The Geodude from many years ago had already disappeared, replaced by evolved forms like Golem and Graveler.
The number of Geodude hadn't decreased; in fact, it had increased.
In addition to the number increased by Arceus himself, this was also the result of natural reproduction.
Though they are rocks, their essence is still Pokémon, so the ability to reproduce remains. The edges on these Geodude were proof enough. These were all a new generation of Geodude.
The worn-down edges from collisions are proof of a Geodude's age; the older a Geodude is, the rounder its body becomes. This is also evident on evolved Graverler.
Bodies may change, but tempers do not. After all these years, this group is still as hot-tempered as ever, which makes them not get along well with the Gigalith. It's like they're on completely different wavelengths.
Even though they're all Rock-type Pokémon, their personalities differ greatly.
Unless they need to crush some large obstructing ores or dig out a mine, Gigalith spend most of their time buried in the earth, sunbathing—lazy, yet with an air of leisure.
The newly-born Garganacl were different. Their square bodies, made of rock salt, were much larger than Graveler, and their arms could shoot powerful salt pellets. The compressed salt grains were no less powerful than bullets; even steel plates could not withstand their fire.
But Garganacl weren't fond of fighting. At first, Gigalith didn't see anything special about them, but with the ever-brawling Graveler as a contrast, Garganacl's stability became all the more apparent.
The classic case of "the childhood sweetheart was no match for the new arrival" was playing out once again.
Garganacl were not Pokémon that settled down in the Udon Mine. As time passed, the number of Pokémon in Wano Country increased as well.
There were Pokémon like Heracross, Beautifly, and Dustox who actively spread out to the open sea, and Gyarados groups that spread across the Four Seas, forming a unique natural phenomenon.
There were also Pokémon like Corviknight, Dragonite, and Altaria who freely soar within their territories.
As for Wano Country itself—which could be considered a birthplace of Pokémon—the number of Pokémon living here was even greater. Countless individuals and numerous species had formed a unique ecosystem.
Yet even Pokémon could get sick. Wano Country wasn't a purely wild region. There were Pokémon Centers for medical care, and even special environments like Sacred Mountain. Still, accidents would inevitably happen to some Pokémon.
With their personalities and unique traits, Garganacl served as traveling doctors and patrol officers, often appearing in areas where numerous Pokémon lived, providing help to those in need.
The salt grains they left behind as they walked could even accelerate the growth of young Pokémon.
As dusk fell and the nearby factory workers finished their shifts, many Wano Country residents would pick up salt grains from the roads on their way home.
This was a free seasoning; it is not that they cannot afford it, but rather that the mythological aura of Wano Country ranks first across the entire sea. In their eyes, these are not merely grains of salt, but items blessed by the gods.
Exorcising evil, purifying filth, ensuring peace; every sort of efficacy was attributed to these salt grains.
"Hey, you brat! Don't pick up so much! Greed will bring retribution!"
If there were no restraints, these salt grains would likely be swept away in an instant due to greed, but people always left enough for the Pokémon.
What held them back wasn't rules, but reverence for the gods. Even if they're small, they are guardian deities, and there are even groups with nasty nature among Pokémon.
The saying "doing bad things brings retribution" is no joke here, but a special kind of truth. Even if a rare exception pops up, they are usually scolded back in line by others in time.
By now, ordinary people had finished work for the day, while overtime workers continued their tasks.
Inside the Udon Mine, today's work was also coming to an end.
These days, the people here could be roughly divided into three categories: the first consists of those who grumble and complain in low voices. Their prison term was short, and they were merely undergoing reform through labor.
Another group consisted of people who would silently fall asleep as soon as they lay down; these were outsiders who had tried to invade the territory. For them, leaving was pretty much impossible.
The underlings from the Caribou Pirates were a prime example.
They had gradually gone from being plump jellyfish to skinny squid, their fat visibly diminishing.
Under such intense labor, this was inevitable.
There was also a different sort of group, like a certain one-armed king of eating.
"Boss Babanuki, isn't this guy eating too much? Does he think this is a cafeteria or something?"
Dobon watched as Kid devoured a mountain of food. Judging by the quantity, Kid ate even more than Aggron.
Aggron needed massive amounts of food and high-energy substances just to move its heavy body. Dobon knew how heavy that steel armor was, so he didn't think it was strange.
