What followed next was a severe form of pestering from Luffy where he begged me to give him another chance with it as he would love to become Pikachu again. I refused but finally because of relentless pursuing and begging I relented on the promise that he wouldn't use any move on me.
Other than that he was free to do anything. I also wanted to see another feature if it was possible. So Luffy took the card like some gold treasure and promised not to get too excited. But of course, I knew how Luffy was from the anime and manga so how could I take his promise to heart.
The moment I gave I flew away by turning to Yanma. And suffice to say I was right. The moment he turned into Pikachu, he went on a rampage. But one thing I did come to realize that whatever creature he hurt/killed in this small exciting rampage, the experience didn't come to me and I was expecting the numbers to show up at my blue screen.
But nope.
After initial rampage, Luffy did calm down at the end, and I finally asked if he felt a bit more powerful after the small outburst, and he said he didn't feel anything as such so it settled the debate that the cards were exclusive to me and even if others used them, it wouldn't matter.
So Luffy refused to give up on the Pikachu card and even in human form he continued with the card, and the funny thing was he grew a zigzag yellow tail, and loved playing with it. Monkey is as Monkey does.
But I did warn him not to show such behavior to Dadan and others for the time being, and surprisingly he admitted to doing it and even followed it. The next few days, I accumulated experience points through Yanma, while Luffy used Pikachu to run around and have fun.
I used some of the experience points to make Yanma climb to level 15
Pokémon : Yanma
Ability : Speed Boost
Level : 15
Moves : Tackle, Quick attack, Double Team, Air cutter, Whirlwind
Another thing I noticed that adding experience points didn't make me stronger at all, and my original body still had the level 22 strength that I got from the highest rated Pokémon in my collection and that was Pikachu.
Another thing I came to realize that Luffy, whenever he was under the card, he would love Poke block and at other times, he didn't. His hunger would vanish, but not the same way as mine. If I eat an inferior Poke block, it would satisfy my hunger for a full day and night, but his wouldn't last even half a day.
Expected from a monster.
Life continued much the same after that. Luffy happily abused the privilege of borrowing Pikachu whenever I allowed it, while I steadily accumulated experience through Yanma and my daily hunts. The roulette remained as unpredictable as ever, mostly handing me stamina cards (yes they were the new cards which had started pouring), Poké Blocks, and a Move Card that I still couldn't use.
Pokémon Card
Name: Timburr
Level: 9
Ability: Guts
Moves: Pound, Leer, Low Kick, Rock Throw
"...Another one."
I took a deep breath and didn't immediately equip it. Every new Pokémon filled me with wonder, and this time too wasn't any different. I finally pressed the card against my forearm and watched it dissolve into countless golden particles.
The transformation itself wasn't what surprised me the most. My body became noticeably sturdier, my muscles denser, and I instinctively knew how to balance an object far heavier than myself, and that not even transforming. Yet those physical changes were quickly overshadowed by something far stranger. The moment my eyes landed on the treehouse, my brain simply... refused to see it the same way anymore.
Every support beam screamed that it was carrying weight inefficiently. The ropes were under uneven tension. Several planks would eventually warp after enough rain. The roof drained water poorly, and one corner relied far too heavily on a single branch. Until a moment ago I had thought it was an incredible hideout built by three adventurous kids. Now... it looked like a disaster waiting to happen.
"...Why is that beam there?" I muttered before freezing. "How do I even know what a support beam is?"
The knowledge wasn't a memory. It wasn't as though someone had taught me carpentry overnight. It felt closer to instinct, like knowing how to walk or breathe. My hands moved before my brain consciously decided anything.
Since Luffy was out hunting, I went to Dadan's place and brought back some carpentry tools. I climbed onto the roof, adjusted ropes, replaced supports using sturdier timber from nearby trees, redistributed the weight beneath the floor, reinforced the lookout platform, added proper braces beneath the main structure, and even carved simple joints that locked beams together without nails.
Hours disappeared without me noticing. When I finally climbed back down, exhausted, the treehouse still looked like Luffy, Ace, and Sabo's secret base... except now it could probably survive a storm. I simply stared at my own handiwork in disbelief before letting out a slow breath.
It was said that Timburr and it's evolution would always help someone who are engaged in construction, now I was witnessing these in my own hands.
By the time the sun began dipping toward the horizon, I heard the familiar crashing sounds of someone completely ignoring the concept of stealth. Moments later, Luffy burst through the bushes carrying two rabbits over his shoulders. He froze the instant his eyes landed on the treehouse.
"WHOA!"
The rabbits fell from his hands as he sprinted toward it. He circled the structure several times before climbing up the rope ladder, stomping across every plank and hanging from the reinforced beams as if personally testing whether it would collapse.
"Kekoa!" he shouted from above. "It's even cooler now! You fixed everything! How'd you do that?"
I smiled helplessly before pulling out the newest card from my storage.
"I unlocked another Pokémon."
Luffy immediately jumped down beside me, staring at the card with sparkling eyes.
"Another one?!"
"Yeah."
"It isn't very strong in a fight compared to Pikachu at the moment, but... it somehow gave me instincts for building things. The moment I looked at the treehouse, my brain kept screaming that everything was wrong, so I couldn't stop myself from fixing it."
"Your Pokémon are weird."
"...You're not wrong."
A few seconds later another question popped into his mind, and his eyes grew impossibly wide.
"Wait... how many Pokémon are there?"
I scratched my cheek before answering.
"...Over a thousand."
Luffy's eyes bulged so much that I honestly worried they might pop out of his head.
"A THOUSAND?!"
He grabbed both of my shoulders and began shaking me excitedly.
"That means there are a thousand cool animals!"
"I want to see them all!"
Without waiting for permission, he snatched the Timburr card that I was showing him from my hand and confidently slapped it against his forearm.
"..."
Nothing happened. His face puffed up in annoyance as he peeled the card back off and shoved it into my chest.
"Tch! This card stinks!"
"It isn't even fun!"
Crossing his arms dramatically, he huffed before pointing an accusing finger at me.
"If you get another one that's fun like Pikachu, you have to let me try it first!"
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Hahaha..."
Watching the future Pirate King throw a tantrum because a magical transformation card refused to work on him was somehow one of the funniest things I had witnessed since arriving in this world. Or maybe I was trying to find humor in the convergence of two worlds.
Pokémon and One Piece.
That evening, after we carried the rabbits back to Dadan's hideout, my eyes instinctively wandered toward the crude lookout platform the mountain bandits had built years ago. Before obtaining Timburr, I would have called it perfectly serviceable. Now, however, all I could see were flaws. The supporting posts leaned at uneven angles, the roof offered barely any protection from rain, and the viewing angle left several blind spots where someone could approach unnoticed.
"Dadan," I called while everyone was preparing dinner. "Would you mind if I built a proper lookout post for the hideout?"
She paused halfway through cutting meat before looking at me as though I had suddenly grown another head.
"...Hah?"
"What's wrong with the one we've got?"
"It works," I admitted honestly. "But it could work a lot better."
For several seconds she simply stared at me before waving a hand dismissively.
"Tch. Do whatever you want, brat. Just don't come crying to me if you waste an entire week's worth of timber."
I couldn't help smiling.
"Just watch."
The following week became the busiest one since I had arrived in this world. Whenever Luffy dragged me out hunting, I happily went along, but the moment we returned, I immediately began working.