The Antimatter World was a unique spatial realm that existed exclusively within the Pokémon world.
Its purpose was to isolate all unstable factors that could generate high-energy radiation or directly annihilate reality, separating them from the real world in order to ensure the latter's stability and continued existence.
Logically speaking, the Antimatter World was a special space belonging solely to the Pokémon world and should not have been applicable within the pirate world.
Even Red himself had never imagined that he would be able to create a passage connecting to the Antimatter World in the world of pirates.
Yet Cake Island—remodeled by the console—happened to fully conform to the rules of the Pokémon world, as if a portion of the Pokémon world had been copy-pasted directly into the pirate world.
As a result, within Cake Island, when Red simultaneously used the powers of Palkia and Dialga, the collision between spatial power and temporal power would tear apart reality itself, opening a connection to the Antimatter World.
After accidentally discovering this phenomenon, Red had been planning to test the power of the Antimatter World anyway—only for Saint Saturn to conveniently show up right on cue.
Judging from the miserable state of his disappearance, it was obvious that even someone granted immortality by Imu could not withstand the impact of Antimatter World particles.
After all…
That was a power capable of erasing all of reality, a force that outright denied the existence of the real world itself!
"By that logic, Giratina's power might have miraculous effects against Imu and the Five Elders…"
"And if I remember correctly, there was a storyline involving Giratina and Arceus in the second playthrough of Arceus."
"But…"
Lost in thought, Red suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
"Once Luffy and the others have the strength to defeat Giratina and Arceus, would there even be any need to fear Imu and the Five Elders anymore?!"
Very quickly, however, Red pushed these worries about the future to the back of his mind.
No matter what, judging from today's results, they had achieved a complete victory.
The hardline Akainu had been killed. The pro-civilian Aokiji had been turned. And most importantly—completely outside Red's plans—Saint Saturn had barged into Cake Island.
Saturn's arrival not only successfully reduced the Five Elders by one, but also allowed Red to probe some valuable intelligence about Imu.
Even for Red, a transmigrator, this mysterious behind the scenes boss was an entirely unknown existence.
Yet through today's dialogue and actions, it was clear that Imu possessed formidable power—
Granting subordinates immortality and overwhelming strength, the ability to possess his followers, and a terrifying Haki pressure that felt as though it came from an entirely different level of existence.
That said, Imu's power clearly carried extremely severe limitations. These might be tied to a power system different from that of ordinary pirate-world elites, or perhaps to his own immortal nature.
Regardless, Red was confident that after today's display—using the Antimatter World to produce an effect that even made Imu feel fear—it would force that shadowy ruler of the world to lie low for a while.
After all, despite being the master of the world, Imu was also an extremely unstable coward.
Until he fully understood the true nature of the Antimatter World, Red believed Imu wouldn't dare to provoke the Straw Hat Pirates again.
And this period would become a crucial phase in which the Straw Hat Pirates could surpass the World Government in strength!
"So… next, I should shift my focus back to exploring new game worlds."
A sharp glint flashed in Red's eyes as the console's system interface automatically appeared before him.
Displayed there, in addition to Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, both already cleared once…
There was also an icon labeled Pokémon Sword/Shield, glowing in an activated state.
That's right. After clearing Arceus, Red had deliberated carefully before choosing Sword/Shield—with its Dynamax power—as the third game world.
Unfortunately…
To prepare for this war, Red hadn't taken his companions into the game world for several days.
Fortunately, now that the dust had settled, he could finally plan his companions' growth paths while exploring a new game world at the same time.
Let's Go had granted Red and his companions the power of Mega Evolution, allowing them to fight far above their level.
Arceus had provided vast leveling grounds, given Red control over space and time, and even bestowed Pokémon attributes upon the pirate world itself.
On top of that, there were many strange yet powerful abilities originating from the console.
Red eagerly anticipated what surprises the brand-new game world would bring him.
