Located at the heart of Iron Island, built upon the single highest point there was, stood the base of Team Steel. A building that stretched three stories up into the sky, built on a sturdy foundation of stone and metal that gave it a rather hardy appearance, and exuded an aura of toughness, fittingly enough. As well as the building itself, there was a sizeable garden out the front, sporting a cluster of bushes and trees which were laden with exotic and colourful berries of all different kinds. Behind the base, the flat terrain had been converted into a sprawling battlefield, marked by white lines that split down the middle of the field and made a Pokeball shape.
All of this, from the building to the battlefield to the berry garden, was all enclosed within a looming stone brick wall, reaching up almost half as high as the base itself and lined with spikes running across the top which added to its brutal image. The only way to enter the base was through a thick, wooden gate, which normally took two men to open and close, and with no shortage of effort on their part. At one time, the wall and the gate had been smaller, and above the gate the word 'GYM' had stood proudly in letters of sleek and shiny metal. Now, however, those letters were gone, replaced by Team Steel's own emblem.
At any given time, there would be no less than ten Team Steel grunts posted around the base, lazing about and enjoying the luxuries of their positions, and even that number was the bare minimum. If a grunt wasn't at the base, it was because they were either enforcing Team Steel's authority elsewhere on Iron Island, or they were training against the island's wild Pokemon, and they were complacent enough for such training to be a rarity for those without aspirations of reaching the Admin position. Though they were not 'weak' by any means, as Leader Mercury had no pity to spare for such people. The members of Team Steel were the strongest trainers on Iron Island, and outnumbered any feasible opposition so dramatically that the base was an impregnable fortress.
It was for this reason that when Team Steel Leader Mercury returned from her training trip and found herself standing before the utterly annihilated front gate of the base, with the gate having been knocked off its hinges with such force that its halves had embedded themselves into the front wall of the base, she had no words to spare, and simply stood there in stunned silence, watching as the Team Steel emblem teetered dangerously from side to side, before finally falling off the gate and landing on the ground right in front of her.
Her two Admins were quicker to act.
"GRUNTS? WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?!" Brass roared charging ahead into the compound with his arms still crossed, only to gape at the sight of the berry garden that had been harvested almost in its entirety. There were hardly a dozen berries left in total, and not even the really good ones, either!
"This isn't possible!" Copper said in disbelief, following closely behind Brass with wide eyes behind his glasses, "ACHOO!"
One of the Team Steel grunts groaned from his place lying against the trunk of a berry tree, thoroughly beaten up. Like every other grunt, he was dressed in a white shirt, sleek leather jacket, and tight black jeans, with his hair styled into a pompadour, though the pompadour had been firmly stomped in, presumably by whoever was responsible for all this destruction. Hearing the groan, Copper dashed over to his side and knelt down, cradling him in his arms.
"Grunt, what happened here?" Copper asked gravely, "ACHOO!"
At first, the Grunt gagged from the stench of Copper's breath, and then he was splattered by mucus from his sneeze, prompting Brass to stride over and grab Copper by the shoulder, arms still crossed as he did so, and haul him off the poor Grunt. The Grunt wiped his face off on his own sleeve.
"It was… it was a monster." The Grunt declared hauntingly, turning his head over towards the open gate and staring Mercury directly in the eyes as he said it.
EARLIER…
After leaving the Merry and heading ashore, Sanji had quickly located a pathway which led him inland, in the same direction as where Spruce had told him Zoro had gone, though he highly doubted that if the swordsman were there now, he'd still be there when Sanji went and paid that part of the island a visit. For now, he simply followed the path in the direction that it led him, all while eyeing the rocky terrain that the sandy shore had transitioned into as he made his way. There was scant vegetation, save for a cluster of woodland he could make out off in the distance near a cliff overlooking the ocean. Likewise, he had yet to encounter any other people living on the island.
What he did encounter instead were more creatures which, with his lack of experience with them, he could only assume were Pokemon. Staring down at him from atop an elevated bit of ground was a black canine with an orange snout, a pointed tail and a pair of devilish white horns that curled out the top of its head. The canine's teeth were bared, snarling at Sanji, though its reasoning became clear as the chef glanced downwards and saw two smaller canines, the same shade of black with their own orange snouts, standing between the larger canine's legs. He turned his head away from the canines, paying them no mind and simply continuing on as he had been.
