Wano Country has two natural barriers: the raging sea currents on its outskirts and its towering walls. After the Beasts Pirates took over Wano Country, a new defense measure was introduced: a school of Gyarados.
The once-massive Magikarp from back then had long since evolved. Several gigantic Gyarados now resided near Wano Country, attacking any ships without the Beasts Pirates’ markings.
For foreign ships to enter Wano Country safely, they had to notify the Beasts Pirates in advance. After approval, they will send a pilot boat or mark the ship with a special symbol.
A special paint is formed by blending the sap collected from the branches of Berries with powder ground from Arceus Steel. Without this paint, without a pilot boat, or if the ship was unfamiliar to the Gyarados, it would be treated as an enemy and attacked indiscriminately.
What kind of attack they would face depended on luck, as each Gyarados had a unique personality. If lucky, the ship might only get flipped. If unlucky, the Gyarados could annihilate them completely.
As for being simply driven away…
These were Gyarados, nicknamed “Great Menace.” Without earning their recognition, one could never experience the gentleness of these Pokémon.
In the original timeline, Ace was able to coincidentally wash ashore in Wano Country after encountering a shipwreck, just like the Whitebeard Pirates. Additionally, he happened to arrive at a time when Kaido was not at home.
But now, such coincidences don’t exist.
“Whoa!
W-what’s going on?!”
“Hold onto the ropes! Don’t fall overboard! Teacher! Kotatsu fell over to your side—grab it!”
A lynx onboard was almost flung off by the lashing waves, but the rope in Mihar’s hand flew, pulling it back.
The sea currents had been rough earlier, but they didn’t expect them to become like this in the blink of an eye.
Thanks to their excellent ship-handling skills, the Spade Pirates barely managed to stabilize their ship.
This wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened. Blades inexplicably raining down from the sky, running into invisible air walls, whirlpools appearing out of nowhere—they experienced every kind of natural disaster in this short period.
They hadn’t encountered any formidable opponents yet, but the sheer brutality of the New World was already evident.
Even Skull had never experienced these things before; his past experiences were of little help.
Ace and his crew assumed the dangerous climate was the reason they hadn’t encountered any enemies. What they didn’t know was that they had been swept into the heart of the Beasts Pirates’ territory by a shifting sea current, avoiding the patrol ships, so they didn’t encounter any enemy.
The towering waves finally subsided, but before the crew could catch their breath, another crisis arrived.
The colossal figure of Nereus emerged from the sea. Even with only her upper body visible above the surface, she stood ten meters tall, glaring menacingly at the people on Ace’s ship.
“You…”
Ace barely managed to utter a word before Nereus raised her arm and smashed it at their ship.
Unlike Isuka, who was willing to entertain a conversation with Ace due to her inherently kind personality, Nereus was entirely different. Even after consuming the modified Onyudo Devil Fruit, she was still the queen of Gyarados, thinking more like a Gyarados than a human.
No guide ship, no markings, an unfamiliar pirate flag—then they were enemies. And to enemies, there was no need for words.
“Fire Fist!”
Seeing the giant woman attack without hesitation, Ace launched his counterattack, hurling a massive Fire Punch toward Nereus.
“Fire?”
A disdainful smile appeared on Nereus’ lips. Without holding back, Ace, who had just entered the New World, could battle Jinbe for days and nights—but that was on land.
On land, the Fish-Men lost their greatest advantage. But currently, this was the ocean.
With her hands clasped together, Nereus had already formed a Water Pulse, meeting Ace’s Fire Fist head-on.
Water extinguishes fire—everyone knows this. The moment water collided with fire, a massive burst of steam obscured both of them from view. Although Ace did his best to increase the power of his flames, trying to outlast the Gyarados Queen in the middle of the ocean was far from a viable strategy.
Nereus’ dragon tail whipped beneath the surface of the sea, sending a torrent of water surging onto the deck. Ace’s flames were instantly extinguished by the onslaught of water, while the people on the ship were thrown into disarray.
Scattered counterattacks proved ineffective. Nereus’s body was covered in tough scales, rendering the attacks of the ordinary crew member meaningless.
Before Ace could rise to his feet, Nereus opened her mouth wide and unleashed a stream of flames. It seemed as if she was using this to show that in this day and age, who doesn’t know how to breathe fire?
For example, although some Pokémon can’t fly, they can breathe fire.
Ace struggled back to his feet as the incoming flames roared toward him. Getting drenched wasn’t enough to sap his strength entirely, as long as he didn’t stay submerged in the water.
Using his flame body, he absorbed the Flamethrower, but Nereus’s follow-up attack arrived swiftly. Her Aqua Tail shattered their ship, and the resulting tsunami swept over the area once more.
On land, Ace might have stood a chance against Nereus. But in the ocean, he was entirely outmatched. Even if he could hold his own for a while, Nereus had the power to destroy his ship.
With another sweep of her tail, waves surged into the distance. As for whether the Spade Pirates survived or perished, or where the currents would carry them, Nereus didn’t care. If she wasn’t mistaken, there seemed to be Fish-Men among the crew. With effort, they might be saved.
After confirming that those people had been swept away and would not enter Wano Country’s waters, Nereus turned back to look at her people.
Smack!
Her tail slapped the surface of the water, and several Gyarados surfaced in response, looking like school children being scolded by their teacher.
“Why was an unmarked ship able to reach this place?”
Arceus had granted her the title of queen of her kind, a position no Gyarados could challenge. Even if any Gyarados was dissatisfied, they could only complain privately.
Most of these Gyarados are Nereus’ elders. For a junior to become their ruler, some Gyarados initially didn’t understand. They only obey her orders because of Arceus.
But as Nereus gradually displayed her strength, her reign grew increasingly secure. At this moment, she was asserting her authority. And the ones she was asserting her authority over were the new Gyarados from other sea areas who had come on their first pilgrimage here and had never seen her before.
“Your Majesty, that ship was too small…”
“No matter its size, a pirate ship is a pirate ship! That is the Lord’s command! If it happens again, don’t blame me for being harsh!”
“Understood…”
After the reprimand, the sea returned to calm as the Gyarados dived back underwater. Meanwhile, Nereus began reflecting on the recent events.
【The method of disciplining subordinates I learned from Mandrell… I think I handled that properly, right?】
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!