"Brat, you're the one who stole and ate the food, right?"
"Well... I didn't do it on purpose."
"Doesn't matter. Whether it was intentional or not, you did it, so you'll have to pay the price. You'll repay the debt with labor. No objections, right?"
"I see. That's fair. Got it. So what do I have to do?"
"See those rocks over there? For every one you move, you'll earn a dango. However many dango you ate, that's how many rocks you'll have to move."
Luffy didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be thinking about something. Fugetsu Masato quickly nudged him from the side.
"Just agree! Do you want this incident on your record for the rest of your life? It's just some work. A few days and it'll be over."
"No, I wanted to ask something. If I move extra rocks, can I get more food?"
"..."
For a moment, Babanuki couldn't comprehend Luffy's train of thought. After a brief silence, he replied: "You're not technically a prisoner right now. If you move more than required, then naturally you can earn better food."
"Then I've got no problem! See you later, Uncle Masato! I'm going to work!"
Under the stunned gazes of both Fugetsu Masato and Babanuki, Luffy immediately joined the work and started hauling rocks at a speed far beyond everyone else. The nearby pirates were completely dumbfounded.
Having a workaholic like Kid around was already bad enough. Now another one had shown up today, and this one didn't even have to wear handcuffs.
When Hercules came chasing after him carrying its pickaxe, the sight that greeted it was this utterly incomprehensible scene. It had assumed Luffy would immediately start digging in the mines and had already gone off to make contingency plans.
Even among the Pokémon of Onigashima, there were different ranks. Individuals personally created by Arceus are the most favored, and this is especially true for those like Zeraora and Diancie, who have special missions.
The first-generation Pokémon personally created or modified by Arceus were also highly valued, holding slightly higher status than naturally bred Pokémon. Pure-blooded Pokémon, in turn, were regarded more highly than hybrids born between Pokémon and native species.
Although Hercules was not a particularly special individual, it belonged to the original Heracross family and enjoyed a certain degree of respect among Pokémon.
Hercules had thought through every possible contingency—what kind of mood Arceus might be in, whether Wano Country's policies had changed, how to contact Uta—but the one thing it had never anticipated was that Luffy would be enjoying himself so much right now.
"Hercules? Look, I found a job!"
"Heraaacross..."
Seeing Luffy having the time of his life and even happily reporting the good news, Hercules helplessly closed its eyes once again.
"You still don't believe me? This place is really great! Look, as long as I work hard enough, I can eat my fill, and I can also get close to people here and gather information. Though... I feel like I forgot something."
"Heraaacross."
Hercules said nothing. It was obvious that Luffy had already forgotten what Kin'emon had told him before, that if Garp was imprisoned, he would almost certainly be in Udon.
But from Heracross's perspective, it was actually a good thing. It knew Gastly was here, and it was only a matter of time before Luffy and the others got caught. Since it was inevitable sooner or later, they might as well enjoy a few comfortable days first.
Of course, while Luffy was having a good time, someone else was definitely unhappy.
The missing basket of food was not going to be replaced, and with a new workaholic like Luffy, some people were bound to go hungry. What made it worse was that this new workhorse didn't even have handcuffs on, which only made them feel even more resentful.
Some of them wanted to teach him a lesson, but before they could act, an Aggron passing by shot them a glare. They immediately shrank back and behaved themselves.
This was the result of Hercules' efforts while Luffy was working in the mines. There wasn't much it could do, but at the very least, it could communicate with the Pokémon serving as prison guards.
"Killer, that kid... that's Straw Hat, right? What's his deal?"
In the pirates' prison block, Kid—now transformed into a little red chubby version of himself—was discussing the situation with Killer, but neither of them could reach a definite conclusion.
"People who join the Beasts Pirates don't do this kind of menial labor. How in the world did that brat pull this off?"
Kid scratched his head with his only remaining arm, completely unable to understand what was going on.
"No idea. But I think he could be an opportunity. His grandfather is here too, and he has a chance to get close to the keys."
Killer thought this might be an opportunity, but Kid immediately shot the idea down.
"Not yet. We still need to wait. But we can try making contact with Straw Hat."
"Yeah."
While a bizarre development was unfolding in Udon, Yamato was wearing a smug smile on Onigashima. It seemed Babanuki had ultimately followed her instructions.
"Robin, do you really think this is the safest option?"
"Yes. This is a wager, after all. A little extra uncertainty in a bet isn't a bad thing. We're betting on Straw Hat's brain. As long as he performs at his usual level, he should be able to stay safe here for several days.
"After all, if he still remembered his original plan, he shouldn't have approached Udon recklessly in the first place. Theoretically, in an environment that provides both food and lodging, he shouldn't be the first one exposed. It's a different kind of 'hiding in plain sight.'"
Inside Yamato's room, dozens of Rubik's Cubes were spinning through the air. Robin was training her ability, using them to make the arms created by the Flower-Flower Fruit more dexterous.
Robin herself didn't have the qualifications to participate in the wager, but Yamato had hired her as a strategist to analyze the winning odds through probability.
"By the same logic, the perverted cook currently on Onigashima, the directionally challenged guy staying at Hyogoro's house, the okama in the theater troupe, and the long-nosed one all have fairly low chances of being exposed. For now, they're all quite safe.
"The young man in the hospital has a somewhat higher risk, but he's capable of restraining himself. As long as no outside force interferes, he probably won't get into trouble either.
"As for the people who arrived later, their situation is uncertain. Still, those samurai have a much higher chance of exposing themselves. Their way of thinking is something I simply can't understand. There's no telling when they'll do something bizarre. As long as events are allowed to unfold naturally, your odds of winning are very high."
Following Robin's advice, Yamato had placed her bet on Kin'emon. Even the instructions given to Babanuki was Robin's suggestion.
"So you're saying the biggest unstable factor right now is outside force?"
"Exactly. And that outside force is very likely to be Mr. Kaido."
"Huh? Why? Father didn't place a bet, so he shouldn't get involved, right?"
"In theory, yes. But he's your father. You should know better than anyone that your suffering may very well be a source of happiness for him, so..."
With a sharp click, every Rubik's Cube simultaneously returned to its solved state, marking the end of Robin's training session for the day.
"You make a very good point. I'd better go talk to Dad and make sure he controls this unstable factor."
Yamato tossed aside her night cap and walked out. Meanwhile, Arceus was reading an email from Barro.
TN: Hey guys, I have picked up a new Pokémon novel Pokémon Master. It's by the same author as Pokémon Court. Go add it to your collection and donate power stones.
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