Now that he was paying more attention, though, he began noticing more of these Pokemon-creatures around him. While the ones on the ship had more closely resembled ordinary animals, some of the kinds he was seeing before his very eyes- a horde of blue rocks with pointy red noses, a short yellow biped with an enormous, ponytail-esque mouth hanging off the back of its head, and a floating rock with two arms sticking out the sides- very distinctly did not. The Pokemon all kept their distance from him and from the path that he was walking on, though they all watched him with the same animosity as the canine had.
'How would I go about cooking them…' Sanji wondered to himself, though he had the sense not to go about attacking them and trying to find out right at that moment. They proved passive enough to not attack him without him as an instigator, and before he knew it, the path had led him right to the doorstep of a small village. Looking around, he spotted a battered wooden sign which read 'PASTORIA VILLAGE', and which looked like it had been knocked down and re-erected multiple times.
Unlike the barren and intimidating terrain that had surrounded him as he traversed the island, Pastoria Village exuded an aura of gentleness, and he could even see flowers sprouting out of the ground here and there. What he could not see, however, was a single other soul walking about around the village, though he could tell from just a glance that it was far from abandoned. Rather, every resident appeared to be inside their homes, leaving Sanji as the only person outside.
'Maybe the rocky exterior is like an exoskeleton, like a lobster.' Sanji mused, wandering through the village, 'The best way would probably be to steam one.'
"HEY MISTER!" A youthful voice snapped Sanji out of his thoughts, and he looked to his right to see a young, skinny boy with a mop of messy blonde hair poking his head out through an open window to yell at him.
"Oh. Hello." Sanji stopped in place and gave the boy a polite wave.
"IT'S DANGEROUS OUTSIDE, MISTER!" The boy yelled, "MY MUM SAYS WE NEED TO STAY INSIDE RIGHT NOW!"
"Dangerous?" Sanji said, "Did she say what's dangerous?"
"Timothy, what are you doing?" A woman snapped, with another face appearing at the window, that of a young woman with short blonde hair matching the boy's. She grabbed onto Timothy's arm and began to pull him away, before spotting Sanji standing outside, "And you! What are you doing out there like that? Hurry and get inside before it's too late!"
Unfortunately, the part of Sanji's rational mind that would normally have registered her dire warning was being overpowered by the part of his mind that was processing the fact he had just seen an attractive woman, and so the warning fell on ears that may as well have been deaf.
"Oh, thank you so much for being so considerate as to warn a total stranger like me!" Sanji gushed, "The radiance and beauty of your heart is matched only by that of your face, miss, and I hope you will be so kind as to tell me your name. Mine is Sanji."
"Mum, he's being a weirdo." Timothy said to his mother as the ground beneath Sanji's feet began to shake.
"Just GET INSIDE!" The mother snapped, slamming her window shut and yanking Timothy away from it. Sanji's face fell as the mother left his line of sight, though that also allowed the rational part of his brain to take over and direct his attention towards the shaking of the ground, as well as the sound of dozens of thundering footsteps which were rapidly increasing in volume.
"What is that? Some kind of stampede?" Sanji said, his brow furrowing, "Ah, that must be the danger that they were warning about."
A moment passed, with Sanji reaching up to pluck the cigarette from his mouth and blow out a puff of smoke. Then, he began looking around fervently, looking for any shelter immediately available to him, but the sound of wood snapping signaled to him that it was already too late.
Storming into Pastoria Village and trampling the sign yet again, was a stampede of quadrupedal creatures with similar rocky heads to the floating rock that Sanji had seen earlier. They were similar to rhinoceroses, with each one having a horn protruding from the front of its head, though they were of a smaller size, with stubbier legs and a spiked ridge that ran across the middle of each one's back from neck to rear. Their herd was large, and moving too quickly for Sanji to be able to count how many there were, and they were stampeding right towards him.