But after Kid and his crew arrived, Dobon's worldview was upended.
"Let him eat. The prison food isn't that good anyway. At least he's doing enough work. He alone is equal to dozens of people."
"I get what you're saying, Boss Babanuki, but… is it really okay to let Momonosuke get in touch with this lot?"
This was the change around Momonosuke these past few days. There were more people near his cell block, including some who had once tried to assassinate Kozuki Hiyori, as well as Kid and the other newly imprisoned ones, and plenty of ambitious types.
Now that he had people to talk to, Momonosuke seemed a little more hopeful.
"Let them do what they want. It's Shogun's idea anyway. If they want to start a rebellion, that might be interesting, don't you think?"
Among all the divisions under the Beasts Pirates, the Udon Mine had by far the slowest promotion track. Unless a rare prison break occurred, it was hard to accumulate any contributions, which made this the real retirement spot.
Babanuki was basically the highest position attainable here.
"Mandrell, he keeps saying he wants to retire, but he's the hardest worker out of all of us, and has climbed the highest. The world really is strange sometimes."
Babanuki wasn't saying this out of jealousy. He himself had opportunities for transfers, but had come to love this laid-back position, so he'd chosen to stay.
Mentioning Mandrell now was just a passing lament.
"Well, he's got a family to support and even married a Mermaid. Maybe I should try harder, too."
"Dobon, I don't want to discourage you, but when it comes to innate talent, looks, or even sheer luck, he's miles ahead of you."
"Boss Babanuki, you don't have to be so brutally honest…"
"You've got to face reality. Go get some rest, I'm on duty tonight."
Meanwhile, under the same night sky, Whole Cake Island presented a completely different scene. In the main residential area, a fairy tale atmosphere was spreading. The birthday candles on cakes became the lights of the night, and Sanji had just finished his first "date" with Pudding.
Unlike their first meeting, Sanji now felt like he had fallen in love.
[Onigashima's kitchen is every chef's dream. It has the finest ingredients in the world, but when it comes to desserts, Whole Cake Island is second to none.]
That was what Pudding had told Sanji. Onigashima was ahead in terms of ingredients, but Whole Cake Island had the best culinary talent. Even though many pastry chefs had been lured away to Onigashima, some even switching jobs, Whole Cake Island's dessert workshops still hadn't fallen behind.
After all, food was a key trigger for Big Mom's rampages. If the desserts weren't good, your life could be on the line.
"All the world's dream ingredients… ALL BLUE, huh?"
The legendary sea of dreams, the holy land for sea chefs.
Because the Grand Line and the Calm Belt cut things off, ordinary fish couldn't migrate freely. That's why each of the Four Seas had its own unique cuisine, and among chefs, there had always been tales of a legendary sea where all fish from the Four Seas lived together.
The kitchen of the Beasts Pirates' gave off a feeling of déjà vu.
"Sugar, butter, flour… I should bring some for Luffy and the others when I leave. But what about Pudding? If I leave like this, will Pudding-chan be sad?"
If you dry and filter water that Bounsweet has soaked in, you get top-quality sugar. Put another way, it could also be seen as an extract from Tsareena's footbath. Some people who get excited just hearing the word "jailer*" would probably be really interested in that. [TN: Don't know what the author is talking about here. Maybe something chinese fandom related. ]
The butter separated from whipped Miltank milk also had a unique flavor. Even using the same process, food made from the ingredients here was completely different from what he'd made before.
Even so, Sanji hadn't given up on sailing. He wanted his friends to experience this food too. But now, he was no longer as calm as he'd been during their first meeting. If anything, he was showing his hopelessly lovesick side.
And the person he was worried about was at that very moment relaxing and revealing another side of herself.
"Honestly, what an idiot, he's totally inexperienced and gets completely fooled by just a few words. Don't you agree, Nitro, Rabiyan?"
Nitro and Rabiyan were two Homies—a jelly and a carpet, Pudding's exclusive Homies who followed her commands.
When no one else was around, Pudding's evil side would come out. Maybe because she'd pretended for so long, her malice was no longer genuine, but more like a peculiar condition resembling schizophrenia.
The two Homies had been responding to Pudding, but suddenly grew very respectful. There was only one person who could make the Homies act like that. It was none other than Charlotte Linlin herself.
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