Back on the ship, Teach also needed to prepare for the battle tomorrow. This would undoubtedly be an all-out fight. Silvers Rayleigh, the man known as the 'Dark King,' was not someone Teach dared to underestimate.
On the way back, after some conversation, they learned about this fish-man's origins.
Mog Ratoon was his name. He was a Megalodon Fish-Man, a rare fish-man who had awakened an Ancient Bloodline, possessing immense natural strength and physique.
As is well known, because fish-men and merfolk share ancestral genetic memories, the fish species a child is born as depends on the genes of ancestors from many generations past, and is not necessarily related to the species of their parents.
Therefore, they are never surprised when a family gives birth to children of various forms. In fact, they find it harder to adapt to the surface races' concept of determining kinship based on facial similarity.
In other words, even if both your parents are shark fish-men, it's perfectly normal if you're born with a goldfish Bloodline. No one would suspect your mother of putting any oddly-colored hats on your father.
This point is truly remarkable. It fundamentally prevents the emergence of family drama and completely eliminates the significance of a 'cuckolding neighbor.' After all, everyone shares the same gene pool.
Even if someone wanted to verify paternity, it would be impossible. As long as you weren't caught in the act, any story could be spun afterwards.
A representative case is the sawshark fish-man Arlong and the shark mermaid Shyarly. Although they are half-siblings, it also illustrates that fish-men and merfolk are the same species. However, because their forms of expression differ, they are classified as two separate races.
In the original world, the Megalodon was the top predator of the ancient oceans, the emperor among sharks, the overlord of the seas, which ultimately went extinct due to food scarcity. This speaks volumes about the fearsomeness of this creature.
And in the world of One Piece, it is even more formidable. In a world where any Tom, Dick, or Harry can grow to enormous size, the Megalodon has grown so large it even preys on Sea Kings.
However, ancient creatures like the Megalodon went extinct for unknown reasons.
After that, even among fish-men and merfolk, whose genes carry memories, members bearing Ancient Bloodlines became exceedingly rare.
But the potential for that Ancient Bloodline still lies hidden within them; it never truly disappears.
Occasionally, lucky individuals awaken the Ancient Bloodline. The most recent case was a Mosasaurus Fish-Man three hundred years ago.
At the time, he directly became a notorious Great Pirate, possessing monstrous strength, and established a fish-man Pirate Crew that plundered across the seas.
Whether merchant ships, the Marines, or other pirates, all became his targets. He was incredibly arrogant.
But one had to admit he was truly powerful, especially in the sea.
Only Mog Ratoon himself knew about his Awakening of the Ancient Bloodline; he hadn't told the other fish-men. The others all believed he was just a shark fish-man.
However, this couldn't be hidden from Teach and his crew, especially with Redyat present, so Mog Ratoon revealed it.
Fish-men who awaken Ancient Bloodlines typically have a Giant Fish-Man Physique, with massive bodies reaching over ten meters tall, similar to the current King of Fish-Man Island, the Knight of the Sea, Neptune. The difference is that Neptune has a tail for his lower body, while a Megalodon Fish-Man like Mog Ratoon still has two legs.
The reason Mog Ratoon isn't that tall yet is because he hasn't entered his growth period. He's only fourteen years old now, and soon his body will undergo rapid growth.
This was already the second time he had been captured by Slave Traders. Due to his size, he had no peers to play with as a child. Combined with his enormous appetite requiring vast amounts of food, he became somewhat reclusive, living alone in a corner of Fish-Man District.
Two years ago, he was carelessly captured by a Slave Ship hiding in Fish-Man Island and taken out to sea. However, relying on his brute strength, he smashed a large hole in the ship's hull and escaped by jumping into the sea.
He eventually drifted to a Deserted Island and lived there alone. Some time ago, he encountered another Slave Ship. Unaware of the existence of Tranquilizer Guns, he was shot with one and captured.
That's how he ended up being brought to Sabaody Archipelago.
Upon learning that Teach's crew planned to go to Fish-Man Island next, Mog Ratoon was somewhat happy but not overly excited. He felt a bit of longing for his homeland, but no particular sense of attachment. He had always been an outsider there. Now that he had joined the Nightfall Pirates, he could see a broader world.
