The Light of Evolution opened the path for Mandfeish's evolution, but he had never evolved, because he was missing a catalyst. The evolution of Magikarp requires more than just level, it requires the belief in turning one's fate around.
Most Magikarp evolve when their level is appropriate and they encounter an emotional upheaval, like extreme anger, or when they push themselves to the limit. Many Magikarp will attempt to leap over waterfalls, forcing their bodies.
And now, Mandfeish has found his catalyst, with overwhelming power surging through his body.
"Is this evolution... Rushaka, wait for me, I'm coming right away."
Feeling the power within him, he felt he could beat ten of his former selves, bursting through the Bubble Film, he directly transformed into Gyarados, his streamlined body charging towards the water's surface.
Though not as large as Kaidou's Cyan Dragon form, his Beast Form reached the size akin to a small Sea Beast.
A ten-meter-long body continued to accelerate.
..
On the sea, two fish-men delivered Rushaka, stuffed in a burlap sack, to a ship belonging to the World Government. They had learned about the plan from the pirates they had hired, so they didn't make a move against the two fish-men, planning to act after accomplishing their goal.
The plan was to lure out the target mermaid, then capture them all together. Though the primary target was the runaway slave, capturing more would undoubtedly earn them greater rewards.
They didn't intend to let the two fish-men board the ship, instead discussing while watching the struggling sack.
"Does that guy even have a wife?"
"Who knows, why would anyone like those ugly fish-men, they're monsters and smell like fish."
Saying that, they reached out to grab the sack's opening. Upon opening it, they found Rushaka inside, bound.
"Yo, that guy has good taste, huh? This is a high-grade product, its auction price is definitely not less than one or two billion."
"Just about, the price for mermaids has been rising these years, all thanks to that fool Whitebeard, a human protecting that island."
They regarded Rushaka completely as merchandise. As members of the World Government they theoretically should protect member nations, but to them, the Dragon Palace Kingdom wasn't considered a member.
If direct intervention wasn't such a bad influence, the World Government would probably have a dedicated team to capture slaves from Fishman Island, instead of relying on other Slave Capture Teams.
"Hey, you keep your hands off, that's for the Heavenly Celestial Dragons. You guys don't relax too much, that guy has his own skills to escape, don't underestimate."
The leader stopped his subordinates' actions and ordered them to remain vigilant.
"Odd, Captain, those two fish-men in the water, they're missing."
An agent in a suit by the ship's railings noticed something unusual, but it didn't raise attention.
"Fish-men, swimming is normal, even if those guys did escape, it's no matter. As long as they can lure out the runaway slave, just this one mermaid's value will suffice."
They didn't avoid saying this in front of Rushaka. Hearing that she had been caught to lure Mandfeish out left her with an incredulous look, recalling the rumors that any male too close to her would be cursed.
Thinking Mandfeish had remained safe for three years, the curse seemed baseless. Yet today, an incident had happened and she was powerless to do anything.
She was just an ordinary mermaid, possessing no fighting power.
...
While those on the ship planned an ambush against Mandfeish, Mandfeish had arrived at the scene, holding a fish-man in each hand. This was why the people on the ship found those two fish-men had vanished.
The transformation of Zoan-type Ability Users affects size. Beast Forms rely mainly on animal sizes as benchmarks, while Human-Beast Forms slightly expand based on human size. The basic rule is to grow bigger, not smaller.
Rarely do Zoan transformations result in reduced size; the Magikarp form caused little change in Mandfeish's size, but Gyarados is different.
Now, he's not merely with an added tail, turning blue; even his height increased significantly, reaching nearly three meters, similar to Jack.
"You answer, you talk more than one word, and I'll end your life, got it?"
Feeling the pressure on their necks, the two fish-men quickly nodded, indicating they understood.
"Which ship is Rushaka on?"
There were several ships docked, so he needed to pinpoint the target, as he couldn't determine it from underwater.
The two fish-men cooperatively pointed to a ship; having gotten the answer he wanted, Mandfeish didn't kill them, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't now.
If they died, their bodies would float up, possibly alerting the other side. His reason didn't abandon him with evolution; his burning anger subsided instead.
"Scram."
Temporarily sparing the two fish-men, Mandfeish then took out a piece of coral, blowing out a pocket bubble space, and took out his Radio Snail.
"It's me, Mandfeish, there is a World Government ship at the outer dock here, find a way to draw their attention, anyhow, be quick."
This was the contact for Hundred Beasts Fruit's Shampodi branch; he was now the highest officer in this region for Hundred Beasts, able to mobilize personnel in Shampodi Islands and at the New World's entrance.
At Mandfeish's command, people from Hundred Beasts Fruit made a fuss with random promotions. His shameless yelling managed to draw some World Government agents' attention, and at this moment, Mandfeish moved.
Moreover, his evolved form hadn't lost the Splash ability. Using the sea beneath his feet as the launchpoint, Mandfeish shot out explosively. Although he gained flying ability after evolving into Gyarados, his flying speed was comparably slow, not as quick as this movement for short distances.
Mid-leap into the air, he had locked onto Rushaka's position.
Though swift, the downside was the noise it created. Especially using air as a stepping point, Mandfeish nearly produced a sonic boom.
The person beside Rushaka just heard the sound, turning back to see a blue claw enlarging rapidly, unable to utilize Tekkai before Mandfeish snapped his neck.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Holding Rushaka tightly, Mandfeish made a move to dive into the sea, focused on saving her, his priority was protecting Rushaka.
However, a Kamaitachi shattered Mandfeish's plan...