Sticking the cigarette back in his mouth and both hands into his pockets, Sanji focused on the front of the stampede as he stood completely still. From the window of the house to his right- now to his left, as he had turned around to face the stampede- Timothy watched with wide eyes, even as his mother tried to drag him away to spare him what she believed would be a gruesome sight. Inside their house, the furniture shook and dishes rattled, all as the stampede neared Sanji where he stood.
And then in an instant, a mass of black blurred through the air in front of him. Swinging a leg down, he stomped one of the Pokemon into the ground, pinning it in front of him while he remained firmly in place, not even budging an inch. The mother and her son stared with wide-eyed awe as the Pokemon all split off to the sides as they came upon their pinned brethren, passing by Sanji harmlessly before merging back into one herd behind him, and leaving him unscathed. Among the plentitudes of them that passed by him, one happened to buck a small, purple Pokemon with gems for eyes off its back and onto the roof of Timothy and his mother's house, though neither they nor Sanji noticed it.
Finally, as the stampede finished passing by Sanji and moved onto passing through the rest of the village, sparing the houses and continuing on into the wilds, Sanji lifted his leg off the Pokemon that he had pinned, allowing it to stand back up and scurry past him as it hurried to catch up the rest of the herd. With the danger behind him, literally, Sanji took his hands from his pockets and lightly dusted himself off.
As soon as the tremors were minimal, the front door of Timothy's house was thrown open and the young boy came running out, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he skidded to a stop a few feet beside Sanji.
"THAT… WAS… SO COOL!" Timothy screamed, staring up at the chef, who couldn't help but grin back at the boy.
"Yeah, it was." Sanji said, taking another puff of his cigarette, 'Cooler than whatever that stupid Mosshead would have done in the situation.'
Timothy continued to stare at Sanji with a fiery eagerness burning in his eyes, but he didn't say anything else. Sanji looked back at him, waiting for a couple of seconds to see if he would speak up, only for him to remain silent.
"So, what's-" Sanji began to ask, but Timothy almost instantly cut him off.
"Your eyebrow looks weird." He said flatly, as if he were merely making an observation and not trying to hurt Sanji's feelings. The suddenness of the declaration made Sanji recoil slightly, while Timothy's mother came hurrying over to him.
"TIMOTHY!" She scolded him harshly, giving him a stern look as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "We do not go up to random strangers and tell them that they look…" She trailed off as she turned her head to face Sanji and saw the eyebrow in question that Timothy had been referring to, "Oh, your eyebrow does look rather odd."
"I-I suppose it's a bit different from most people." Sanji said through a forced smile, with his response leading the mother to realise what she had said.
"Oh!" She gasped, "Oh goodness, that was terribly rude of me! I'm so sorry, I just spoke without thinking!"
"It's quite alright, I would never take offense from a breathtaking beauty such as yourself." Sanji quickly reassured her, raising his hands placatingly.
"And I didn't- I didn't mean that it was ugly, or anything of the sort," She continued to ramble, "I just meant it was, well- it was unique! Yes, unique! That's what I meant, but not in a bad way or-!"
Growl…
At the sound of a rumbling stomach- her rumbling stomach, to be exact- her cheeks reddened and she let out a quiet, embarrassed squeak.
"Just look at me, insulting you to your face and then doing something so un-ladylike!" She said nervously, giving Sanji an awkward smile, "You really must think I'm such a bother…"
"Nonsense." Sanji dismissed with a pleasant smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, though not as a result of either Timothy or his mother's actions. Rather, the sound of her hungry stomach had called attention to a detail that he had somehow overlooked until this moment: the clothes which both mother and son were wearing. They were loose-fitting, able to hide the shape of their bodies.
"Well even so, I really am quite sorry for how I've been acting." She apologised, "That stampede just now must have thrown me for a loop! Hahaha…"
"Miss, would you be so kind as to tell me your name?" Sanji said.
"Oh dear, now I've forgotten to introduce myself as well! I'm Tiffany, and this is my son, Timothy." Tiffany said.