These past few days, many Pirate Crews had arrived at Sabaody Archipelago, gathering as if by prior agreement, continuously streaming in.
The war in the New World presented an opportunity for these pirates. The Whitebeard Pirates were tying down the majority of the Marine's forces. Most of the remaining forces were stationed across the Four Blues and the Grand Line to maintain stability in those areas.
Consequently, they had no spare capacity to focus on and intercept these pirates.
They could seize this chance to enter the New World without worrying about Marine pursuit, nor did they need to sneak around.
In the past, if pirate numbers increased on Sabaody Archipelago, Marineford would dispatch powerful warriors to capture them, clearing out the pirates like harvesting chives.
It wasn't just the Nightfall Pirates who came to Sabaody; the Nightfall Pirates were merely the most famous among them.
There were also many other familiar, nameable crews, such as the Red Hair Pirates and the Clown Pirates. Both were crews that had gained fame over the past two years.
The Captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks, had a bounty as high as 230 million Berries.
The Captain of the Clown Pirates, Buggy the Clown, had a bounty as high as 330 million Berries.
The main reason Buggy's bounty was higher than Shanks' was primarily due to the formidable power of Buggy's Split-Split Fruit ability. After catching the Marines' attention, he repeatedly demonstrated terrifying power, even splitting an entire warship into countless cubes.
This dreadful ability and the destructive power it brought caused the Marines to focus their attention squarely on him. Buggy was quite helpless about it.
The Red Hair Pirates, who were being pursued by the Clown Pirates, were much more low-key than the Clown Pirates. However, influenced by the Clown Pirates' actions, people learned that Buggy the Clown was hunting Shanks. Combined with their own frequent clashes, the Red Hair Pirates gradually gained fame as well.
However, the most crucial factor was the exposure of their identities. In this era of imagery, someone revealed their identities and even produced evidence. Having sailed with the Roger Pirates for so long, traces were inevitably left behind and discovered by others.
The exposure of their identities as apprentice pirates from the Roger Pirates was the main reason they came to Sabaody Archipelago so early. Otherwise, they would have preferred to develop their strength in the Four Blues and the Grand Line for a few more years.
But time waits for no one. With their identities exposed, they became high-priority targets for the Marines. Compared to the powerful Nightfall Pirates, they were much more manageable for the Marines to handle.
Thus, they were repeatedly pursued by Marine fleets and Navy Vice Admirals, chased all the way from the Four Blues to the Grand Line. Now, seizing this opportunity, they also needed to hurry to the New World. Otherwise, once the war in the New World ended, they might have to face an Admiral.
Besides, the New World was their main battleground, where they could grow rapidly.
Having spent time in the New World before, the Four Blues and the Grand Line truly felt like a cradle to them.
About half a day after Teach and his crew left 'Shakky's Rip-off Bar,' they too arrived at Sabaody Archipelago.
For the well-informed Shakky, news of their arrival came instantly. Naturally, she would inform Rayleigh about this. Regarding Shanks and Buggy's situation, Shakky had been closely monitoring them since they gained fame. Although she retired long ago, if her memory served, these two apprentice pirates were taught by Rayleigh.
'Since they're here, I'll take a break then,' Rayleigh panted, smiling to himself. It had been a long time since he last saw Shanks and Buggy. He had heard news of their fame earlier but didn't expect them to come to Sabaody Archipelago and head to the New World so soon.
Rayleigh was currently bare-chested, revealing his muscular physique. His body was slightly damp, as if he had been in the water.
Earlier, Rayleigh had been warming up in the deep sea, using the immense water pressure to exercise his body. If one could see it, in the area where Rayleigh had just been, numerous Sea Kings lay unconscious on the seabed, having been knocked out by Rayleigh.
'Is this the place?' Shanks led his crew to Area 13, looking at the somewhat rundown Tavern before them. It showed its age with cracked walls and patches of moss. What drew their attention even more was the Tavern's name: 'Shakky's Rip-off BAR,' which raised many questions in their minds.
'Shanks, you bastard! What are you doing here?!' A familiar voice reached their ears. Turning around, they saw another group arriving at this remote spot.
The newcomer was none other than Buggy the Clown, looking at Shanks with some surprise.
