When discussing weak Pokémon, aside from the early-stage Bug-type Pokémon, one cannot overlook Wishiwashi.
The small Wishiwashi moves like a dancer in the ocean, but this cannot hide the reality of its weakness.
Magikarp, through the course of biological evolution, has evolved into a unique state in which most of its body consists of bones, making it unpalatable and thus reducing the likelihood of being eaten.
Wishiwashi, however, is different from Magikarp. Not only is it weak, but it is also incredibly delicious, which attracts a large number of predators.
Dewgong, Pelipper, and Wailord all have Wishiwashi on their menu.
Sometimes, they get consumed by the dozens, and at other times, by the ton. Against such predators, Wishiwashi appears incredibly vulnerable. To survive, it has learned to cooperate.
To fight against enemies, Wishiwashi forms a special formation, transforming into a demon of the sea that even Gyarados fears.
Though a single Wishiwashi is weak, as long as they unite and work together, they can become immensely powerful.
The larger the amount, the stronger the Wishiwashi school. This is their source of pride—when they fire Water Gun in unison, its power surpasses even Hydro Pump.
In the Pokémon world, few Pokémon prey on Magikarp, but things are different here.
Sea Kings and sea beasts feast on Magikarp, while Gyarados in turn preys on them, adding several new links to the original food chain.
Unwilling to be mere food, the weak Magikarp gradually developed this form.
By using the energy within their bodies to sustain an enormous Magikarp school, they deter predators in the ocean. The attack from this pirate ship had angered them.
Compared to Wishiwashi, Magikarp holds little advantage. Due to their limitations, they cannot learn Water Gun, but they do have Tackle and Splash.
With the united efforts of their companions, the Magikarp school leaped from the sea as one and rammed into the pirate ship.
A single Magikarp is weak. Even ten Magikarp are weak. But when they gather in the hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands, combining their energy to form a special collective, their Splash achieves the effect of Body Slam.
The members of the Straw Hat Pirates witnessed firsthand the sinking of a pirate ship far larger than the Going Merry. Instinctively, they turned to look at Sanji—if Luffy really went through with his plan, they could be in serious trouble.
"So… what do we do now?"
"Just wait, it won't take long... No, maybe we don't need to wait at all."
Sanji spotted a familiar figure beneath the water—it was the Gyarados from Baratie. This one had never intended to leave with Sanji. Some Gyarados had to stay behind in the Four Seas to protect their kind; otherwise, by the time they returned, their home would have already been stolen.
This Gyarados was one of those who had stayed behind, and it's only purpose in coming here was to see Sanji off.
Thanks to his relationship with Gyarados, the Going Merry earned a place within the Magikarp school and was able to set off on its journey smoothly.
…
At this moment, Yamato and the others were enjoying a potato feast on a new island. This island was known for its abundant potato harvests, and during bumper harvest time, they would hold a grand harvest festival.
Ulti stared at the various flavors of potato twisters, unusually torn over the decision. Meanwhile, Yamato was taking part in the island's games with Smeargle and Blissey, the latter even sitting atop Yamato's head in an unusual posture.
Given Blissey's size, this should have been impossible—but it had a move called Minimize, allowing it to shrink its body and increase its evasion rate.
It is said that in a certain Pokémon world, a genius with a wild imagination had once brought along several Muk, shrank them down, and hid them on their person to launch surprise attacks on their enemies.
This Blissey's case was similar, but it's merely for the sake of convenience when going out. If one wasn't paying close attention, in its current state, it looked no different from Yamato's hair accessory.
Page One, on the other hand, had run off to participate in a goldfish scooping event. Since there wasn't a fishing competition, goldfish scooping was the next best thing.
Compared to the leisurely trio, things were far less relaxed on Onigashima.
The Dragonite Post was fully assembled and had already been assigned their own territories according to the sea map.
"You guys are responsible for Onigashima's external communications. You, take charge of the 7th Region. You, handle the 6th Region..."
Inside Onigashima, the Dragonite stood in neat formations, receiving their assignments from Arceus. Those who had yet to be assigned a region anxiously awaited further instructions.
"Don't worry about your regions—you'll be rotated in due time. You two, go find Tesoro later and stay by his side to help him handle some matters. Also, make sure to protect his family."
There was no need to worry about security within Onigashima. With Queen's persecution paranoia frequently flaring up, Wano Country had been fortified to the point of resembling an impenetrable fortress. The people living here rarely even catch a glimpse of outsiders.
While their subordinates were working outside, at the very least, they couldn't allow trouble to break out at home. Arceus had no intention of letting Onigashima experience an incident like what happened to Zephyr's family. This was precisely why there was always a top-tier combatant stationed in Onigashima—to guard against any home invasions.
Even an Emperor of the Sea couldn't completely prevent such incidents. In the original timeline, when Big Mom made a trip to Onigashima, Blackbeard took advantage of the opportunity to loot her territory clean.
However, there were always some officers whose families needed to travel or who, due to personal lifestyle choices, didn't reside in Onigashima. Tesoro and Stella were prime examples of this.
Assigning two Dragonite to Tesoro's side served multiple purposes. On one hand, his business was incredibly busy—delivering valuable goods, transporting sensitive intelligence—tasks that required dedicated personnel. Previously, Zeraora had been responsible for this work.
With the emergence of the Dragonite Post, new personnel could now be assigned to these duties. Moreover, as the Beasts Pirates' operations expanded, the circumstances around Tesoro were becoming increasingly complex.
Especially after Kaido's "meeting" with Red-Haired Shanks, murmurs of "Beasts Pirates threat theory" had begun to surface within the World Government. [TN: Just google China threat theory for its meaning.]
Many believed that compared to the aging Whitebeard or the elusive Dragon, it was the Beasts Pirates—constantly making bold moves in the open—that posed the greatest threat to the World Government.
The annual revenue from Beasts Fruits was astronomical, and that was just the publicly recorded transaction volume. How much they actually earned from large-scale private deals was a secret known only to the upper echelons of the Beasts Pirates.
Ultimately, these funds were gradually converted into a part of the "military power" of Beasts Pirates. From the World Government's perspective, the Beasts Pirates were an ever-expanding powder keg.
Yet, many within the World Government couldn't resist the profits and continued adding more gunpowder to the barrel. This was especially true of many Celestial Dragons, who cared nothing for the consequences and only saw the immediate gains.
After all, to them, no matter how much the world fell apart, as long as their own lives remained undisturbed, nothing else mattered. As long as this organization allows them to enjoy their lives, then it has a reason to exist.
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