"I'm Sanji." Sanji said warmly, "I happen to be a chef, and I was hoping that I might perhaps prepare a meal for you and your son to enjoy?"
"What?" Tiffany said, glancing to the side awkwardly with her cheeks reddening even further, "F-First you try all that sweet-talking nonsense, now you're offering to cook for me? Are you trying to worm your way into my house or w-what?"
"As much as it pains me to say, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stick around for that." Sanji said, "But that sound your stomach made tells me that you're hungry, and as a chef I have an obligation to prepare food for people who are hungry."
"I-I couldn't ask you to do that!" Tiffany said with a shake of her head, "And we don't have any way of paying you back for it, either!"
"The satisfaction of feeding a beauty like yourself is payment enough." Sanji said suavely.
"Is this how you would talk to any woman you'd never met before…?" Tiffany mumbled.
"We don't have any food in the house for you to cook with." Timothy piped up bluntly.
"Timothy!" Tiffany hissed, taking several steps away from Sanji and dragging her son with her.
'As I suspected.' Sanji thought, "If that's the case, can you tell me where I can find the food on this island?"
"The big castle in the middle of the island is where all the berries grow." Timothy said, extending a hand to point in the direction of the island's center.
"Thank you, Timothy." Sanji said kindly, "You've been a great help. Now just wait here, and I'll be back soon with some ingredients to make you and your mother something nice and filling."
"What are you talking about?!" Tiffany said, "Don't you realise what you're saying?!"
"I'm saying that I'm not going to rest until the two hungry people before me right now have full stomachs." Sanji said firmly, taking his cigarette out of his mouth to exhale a small cloud of smoke, "And there's nothing on this island that could possibly stop me from doing that."
With that declaration, the chef turned and headed off towards the center of the island, leaving the mother and son duo to stare at his gradually shrinking form. Timothy just stared at him blankly as he went on his way, not thinking much of the whole interaction, while his mother was rendered speechless with glowing cheeks and teary eyes.
"He was a bit weird, wasn't he, mum?" Timothy said.
"You shouldn't say such rude things so casually, Timothy…" Tiffany replied, her voice just above a whisper, "That Sanji just isn't from around here, is all…"
-O-
"This island is ruled by a woman named Mercury." Spruce explained in a quiet voice, with the assembled pirates listening intently, "She's a horrible woman, without a shred of kindness in her entire body, but her Pokemon are incredibly strong, even without her respecting them. Because of her, the bonds between people and Pokemon here have been poisoned, and she and her lackeys, Team Steel, have taken down anyone that could oppose her."
As he spoke, Nami found her hand drifting to the tattoo on her shoulder, while her expression darkened.
"I tried to defeat her with my team, once." Spruce continued, glancing over at Ria, who was staring at the deck shamefully, "But we weren't strong enough. Her team crushed us, and until we can take her down and free this island from her, leaving aboard your ship would be nothing but running away in disgrace."
"How long?" Vivi asked.
"What?" Spruce said, looking up at her.
"How long has this woman been in power?" She said.
"For around eight years." Spruce said.
"And she won't stick it out to see a ninth." Nami piped up firmly, "Will she, Luffy?"
The captain tilted his head to the side, staring off into the distance thoughtfully for a couple of seconds before nodding.
"Is beating Mercu-lady the only thing you have to do here?" He said.
"It…" Spruce trailed off, before shaking his head and rising to his feet suddenly, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. You- all of you- are so interesting, but once you've found your swordsman friend, you should leave this island."
"We can't leave! You've gotta join my crew first!" Luffy protested.
"Then you're a few years too early!" Spruce snapped, his fists clenching at his sides as he stormed past the lot of them and made his way over to the edge of the ship. Ria and Pex both looked at each other, before hurrying after him.
"I'll beat the crap out of Mercu-lady just like I'm gonna kick Croco-guy's ass!" Luffy said fiercely, rising to his feet and stretching a hand out to grab Spruce's shoulder and stop him.
