Fishing has always been an important activity on a pirate ship. It's common to have fishing rods on board during sea voyages, which can provide entertainment and supplement food supplies, and sometimes, if you're lucky, even improve the meals.
So when Arceus gave New Year gifts to Yamato and the others, there were also a few pirates fishing and making bets on who could catch the biggest fish.
But at this moment, Mandfeish was deep in thought, looking at the fish he had caught. It wasn't just him; all the nearby pirates were stunned.
"Mandfeish, did you catch... yourself?"
As someone beside him voiced this thought, finally, someone couldn't hold back, and laughter spread across the deck, attracting the attention of other fishers.
"Isn't this type of fish the Holy Beast Lord released in the waters of Wano Kuni? How come it's even here?"
"It's different. The fish on the waterfall of Wano Kuni are much larger. Look at these; they're just the size of a regular Magikarp."
Yes, what this person caught was indeed a Magikarp. Its red scales and golden crown already indicated its identity.
"What should we do with it?"
"Let it go, what else can we do? Lord Arceus values the creatures he created very much."
"But what about those bulls?"
"They were all second-generation raised. You see, who would dare have bad intentions toward something like a Tauros? Although this one looks identical, it's quite small. Mandfeish, why don't you try talking to it?"
Looking at the Magikarp in the bucket, everyone finally turned their attention back to Mandfeish.
The abilities of a Pokemon Ability User are applied to them by bestowal, essentially still human. It's not like a Zeraora, who can communicate fluently with Pokemon.
However, someone with the same abilities facing the same type of Pokemon can better understand the other's meaning. So, Mandfeish was brought to the bucket, and looking at the Magikarp that kept flopping up and down, he didn't know what to say.
But the laughter here had already caught Arceus's attention.
"Lord Arceus, look, we just caught a strange fish."
Looking at the Magikarp in the bucket, it was not one of the original generation he created. He understood that his initial purpose had been achieved.
When he first entered Wano Kuni, he transformed those Magikarp, and their descendants have already started moving towards other waters. Quite some time has passed since then.
Now Magikarp even appear in the First Half of the Grand Line, indicating that Magikarp has a wider range of distribution.
"Let it go back, Magikarp isn't edible."
The body structure of Magikarp doesn't have any edible parts. In the Pokemon World, even people on the brink of starvation don't think of eating Magikarp. If the chefs here could find a way to cook these Magikarp, he could only say his admiration.
Before they could release the Magikarp back into the water, a cry of surprise came from the stern. Yamato and Jack, grabbing onto a fishing rod, were almost dragged into the water. Fortunately, a nearby pirate reacted quickly and grabbed them both.
However, they still did not let go of the fishing rod.
"Remarkable, Miss Yamato, you've caught a big one!"
The pirate who took over the fishing rod could feel the immense force transmitted from it. This fishing rod was a gift from the Shandia People, made from a combination of Rope Cloud, Iron Cloud, and Cloud Shells, with resilience and load-bearing far beyond ordinary fishing rods.
At this moment, the rod had already bent into a clamp-like shape, yet it still did not break.
"Stop watching and come help! This is a big one!"
He now understood why Yamato and the others were almost pulled down. Even an adult might find it hard to withstand that force. With the combined efforts of a few adult pirates, a blue creature was pulled out of the sea.
...
"Roar!" The blue creature coiled on the deck let out a roar. Its body segmented, and it had several fin-like structures on its back.
With its large mouth open, it issued an angry roar, simultaneously sweeping its tail to knock away a nearby pirate.
"A Sea King Type? No, it's too small. Is it a Sea Beast?"
"Who knows, there are all sorts of strange and peculiar creatures in the sea, but this guy is really strong, and somehow, looking at it gives me a bit of fear..."
When Arceus returned to the stern again, he saw the roaring creature, a species he knew very well—Gyarados.
As one of the weakest types of Pokemon, the evolved form of Magikarp turned out to be the incredibly powerful Gyarados, colloquially known as the brutal beast.
Unlike the weak Magikarp, Gyarados is extremely aggressive. It has teeth hard enough to crush rock and scales as hard as steel.
However, due to changes in its brain during evolution, its temperament became very aggressive, but if it acknowledges you, you can also see its friendly side.
The Magikarp in the waters near Wano Kuni didn't evolve, possibly because there were no natural enemies around. But the ones that left the waters of Wano Kuni had to face various dangers in the sea.
The vast ocean contains all kinds of monsters, driving some powerful individuals to evolve under such pressure.
Seeing it had the intention to erupt, Arceus tied its mouth with vines. Erupting on the ship wasn't a very good habit.
Being able to evolve into Gyarados indicated it was an outstanding individual among these Magikarp, but compared to Arceus, the gap remained too wide.
"Yamato, didn't you ask me earlier what evolution is? This is evolution."
As he spoke, he brought over the Magikarp that hadn't been released.
"This is what they originally looked like, but once the opportunity arises, they will evolve and acquire a new form unique to them.
They are Gyarados, and even in this vast sea, they can have their own territory."
That was what Yamato had asked when she just got the Milcery. It was a perfect chance to explain, using the appearance of the Gyarados.
"Will Milcery also become this terrifying?"
"No, every Pokemon has its own evolutionary form. After evolving, Milcery is still quite adorable."
After that, Arceus released them back into the sea. Yamato and the others realized how incredible evolution was, but someone was more excited than them.
That was Mandfeish.
"Lord Arceus, can all Magikarp turn into this?"
To others, it might be insignificant, but to him, it was a game-changer. Not to mention, he had seen the fire in Gyarados's mouth earlier.
If he could acquire this ability, then his life plan could change a bit. Instead of retiring, he should aim for a higher position before applying for retirement. That way, the benefits would be much better.
Being able to erupt, able to swim, if his ability could evolve like this, then Mandfeish could boast himself as the little Kaidou.