King's evaluation of Queen did not cause any additional impact.
Leaving aside the past Lunarians for the moment, Shayna and King could be considered special cases.
But among the Lunarians of their parents' generation, there was one common trait.
No matter what attitude they showed toward the outside world, at their core they were exclusionary, trusting no one except members of their own race.
This was the result of the general environment. After that battle, the once-flourishing "tribe of gods" disappeared.
They were the losers, people who chose to scatter and flee in order to survive and preserve their bloodline.
For hundreds of years, the World Government had been hunting this race, and faced with those exaggerated bounties, countless people sold them out for profit.
Of course, the Lunarians had trusted others before, but the final outcome was always betrayal.
People who greeted them with smiling faces one moment would turn around the next and sell them out for enormous gains.
During this process, there were indeed people who genuinely tried to help them.
But as the number of betrayals increased, the remaining Lunarians no longer dared to trust anyone.
No one dared to gamble. At that time, for them, one wrong step meant falling into an abyss.
Along that long road, the Lunarians who chose to trust others were the first to meet their end, and the survivors naturally learned from those lessons.
However, the overall situation had already been set: the Lunarian race grew weaker and weaker, while their enemies only grew stronger.
The warriors were the first to die in battle, and the remaining people lost both the time to grow and the opportunity for systematic training, ultimately causing their numbers to plummet.
King and Shayna were special cases. Arceus was originally the faith of their race, so earning their trust was only natural. As for Kaido, he appeared before King at a very particular moment, which was why he was able to gain King's loyalty.
Even after several decades, there were still very few people whom Shayna and King truly trusted. Aside from their vice-captain and contemporary officers, hardly anyone really understood them.
If someone were to accidentally touch something they shouldn't, or see something they weren't meant to see, King would not hesitate when it came to killing.
A slightly weathered hand brushed across King's cheek. It belonged to an elderly Lunarian. He was King's father. Yet in terms of age, he was now effectively the same age as King; this aged appearance was simply the result of a life that had been far too harsh.
As for the issue of age, it was similar to Olga's situation. If Olga counted the hundred-plus years spent in the belly of the fish, she would be an old monster, but her way of calculating age changed depending on circumstances.
When she needed to appear young, she only considered her outward age; when seniority mattered, she added those hundred-plus years. King's father was the same. If the time after death wasn't added, he became the same age as King.
King and Shayna's cousin had even ended up becoming the youngest Lunarians of all.
"Alber, it must have been hard on you during this time, right? It's been so long since we last met, you've grown into an adult."
Years before his death, he had already separated from King and his wife.
The reason was simple: if they were cornered back then, they had almost no chance of escape. By scattering, their chances of survival would be much greater.
"Back then you were only this tall, and now you're this tall."
King's father spoke with deep emotion. The amount of information from the past few decades was overwhelming, and for a moment, they didn't even know how to judge it all.
"It really wasn't that hard. Compared to your era, things are already much easier for us."
King's tone sounded relaxed. The act he and Shayna put on wasn't for themselves. It was so their parents wouldn't keep worrying or feeling anxious, which was why they appeared so at ease.
However, neither King nor Shayna had much talent in this regard. Perhaps they should take some time to study over at the Beasts Fruits. In their parents' eyes, this acting was painfully clumsy.
Still, no one said anything. This sense of reassurance was something they hadn't felt in who knows how many years.
As they spoke, a small pony with flames burning along its back stood nearby, curiously observing the scene. Behind it was a small pig standing upright on two legs.
That horse was a descendant of Misu's Rapidash, while the little pig on its back was a previous offspring of Emboar. Although Emboar itself had an exaggeratedly large build, those offspring, after being modified together, instead ended up with fairly normal sizes.
This Tepig just happened to be able to sit perfectly on the Ponyta's back.
"Are that horse and that pig also Pokémon?"
"They're not purebloods, but they're descendants of Pokémon created by Lord Sacred Beast. Calling them Pokémon isn't really a problem."