As the crack to the Antimatter World vanished, Red bent down and picked up the only trace left behind by one of the Five Elders—Saint Saturn's remaining hand bone.
After all, it was the remains of a Five Elder. Perhaps this single hand bone alone would allow the Straw Hat Pirates' scientists—or Vegapunk—to analyze quite a bit of valuable information.
"Alright, everyone."
After handing the bone to Usopp and signaling him to store it away, Red smiled at his companions—who had stayed up all night yet hadn't actually done much—and said:
"Tonight's show is over. It looks like we can enjoy some peace and quiet for a while."
"But no one knows when the World Government might strike again, so before that happens, everyone should make full use of this time to train."
"Base levels are one thing, but the combat methods you can master are another…"
"Zoro, Sanji—over the next period, I'll need the two of you to organize your insights on Pokémon-ization as much as possible and help the others attempt to enter Pokémon-ization."
"And Zoro—Chopper's combat power has increased dramatically since learning swordsmanship. For now, slow down his studies in other areas and have him train alongside you."
"On one hand, he can learn your sword techniques. On the other, you've gone the farthest with Pokémon-ization, so I believe Chopper will grow rapidly by your side."
"Heh~"
Although he had looked a bit disheveled earlier under Imu's Conqueror's Haki, hearing Red praise him in front of Sanji made a sharp smile immediately appear on Zoro's face.
"Leave it to me!"
"In this regard, I'm definitely more suitable than a certain curly-browed cook."
"Bastard!" Sanji's brows twitched as he pinched out the cigarette in his mouth. The moment he looked at Zoro, blazing flames surged in his eyes.
"Don't forget—you were the one who gave up your right to a duel and used Mega Evolution!"
"That was for the bigger picture!" Zoro shot back immediately, lifting his blade. "And besides, weren't you getting suppressed by that Navy Admiral too—"
"Bastard!"
Their faces rapidly drew closer, their auras flaring as if crackling lightning danced within their eyes.
Fortunately, the Straw Hats were already long accustomed to this scene.
Red simply stepped around the two locked in confrontation and continued giving instructions to Usopp and Robin.
And just like that, the night passed without further incident.
Although Luffy raised his hand at the very end to ask why Red wasn't letting him teach everyone about Pokémon-ization…
For the sake of providing his companions with a healthy learning environment, Red ultimately brushed Luffy off with other excuses.
...
...
Five minutes earlier.
Holy Land · Mary Geoise, within the Room of Flowers.
Clang…
As a magnificent golden crown fell to the floor, Imu—who had been seated in the Room of Flowers—suddenly collapsed onto the ground in shock, murmuring in terror:
"Th-that… what was that?!"
Just as Red had expected, Imu had indeed been deeply shaken by the power of the Antimatter World.
This was perhaps the first time in eight hundred years that he had experienced such violent emotional turbulence.
He could clearly sense that…
If his consciousness had remained attached to Saint Saturn, then under the impact of that terrifying power, that portion of his consciousness might have been completely erased—utterly annihilated.
What in the world… was that power?!
The same question surged once more in Imu's mind.
At the same time, the target he was most wary of shifted—from Luffy alone to Luffy plus Red!
One was Joy Boy reborn eight hundred years later. The other was a man who wielded a mysterious power that even Imu himself could not comprehend…
By comparison, in Imu's eyes, Red's threat level even surpassed Luffy's.
In any case, for the foreseeable future, the shaken Imu would not dare to provoke Red again.
Because that power…
He truly feared it!!!
...
...
As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a wall that doesn't leak.
The war that took place in the Totto Land waters could not be concealed for long.
Three days later, confidential intelligence from both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates spread through various channels to intelligence agencies and newspapers across the world.
Although the reports varied wildly—some claiming Whitebeard had stood alone against the Five Elders, others saying Kaido descended like a supreme tyrant and routed the entire government army—
There was at least one point upon which all intelligence unanimously agreed.
That was the terrifying power of the Straw Hat Pirates… and the death of Fleet Admiral Akainu!!!
