For the past two years, he had been working tirelessly, hiding his identity while doing shady work for the World Government.
Back then, he had only obtained this opportunity by willingly offering to sell himself into slavery as a condition. Even so, it had only been the beginning of his progress.
Now someone with far more dirt on them than he had had already achieved the very thing he wanted ahead of him. Even Harald found it somewhat hard to understand.
He was hardly some kind old gentleman; in his youth he had been a violent man as well.
Examining his own conscience, Harald believed his strength was not inferior to Nereus's. Even if there was a gap between them, it wouldn't be by much.
And compared to Nereus, he was practically a well-behaved child.
So how was it that he had only just begun here, yet the other had already reached the finish line through such crude methods?
"Forget it. The circumstances of our countries are different. Methods like that are destined not to suit the Giant Kingdom. But if you can achieve peace as well, then that's a good thing…"
Harald didn't dwell on the matter too much. He quickly let it go, believing that his goal and Nereus's were actually quite similar, only their methods differed.
If such radical methods could succeed, then he himself should be close to reaching his goal too.
It was only because Harald rarely returned to Mariejois. Otherwise, if he knew that the Five Elders were planning to have him secretly do some dirty work for Nereus to rack up some achievements, his expression would probably become far more complicated.
Harald could remain indifferent to such matters, but the one who was actually more affected by the reports was Neptune.
"You really did it, Nereus… In less than a year, you accomplished what Fishman Island couldn't achieve in over a hundred years…"
The content of the report left Neptune with mixed feelings.
The World Government had its usual habit of shifting the blame. As for why things had been like that in the past all these years, they didn't mention a single word. Because, in their view, it certainly wasn't their fault.
They didn't even bother with the idea of firing some temporary scapegoat. Instead, they simply stated that the relevant personnel had unfortunately died in the previous natural disaster, and therefore the deceased could no longer be held accountable.
As for the Ryugu Kingdom, it wasn't Nereus's problem either. It was blamed on the previous royal family instead, and they even praised Nereus in the process.
"Neptune, what I'm about to say may not be very appropriate, but that guy Nereus… aside from being monstrously strong, his way of thinking is also very unique.
I stayed with him for a while over at Fullalead, and that feeling…
He clearly doesn't understand many related matters, yet somehow he grasps some very crucial things…"
"That's nothing. Even my father would have wished for Fishman Island to move toward prosperity. If he truly can accomplish that… then it's a good thing."
Meanwhile, Golden Lion and Silver Axe were still engaged in some strange competition—whoever lost would be considered the inferior pirate. But after seeing the report, Golden Lion suddenly felt that he had fallen behind the times.
Compared to being a pirate and occupying a piece of territory, building a kingdom of one's own seemed far more interesting.
"Men! The game's over. All units withdraw! Let that idiot Kyo keep playing by himself!"
"Admiral? Then what about us?"
"The era has changed. I'm going to establish my own flying empire! Jihahahaha! This will be the first step in my conquest of the world!"
Meanwhile, on Fishman Island, the news that the Ryugu Kingdom had regained all of its rightful authority had already been announced across the entire island.
However, for most of Fishman Island's residents, their feelings about it were different from those of others.
"His Majesty Nereus is amazing. He actually made the World Government change its attitude."
"Yeah. Even the World Government fears the power of His Majesty Nereus."
This was the most widespread claim among Nereus's followers. In their view, whether the World Government acknowledged it or not would not change anything.
Fishman Island had always been like this. The risks brought by passing pirates had already greatly improved under Nereus's suppression, and recently there had not been a single case of citizens going missing.
Those who realized that this meant Fishman Island was beginning to emerge from the deep sea and reconnect with the world were actually a minority.
This was also the result of Fishman Island remaining isolated for such a long time. Once the new generation gradually received more education, they would naturally come to understand these things.
Compared to those long-term goals, the benefits right in front of them were what truly attracted their attention.
Inside Ryugu Palace, Amphitrite looked at the newspaper that had just been brought back, her eyes likewise filled with disbelief.
"After confirmation by the World Government, this individual is not a member of the Lunarian race. The bounty promised by the World Government will not apply to her. Please do not report her…"
"They're just… blatantly lying like that?"
"Of course. After all, insisting on going after you doesn't benefit them in any way.
But there's no need to worry too much about these things. Rather than saying Fishman Island signed an agreement with the World Government, it would be more accurate to say that I signed an agreement with the Five Elders.
The prerequisite for all these agreements to remain valid is that we are strong enough. If one day Fishman Island weakens again and no longer has the strength to defend these rights, then all of this will become meaningless."
Fishman Island needed a broader space for development, and it also needed time to grow. Right now, Nereus had created these conditions through his own efforts alone.
"According to the terms of the agreement, the lawless area of the Sabaody Archipelago now counts as ours. That place is a chaotic mix of people, and battles are unavoidable.
When the time comes… you should go there for some training. Without sufficient real combat, it's impossible to truly grow."
Not only Amphitrite, but also Nanamo and the entire next generation of Fishman Island would begin using the Sabaody Archipelago as a stepping stone to start their own training.
Pirates who could reach that place usually had some strength, but it wasn't like the New World, where there existed an insurmountable gap. It was just the right kind of place for training.
When the time came, Nereus himself would also be stationed there. Compared to dealing with boring government affairs in the Royal Palace, ensuring the growth of the next generation was far more important.
At the same time, on a deserted island in the New World, scattered corpses lay all around. An eleven-year-old boy stood among them, staring doubtfullly at the newspaper in his hand.
"This person is not a Lunarian…"
"Impossible. Those traits… that's clearly a Lunarian… How did she manage that?"
The boy had tattoos on his face in a style similar to the ones on Amphitrite, and flames burned behind his back as well. Without a doubt, he was also a Lunarian.
His name was Alber—later known as King, one of Kaido's subordinates.
His previous life situation had been similar to Amphitrite's, constantly dealing with hostile threats from the outside world.
That person clearly looked like one of his own kind, yet the World Government had singled her out and declared that she was not a Lunarian. This filled Alber's mind with endless questions.
"Fishman Island… it doesn't seem very far from here. I might as well go take a look."
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