"No, you won't!" Spruce retorted as he grabbed the hand and wrenched it off his shoulder, "I don't need strangers who don't even know anything about Pokemon butting their noses in and fighting our fights for… us…"
The fire in his voice quickly simmered down as he turned around to address Luffy directly, still grasping onto his wrist, and saw the way that the pirate's arm had stretched an unnatural distance across the deck to reach him without Luffy having to take a step from where he was standing. Spruce stared at the extended arm silently, and Luffy yanked his wrist from his grip and allowed his arm to retract back to its normal length.
"Let him go, Luffy." Usopp said solemnly, looking at his captain with an intensity in his gaze that was quite a rarity for him.
"Fine." Luffy said, "I won't fight Mercu-lady."
"I'll send your swordsman friend your way if I run into him." Spruce said after a pause, finally getting over the bizarre sight of Luffy stretching and raising a hand to his lips to let out a sharp whistle, "Come on, Whiskers! It's time for us to go!"
"Gyarados." Whiskers said as he swam over to the side of the ship, allowing Spruce to climb onto the taffrail and jump up onto the top of his head. Ria followed suit, perching herself comfortably atop Spruce's own head, while Pex flew beside the three of them. Giving merely a nod and a gesture, Spruce directed Whiskers to swim away, carrying the rest of them across the water.
"Why did you just let him go like that?" Vivi protested once the trainer and his Pokemon were out of earshot, "You heard what he said! This island is being controlled by a tyrant, and if you can do something to help-!"
"He didn't ask for our help." Usopp interjected calmly.
"You'd let something like that-!" Vivi said.
"Of course I would!" Usopp cut her off firmly, "Didn't you hear what he said? He already lost to her, and he's obviously been training to try and defeat her! Who are we to come along and trample on a matter of honour like that? They're the ones who've actually had to live on this island! Luffy understands too, don't you, Luffy?"
"Yeah." Luffy nodded, "If I went and beat Mercu-lady up for him when he wanted to do it himself, it wouldn't make him happy, it'd make him mad, and then he'd never want to join the crew."
"Unfortunately, Vivi, I have to agree with them." Nami said, approaching the princess and placing a supportive hand on her shoulder, "I can understand what Spruce is feeling, to a certain degree."
"What about everyone else on the island?" Vivi said, "What if they want your help?"
"We're pirates, not heroes." Nami said curtly, "And considering the state that Spruce was in, I'm not optimistic about the rest of the islanders being able to pool together a sufficient payment for that kind of help."
"Right, pirates…" Vivi muttered bitterly.
"If things are really that bad here on this island, we should probably go track down Sanji and Zoro before they stir up trouble for us." Usopp said, "Since I have a case of I-can't-visit-that-island-or-I'll-die-itis, I'll have to stay here on the ship."
"Really?" Nami said, "You want to stay here on the ship while Luffy, Zoro and Sanji are all on the island, and more sea-monsters like that serpent could show up?"
Usopp stared at her for a moment.
"Good news! My case of I-can't-visit-that-island-or-I'll-die-itis is miraculously cured!" Usopp announced.
-O-
Approaching the shore on the opposite end of the island and seeing Walter's shack in the distance, as well as a certain green-haired swordsman sitting out in front of it, Spruce reached over and tapped Whiskers on the side of the head.
"Dos… Gyarados?" Whiskers said hopefully.
"Sorry buddy, but I think it'd be better if you hung back for a bit. You did blast him off their ship with Brine, after all." Spruce said.
"Dos…" He said begrudgingly, quickly submerging himself beneath the water and leaving Spruce to swim the rest of the way to shore, with Ria remaining seated atop his head as he did. Pex ascended higher into the sky, and began to circle above the shack as Spruce stepped onto the sands and approached the swordsman sitting in front of the shack, currently finishing off a plate of grilled fish and a bowl of soup. His demeanor was relaxed, but quickly became alert as he took notice of Spruce, sitting up and placing his plate to the side as he reached down to slide one of his swords an inch out of its sheath with his thumb.
"That blue canine…" Zoro said, his eyes narrowing, "You're the one who attacked us on the ship. Who are you? What happened to the rest of my crew?"
At the sign of aggression, Ria hopped down from Spruce's head and darted ahead to stand between him and Zoro. Giving the swordsman an intense glare, she threw several punches against the air threateningly.
