Chapter 187: The Aura of the Aggrieved
"There's no need to be so nervous. You haven't broken my rules. As long as you honestly abide by the rules I set, you can pass through Fish-man Island safely. Isn't that a very simple truth?"
Compared to Roger, Nereus appeared quite casual. Even though Roger and his crew had already landed on Fish-man Island proper, he didn't seem nervous at all.
After all, as long as Roger hadn't gone mad and didn't want his entire crew to be left forever in the deep sea, he wouldn't do anything outrageously stupid.
The consequences caused by Bullet's challenge weren't really a big deal either.
Although the surrounding terrain was severely damaged, if they really had to assign responsibility, 10% was caused by Alber, Bullet destroyed 30% at most, and the remaining portion was all blasted away by Nanamo's own punch.
Even though Bullet was the instigator, the rules of the challenge were set by Nereus himself. It wouldn't be appropriate to use this as an excuse to hold them accountable. And it was exactly this punch that had attracted Nereus's attention.
He wanted to see what kind of situation could make Nanamo cause such a huge commotion.
"Originally, I thought you would pass through silently to seek out that final island. It seems there are still people on your ship who can't stand the loneliness."
"The final island... Have you also realized that Lodestar Island isn't the final destination?"
At this time, the final island had not yet been named Laugh Tale. Laugh Tale inherently meant "a tale full of laughs," a name Roger would only leave behind after he reached the island.
As of now, the number of people who even knew of that island's existence could be counted on one hand.
"Of course. Do you want me to tell you how to get there? Although I haven't been there yet, I still know a thing or two about the specifics of getting there."
"No."
Hearing Nereus say this, Roger gave a refusal without a second thought.
Even though Crocus had repeatedly emphasized that Roger only had a few years left, Roger still believed that he could find the path to that island himself.
"An adventure where someone else tells you the answer loses the flavor of an adventure. I will find the path there myself and complete this voyage."
"I knew you would say that. But when the time comes, you'll still come back looking for me."
To reach the final island, one needed the four Road Poneglyphs. One of them was currently acting as the guardian Genbu at the gates of Nereus's royal palace.
If he didn't come here, Roger would probably never find that Road Poneglyph.
However, the recently re-embarked Roger had not yet realized this method, and thus didn't understand Nereus's meaning.
"On another note, what exactly have you done recently? The God's Knights are quite interested in you."
"The God's Knights? You have contact with those guys...?"
Roger, who had just relaxed slightly due to Nereus's seemingly casual chat, tensed up once again. He didn't know how Nereus had managed to control the Ryugu Kingdom while simultaneously reclaiming a status within the World Government.
But it was certain that, in some unknown place, Nereus and the World Government had definitely reached some sort of deal.
Because of Shanks, the God's Knights had stuck to them like a wet leaf, tracking them even more relentlessly than Garp.
Every time they shook them off, it wouldn't take long before they caught up again.
"Contact? I suppose you could call it that. Those idiots wanted me to help intercept you in the deep sea, but I refused."
Fish-man Island's geographical location made it the optimal place to intercept a pirate. However, the loss of Garling's child was ultimately considered a private matter.
He hadn't reported this matter or requested the Five Elders to dispatch more forces to search for the missing Shanks.
On the one hand, making it known to everyone would be extremely humiliating. On the other hand, the Five Elders wouldn't necessarily help him with such a personal matter.
Allowing him to mobilize the God's Knights on his own was already a form of tacit approval.
Under these circumstances, the Five Elders naturally wouldn't initiate any kind of official exchange with Nereus regarding this.
Compared to a man like Nereus—who required massive benefits to even consider offering assistance—Harald was far more useful. Just painting a picture of an empty promise was enough to make him work with all his heart.
And those people in the God's Knights had no concept of humbly asking for help. In the end, they merely had Harald relay the message.
"Tell that Nereus to intercept Roger."
"The God's Knights want you to help intercept the Roger Pirates."
After Harald's translation, the sentence didn't cause too much of a stir. It was just tough for Harald as the translator, considering Nereus's reply was much harsher.
In the end, after condensing and censoring it, Harald only replied with a few words:
"He said he has no time."
"I told you there's no need to be so nervous. If I wanted to work for them, you wouldn't have even entered Fish-man Island. I'm just curious about the matter.
"After all, I know about the love-hate relationship between you and Garp, but I genuinely don't know what conflict you have with the Celestial Dragons. Don't tell me it's also because of Shakky?"
In a sense, Shakky truly was the catalyst for many events. Without that Succubus Era, the sea might have turned out entirely different.
After all, without her, many people wouldn't have shown up at God Valley.
"This matter... really has nothing to do with Shakky..."
Roger rubbed his temples, a slight headache coming on. After pondering for a moment, he signaled for Scopper Gaban and Rayleigh to take Shanks and Buggy back to the ship, and to drag Bullet along with them while they were at it.
Only after they had left did Roger let out a long sigh. Looking in the direction they departed, he said, "That kid Shanks... I picked him up at God Valley. I have no idea when he crawled into the treasure chest.
"At first, I didn't understand why either. Those Celestial Dragons were constantly chasing after us, fighting us until they were completely out of resurrections before giving up each time.
"It wasn't until later, when a guy named Somaz slipped up, that I found out... Shanks is actually that man Garling's child."
Roger knew very well that Nereus's words were true. If he really wanted to do something, to be safe, he wouldn't have let them land at all; he would have resolved everything in the deep sea.
Furthermore, there was no need to hide this matter. Nereus's relationship with the Celestial Dragons might have resulted in some temporary agreement, but complete compromise was absolutely impossible.
Rather than letting Nereus's curiosity fester and giving the Celestial Dragons a chance to persuade him, it was better to explain things clearly.
"Interesting. In other words, he is also a Celestial Dragon."
"Shanks is different from those guys in Mary Geoise."
"I know. Humanity is always diverse. Even Mary Geoise will give birth to a few 'anomalies'."
The Donquixote Family had Homing—Doflamingo's father—as a special existence. It was just that this way of thinking was considered heresy in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons.
"But even knowing his identity, you still keep him by your side... Roger, it seems your thoughts aren't that simple either."
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