Nanamo didn't directly ask Zephyr for compensation. Not because she had given up, but because she planned to wait until Nereus finished talking with Zephyr before bringing it up.
She could still distinguish priorities.
But Yerick, being a child, didn't think that far ahead. He had remembered Nanamo's earlier muttering.
"Mm, that's only right…"
A Marine Admiral isn't a position that works for free. Not only are many daily matters covered by the Marines, but they also receive a considerable allowance themselves.
He certainly wouldn't be stingy over ticket money worth a few hundred thousand Berries.
After that, Nereus didn't stay long, because Nanamo soon received news that the concert was being prepared to resume.
The disturbance this time hadn't spread very far. The Marines didn't dare approach Nereus's side, but they quickly set up defensive lines outside and contained the spread of chaos.
As a result, the concert that had taken so much effort to prepare wasn't canceled.
In a way, it could be considered that she got a free concert out of the Marine Admiral.
Only after Nereus and his group left did some Marines around cautiously dare to approach.
For Nereus, if the target he set his sights on wasn't strong enough, there was basically no one who could stop him.
For the Marines, the appearance of an Admiral could greatly boost morale, but Nereus's past "record" made many Marines feel fearful, so they had remained in a wait-and-see state.
"Admiral Zephyr!"
"Mm."
Although in a bad mood, Zephyr still returned the salute when he saw the soldiers saluting him.
"What exactly happened at Sabaody Archipelago? I want detailed and accurate intelligence, not the kind of chaotic information that's been spreading."
Zephyr still remembered that pirate's face—the same one he had sent to prison not long ago. How that person managed to escape from the branch prison still needed investigation.
As for whether this incident was related to Nereus…
Zephyr felt it was just a coincidence. The information passed along by the Marines at first had indeed caused him to misunderstand, but after seeing the facts, he didn't believe it was something Nereus had orchestrated.
Nereus had been attending meetings at Mariejois these past few days, an alibi already in place. Moreover, Nereus had no motive to do such a thing; if he really wanted to act, he wouldn't make it so troublesome.
The follow-up intelligence also didn't show anything unusual, though the branch did receive punishment for lax defenses.
And Zephyr no longer had the mind to continue the escort mission. After such an incident, even someone who always abided by the rules like him didn't want to stay away from his family for several more months. Instead, he chose to remain at headquarters and spend time with his wife and child.
However, it didn't take long for Zephyr to realize that the aftermath of this incident was more complicated than he had imagined.
"Dad, that uncle said he's known you for a long time. Were you friends before?"
"Why does he have a skeleton person and a cloud person? And that big sister looks kind of strange too?"
Children are naturally curious, and after being saved once, Yerick was now very interested in Nereus.
But Zephyr… didn't really want to talk about him, and for several days in a row, he brushed it off with various excuses.
But children aren't that forgetful; they won't completely forget everything from before until something new catches their eye.
"Isn't he the king of the Ryugu Kingdom? I heard that it's a nation deep under the sea. Why are you always unwilling to tell Yerick about him?"
After putting the child to sleep, Zephyr's wife asked in confusion.
Although she had married Zephyr, she originally didn't pay much attention to affairs on the seas. It was only after marrying him that she gradually began to understand such matters.
But they had gotten married four years ago, right when Nereus had reached multiple agreements with the World Government.
Most of the past had been sealed away, and there was also Harald, who had been contributing achievements to Nereus almost like unpaid labor.
As a result, some people's impression of Fishman Island was similar to Zephyr's wife: a mysterious deep-sea kingdom, and a king who hunts down pirates and slave traders and cares for his people.
"Do you know how many Marines he's killed?"
Zephyr didn't directly answer his wife's question. Instead, after letting out a long sigh, he asked something that left her puzzled.
"Killed Marines… a hundred?"
"A hundred… that's not even a fraction. The island you used to live on had limited information, so it's normal you wouldn't know.
Four years ago, the name 'Vampire Nereus' was something that struck fear into people.
Cruel, ruthless, leaving almost no survivors—those were his trademarks. He detested the slave trade, and the first time he was given a bounty was because of that.
But later…
The Marines, following orders, went after him, and that marked the beginning of that period. The number of Marines he killed has to be counted in the tens of thousands…"
After learning so much, Zephyr could understand some things from Nereus's perspective, though he still couldn't agree with such slaughter.
"So that person…"
"As far as I know, he hasn't killed ordinary civilians. As long as you're not a Marine or a human trafficker, he's actually quite easy to get along with.
It's just that… whatever that guy is planning is definitely not simple. That's why I don't want to tell Yerick about all this."
No matter what, Nereus was quite dangerous. I was something Zephyr was certain of. What he himself did didn't matter, but he didn't want to involve his family.
On the battlefield, Zephyr had faced danger many times, but he had never felt as panicked as he did today.
"In a few days, Yerick should forget most of it…"
"Hopefully. But what happened today reminded me, we need to start training the child, at least so he has some ability to protect himself.
From now on, when you go out, request guards from headquarters… And if you run into a big problem in Sabaody Archipelago that you can't handle… seeking help from Fishman Island isn't out of the question. Safety comes first."
Zephyr's feelings were conflicted. He didn't want his family to have too much to do with Nereus, but if that day ever came, whoever could save his family would be a good person, no matter who they were.
However, before Zephyr could fully process all of this, he received a meeting notice from headquarters.
"Mediating for a war?"
"What happened at the Levely before, simply put, Deul Kingdom and Ryugu Kingdom are very likely to go to war.
And the Marines need to step in to mediate. That's an order from the World Government."
"Sengoku and Garp are still escorting those kings back to the Four Seas, right? Fleet Admiral Kong, in this situation, are you going with me to North Blue personally, or has the World Government sent additional reinforcements?
If there are no reinforcements… then frankly speaking, I don't know how to stop Nereus."
It wasn't that Zephyr lacked the spirit of a strong powerhouse, reality had simply shown him that facing Nereus alone was unrealistic. This kind of mission might even cost the lives of more innocent soldiers.
"Zephyr, the key to mediation is 'mediating,' not 'stopping.' Do you understand what I mean?"
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