Perhaps out of curiosity, Shayna's mother waved at Ponyta, and it actually walked over. They had entered together with Shaymin. Thanks to its personality and innate traits, Shaymin had come to command quite a number of Pokémon in Wano Country.
In addition, Pokémon were either created or modified by Arceus, or born through natural reproduction among Pokémon themselves, so they all possessed a natural sense of affinity toward Lunarians.
The flames on Ponyta's back were the most direct proof. When facing someone they did not acknowledge, the flames on their backs are hot enough to make even the Flame-Flame Fruit weep.
Conversely, as long as they acknowledged someone, the flames on their backs would become as soft as their manes, giving people a completely different kind of experience.
"There are many more Pokémon outside. Once the Lord Sacred Beast finishes arranging other matters, I'll take you around properly. For now, just settle down in this world. This is a new world created by the Lord Sacred Beast."
The Lunarians became the first batch of official residents here. As for Queen, someone who periodically sought refuge, the difference between him and a formal citizen was still quite large.
Because of the special nature of the Reverse World, the place felt empty, with hardly any sign of buildings at all.
Queen's shelter was built as a bunker. Especially after the second round of reinforcement, apart from ventilation shafts and observation ports, nothing could be seen. It had already perfectly blended into the environment.
Years of wandering had given the Lunarians excellent wilderness survival experience, and they were already planning to make camp using local materials.
"Wait! Everyone, times have changed. There's no need to go to so much trouble. I'll get you a few tents to make do for now!"
Queen, who had been practically invisible in a corner, stepped forward at this moment. He felt that if he didn't show up soon, his plants would be in danger.
Only then did the Lunarians understand what King and Shayna meant by a "tool person." With this kind of work speed, he would definitely be a top hand on any construction site. At the same time, they also started to wonder what "scapegoat" referred to.
They stayed busy in the Reverse World until nightfall before finally leaving. By then, the outside world had become bright again.
For Queen and the others, going a whole day without sleep had no effect at all, so there was no real need for rest.
Queen safely made it through another day, which was a fortunate thing for him. But before he could feel happy about it, the news in the newspaper once again irritated him.
"Hey, hey, is there something wrong with these people? Was it really necessary to use me as an example?!"
[Shocking Change: Grand Alliance Between Kaido of the Beasts and Big Mom]
This was today's newspaper headline, a report personally written by Morgans at one of the World Economy News Paper's branches.
He had accepted Charlotte Linlin's proposal, and Charlotte Linlin and Tesoro placed no restrictions on Morgans, allowing him to continue operating as he always had. In return, they would occasionally leak some special information to him depending on the situation.
The condition was that at certain times, he would have to publish some special pieces of news.
The World Government's control over public opinion was absurdly weak. Aside from those affiliated nations, the world's narrative was practically in Morgans's hands. Sometimes, a single wave of public opinion could be even more terrifying than an army of thousands.
Coupled with the gradual improvement of Tesoro's online newspaper network, it would provide even more convenient support for battles in the future.
If it were only that one piece of news, Queen wouldn't have reacted much at all. At most, it was just an alliance in the Underworld. Whether they allied or not, other forces couldn't possibly stand against them anyway.
The problem was that Morgans also took the opportunity to report on Germa, further highlighting Big Mom's strength by praising Germa.
He first emphasized Germa's power, then showcased the mechas Judge had created, and finally stated that even so, Germa was still no match for Big Mom.
However, in order to emphasize the contrast even more, Morgans brought up Queen's name, successfully crowning him as the "world's number one scientist."
With Caesar Clown having been killed by Big Mom and Vegapunk dead, that statement actually became true, though Queen had absolutely no desire for such a title.
The deaths of the Major Undertaker and the Loan Shark King left two vacancies in the Underworld, yet it didn't trigger large-scale upheaval.
In the past, vacancies of this level would inevitably spark brutal bloodshed, but this time was different. Under the watchful eyes of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom, very few people dared to touch this cake.