The meeting of the two groups instantly froze the atmosphere. Their crew members drew their weapons and began to confront each other. Since Buggy was hunting Shanks, their crews had crossed paths before, clashing several times.
Although their Captains had once served on the same ship, they were now enemies.
It's worth mentioning that over the past three-plus years, Shanks had sought out many companions. If he took a liking to someone, he would invite them, it was his habit. After all, in the future, even Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates known as the 'Phoenix,' was someone Shanks dared to invite right in front of Whitebeard himself.
As for the Clown Pirates, one had to admit Buggy's luck was good these days. He had also found some decent crewmates. Although their overall strength couldn't match the Red Hair Pirates, they had greater numbers.
During their more than three years of sailing the seas, the Clown Pirates, under Buggy, had also gained three powerful Executive Officers, all Devil Fruit Ability Users. These three Devil Fruits were actually found during their voyages.
While pursuing Shanks, Buggy never forgot his primary profession: seeking all kinds of treasure. Although many treasure maps were fake, they still found some good things, both treasure and Devil Fruits.
As the Vice-Captain of the Clown Pirates, Carlos was a pirate with great potential and strength, a skilled gunman, swordsman, and proficient in hand-to-hand combat. He was also a Paramecia-type user of the Cycle-Cycle Fruit. It might sound ordinary, but it was exceptionally powerful, a Devil Fruit that touched upon the concept of time.
His role on the ship was similar to that of Benn Beckman, the Vice-Captain of the Red Hair Pirates. Standing behind their respective Captains, it was these two who faced each other.
Both men placed their hands on the gun handles at their waists, their eyes fixed intently on the other. Although Beckman was stronger, he was deeply wary of Carlos's ability.
Buggy's other two powerful Executive Officers were: the 'Shield Man' Gulu, a user of the Shield-Shield Fruit with super-strong defense, and Zack, a user of the Mythical Zoan-type, Rat-Rat Fruit, model: Kamaitachi.
One had to admit, Buggy's Conqueror's Haki-level Luck was no joke. Although the number of top-tier fighters was smaller, with the boost from Devil Fruit abilities, Buggy's three Executive Officers were still quite troublesome.
"Haha, Buggy, you're here too," Shanks said, using one hand to adjust the straw hat on his head, smiling as he greeted Buggy.
"Don't get cozy with me," Buggy retorted. Seeing Shanks's smiling face made him want to punch it, but Shanks's strength was no joke. He hadn't been able to get the better of him in several fights.
"Don't be like that. It's just a treasure map, right? I'll pay you back with one later. No, three. Ten would be fine too," Shanks said, waving his hand dismissively with a smile, seeing Buggy's reaction.
But this only made Buggy angrier. "You think this can be solved with just a treasure map? It's because of you I became a Landlubber who can't swim! Think of all the treasures hidden on the seabed that are now beyond my reach!" At this point, Buggy clenched his fists tightly, barely controlling himself. A faint, invisible power flickered around his fists.
This made the atmosphere between the two sides even more tense. The Red Hair Pirates were equally on guard; they knew well the power of Buggy's ability.
"Ah, come on! What can we do? You can't spit out an ability once you've eaten it. Besides, isn't it a pretty good power? Not only do you have an immortal body, becoming the bane of swordsmen, but it also has such formidable force," Shanks replied with an awkward laugh.
Having spent so long on the same ship with Buggy, he knew full well how obsessed Buggy was with treasure. Whether it was intentional or not, it was his fault.
"But, why are you here? Same reason as me? Did someone call you?" Shanks thought of something and changed the subject, asking curiously.
"Huh? You too?" Buggy's anger subsided a bit upon hearing Shanks's words. He was surprised. So that's why Shanks was here.
They had arrived at Sabaody Archipelago one after the other but landed on different islands. Now, meeting at the same location, it seemed the person who summoned them was the same.
After arriving at Sabaody Archipelago, someone had secretly notified them, saying an acquaintance wanted to meet them and told them to come to this Tavern in Area 13.
At that moment, the Tavern door opened. A mature woman stood in the doorway, one arm crossed over her chest, the other hand holding a cigarette.
"Come on in, you two," Shakky said, smiling at them. 'The person who wants to see you, or rather, the person you want to see, is inside."