"Ge-Genesis?!"
A pirate outside Onigashima rubbed his eyes, not quite believing what he was seeing.
He hadn't heard any news about Genesis from Mogura Port or the waterfall. And Genesis hadn't even appeared from the sky, but emerged out of a ripple.
Before he could recover from his shock, Yamato leapt straight down from the deck.
"What are you spacing out for? Open the dock gate. Oh, and is Father around?"
"Yes, Oni Princess, I'll open it right away. As for Governor-General Kaido, he went out not long ago, and shouldn't be back yet."
He had originally meant to sound certain, but Genesis' sudden manner of arrival disrupted his train of thought. The era upgrade inside Onigashima was just too fast. Even though he had been stationed here all along, he still felt like he couldn't keep up with the times.
Arceus always managed to create things that are ahead of their era, and each new creation overturned the existing understanding of the world.
For example, the current main source of electricity in Wano Country—Electivire.
For the natives of Wano Country, it wasn't a problem. They had never seen electricity before, and had always regarded thunder and lightning as divine authority. That Arceus could create creatures capable of controlling electric energy made perfect sense to them.
But people from modern or futuristic islands were different, especially those who had studied electricity. No matter how much they racked their brains, they could not figure out how a creature that ate only three meals a day could power the electricity supply of an entire island.
It wasn't scientific. It even violated the conservation of energy as they knew it.
Logically, Kaido should not be in Onigashima right now. But ever since he began fighting Rayquaza, Wano Country had gained a special kind of weather known as "Kaido."
It was unpredictable. At any unknown time, Kaido might suddenly come crashing down from the sky. But there was no need to worry, because Lord Wise King would always control his landing point. He might give people a fright, but he wouldn't cause actual harm.
Apart from Queen and Yamato, this weather was completely harmless to everyone. Which is why no one could ever be certain if Kaido, who had already left, might suddenly jump out from somewhere.
"As long as he's not here right now, that's good. If he sees this, it'll be a new problem."
No matter whether Kaido would drop down from somewhere or not, as long as he hadn't witnessed Genesis' appearance, it was a good thing for Yamato. Even though it was impossible to hide this matter from Kaido forever, the later he found out, the better it was for Yamato.
If he learned of Arceus' conditions, he would definitely start deliberately destroying houses in order to drag Yamato into the Reverse World for a satisfying training session, forcing Yamato to play a round of house defense with him.
Fighting Kaido wasn't difficult for her now. But trying to protect an inanimate object from Kaido's attacks. That was far too difficult.
"Dad, if there's nothing else, I'll head out first. Robin just came back yesterday, and we agreed to go out today."
"Go. If you're needed anywhere, I'll contact you."
No sooner had Yamato left than Shayna came looking for Arceus. Her network of informants in Wano Country was vast, and no matter which path Arceus returned by, Shayna could quickly receive word.
"Lord Sacred Beast, you're back. I think my vacation can end now. If I stay idle any longer, I'll go mad."
"It was just for you to adjust your state of mind. Now that you're adjusted, do as you please."
"Yes, then I'll get back to work. By the way, Mandrell also returned a few days ago. It seems he wants to hand over all of his contributions to his daughter.
And also a few days back, the people of the Kozuki family from twenty years ago appeared as well. Maylo also helped out a little with that."
"Maylo? That half-Mermaid child, right? Mandrell really has been completely tied down by his family. Tell him to bring his daughter over tomorrow. There are some other matters to handle today."
"Understood."
Though it had been called a vacation, Shayna hadn't been oblivious to external affairs during this time. She had simply chosen not to get directly involved. Since there hadn't been any major incidents recently, her Vice-Captain Amalee was more than capable of handling the minor tasks.
Not long after Shayna left, Zeraora from Kuri and Shaymin from Ringo both sensed Arceus' summons and arrived at Onigashima one after the other.
"Lord Arceus, you were looking for me?"
"My lord, what did you call me here for?"
Coming in through the window seemed to have become some sort of tradition. Sky Forme Shaymin and Zeraora entered one after the other through the window. At this rate, the house structure would need some adjustments.
"It's nothing major, I just want to give you two a 'key.'"
A faint light flashed and disappeared, and it seemed as if something new had appeared in the minds of Zeraora and Shaymin.
The so-called key was intangible, not a physical object. Mythical Pokemon already carried a common type of energy within them. All Arceus had to do was give Shaymin and Zeraora a beacon.
With this beacon, Shaymin and Zeraora would naturally know what to do.
Even without it, if they were strong enough and the location appropriate, they might be able to forcibly open an entrance. But that would be far more difficult.
"Lord Arceus, do you have any additional instructions?"
"No, I just wanted to inform you in advance. The Reverse World isn't complete yet. For now, the passage can only be opened from Onigashima and the original site of the Rainbow Mist. Remember that."
Arceus gave the two a few reminders. As for Genesect, Darkrai, and Manaphy, it would be fine to wait until they returned to handle this matter.