Those who acted impatiently had already learned their lesson, and the rest could only choose to wait until the division was complete, then pick up the scraps that fell.
The World Government issued no opinion on the matter and didn't even pay much attention to it. At present, their forces were concentrated on escort missions, preparing for the convening of the Levely.
Of course, while no stance was taken publicly, behind the scenes the Five Elders were still holding meetings on the issue.
"If they can form an alliance in this regard, they can do so in many other areas as well. That lunatic Kaido is already a headache, and there's also Kuzan who is thinking who knows what, along with Kaido's daughter and vice-captain.
On top of that, Kaido's group of subordinates. A single Beasts Pirates is already troublesome enough, and now Big Mom is being dragged into this as well."
Saturn let out a heavy sigh. Compared to Kaido, the Big Mom Pirates even seemed somewhat weaker, but this force still couldn't be ignored.
"The Levely is about to convene. If they join forces and pull off some major move during this period—"
As long as Charlotte Linlin was still around, the Big Mom Pirates could not be ignored. Wherever Charlotte Linlin appeared, ordinary Marines were powerless.
"It's not just that. There's also Red Hair. His recent movements are equally hard to figure out."
Nasjuro took out another piece of intelligence, information sent back earlier by CP0 agents who had infiltrated Gran Tesoro.
Because of Who's-Who's defection, it was extremely difficult to infilitrate Gran Tesoro and become an insider. However, given that Gran Tesoro is positioned as a tourist destination, in this situation, Who's-Who has done all he can to prevent agents from infiltrating his own forces.
Unless Gran Tesoro was completely sealed off, some information was bound to leak out.
After Tesoro left earlier, some people had tried to attack the place as well. The massive gold reserves tempted many, but before they could even get close, they encountered the Red Hair Pirates and experienced the might of Kamusari.
"Why would Red Hair help Gran Tesoro clear out enemies?"
"Isn't it because of his daughter?"
"Gran Tesoro should be capable of handling this kind of thing on its own. There's no need for Red Hair to take action. Could that guy be pressuring us?"
With three Emperors now loosely connected, it meant they could act with almost no worries, even mobilizing their forces in full.
If that happened, the entire New World would instantly turn into a massive powder keg. Coupled with harassment from the Revolutionary Army and the strain placed on forces by the vast seas, even the Five Elders felt the situation was difficult to handle.
Of course, they weren't worried about the fate of any particular country. They were worried about the Levely being affected, about the World Government losing face, and about Imu being displeased.
Moreover, they had no idea that Red Hair was simply a doting father and hadn't thought about anything that complicated at all.
"The God's Knights are already prepared. The convening of the Levely won't encounter any problems. Lord Imu will surely make a decision, we just need to maintain the status quo."
Above Mariejois, undercurrents surged, and the direct impact of this alliance also appeared on the seas.
Among the many forces on the sea, the one most affected was none other than Buggy.
After Doflamingo's voice disappeared from the seas, Buggy's group seized the opportunity to rise, managing a decent period of growth.
The title of Shichibukai gave him some prestige in the Underworld, but before he could enjoy it for long, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido announced their alliance. They didn't even give him time to react before already sending people to Karai Bari Island.
Inside a circus-like tent, Buggy was lecturing his subordinates when a panicked voice suddenly came from outside.
"Captain Buggy! Captain Buggy! This is bad, someone's attacking us!"
"What?! Who dares invade my territory?! Don't they know I'm a Shichibukai?! Men! Go take that b*stard down!"
"Oh!"
A group of underlings who didn't know the situation rushed out one after another under Buggy's incitement. Only after most of them had charged out did Buggy turn to the subordinate who delivered the report.
"So who's got the guts to come here?"
"I-it's… Jack the Drought."
Buggy blinked blankly, then stiffly turned his head. He could see that Mr. 3 and the others, who had just been laughing and chatting, had already packed their luggage and were preparing to slip out through the back door.
"You b*stards, stop right there! At least wait for me!"
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