Chapter 12

"Uh?"

Bon Clay woke up groggily, just in time to meet a pair of ghostly blue eyes. "Woah!"

He propped himself up, moving backward with his hands and feet, then plunged headfirst into the lake.

"Help! Woah! I can't swim!"

As soon as he fell into the lake, Bon Clay began to flail around wildly.

Dak and Darkrai stood by the lakeside, quietly watching Bon Clay thrash about in the water.

After about a minute or two of floundering, Bon Clay realized he wasn't sinking and gradually stopped.

He stood upright in the water, not to mention his feet could touch the bottom, but he also noticed that this water seemed a bit different—it didn't weaken those with powers.

"Get up."

Dak looked down at the person in the lake.

Mr. 2 Bon Clay.

That's the full name because, by that point in the original story, Bon Clay had become an okama.

So, in the Baroque Works, his name was the most special, having both a male numeric code and a female holiday code, and he had no partner, working solo on internal assassination missions.

"Who are you? And what exactly is this creature?"

Bon Clay climbed out of the lake, standing on the grass inside the shop, warily looking at Dak and the uniquely featured Darkrai.

He raised his arm and a leg, striking a strange pose that Dak thought looked a bit like the crane and goose shapes in a Jackie Chan movie?

However, at this moment, Bon Clay also suddenly realized something, looking down at his hands in panic.

"What's going on?!"

"Explaining this is a bit complicated. I'll give you two choices now, and whether I explain further will depend on your choice."

Dak smirked, his smile not reaching his eyes, as he spoke to Bon Clay.

"You say."

Bon Clay's expression turned ugly; he knew he had picked the wrong target this time.

In the vast East Blue, Devil Fruit users were few and far between, and Bon Clay's past successes had made him overly confident.

Unfortunately, this time he had kicked an iron plate made of titanium alloy.

"Although I don't know what you intended to do, it's definitely no good, so, you have two choices: die or join the Nursery and become one of our employees."

Dak's smile gradually turned sinister.

He considered himself kind and benevolent, but that was when others didn't provoke him.

It was either not act at all or act decisively.

In Dak's view, there was no such thing as merely crippling or maiming. The consequences of Whitebeard not decisively killing Blackbeard couldn't have been clearer.

As for the deceit involved in this grudge, on these seas, such minor grievances are far too common and hardly count for anything.

Nami initially kidnapped Luffy to hand over to Buggy, even taking away the Going Merry and treasure, but Luffy and his crew still chose to help her.

Franky initially beat up Usopp and stole their three hundred million Berries for ship repairs, yet later, Luffy and his crew still chose to save him.

Luffy and Crocodile were mortal enemies in Alabasta, yet later they fought side by side in Impel Down and Marineford.

Deceiving? Such petty matters.

What matters is the person, whether Bon Clay can demonstrate the loyalty he showed after joining them. That's what Dak values most.

The Pokémon Nursery's companions might be nobodies, but they must never be ones who would betray their comrades.

"Looks like I don't have a choice."

Bon Clay's cheeks twitched as he chose to compromise.

"Good, welcome to the Pokémon Nursery. I'm Dak, the manager of the Nursery, and this is my family, Darkrai. From now on, you're also our partner."

Dak's expression changed from gloomy to a happy smile as he extended his hand to Bon Clay.

This happiness contained no deceit; he was genuinely pleased about the Nursery's expansion.

"You change fast, huh? My name is Bon Clay, people from the East Blue call me 'Bon Clay of the Wilds.'"

Bon Clay shook hands with Dak, then looked towards Darkrai, "By the way, what's the deal with your family member here?"

"Uh, that's a long story. Don't rush, do you have any other companions?"

Dak glanced at Darkrai, somewhat dreading the need to explain Pokémon later.

"No, I've always been alone."

Bon Clay stated plainly, as if there was nothing unusual about it.

On these seas, too many people eke out a solitary existence. Loneliness is a common state of human existence here, not something to dwell deeply on.

"No worries, from now on, you're not alone anymore. The Pokémon Nursery is your home, no matter where you go, you can always come back here to rest quickly."

Dak smiled, then took out a token and handed it to Bon Clay.

"What's this?"

"A token, uh... let me explain a bit about our Pokémon Nursery and Pokémon."

Dak led Bon Clay to sit under a tree.

He went to get three towels, handed one to Bon Clay, one to Darkrai, and then started to wipe the eggs with Darkrai, giving them a 'bath.'

As Dak completed his daily tasks, he recounted to Bon Clay the same things he had told Whitebeard and others.

From the start with an expressionless face to the end with a devastated look, it only took about fifteen minutes for Bon Clay.

"You"

Are you okay?

Bon Clay was about to say that, but feeling the suppressed power in his body and being unable to use his Devil Fruit abilities, he closed his mouth again.

"Now you understand, stealing the eggs is like stealing the future of our Pokémon Nursery. They are the children we must carefully look after and protect with our lives."

Dak nodded, his mouth dry from explaining so much, "And as you've seen, Darkrai is very fond of these children, so he won't allow anyone to harm them."

"I see, Pokémon... right, the existence of such creatures is too fantastical, not something you'd expect from this cruel sea."

Bon Clay nodded, looking at the egg he was wiping, a mix of yellow and pink, "If you put your sincere feelings into it, you'll definitely gain their trust. Can such wonderful things really happen in this world?"

Everyone has experienced betrayal, and everyone has had experiences where their emotions and efforts were not reciprocated.

Pokémon, however, negate such occurrences.

"Why not witness for yourself the magic and potential of Pokémon, whether they are worth risking your life to love, you'll naturally find out. From now on, you'll take care of the egg in your hands. Maybe it will really like you when it hatches."

Dak glanced at the egg in Bon Clay's hands.

It was one of the remaining two purple potential eggs, uncertain what Pokémon it would hatch into.

"Thank you."

Bon Clay was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Suddenly feeling a sense of responsibility and burden on his shoulders, something he never felt in his aimless life before.

(End of Chapter)