an hour battling wild Pokémon in the same grassy area, steadily leveling up. By the end of that session, Nami had reached Level 15.
With their strength boosted, they finally began advancing through the game.
Since Miss Jenny had blocked the roads in Cerulean City, Red and the others had no choice but to head north, where a bridge stretched across a wide river.
This bridge had a well-known name—Nugget Bridge!
At the top of the bridge, more than a dozen Pokémon trainers eagerly awaited challengers, ready for battle.
However, despite its intimidating reputation, the trainers' Pokémon were only around levels 10–12, with no true experts among them.
After defeating these trainers, Nami successfully reached level 16.
From this point on, the experience required for her to level up increased from three digits to four, making further progress significantly more difficult.
After crossing Nugget Bridge, they were immediately stopped by a disguised Team Rocket member.
He explained that the bridge was actually a test set up by Team Rocket to scout for exceptional trainers.
Since Red had passed the challenge, the Rocket member attempted to recruit him on the spot.
Unfortunately…
No matter how many times Red said "I do," the Rocket member completely ignored him, assuming he had refused.
This, of course, led to an inevitable Pokémon battle.
After defeating the Rocket member, Red and Nami proceeded to Route 25.
There, they encountered a young man searching for a strong trainer to take care of his Charmander.
As the protagonist of the game, Red naturally gained his recognition.
However, the system had no intention of letting Red play a traditional Pokémon journey.
The moment Charmander was handed over, it instantly transformed into a move-learning item—Ember—and landed in Red's backpack.
After two hours of in-game time—
Red and Nami had finally reached the end of Route 25, where they faced their last opponent!
"Nami, use Buzzy Buzz!"
As always, Red wasted no time giving orders the moment their opponent's Pokémon appeared.
The fisherman across from them, clearly an experienced battler, responded swiftly:
"Kingler, use Protect!"
Zap!
A burst of lightning tore through the air toward the massive crab Pokémon, its oversized pincers raised in defense.
A shimmering barrier flickered around Kingler's body.
The lightning strike collided with the barrier, dispersing harmlessly into the air.
"Interesting, a defensive Pokémon?"
"Heh, perfect! This is a money-making opportunity!"
"Nami, keep using Pay Day!"
"Hey! Don't lump me in with Luffy and the others! I don't have infinite stamina!"
Nami grumbled, pressing her hands together in front of her forehead to form a square-like gesture, resembling the center of a gold coin.
A dazzling golden light flashed above her head, transforming into a massive coin that crashed down onto Kingler.
Just as Red expected, the fisherman commanded Kingler to use Protect again.
Although consecutive uses of Protect had a higher chance of failure, his level 16 Kingler didn't have many other options.
With Nami moving first, he had no choice but to keep defending.
Nami continued to bombard Kingler with Pay Day.
Gold coins scattered across the battlefield.
But despite how much money was piling up—
All of it was in Pokémon currency that only Red could use.
Nami's face showed no joy whatsoever.
Even though Pokémon currency could buy many valuable items—
"Damn it! So many gold coins, and I can't keep a single one?!"
"This is so frustrating!!!"
She clenched her fists and let out an angry cry.
Finally, on the fourth Pay Day, Kingler's Protect failed!
The attack landed directly, forcing the massive crab to stumble backward.
Seeing the gold coins lying uselessly on the ground, Nami's irritation exploded.
A metallic three-section staff suddenly appeared in her hand, crackling with electricity.
"Zippy Zap!!!"
Zzzzt!
Golden lightning surged around her.
She quickly reassembled the three-section staff into a long pole, crackling with high-voltage currents, and charged straight at the weakened Kingler!
Peng!
A direct hit!
The poor Kingler, after enduring several rounds of attacks, ultimately fell under the impact of Nami's first physical strike.
As Kingler collapsed, Nami's body emitted a faint, nearly imperceptible glow.
A divine shimmer—the unmistakable sign of a Pokémon leveling up.
This marked the moment that, after clearing Route 25, Nami had successfully reached level 18!