"RIOLU!" She said fiercely, staring Zoro down. He smirked back at her in response.
"Calm down, Ria." Spruce admonished as he walked past her and laid himself down on the other deck chair, before addressing Zoro, "My name is Spruce, and I'm not your enemy. Your crew and my team got off on the wrong foot, but we settled everything. Now they're just looking for you."
'Neither of them looks too beaten-up, so he's probably not lying about settling things.' Zoro thought. As his attention was on Spruce and not the plate of half-finished fish he had put aside momentarily, he didn't notice as Pex swooped down from above and scarfed the fish down before shooting right back into the sky and returning to his circling above the shack.
"Just let me finish my food and then I'll go meet up with the rest of them." Zoro said, reaching for his plate, "The fish tastes better than anything that stupid love-cook's ever made."
"Sorry, a flying stomach came and ate it while we were talking." Spruce said as Zoro finally noticed the state of his plate and put it back to the side again.
"Tch. I get enough of that on the ship." Zoro said, moving to get up from his seat, "He doesn't normally fly, though…"
"Actually, before you go, I was wondering." Spruce said, "How did you end up here after Whiskers knocked you into the sea? Did a water-type Pokemon grab you and drag you here, or something?"
"What are you talking about?" Zoro said, "Hold on, how did you know I was here in the first place?"
"Oh, I just felt your aura." Spruce said.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Zoro nodded, rising from his chair, "I'd better head back to the ship. But if it turns out you're lying about not being our enemy anymore… you won't like the consequences."
"Riolu…" Ria muttered darkly in response, while Spruce just relaxed himself in the chair and paid the threat no mind.
"If you're looking to get back to that ship, I can have Whiskers give you a lift." He suggested.
"What, you think I need a chaperone?" Zoro scoffed, "I can get back just fine on my own."
"If you insist." Spruce shrugged, "Do you know where the old man and the little girl who live here have gone off to?"
"They're inside, cleaning up." Zoro answered. As if on cue, the door to the shack opened, and Kiki hurried out, with Mister Cuddles hurrying out after her.
"HI SPRUCE!" Kiki greeted energetically, "Have you already met Mister Zoro? He's super strong, and he can do really cool tricks with his swords! He's kinda dumb too, since he didn't know what a Pokemon is, but his hair looks like a Shaymin, so it's okay!"
The swordsman had basked in the praise, until his face fell at the insult to his intelligence.
"We've met." Spruce said, snickering to himself, "You shouldn't call him dumb, though. He came to this island on a ship with his friends, and none of them knew what Pokemon were, either."
"A SHIP?!" Kiki gasped, "That's so cool! Can I ride on it? Can I, Mister Zoro?"
"Why are you so excited about riding a ship? You ride Whiskers all the time and he's way cooler than their ship." Spruce said.
"The hell are you talking about?" Zoro retorted, "The Going Merry's a hundred times better than that overgrown fish of yours."
"What, are you stupid? or something?" Spruce bit back, the heat rising in his voice as he sat up to glare at the swordsman, "Whiskers would swim circles around that stupid little boat."
The two of them levelled their glares at each other, until Kiki suddenly jumped up and slapped Spruce upside the head.
"NO FIGHTING!" She ordered sternly, crossing her arms for good measure, while Mister Cuddles sat down on his rear and tried to cross his forelegs as well.
"Why'd you hit me and not him?" Spruce grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Grandpa says it's not okay for me to hit strangers, but I can hit you because we're friends!" Kiki explained with a bright smile on her face.
"Shinx!" Shinx said.
"Riolu." Ria added, voicing her agreement.
"Traitor…" Spruce muttered.
"Serves you right." Zoro said, smirking wryly at Spruce.
"Hm? My feeble, elderly ears are picking up a bit of commotion." Came Walter's voice as he joined his granddaughter outside, giving Spruce a friendly wave, "Ah, hello Spruce! I see you're getting acquainted with Mister Roronoa! He's really quite the interesting fellow, you know."
