People all have things they fear, and some things exist like psychological shadows.
For Yamato, Kaido was precisely such a shadow.
She was no longer the same as before—the days when Kaido could easily deal with her were long gone.
Her equally exceptional combat instincts, enhanced physique, and even the forced increase in intelligence were all results of Kaido's "training."
Yamato had learned nearly every skill from Kaido, and she had grown more adept at utilizing her own abilities. This meant that whenever Kaido fought her now, he had to take it seriously every time.
Sometimes their battles lasted half a day, other times two or three days, each one more intense than the last.
Though she wouldn't say she feared him, Kaido remained the most troublesome opponent Yamato had ever faced.
Similarly, even the fearless Luffy had his own psychological shadow—Garp.
Garp had thrown Luffy into bottomless chasms, abandoned him alone in dangerous forests, and even tied him to balloons to send him soaring into the sky.
These were all part of Garp's efforts to train Luffy into a powerful Marine soldier. Combined with his Haki-infused "Fist of Love," Garp had built a solid foundation for Luffy—though Luffy's path diverged entirely from what he had expected.
Hercules's comparison gave Luffy a stark reminder of reality, bringing to mind some rather unpleasant memories.
"Grandpa? Is your grandpa someone powerful?"
Aside from Luffy, Nami also understood some of Hercules's words, and from its tone, she caught onto the term "grandpa."
"Ah, Grandpa's a monster too. But even he can't stop me from becoming the Pirate King!"
Luffy quickly shook off his fear—something this minor wouldn't make him back down.
"Alright, Nami, keep steering. We're about to enter the Grand Line, right?"
"Probably. If Buggy the Clown's sea map isn't wrong, the entrance to Reverse Mountain should be just ahead."
Fear was one thing, but no one on the ship was going to let it stop them. After pulling themselves together, they continued on their journey. Those monsters were terrifyingly strong, but based on the information they had so far, it wasn't absolutely necessary to fight them.
"Alright, Usopp, stop trembling over there. Weren't you aiming to become a brave warrior of the sea? You can't let fear get the better of you.!"
"Who... Who's scared? I'm not scared at all! I just wanted to look at the comic strips. Yeah, that's right, I just wanted to look at the comic strips."
Picking up the newspaper again, Usopp tried to change his mood, but the headline immediately caught his attention once more.
[Kaido of the Beasts and Red-Haired Shanks' Mysterious Meeting—The Seas May Face Destruction Due to These Two!]
Morgans' penchant for sensationalism flared up once again, as he seized the opportunity to wildly exaggerate the story of the "Four Emperors Summit." Meanwhile, the mention of "Beasts" particularly stood out to Usopp.
If he remembered correctly, the bounties for Ulti, Page One, and Yamato had all included this term. That meant Kaido of the Beasts must be their captain.
"4,670,000,000..."
Just as he was recovering from his earlier shock, he was hit by something even more terrifying. If this was the man Yamato had been referring to as the one who would become the Pirate King…
Usopp's eyes rolled back, and he foamed at the mouth before passing out. His imagination had conjured horrors so overwhelming that his body activated its self-defense mechanism.
After the crew's haphazard attempts at treatment, Usopp regained consciousness. By then, they had already reached the vicinity of Reverse Mountain. The sea currents had begun to grow turbulent, and in the distance, they could see the reverse currents surging up the mountain's peak along the channel.
But besides Reverse Mountain, they also witnessed an entirely different spectacle—the entire ocean had turned red. Even the passage leading up Reverse Mountain was tinged with crimson.
This wasn't blood—it was the color of Magikarp scales.
This season just so happened to be the pilgrimage time of the Magikarps from the Four Seas.
During this time, the weaker Magikarp would remain in their original habitats, while the stronger ones would journey with their groups—either crossing Reverse Mountain or crossing the Calm Belt to head toward Wano Country.
For Magikarp from West Blue or North Blue, returning to Wano Country was relatively easier. But for those from South Blue and East Blue, the journey was significantly more difficult. Before evolving, Magikarp couldn't fly—they were nothing more than ordinary, feeble carp.
This was a mystery that scholars had yet to unravel. They couldn't understand why these peculiar carps always migrated in large numbers at this specific time, only to return to their original habitats after their journey. With no better explanation, they simply classified it as a form of fish migration.
It was a common human tendency—people always tried to use the logic they already understood to explain newly discovered things.
With Magikarp's incredible reproductive capabilities, it's impossible to tell how many generations of Magikarp have already proliferated in the vast seas.
The pilgrimage journey gradually became part of the trial for their species. During this process, weaker individuals would be eliminated, while the stronger ones would evolve.
At this time of year, the channel on Reverse Mountain would always be temporarily occupied by them, forcing even the Going Merry to come to a halt.
"The path is completely blocked! What do we do?"
"Don't worry, this situation lasts at most two days, and soon it'll—IDIOT! STOP!"
Because of the Gyarados at Baratie, Sanji knew a bit about what was going on. The Magikarp would pass through the channel in at most two days. But before he could finish speaking, he saw Luffy about to try and drive the fish away—so he immediately kicked him aside.
"What was that for, Sanji?! If we don't clear them out, how are we supposed to get through?"
"For once, LISTEN to what people are saying! If you actually attack them, then we really won't be able to get through!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Two cannonballs exploded in the dense Magikarp school, sending shockwaves that knocked out large numbers of them. The source of the cannon fire was another pirate ship.
"Alright, now you're about to see exactly what happens next..."
Watching that unknown pirate ship, Sanji had already mentally written off its crew as dead men.
...
"Keep firing! You think some stinking fish can block my path?! That legendary One Piece—I will obtain it!"
On the pirate ship, a captain was barking orders. They didn't notice that a massive, terrifying red figure had already appeared beneath their vessel.
In the next instant, the red figure rose up, ramming straight into the pirate ship.
It wasn't an evolved Gyarados—it was a school of Magikarp. In this perilous stretch of sea, the Magikarp had undergone some changes of their own.
The number of Magikarp that could evolve into Gyarados was ultimately small, and many groups still existed without the protection of one.
To survive in these dangerous waters, they eventually evolved to adopt a lifestyle similar to Wishiwashi, forming their own unique "fish schools."
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