Buggy the Clown's dismembered body floated ominously in mid-air, each part hovering and twisting back into place with eerie precision. His lips curled into a mocking grin as his head spun into position.
"A rookie who doesn't even know what it means to be a pirate… dreaming of becoming the Pirate King?" His eyes narrowed. "How ridiculous."
Sweat trickled down Zoro's temple. Nami's fists clenched. Seeing Buggy recover after being sliced into pieces unsettled them both. Buggy's Bara Bara no Mi powers made him immune to slashing attacks. For a swordsman like Zoro, it was a nightmare.
"A swordsman's attacks don't work on him," Zoro muttered under his breath. "Then how do I cut down a man who can't be cut?"
Luffy stretched his limbs wide, bursting from the cage's remnants with unrestrained glee.
"Red Nose! I'm gonna send you flying! You laid a finger on my navigator!" he shouted.
"Boom!"
A fist crashed down on Luffy's head. It was Nami's.
"Idiot! Who said I was your navigator!?" she barked.
Luffy recoiled, a comical bump swelling on his rubbery skull. "Oww! Nami! What was that for?!"
Rokuro stifled his laugh. Nami's punch packed more authority than any jutsu.
Luffy, still rubbing his head, beamed. "I'll beat him, and then you'll join my crew, right?"
Nami gritted her teeth. "You're not listening! I don't work with pirates! I've only been using you from the start!"
Familiar words. Zoro sighed. "Another one."
Buggy twitched in fury, his nose flaring. "Enough ignoring me! I'm Captain Buggy, damn it!"
He snapped his fingers. "Kabaji! Mochi! Show them the might of the Buggy Pirates!"
"Roger that, Captain!" his officers chorused.
A hulking man in a lion mask stepped forward, seated on the back of a massive lion—the infamous beast, Richie. The lion was nearly the size of a Sea King's cub, snorting aggressively.
Beside him rolled in a flamboyant swordsman on a unicycle—Kabaji the Acrobat. With a single pedal spin, he lunged forward, scimitar drawn.
"I'll take the swordsman," Kabaji hissed, eyeing Zoro.
Zoro smirked. "Finally. Something I can cut."
Their blades clashed with a metallic ring, Kabaji's acrobatics colliding with Zoro's raw strength.
Meanwhile, Rokuro had already disappeared.
He reappeared behind Mochi in a swirl of smoke, hands weaving signs.
"Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu!" Water Style: Water Prison!
A sphere of water encapsulated Mochi instantly, his cries gurgling beneath the surface.
Richie, the lion, roared in panic and gave chase as Rokuro sprinted away with his captive.
A safe distance from the town square, Rokuro dropped Mochi to the ground, releasing the technique. Mochi coughed violently, gasping for air.
"Except for Kabaji, no one's ever embarrassed me like this…" Mochi snarled, eyes wild. "You'll regret not finishing me!"
Rokuro rolled his eyes. "Save the speech. Let's settle this like gentlemen. A Pokémon battle."
Mochi blinked. "…A what battle?"
Ignoring the confusion, Rokuro slapped his palm to the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Summoning Technique!
A small black Murkrow appeared in a puff of smoke, blinking as it perched atop his summoner's head.
"Mute! Mute!"
"Murkrow," Rokuro declared proudly. "Today is your debut. Make it count."
Mochi burst into laughter. "You're challenging my lion with a bird?! Richie will swallow it whole!"
But before the words finished, Rokuro appeared behind Mochi with another Body Flicker, punched him into the dirt, and dragged him ten meters away.
"Here are the rules: no hitting the trainers. Just the beasts. Got it?"
"Y-Yes! I got it! Five times over!" Mochi nodded frantically, battered and bruised.
"Richie! Roar attack!"
The lion let loose a thunderous roar, creating a visible shockwave. Rokuro and Murkrow winced as the sound cracked the air.
"Tailwind!" Rokuro barked.
Murkrow flapped furiously, summoning a gust to boost its speed. Its feathers glowed slightly.
"Smoke Screen!"
"Mute!"
Black smoke engulfed the battlefield. Richie coughed, stumbling in the thick haze.
"Don't panic!" Mochi shouted. "Blow it away!"
Richie wheezed, forcing powerful gusts from his lungs, gradually clearing the fog—but not without poisoning himself in the process.
"Now! Confuse Ray!"
A flicker of eerie white light gleamed from Murkrow's body.
Richie locked eyes with it—and instantly started swiping wildly, biting the air and spinning in confusion.
Mochi shouted, panicked: "Richie! Get a hold of yourself! That crow's tricking you!"
Rokuro didn't let up. "Wing Attack!"
Murkrow dove, striking Richie with razor-sharp feathers.
"Use Flash, then Peck!"
Murkrow darted in and out of reach, battering Richie's dazed frame with precision.
Finally, Richie's confusion wore off. He turned to his trainer with crazed eyes.
"Richie! It's me! Mochi!"
Something clicked.
The lion froze. His claws halted inches from Mochi's face. He remembered.
"Yes! Good boy! Now—Rip attack!"
Rokuro's eyes narrowed. "Murkrow, dodge! Use Double Team and escape!"
The bird split into clones and zoomed upward, but not fast enough. Richie's claw slashed through the real one, sending it tumbling to the ground.
"Murkrow!"
Rokuro dashed forward, catching his companion mid-fall.
"You did your best…" he whispered.
Mochi laughed triumphantly. "Face it! You'll never beat Richie with that scrawny crow!"
But then came Rokuro's voice from behind him again—chilling and deadly.
"Fūton: Daitoppa!" Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
A fierce gust burst from Rokuro's mouth, a whirlwind that picked up Mochi and Richie like dolls and hurled them through the sky.
"Richieeeeee!"
"Rooooar!"
They spiraled out of view, glinting comically in the afternoon sun.
Rokuro exhaled. "Don't mess with ninja—or Pokémon trainers."
Back at the plaza, Luffy and Buggy were locked in combat.
Buggy's hands zipped through the air like missiles. Luffy, now fully free, dodged and twisted with his Gomu Gomu no Mi abilities.
Zoro grunted as he parried Kabaji's blade, then countered with a powerful slash that sent the acrobat flying.
"Oi, Rokuro!" Zoro called. "You done playing games?"
Rokuro strolled in, Murkrow perched wearily on his shoulder. "Yup. Sent them flying."
Nami's eyes widened as the battlefield calmed.
Luffy stood over a pile of unconscious goons, his grin wide.
"So, Nami… Still think pirates are all bad?"
Nami looked at the three of them. Straw Hat Luffy. Roronoa Zoro. Rokuro and his bird.
Her heart beat faster.
Maybe, just maybe…
She smirked. "You're all insane."
Luffy laughed. "That's a yes!"