Relatively speaking, Akainu's death was undoubtedly the more world-shaking revelation.
Yet when every intelligence agency learned that it was Roronoa Zoro—whose bounty didn't even rank in the top three of the Straw Hat Pirates—who had single-handedly killed the Fleet Admiral…
The world was utterly stunned by the Straw Hat Pirates' might!
This time, even the Revolutionary Army's leader—the "Wind Raiser" Monkey D. Dragon—could not hide his shock.
What stunned him wasn't Zoro killing Akainu…
Though that alone was already shocking enough.
What truly left him reeling was this—
Issho had actually said that the Navy was willing to allow a batch of Revolutionaries to secretly join the Navy and help expand a new naval force!!!
What the hell?!
Had revolutionary work become this easy now?!
Although his spies within the Navy had reported that nearly 95% of the Navy's upper echelon had begun jointly petitioning the World Government to appoint Aokiji as Fleet Admiral…
Although Issho had already informed him in advance that, through the Straw Hat Pirates' connections, closer cooperation with the Navy might be possible…
When Dragon heard that—
The Navy wanted the Revolutionary Army to provide one Admiral-level combatant, fifteen Vice Admiral–level fighters, one hundred Rear Admirals, along with numerous elite warriors and base soldiers amounting to nearly one-third of the Navy's current manpower—
Even Dragon, bearing the name Monkey, was completely dumbfounded.
Because that meant that under Aokiji's leadership, one-third of the Navy's forces would come from the Revolutionary Army—an organization openly opposed to the World Government!
And this was only the first batch of troops supplied through the World Conscription Plan.
In the subsequent recruitment phases, the Navy would continue allowing Revolutionary infiltration.
Wasn't this plan…
A bit too insane?!
However, when Dragon had Issho confirm the matter with Aokiji once more, the response he received was—
"Not enough!!! Still not enough!!!"
That's right!
In Aokiji's eyes, having the Revolutionary Army infiltrate only one-third of the Navy was far from sufficient.
Whether it was because the release of long-suppressed emotions had caused him to act too freely, or because the series of devastating blows had driven this once-steady Admiral into madness…
Either way, the current Aokiji seemed even more eager for Revolutionary infiltration than the Revolutionary Army itself.
Or perhaps, from the very beginning, he had always regarded the World Government as an enemy.
Just like how, after losing to Akainu, he had immediately left the Navy and joined the Blackbeard Pirates to become a true pirate…
Aokiji had long been dissatisfied with the World Government's actions—he had simply never had the opportunity to act.
...
...
The World Government's defeat was ultimately brought to a close by a single article published by the World Economy News Paper, putting a temporary end to an event that had shaken the entire world.
However, this "end" did not signify the conclusion of the incident.
Rather, it marked the opening of a new line in the annals of history—a brand-new paragraph… and a new era!!!
The Five Elders, the embodiment of the world's highest authority…
Had fallen in battle!!!
This was something no intelligence agency had previously grasped—yet it was announced to the entire world directly through the newspaper.
Even the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates were so stunned upon seeing the paper that their jaws nearly hit the floor.
And the photograph printed within—showing Saint Saturn stretching out his arm in desperate pleading from within the crack of the Antimatter World—faithfully recorded everything that had occurred that night.
The ability to photograph any world, any location, from any angle…
Was not a privilege exclusive to the World Government!
The appearance of that photograph plunged the entire world into silence.
Yet there was one point upon which everyone unanimously agreed—
The world was heading in a direction unknown to them all.
And the mastermind behind all of it was this group who had only been at sea for just over a year, yet could no longer be described as "rookie pirates"—
The Straw Hat Pirates!!!
And because of this, people across the world grew even more curious…
Why did the article beneath the report of Saint Saturn's death place special emphasis on the official renaming of the Totto Land waters as the "Pokémon" Sea—
And what exactly did "Pokémon" mean?!
(End of Chapter)