Magikarp not only holds grudges but also repays acts of kindness.
Take the large Magikarp that was close to Nurse Joy, for example. Most Magikarp become ill-tempered after evolving into Gyarados.
But this large Magikarp was different. Nurse Joy often took care of it and even fed it calcium tablets. It had imprinted Nurse Joy’s face and scent in its mind, so even after evolving into a Gyarados, it remained docile in Nurse Joy’s presence.
The two cuts Sanji gave it didn’t even really scratch it. If it had been fished up by Sanji, then Sanji would be its enemy now. However, since it was washed up by the waves, the situation needs to be reassessed.
Without help, it would have probably dried up and died here. Therefore, Sanji could barely be considered its benefactor since he sent it back to the sea.
After a brief moment of thought, Magikarp reluctantly classified Sanji as a good person, then swam off towards the distant sea.
“What’s the matter, Ol’ geezer? We couldn’t eat it anyway, so what’s wrong with releasing it?”
“You don’t understand anything. Forget it, I don’t have the energy to argue with you…”
It had been over seventy days since they were washed ashore on this island. In all this time, they hadn’t seen a single ship. Even though the humans in this world were generally stronger, they had reached their limits.
People tend to have a strong impression of their first experiences. When Zeff entered Grand Line for the first time, the first crisis he encountered was caused by Gyarados.
He hadn’t seen a Magikarp evolve, but in East Blue, he once encountered a group where Gyarados and Magikarp coexisted.
He thought that the two creatures had a symbiotic relationship, with Magikarp possibly acting as health workers that cleaned Gyarados’ scales, while Gyarados protected them.
Then, Zeff stopped talking and continued sitting silently by the rocks, gazing at the distant shoreline.
Sanji didn’t take Zeff’s rambling seriously. They didn’t have much energy to waste. The deserted island returned to silence, with only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks and weak breathing.
A few more days passed. Zeff, having lost a foot and not eaten and drunk anything, was nearly unconscious. During this time, he had talked to Sanji about some things, such as finding the ALL BLUE and his dream of opening a family restaurant on the sea.
But all of these are just illusions now. There was still no sign of any ship on the horizon.
This was East Blue, not the Grand Line where one had to navigate with a Log Pose. Experienced captains had their own sea charts, marking secret supply points and routes essential for survival at sea.
With these secrets, they can gain a greater advantage during their voyage. Additionally, they also marked dangerous sea regions.
The biggest change in the sea now was the addition of Gyarados, classified as “dangerous creatures.”
This island was remote and barren, with no valuable resources. The presence of Gyarados in the surrounding waters meant almost no ships would come here.
For days, the trouble Zeff spoke of hadn’t come. They were accompanied only by loneliness and despair. But at noon on this day, a shadow suddenly appeared beneath the sea’s surface, as if something big was lurking.
The shadow, like an arrow, gradually moved closer.
“Ol’ geezer, wake up! Something’s coming!”
“Is it a ship?”
“No… no, it’s coming from underwater…”
“Then let it be. Leave it to fate.”
Hearing it wasn’t a ship, Zeff lost interest. Submarine technology was not widespread, and this place was far beyond the influence of Sabaody Archipelago. Something coming from underwater was unlikely to be good news.
The shadow moved quickly, and soon it was near the island. Suddenly, a large splash occurred, and then a female giant appeared in Sanji’s sight.
“Is it this human kid?”
The giant swimming in the sea could only be Nereus. Since her coronation as queen, she was no longer the leader of a single group but the queen of all Gyarados in the sea.
Even Gyarados were under her command, and naturally, Magikarp were no exception. The Magikarp they just encountered met Nereus while searching for its group.
It was originally searching for its own group. Magikarp typically live in groups, but due to various factors such as sea currents, storms, attacks by Sea Kings, and other sea beasts, they can separate from their groups.
Following Magikarp’s natural behavior, they would integrate into the nearest group, becoming a new member. This particular Magikarp was lucky enough to encounter Nereus leading her pilgrimage.
It was just a weak Magikarp, unable to help others, and had to seek the help of its group. The personality of each Magikarp group varies—some are docile, while others are more aggressive. The leader of a group might not necessarily help unrelated humans.
Nereus was different. She aimed to coexist harmoniously with humans. Although her group can’t go ashore and land wasn’t within her search range, she had her own ideas, like helping some humans and having them do certain things in return.
As long as they weren’t enemies, she was quite friendly towards humans. Upon hearing Magikarp’s story, she decided to make a detour here.
“So… so big…”
Sanji’s gaze was drawn to the female giant before him, but his attention was quickly diverted to a large fish that was tossed up. Nereus then unleashed a torrent of flames from her mouth, instantly grilling the fish.
Nereus then scooped up a handful of seawater, with the Magikarp jumping up and down in her palm, waving its fins at Sanji.
“Human, you saved it, so I will save you. Eat, I will take you both to a safe place.”
A giant who appeared from the sea and breathed fire would normally terrify people, no matter how beautiful she was. But neither Sanji nor Zeff paid any attention to this—their gaze was already attracted by the food.
Nereus’s grilling skills were terrible—the fish was still raw inside, without removing the scales or the internal organs, and there was even blood inside.
It perfectly retained the fishy smell, which would be inedible for most people. But for Sanji and Zeff, it was the best fish they had ever eaten.
To the starving duo, any food was a blessing they couldn’t refuse.
Luckily, the people here have different constitutions; otherwise, this meal could have sent the two of them packing. Binge-eating after prolonged hunger isn’t a good idea.
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