Chapter 36: WEATHER SETTER
The flames burning behind King had become more fierce causing the sunlight to change. The originally rising sun was not very hot, but after King's skill was used, the sun became more dazzling.
On a clear day, Blaziken and Tropius can both benefit from a sunny climate. The battle with John will surely be chaotic, so team battles become more important in order to achieve better results in the fight.
And King can take on the role of Weather Setter.
Under clear skies, the power of fire-type skills will increase, and Solar Beam can also skip the charging process. King's own flames will also receive a certain degree of enhancement under the support of a sunny day.
Aerodactyl's ability gives King a greater advantage at high altitudes. He is currently the most suitable person to serve as Weather Setter, and changing the weather consumes much more energy than caused by Swords Dance's self-enhancement.
Therefore, it was important to control the range of battle, and since Shayna was more prone to impulsiveness, the role of Weather Setter was given to the more rational King.
Next was a new attempt, to see if other people could learn the skills taught by Arceus through indirect teaching.
King specifically taught Queen Sunny Day, while Shayna taught Kaido Swords Dance. Even if they could learn just a little bit of it, it means there is a possibility of learning them through indirect teaching.
Furthermore, the buff from Swords Dance is calculated based on the user's own strength. Although Kaido's strength is not yet at peak, a little bit of buff would still be enough to pose a threat to the enemy in terms of firepower.
This process lasted for seven days, and while Queen grasped just a little bit of Sunny Day, Kaido was completely clueless about Swords Dance. This confirmed one thing: those with abilities related to Arceus could learn more skills through indirect teaching.
However, if the ability is not related to Arceus, it is impossible to learn this type of skill.
Then Arceus tried to impart the method of using Swords Dance to Kaido, and this time it was successful. However, unlike Shayna, Kaido's released Swords Dance may have the same effect, but it consumes more energy and lasts much shorter.
This is caused by physical differences. Using this skill with an unmodified body is like wearing shoes that don't fit well. However, it is better to wear shoes that don't fit well than to walk on a road full of stones without shoes.
However, this is not a big problem for Kaido. His physical strength can withstand this energy consumption.
But then it's the same old problem. The cost of modifying the current Kaido is too high, and for now, he can only make do with it.
After sailing for a period of time, Arceus and the others entered the waters of the Natjo Kingdom and experienced how fierce the local people are.
At this time, in the nearby waters.
A ship flying the flag of the Natjo Kingdom was engaged in a fierce battle with a group of pirates. The cause of the battle was that these pirates had sold off the robbed goods in the Natjo Kingdom without paying the kingdom its share, leading to the fight.
As they passed by, Arceus and others paid no attention to those people and instead headed towards the main island of the Natjo Kingdom with the speed of their modified vessel.
"I haven't seen John in five years. He was a dual wielder and was one of the weakest among the officers at the time. He's not a match for Linlin, but he's still a strong person. The John that Ryleth was imitating is not the same as the one I remember," Kaido was giving a lecture, describing John's abilities as he remembered them.
"You're not his match?"
"No, after I gained my devil fruit ability, I should be about equal to him in a direct battle."
Kaido has always been shrewd, and in situation where he is temporarily not a match for his opponent, he doesn't hesitate to use whatever means necessary to achieve his goal. He has become much stronger than he was five years ago, and it is unlikely that John is his match.
"But John should have also made some progress in the past five years, and with his subordinates, our forces aren't quite sufficient."
"The Plate is our main objective, but I haven't sensed the Plate's presence. Either it's too far away and hasn't entered my perception range yet, or it's simply not here."
"So we still have to deal with John. There's no possibility of negotiation. John values money above all else and won't let go of any treasure, no matter how meaningless it is to him."
"But the treasure is most likely here, since John's position hasn't changed in a long time."
Looking at the shaking Vivre Card in his hand, Kaido made a rough guess. The frequency of the Vivre Card' shaking indicates the distance between the holder and the target.
When the distance is very far, Vivre Card will only slightly move in the direction of the target, but as the distance becomes closer, the frequency of the Vivre Card's shaking will also increase.
According to the frequency of the Vivre Card's movement over this period of time, it can be calculated that John has been moving around not long ago, but for the past month or so, he has stayed on this island without moving.
As they were about to dock, Kaido made the decision to abandon the ship. Natjo Kingdom has strict scrutiny of incoming vessels, and if the ship gets too close, they will not escape the attention of the kingdom's officials, which is not what Kaido wants.
In addition, this ship has started to be unable to meet their needs. Due to its status as a gray zone, Natjo Kingdom has a developed shipbuilding industry, and Kaido plans to directly exchange for a new ship here. It is not a long-term plan to continue using Marine's patrol ship.
Acier and Olga initially wanted to stay on the ship, not because they wanted to take the opportunity to escape, but because it was safer. The danger of the Grand Line is beyond their ability to cope with.
But Queen gave them a shock.
"Don't joke around. This is Natjo Kingdom, a gray zone on the Grand Line. If you dock the ship in the port, people here will help watch a ship for a fee. Also if a Marine patrol ship stops in the sea, are you not afraid of attracting enough pirates?"
If they saw a large warship, most pirates would naturally avoid it, but this small ship would be seen by many pirates as a chance for revenge.
The strength of this father and daughter pair is such that it is like delivering food to pirates, and even if Kaido is with Olga, the same is true.
Therefore, the best thing they can do is to follow Kaido and the others to the island and then stay in the kingdom's city.
Kaido brought Arceus and the others into the Natjo Kingdom, while Follett continued his surveillance. During this time, John took no action as if he were on vacation.
Follett also saw the target of the Vivre Card. Although the appearance was different from Ryleth's, with Ryleth's ability, the other party was very likely to be in disguise, so he did not doubt it.
According to the recent intelligence he has gathered, the unique sea phenomenon of the Natjo Kingdom, the Great Low Tide, will appear in three days. He thinks that John has been waiting for so long for this.