Arceus's Pirate Journey

Chapter 232: Chapter 231: The Egg-Born Cow and Nico Olvia

There are many craftsmen in Wano Kuni. Although they are more skilled in wooden structures, they can also handle bricks and steel. However, when building this hospital, other factors were considered, so our own people were arranged for the construction.

The main reason was for speed. This construction team was originally based on a Mechanical Island, equipped with all kinds of large machinery, making it much faster than pure manual labor.

The hospital is under construction, and Kentaro’s family in the Kuri District is also very excited.

”Kentaro, slow down!”

”Hurry, Grandpa, Moo-moo is about to have a baby!”

Moo-moo, whom he mentioned, is the Miltank he usually milks. Over the years, he has grown into a young boy and has become familiar with Miltank, as is common for residents of Peach Blossom Spring Farm.

Miltanks have no males, and Tauros have no females, so these two types of bovine Pokémon can breed, and the offspring’s species is determined with a 50% random probability.

The males are Tauros and the females are Miltank.

Determining whether a Miltank is pregnant is simple. The taste of Miltank milk improves during the pregnancy and lactation period. If a Miltank’s milk suddenly tastes better, it means it’s pregnant.

Miltanks are different from ordinary cows; they can express their will, which is how Kentaro knows it is about to give birth.

For farmers, a cow’s pregnancy is a big event. Both plow cows and dairy cows are of great importance.

”Don’t worry, Kentaro; it’s not very dangerous for cows to give birth, and no one in Kuri is more skilled at delivering calves than I am. Moo-moo will be fine.”

Upon reaching the usual grazing field, he was even more convinced that this Miltank would soon give birth smoothly. However, what happened next completely shattered his perception.

Because what Miltank gave birth to was not a calf, but an egg.

”Grandpa, didn’t you say cows give birth directly to calves?”

”Yes...yes, I did...”

”But Moo-moo has laid an egg, right?”

”Yes...yes, it seems so...”

”So, do cows actually hatch from eggs?”

”Yes...no, no! This cow is different. That’s right; it’s not an ordinary cow, so it makes sense that it’s different. Yes, that must be it.”

The fact that cows could lay eggs was a significant blow to him, breaking away from decades of ingrained perceptions.

This is the most basic way Pokémon reproduce: oviparity, although eggs vary in size.

Magikarp eggs are much smaller because the offspring also need to be considered based on size.

However, when Tauros and ordinary cows breed, the result is normal viviparity, whereas purely Pokémon are oviparous.

Although Kentaro’s grandfather claimed to have cared for numerous calves, he had never taken care of a cow that laid eggs, and the Miltank seemed to have no intention of incubating its eggs, leaving them unsure of what to do.

Just then, the Hundred Beasts Pirates passed by, saw the egg, and took it to the Pokémon Center, as Chansey is quite skilled at such things.

By the time of the New Year celebrations, the year had already reached 1500. On the first day of the year, Roger’s posthumous son, Ace, was born. However, due to the long pregnancy, Rouge died immediately after childbirth.

After all, humans are among the few whose offspring are born prematurely to safeguard the mother, and Ace was taken by Garp and subsequently handed over to the Mountain Bandit Dadan from his hometown for raising.

After some rest and adjustments, the Hundred Beasts Pirates were back to their usual work—searching for the plates, looking for possible materials for creating pure gold on the Ancient Island.

The cadre members were mostly able to stand on their own, and even Olga had developed the ability to lead a team. Although they were retreating, the fact that they escaped under Saka and Tsuru’s pursuit showcased her capabilities.

According to some information, Olga’s Shadow Fox had appeared on an Ancient Island in the West Sea. Traveling from the New World to the West and North Seas was much easier, as one could directly arrive there by crossing the Windless Zone.

Crossing the Windless Zone is a dangerous task, and without sufficient strength, it’s a gamble with one’s life.

However, this matter wasn’t difficult for the Hundred Beasts Pirates. Inlaid with Seastone at the bottom of the ship could avoid the Sea King Type, a fact that Arceus told Kaidou long ago.

Wano Kuni has large veins of Seastone deposits. With the Hundred Beasts Pirates occupying Wano Kuni, they had no shortage of Seastone, so the ship bottoms of the cadres were already lined with Seastone. Traveling to the West and North Seas was quite simple for them.

Most of the territory of the Hundred Beasts in the New World had been explored, and the new direction for exploration was here.

Olga’s ship also served as the archaeological team of the Hundred Beasts Pirates. She and Asie were two living witnesses of ancient times, making them the most familiar with ancient knowledge.

And Asie himself was a bit of a weakling personally, someone even Kaidou couldn’t save. His strength was at best slightly better than ordinary soldiers, so the matter was left to Olga.

Exploring ruins is also a dangerous activity. It’s not only easy to encounter danger on the way, but poisonous insects and beasts on the island and traps within the ruins are significant problems.

After crossing the Windless Zone, Log Pose was no longer necessary. Navigation could rely on the nautical chart to reach the destination. After some time sailing, they reached the island and started their exploration mission.

They didn’t encounter any significant troubles along the way. In the New World, the pirate flag of the Hundred Beasts allowed them to avoid many unnecessary battles. However, upon reaching the West Sea, she ordered her crew to take down the pirate flag and replace it with an ordinary sail.

The environment of the Four Seas is much more stable compared to the Grand Line, and people with knowledge are scarce, so even if they flew the flag, not many would recognize it.

Flying the pirate flag everywhere would only invite trouble, so to avoid being pursued by the Navy, she decided to replace the flag upon reaching the West Sea.

Ships are the main means of transportation in this world, and even though the Navy has patrol ships, they cannot possibly inspect every vessel they encounter.

After settling a fearsome tyrannosaurus, an ancient ruin-like building appeared before her.

”Sister Olga, is this the target this time?” ℯℯ𝑙.

”This should be it, Elizabeth. Is there anything dangerous?”

The eyes of Inteleon can see many things beyond human capability. Elizabeth was her most reliable observer.

”No, nothing in the ruins, but over there.”

Elizabeth pointed towards another section of the forest, and it was obvious that the tree branches there were swaying. Soon, a dozen people emerged from it, followed by a gigantic lion, as tall as a three-story building, charging out.

”Why is there a lion in the forest...?”

”Why is the lion so big?”

Seeing the lion didn’t frighten them, and they even had the thought to critique it, but the people being chased felt differently.

These people were also archaeologists, led by Nico Olvia, part of the exploration team from Ohara....