"He's not the only one." Spruce commented, "He came here on a ship with a crew called the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Oh, did he now?" Walter said, "How did he end up on this side of the island, in that case? My feeble, elderly mind might not be all here, but I certainly don't recall any ships on the horizon recently!"
"Why are they called the Straw Hat Pirates?" Kiki asked, pointing at Zoro, "His hair looks like grass, not straw. And what's a pirate?"
"Their captain wears the straw hat." Spruce explained.
"You don't know what a pirate is?" Zoro said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, pirates are just the thing of stories and old history, I would have thought." Walter said, "Older history than me! Hahaha! Pirates are supposed to be an unlawful and unruly lot, I thought, but you've been quite the pleasant guest for a pirate so far!"
"Pirates are outlaws?" Spruce said, "Huh… I thought they were nudists."
"Don't let appearances deceive you, old man, I'm- HUH?" Zoro's face snapped in the direction of Spruce as his jaw dropped, "Why the hell would you think THAT?!"
"Grandpa, what's a nudist?" Kiki asked Walter.
"Luffy said that being King of the Pirates meant he would be the freest person on the sea." Spruce said, "So being a pirate is about freedom, right?"
"Not that kind of freedom." Zoro said, "As I was saying, don't let appearances deceive you, old man. I'm a dangerous criminal. I told you these swords weren't just for show."
"Hahaha! You certainly did tell me that." Walter said, but he quickly grew serious, "But you should be careful with an attitude like that here on this island, Mister Roronoa. What counts for law on this island isn't something you should break recklessly."
"I've already told your captain about the woman who rules over this island." Spruce said grimly, "She and her forces aren't the kind of threat you want to face."
"Riolu…" Ria said dejectedly.
"All that just sounds like a challenge to me." Zoro smirked, "If you should be warning anyone, it's them about us."
"I'm being quite serious." Walter said firmly, "Team Steel aren't a force that someone like you- someone who's never even heard of Pokemon until now- should be provoking. Whatever brought you to this island, you and your friends should wrap it up and be on your way as soon as possible."
"Luffy told me that he wouldn't fight the leader of Team Steel while he was here." Spruce added.
"Did he?" Zoro said, "In that case, it would be wrong of me to go against his word and attack them myself… Alright."
"Their ship is anchored off the shore around Pastoria Village." Spruce said.
"Pastoria Village… a bit of a trek to get there." Walter commented, "I'll go with you, Mister Roronoa."
"I already said I don't need a chaperone. I can get there just fine on my own." Zoro said dismissively.
'Even though this is your first time on the island?' Walter and Spruce thought together.
"Well even so, I'm interested to meet these pirates myself!" Walter said, "If they're anything like you, they must have some exciting tales to share with this feeble, elderly man! Hahaha!"
"Sure you're up for that kind of walk?" Spruce said, his brow furrowing with concern.
"Ooh, can I come too, Grandpa?" Kiki requested, bouncing up and down on her heels excitedly.
"I don't see any harm in it." Walter said, after taking a few moments to consider it, "Want to come along, Spruce?"
"I'll… stay here, if that's alright." Spruce said, "It's better if I don't run into those guys again."
"Rio?" Ria said.
"Figures." Zoro said, with a knowing glint in his eye as he began walking away, "Come on, old man."
"Right, yes!" Walter said, shuffling after Zoro with Kiki and Mister Cuddles trailing after the both of them. The group had barely gotten a dozen feet away from the shack, however, when they were suddenly met by the sight of a man sprinting as fast as he could towards them, a terrified fervor in his eyes. Zoro looked confused by the sudden arrival, but Walter stepped forwards to meet the man's approach, a grave look in his eyes.
"WALTER, IT'S TERRIBLE! IT'S…!" The man trailed off into deep, laboured breathing as he stopped in front of Walter and doubled over. From where he was sitting, Spruce sat up and watched the new arrival closely.
"What's the matter? What's happened?" Walter said, reaching out to place a supportive hand on the man's shoulder and keep him standing upright. The man took a few seconds to catch his breath, and then he spoke.
"TEAM STEEL HAVE SENT AN ADMIN TO ATTACK PASTORIA VILLAGE!"