As for the slumbering Regice, this wouldn't be of use anytime soon. Without a special command, Regice showed no sign of awakening on its own.
Zeraora was more composed. Even after receiving the "key," he showed no particular reaction and simply flew back to Kuri in his usual way.
But Shaymin was different. Her personality was youthful. Once she learned of this matter, she immediately opened the entrance to the Reverse World, eager to explore the inverted world.
When Shaymin appeared again, she was no longer in Onigashima but in Queen's laboratory.
For various indescribable reasons, Queen was suffering from a kind of stress disorder, making him extremely sensitive to creatures suddenly appearing near him. With the door tightly shut, Shaymin's sudden arrival made him think an assassin had come.
One moment he was conducting experiments, the next moment Queen had vanished, turning invisible right in front of Shaymin.
The ability of Stealth Black in Germa technology; while invisibility can't solve everything, it does deprive the enemy's eyes of the ability to directly lock onto a target, which is quite useful for handling unexpected situations.
"You idiot, what are you doing? I can already smell you!"
Queen's invisibility only hid his figure; his scent did not vanish. Even if she couldn't see him, Shaymin knew Queen was right in front of her.
"So it's you. You scared me! Where did you suddenly pop out from?"
Once he confirmed it was Shaymin, Queen immediately released his invisibility and put away his weapons.
"Reverse World! It was created by Lord Arceus. Only a few people, like me, have the key to that place—no one else can get in. With this key, I can open doors to many places in Onigashima. Isn't that amazing?"
"Amazing? No, this is… absolutely incredible! Muhahaha! There's nothing more incredible than this! Hurry, take me inside to see! If the environment's suitable, I'll move in right away."
A world created by Arceus, one that only key-holders could enter. After running these words through his mind, Queen's conclusion boiled down to a single word: safety.
In his view, no matter how powerful the enemy might be, it was impossible for them to break into a world created by Arceus. If he lived there, he'd have nothing at all to worry about.
"Stay away from me, that look on your face is just like a p*rvert's!"
A barrage of Seed Machine Gun forced Queen back when he tried to approach. Then Shaymin continued, "I can take you inside, but it's just empty and barren there, nothing interesting at all. You'll have to plant me a whole sea of flowers first."
"Deal! Just flowers, right? Whatever you want, I'll plant it. But you've got to take me in to see it first."
The deal was struck, and right before Queen's eyes, Shaymin opened the passage to the Reverse World, bringing yet another visitor into that vast empty world.
While Yamato was still figuring out how to take shelter, Queen had already taken action. Even though there was no sun and both the sky and the ground looked eerie, Queen thought this place was wonderful.
"Let me remind you, this is a world Lord Arceus transformed and created. I'm only bringing you in for a look."
"I know, don't worry about that. I'll report back to Lord Arceus myself when I return."
The desolate Reverse World showed Queen boundless possibilities. With nothing here now, he even felt he could stake a claim first—finding an even safer spot within this nearly absolute safe environment.
As Queen schemed about his new home, some people were being forced to toil in their new home.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
At the Udon Quarry, dull thuds rang out again and again. Stones shattered under the blows of iron hammers, then were carried off by prisoners to the smelting plant.
And among the crowd, a small, thin figure stood out.
Kozuki Momonosuke's carefree days lasted very briefly; after only a single day, he was already put to work.
In the quarry, there were some people who were oyal to Momonosuke, but none dared to help him, nor did anyone dare share food with him. Anyone who tried would only bring heavier punishment upon themselves.
"Lord Momonosuke, just hold on a little longer, today's quota will be done soon."
A voice of encouragement reached Momonosuke's ears. Denjiro was right there, watching him haul the heavy stones.
This was Kozuki Hiyori's final decision. She had not made Denjiro a prisoner, but reassigned his position as Momonosuke's exclusive overseer.
If Momonosuke failed to meet his work quota under Denjiro's supervision, then the next day he would be handed over to other pirates, to do even harsher labor by adult standards.
And those overseers wouldn't be as lenient as Denjiro. They would use force.
To prevent Momonosuke from suffering worse, Denjiro had no choice but to harden his heart and force him to complete this work, which was just barely within the limits of his body.
"She is truly ruthless; torturing two people at once."
Sitting atop a boulder, Babanuki stared at Momonosuke and Denjiro. Kaido and Arceus had no interest in Momonosuke, so how he was handled was entirely Kozuki Hiyori's decision. Even if she wanted to release him, the Beasts Pirates would not interfere.
But Kozuki Hiyori had no such thought at all. Instead, she was using this arrangement as a way to take revenge on Denjiro's stance.
She had even told Babanuki that if something goes wrong, he could just kill them. That was why Babanuki had sighed with such words.
"Lord Babanuki, Kuri is almost completed. According to our 'Lady Shogun,' she wants the people there to see this culprit for themselves."
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