Chapter 808: Chapter 807: Wano Kuni’s "Dragon Moat
Wano Kuni naturally has two natural barriers: the turbulent sea currents on the outskirts and its own towering fortifications. After the Hundred Beasts took control, new defensive measures were added - groups of Gyarados.
Back in the day, the giant Magikarp had long since evolved, and several enormous Gyarados now resided near Wano Kuni. Any ship without the Hundred Beasts’ marks was their target for attack.
For foreign ships wishing to enter Wano Kuni smoothly, they first needed to notify the Hundred Beasts’ people. Upon approval, a guiding ship would be dispatched, or a special mark would be left on the ship’s hull.
The special paint was created by mixing juice collected from the branches of Berries with powder ground from Arceus Steel. Without this paint, without a guiding ship, and if the ship wasn’t familiar to the Gyarados, they would be attacked indiscriminately as enemies.
The specific type of attack they might encounter was down to luck, as the personalities of the Gyarados varied. If lucky, they might just capsize the ship; if unlucky, those Gyarados would go for extermination.
As for simply driving away...
They are Gyarados, nicknamed "The Ferocious Ones." Without their approval, one wouldn’t understand the gentleness of a Pokemon.
In the original timeline, Ace managed to wash up on the shores of Wano Kuni after a shipwreck, much like the Whitebeard Pirates, coincidentally arriving when Kaidou wasn’t home.
But now, such a coincidence doesn’t exist.
"Wow!! Wha... what’s happening!"
"Hold on to the rope! Don’t fall overboard! Teacher! Kodaz fell to your side, grab it!"
The lynx on the ship almost flew out from the impact of the waves, but Mikhail threw out a rope and pulled it back.
The sea currents were just turbulent before, but now, in the blink of an eye, they’ve turned into this.
With excellent ship-handling skills, the Black Spade Pirates barely stabilized the ship.
This wasn’t the first time such an event had occurred; mysterious daggers falling from the sky, hitting invisible air walls, whirlpools appearing in the middle of the sea—experiencing all sorts of natural disasters during this period.
Before encountering any formidable opponents, they’d already experienced the brutality of the New World.
Even Scar had never gone through anything like this; past experiences were of no help.
Ace and the others thought the dangerous weather was why they hadn’t encountered any enemies; they didn’t realize it was because they were swept into the Hundred Beasts’ territorial waters by a changing current and avoided the patrol ships, hence not meeting any enemies.
The giant waves subsided momentarily, but before the crew could catch their breath, danger appeared again before them.
Nereus’s massive form emerged from the water, with just the upper half ten meters high above the sea, looking menacingly at the people on Ace’s ship.
"You...."
Ace uttered a word when Nereus had already raised her arm to smash at their ship.
Iscariot was willing to exchange a few words with him due to her kindness, but Nereus was different. Even after consuming the modified Onyudo Fruit, she remained, at heart, the queen of Gyarados, largely thinking in the mindset of a Gyarados.
No guiding ship, no markings, an unknown pirate flag, they’re regarded as enemies, and there’s no need to chatter with enemies.
"Fire Fist!"
Seeing the giantess attacking without a word, Ace countered with his own attack, launching a massive flaming fist towards Nereus.
"Fire?"
Nereus displayed a contemptuous smile. When unrestrained, just freshly entering the New World, Ace could battle Jinbe for days and nights, but that was on land.
On land, the Fishman Race lost their greatest advantage, but now, they’re at sea.
Her hands clasped together, and a Water Pulse was already forming, directly facing Ace’s Fire Fist.
Water can extinguish fire, a principle known to all. At the moment of the water and fire clash, large amounts of steam obstructed their view. Although Ace tried to increase his firepower, competing with the Queen of Gyarados in the sea wasn’t a clear choice.
Nereus’s dragon tail flicked beneath the ocean surface, a water dragon surged onto the deck, and under the water’s assault, Ace’s flames instantly sputtered out, and the crew was scattered all over the place.
Sporadic counterattacks were ineffective; Nereus’s exterior had tough scale armor, and these ordinary members’ attacks couldn’t harm her.
Before Ace could rise, Nereus opened her mouth wide and spewed flames, seemingly to show that even in these days, who couldn’t spit a bit of fire?
Like certain Pokemon, although they couldn’t fly, they could breathe fire.
Seeing the incoming flames, Ace tenaciously stood up, simply getting wet didn’t exhaust him; as long as he didn’t remain submerged, it didn’t have much impact.
Using his fiery body, he absorbed the Flamethrower entirely, but Nereus’s subsequent attack came, and Aqua Tail shattered their ship, the tsunami caused by the surfing once again enveloped the area.
On land, Ace might have a fighting chance against Nereus, but at sea, he simply didn’t have the capability to match her. Even if he could barely fend off a few blows, Nereus still had the means to destroy his ship.
Her massive tail flicked, sending waves rushing into the distance. As for the fate of the Black Spade Pirates, whether living or dead, where they would be swept off to, Nereus wasn’t interested. If she guessed correctly, there seemed to be a member of the Fishman Race aboard, who might have a chance of saving them.
Ensuring those individuals had been swept away and wouldn’t enter the region of Wano Kuni, Nereus turned back to her kin.
Slap!
Her tail slapped the ocean surface, and several Gyarados surfaced, looking like students being lectured by the class teacher.
"Why was a ship without markings able to reach this place?"
Arceus bestowed upon her the status of the queen of her clan, a position that no Gyarados could shake. Even if some Gyarados were dissatisfied, they would only grumble in private.
These Gyarados were mostly Nereus’s elders. Some didn’t initially understand a junior becoming king, and their compliance with her orders was only because of Arceus.
However, as Nereus gradually displayed her strength, her throne became increasingly stable. Now, she was asserting her authority, targeting those new Gyarados who lived in other seas and were making their first pilgrimage here having never seen her before.
"Queen, that ship was too small...."
"Regardless of size, it’s a pirate ship! This is the Lord’s command! If it happens again, don’t blame me for being rude!"
"Understood..."
After a round of reprimands, the sea returned to silence, and the Gyarados went back underwater, while Nereus reflected on the recent events.
[Just like the method learned from Mandfeish on disciplining subordinates, that should have been fine, right?]
