"What the heck? Don't you all have training to do today? Are you really that free!?"
"You've already seen this before, haven't you? Do you really have to fight a bunch of new players for login spots?"
"This is the first time so many players have flooded in at once. We don't even know how stable the server will be yet!"
On the Going Merry, Red stared speechlessly at the row of game pods that had somehow been moved aboard—each worth a market price of thirty million Beli—as well as the members of the Straw Hat Pirates who were already lying inside them, ready to go. He could not help but start complaining.
Usopp, who had just finished adjusting the game pods for everyone else and was preparing to step into his own, gave an awkward grin.
"It's different this time, Red!"
"Before, you were always the Trainer, training us!"
"But this time, we've finally turned the tables and can sing of our liberation!"
"Hey, that's not how that phrase is supposed to be used, is it?" Red rolled his eyes and muttered irritably.
But right after that, he waved a hand, signaling that Usopp could go ahead and close the pod.
As streams of seven-colored light flowed through the device, Usopp's eyes shut at once, and his consciousness sank into the spirit world created by the Sing-Sing Fruit.
"These guys really want to experience what it feels like to be a Trainer that badly, huh?"
"What a shame… the only genuine Trainer here is still me alone!"
Looking at his companions already lying in the game room, Red's lips curled upward slightly as he murmured with a light laugh.
Then he turned and strode straight out of the game room, heading toward the chamber specially used to store the servers for Pokémon World.
As a virtual game capable of bringing the Straw Hat Pirates such staggering wealth—and even faintly stirring the balance of the world—there was no way the servers for Pokémon World could continue to remain on Tech Island, a place that enemies might invade at any time.
And in the entire Pokémon Sea, if one were to ask which place was the safest, then the answer would undoubtedly be the Going Merry, guarded around the clock by the powerful ship spirit Merry, and home to a large number of Straw Hat Pirates.
The moment Red stepped into the server room, a refreshing chill rushed over him.
But compared to that comfortable temperature, the sight before his eyes could not be called pleasant no matter how one looked at it.
Inside an enormous glass chamber floated a human brain as large as a grown man.
Across its folded cerebral cortex, blood vessels spread in clear, intricate patterns, as though some wondrous magic circle had been engraved upon the brain itself. It radiated an almost fantastical aura.
Vegapunk, who had long since been waiting there, did not waste words when he saw Red arrive. He merely nodded in greeting before turning his attention back to the giant screen in front of him.
"So, Doctor, how many people are online now?" Red walked to Vegapunk's side and asked.
Although the game had not officially launched yet, the players who had already received their devices had long since entered the game world just like Luffy and the others, quietly waiting for the start so they could jump in the very moment it opened.
Without even lifting his head, Vegapunk revealed a smile that plainly said I knew you'd ask that, then replied in a deliberately suspenseful tone:
"As of five minutes ago, more than 128,000 people had already entered the spirit space one after another."
"There are still three minutes left until the official launch. Once the server opens, I estimate the number of simultaneous online players should exceed 150,000."
"One hundred and fifty thousand!? That many!?" Red was visibly startled.
Though they had indeed sold over two hundred thousand devices, this pirate world was not the peaceful place he had once known, where even moderately popular games could attract millions of players online.
"I had the same expression just a moment ago," Vegapunk said with a chuckle. Then his gaze shifted toward the countdown overhead.
"It really is a little beyond expectations."
Red continued, "The server capacity won't be a problem, right?"
"Of course!" A flash of pride gleamed in Vegapunk's eyes. "With this server's load-bearing capacity, even if several million people—or more—logged in at the same time, there still wouldn't be any issue at all."
"Though realistically, reaching that kind of number probably won't happen."
The planet beneath their feet was indeed enormous, nearly several times the size of Earth in overall volume, but the total population it supported was far smaller than Earth's.
Even if one counted the Sky Islands and the unknown lands that might exist in the deep sea, the total population would only amount to a little over a billion.
Add to that the unfamiliar environment and the many transportation difficulties between islands, and reaching that kind of online population was nearly impossible.
Unless...
Unless one day in the future, Red and the others truly drained away the world's seas and turned land into the majority of the world, creating more living space for humanity and all living things.
"It's not completely impossible," Red replied with a mysterious smile.
The two exchanged a glance, then smiled at each other in mutual understanding as they quietly waited for Pokémon World to officially open.
Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, a dazzling brilliance erupted from the cloned brain serving as the server.
And that also meant the long-awaited virtual game Pokémon World had finally reached its launch moment.
…
…
Whoosh—
Countless points of light carrying the wills of living beings surged at once into the spirit world created by the Sing-Sing Fruit.
Because the media outlets that had attended the earlier press conference had already published the full entry process into the newspapers, it did not take long before a huge batch of players completed character naming and Pokémon selection in their personal spaces, then entered the land where dreams began—Pallet Town.
"Charge, brothers! For the sake of obtaining a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!!!"
"Hmph, you rabble. The champion will definitely be me, Count Pilcardan!"
"I'm the captain of the Great Wave Pirates. Please do me the courtesy—"
Tens of thousands of players who had all made their plans in advance suddenly appeared in the tiny Pallet Town.
Even though the system had been optimized as much as possible to scatter them randomly throughout the town, the simultaneous arrival of so many people still made the place feel terribly crowded.
But those who had managed to rush in at the very first moment all had ambitions of their own.
Especially after planning things out in advance, nearly eighty percent of them did not bother claiming the cosmetic "skin," which only altered appearance. Instead, they ran straight down Pallet Town's main road, heading out toward the world beyond.
Very quickly, the Rattata and Pidgey on Route 1 welcomed their first wave of enemies.
Because the battle system here used the same battle domain format as Red's game world, a single wild Pokémon could only be challenged by one person at a time.
At the same time, players could also set wager conditions in-game and engage in PvP Pokémon battles.
For a time, one battle domain after another appeared across Route 1.
Quite a few players even started fighting each other over the right to challenge a wild Pokémon, only for a third party to swoop in later and snatch the Pokémon away.
The entirety of Route 1 fell into complete chaos.
When Luffy and the others received their own Pokémon and arrived at Route 1, they were instantly shocked by the chaotic scene before them.
"Waaah~ This is way too lively, isn't it!?"
Wearing the classic red-and-white Trainer outfit, Luffy stood at the entrance to Route 1 and let out a cry of amazement as he looked at the sea of people before him.
And just then, a rough snort suddenly came from beside him.
"Hmph~ Of course it is!"
"After all, this is something made by those incredible brats from the Straw Hat Pirates. It's only natural for it to be this popular."
A burly man wearing the same red-and-white Trainer outfit appeared at Luffy's side, snorting proudly.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought he was some insider from the Straw Hat Pirates.
"That's true!" Luffy laughed lightly, his face showing the delighted expression of someone being praised.
Yet in the very next second, when the two people who had started talking for no reason both turned to look at each other—
At that instant, whether it was Luffy or the man beside him, both of their expressions froze, and they stood rooted to the spot.
"Luffy!!!?"
"Grandpa!!!?"
"Why are you here!?" ×2
(End of Chapter)