"You see, that guy Luffy is just a fool. How about you come with me instead? I can also give you delicious food."
Watching Luffy getting beaten up one-sidedly, Ace handed an apple to Heracross and attempted to entice it.
Heracross's approach was straightforward too; it took the apple, ate it, and then refused Ace.
Most Pokemon would never abandon their owners. Even if abandoned, they would stubbornly wait at one spot for their owner's return until their own death.
Except for a few cases, Pokemon won't choose a new owner while their current one is alive. A certain Pidgeot has been waiting in the forest for many years.
But not everyone gets to form such a bond. Those who trade Pokemon recklessly, treating them only as tools, don't deserve to have this bond.
Ace was just saying that; he already knew the bond between Heracross and his brother.
"Huh-huh, huh-huh."
"You guys, you really are a match made in heaven, both food lovers."
The farce concluded with another farce; Garp was giving Luffy his educational beating, but after a while, both the hitter and the hit fell asleep, and Ace fell asleep while eating.
Only Heracross was left, striving to finish all the leftover food to avoid waste.
But not everyone likes Heracross. Some people get a headache just seeing Heracross now.
Like in Cocoyasi Village, seeing Heracross in the Orange Garden, Belle-Mere was about to draw her gun.
"Get away! You horned beetles, stay away from my orange trees!!"
Since Tiger survived, Ah Long's hatred didn't further intensify, and with Mandfeish present, his perspective gradually changed.
The main reason was that Tiger kept Ah Long by his side, so he didn't have the chance to cause trouble in Cocoyasi. Even though there was a scheming Mouse Colonel, he still had a bit of restraint, wearing the Navy's guise.
The demands of most people at the bottom aren't excessive; having enough to eat, staying warm, and surviving is enough. Except for the ambitious ones, most people aren't interested in rebellion, so the people in Cocoyasi live fairly well.
But Heracross wasn't a friendly creature to Belle-Mere, because they would suck the tree sap. The orange trees didn't have much sap, but for some reason, those Heracross had a special liking for the sap of her orange trees.
Heracross spent most of its time in the deep mountains sucking the sap of giant trees; orange trees were like chewing sugarcane to them.
Heracross wasn't without benefits; they could help Belle-Mere clear pests from the Orange Garden. If they only took a sip or two of tree sap, she wouldn't mind, but once they started, they would lose all restraint.
She didn't want these big horned beetles destroying her Orange Garden, so when she saw Heracross approaching, she could only choose to drive them away.
While tidying up her room, Belle-Mere happened to see two Heracross fly in, which was why she came out to drive them away.
Because Arceus has an order not to harm humans recklessly, they usually flee when driven away, but this time was different. Belle-Mere fired a warning shot into the sky, but it didn't scare them away as it usually did, and those two Heracross even threw a stone at her.
Watching the stone roll to her feet, Belle-Mere felt a nameless rage burning in her heart; these horned beetles were getting too out of hand.
"Damn it! Do you really think I'm so easy to bully!? I used to be in the Navy, you know!"
She was happy if someone liked her oranges, but not in this way.
Just as she was loading bullets, a voice stopped her.
"Wait!"
A man with a windmill on his head walked over; he was Genzo, the real-life version of Genzo. The windmill was a prop he used to amuse Nami when she was little, so she wouldn't cry when she saw him.
He was the sheriff of Cocoyasi Village, and because Ah Long's group hadn't appeared here, he hadn't been covered in scars.
He heard Belle-Mere's gunfire earlier, which is why he came here to check.
"What's the matter? These horned beetles have already destroyed many of my saplings. Will you support our family if they're all gone?!"
"It's not impossible... Ahem, I mean, look at this stone."
He picked up the stone that had rolled over and handed it back to Belle-Mere. After wiping off the dirt, a golden object was revealed beneath.
"Gold nugget?!"
She scratched it with her fingernail, seeing the mark it left, and an unbelievable look appeared on Belle-Mere's face.
"It might be fool's gold... But it's the first time I've seen one this big. I heard stories about prospectors from my grandpa when I was little."
"You... want to trade this for the orange trees?!"
"Huh-huh."
Heracross stopped its actions, nodded towards Belle-Mere, then pointed to the orange trees nearby.
"Take them, all of them. You can eat these trees however you like!"
Oranges aren't as profitable as gold. For these horned beetles to do something like this, they were no longer pests in Belle-Mere's eyes but high-quality customers.
Oranges were meant to be sold; being purchased along with the trees at a high price, she definitely wouldn't object.
"Listen, Belle-Mere..."
"No money! Nami and Nojiko are growing up, and it's when they need money the most, these still aren't enough. If you don't mind, I can pay you with my body~"
"That's not what I meant! Such a big gold nugget, there might be a gold mine around here...."
Both of them looked at Heracross again, who at that moment was no longer a customer but a god of wealth.
That day, Belle-Mere returned home late, covered in mud, but Nami and Nojiko saw an undeniable smile on her face.
Dinner that day was exceptionally lavish. After Belle-Mere retired, life was financially tough. When the orange business was bad, she wouldn't eat, only letting her daughters eat while she subsisted on oranges, telling them she was dieting and maintaining her skin with oranges.
Although Belle-Mere never let them want for food or drink, it was the first time it was this lavish, causing Nami and Nojiko to feel a sense of fear.
"Belle-Mere, are you going to leave us...."
"No, I don't want to leave Belle-Mere!"
"What are you talking about? How could I leave you? We just have money now, we'll never be short of it again. Tomorrow we'll get Nami some Nautical Charts, Nojiko, is there anything you'd like?"
Belle-Mere didn't explain why; she just told them not to worry about such matters anymore.