Fishing is always an important activity on a pirate ship. It’s common to have fishing rods on board when setting sail, not only for pastime but also to replenish food. If lucky, it can even improve the meals.
So when Arceus gave out New Year gifts to Yamato and others, there were a few pirates fishing, competing to see who could catch the biggest fish.
However, at this moment, Mandrell stared at the fish he had caught and fell into contemplation. Not only him, but the surrounding pirates were also astonished.
“Mandrell, did you just fish… yourself?”
As the person next to him said those words, someone finally couldn’t hold it in, and laughter spread across the deck, attracting the attention of others who were fishing.
“Aren’t these fish the ones that Lord Sacred Beast released in the waters of Wano Country? How come they’re here too?”
“It’s different. The fish in the Wano Country’s waterfall are much larger. Look at these, they’re just regular-sized carp.”
Indeed, what Mandrell caught was a Magikarp, and its red scales and golden crown already indicated its identity.
“What should we do?”
“Release it. What else can we do? Lord Arceus values the creatures he has created.”
“But what about those cattles?”
“Well, those are second-generation bred ones. Who would dare have any ill intentions towards Tauros and others? But although this one looks identical, it’s so small. Mandrell, why don’t you ask it?”
As they looked at the Magikarp in the bucket, everyone’s gaze shifted back to Mandrell.
Pokémon abilities are bestowed to the ability user, so they are essentially still human. They are not like Zeraora who can proficiently communicate with Pokémon.
However, when the ability user is facing the same species of Pokémon whose abilities they obtained, they can better understand each other’s intentions. That’s why Mandrell was brought in front of the bucket, but looking at the Magikarp flopping up and down, he didn’t know what to say.
But the laughter had already caught the attention of Arceus.
“Lord Arceus, look, we just caught a strange fish.”
Looking at the Magikarp in the bucket, Arceus realized it wasn’t the first generation it created. He understood that his original purpose had been fulfilled.
When he first arrived in Wano Country, he modified those Magikarp, and their offspring spread to other seas. It had been quite some time since then.
Now, Magikarp were appearing in the first half of the Grand Line, indicating that their distribution range has been expanding.
“Let it go. Magikarp is inedible.”
There aren’t many edible parts of Magikarp. In the Pokémon world, even starving people wouldn’t think of eating Magikarp. If the chefs here had a way to cook these Magikarp, he could only admire their skills.
Before they could release the Magikarp back into the water, a cry came from the stern. Yamato and Jack nearly got pulled into the water while holding onto a fishing rod, but luckily, nearby pirates reacted quickly and managed to grab hold of them.
However, they still didn’t let go of the fishing rod in their hands.
“Miss Yamato, you’re amazing. You caught a big fish.”
The pirate who took over the fishing rod felt the tremendous force transmitted through it. It was a fishing rod gifted by the Shandians which was made by combining String Clouds, Iron Clouds, and Milky Dial. Its resilience and load-bearing capacity far surpassed ordinary fishing rods.
At this moment, the fishing rod had already bent into a shape resembling a clamp, but it hadn’t broken.
“Don’t just stand there watching, come and help. This is a big one!”
Now he understood why Yamato and the others were almost pulled down. This strength wasn’t something that even an adult could handle. With the combined effort of several adult pirates, a blue creature was pulled out of the sea.
“Roar!” A blue creature landed on the deck and let out a furious roar. Its segmented body had several fin-like structures on its back.
Its large mouth opened, emitting an angry roar as it flicked its tail, knocking aside a nearby pirate.
“Sea King? No, it’s too small. Is it a sea animal?”
“Who knows? The sea is filled with all sorts of strange creatures. But this thing has incredible strength, and for some reason, it’s making me a bit afraid.”
When Arceus returned to the stern, he saw the roaring monster, a species he was very familiar with – Gyarados.
Magikarp, one of the weakest Pokémon, evolves into the immensely powerful Gyarados, often referred to as an Atrocious Pokémon.
Compared to the weak Magikarp, Gyarados had a highly aggressive personality. It possessed teeth strong enough to crush rocks and scales as hard as steel.
However, due to changes in its brain during evolution, its temperament became extremely aggressive. But if one gained its recognition, they could also witness its friendly side.
Magikarp in the waters near Wano Country did not evolve, perhaps because there were no natural predators nearby. However, the Magikarp that ventured beyond the waters of Wano Country had to face various dangers in the vast sea.
In the vast sea, there were all sorts of monsters, and under such pressure, some powerful Magikarp underwent evolution.
Seeing that it seemed ready to spew fire, Arceus quickly used vines to seal its mouth. It’s not a good habit to breathe fire on the ship.
Although the fact that it evolved into Gyarados indicated that it was one of the outstanding Magikarp, the difference between it and Arceus was still too obvious.
“Yamato, didn’t you ask me earlier what evolution is? This is evolution,” Arceus said, bringing over the Magikarp that hadn’t been released yet.
“This is their true form, but given an opportunity, they will evolve and obtain a completely new form of their own.”
“They are Gyarados, and even in this vast sea, they can carve out their own place.”
It was the question Yamato had asked when she first obtained Milcery, and this appearance of Gyarados happened to provide an excellent explanation.
“Will Milcery also become so terrifying?”
“No, each Pokémon has its own evolution form, and Milcery’s evolution is also very adorable.”
Afterward, Arceus released them all back into the sea. Yamato and the others understood how incredible evolution was, but there was someone more excited than them.
That person was Mandrell.
“Lord Arceus, can all Magikarp become like this?”
For others, this might not matter much, but for him, it was a qualitative change. Besides, he had just witnessed flames appearing in Gyarados’ mouth.
If he could have this ability too, then he could change his life plan. Instead of retiring, he should climb to a higher position and then apply for retirement. That way, he would likely receive better benefits.
Being able to breathe fire and swim, if his ability could evolve like that, in the future, Mandrell could boast of being a mini Kaido.
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