Nereus had no problems with his control over the Conqueror’s Haki. For someone who could wield Haki infusion as naturally as using his own limbs, controlling its range was something he could do with ease.
Even separated by only a door, ordinary people would merely sense a strange fluctuation from inside. If Nereus did not regard someone as a target, at most they would feel as though a breeze had brushed against their face.
But because Vander Decken VIII had once experienced this aura before, and had engraved the fluctuations of Nereus’s Haki deep into his mind, it had even become a bodily instinct.
Although in the outside world, Vander Decken VIII had fabricated countless versions of how he became Nereus’s subordinate, all of them generally exaggerating his own status with boasts about fighting three hundred rounds and the like—
Vander Decken VIII himself knew very well that the reason he had officially joined under the other party was because he immediately bowed his head and knelt fast enough.
【Damn it, this cursed instinct…】
“T-This is to show respect to the king! Who do you think it is that allows you to live safely on Fishman Island?! It’s all thanks to His Majesty Nereus!
Why are you still standing there? What did I teach you on the way here?! Hurry up and kneel! You don’t understand etiquette at all!”
For the moment, Vander Decken VIII could not think of a reason to explain why he had done that. Since that was the case, he simply chose not to explain at all. He first scolded his son and turned him into the one at fault. Naturally, then, he would stop dwelling on the matter.
And so, under Vander Decken VIII’s pulling and criticism, Vander Decken IX also ended up kneeling outside the door in complete confusion.
It was at that moment that the door opened, revealing Nereus holding a strange-looking weapon in his hand.
The turtle and serpent, originally one entity, had separated in the Zoan-type Human-Beast form, or more accurately, Weapon-Beast form, becoming two special individuals connected by peculiar chains. In terms of size, they were also much smaller than their pure Beast Form.
However, Nereus did not care much about the thing’s appearance. As long as he could throw it out and let it fight on its own afterward, that was enough.
“Vander? It’s pretty late for you to come looking for me. Is there something you need?”
“Ahem, I was out on assignment a few days ago, and after returning I heard that you had been blessed with another daughter, so I came to offer my congratulations.
This is my son, Vander Decken IX. You haven’t really met him before, so I brought him along for you to meet.
He really admires you. At home he’s always making a fuss about wanting to come here.”
Vander Decken VIII still did not stand up, and even pressed Vander Decken IX down to bow several more times before Nereus.
“Alright, now you’ve met His Majesty Nereus. Stay here obediently and wait. His Majesty and I have matters to discuss.”
Just as Vander Decken IX was about to ask Vander Decken VIII when exactly he had ever said he admired Nereus so much, Vander Decken VIII shoved him aside.
Afterward, Vander Decken VIII walked back inside with Nereus and even deliberately shut the door behind them.
Originally, Vander Decken VIII had wanted his son to become familiar with Nereus’s face. But after actually seeing Nereus, Vander Decken VIII realized that his bodily instincts seemed somewhat difficult to control.
To avoid losing his glorious image in front of his son, he had already changed his plans.
“Your Majesty, this may be a bit presumptuous, but I still wanted to ask… does the little princess show any signs of awakening?”
The awakening Vander Decken VIII referred to was naturally related to Poseidon. As one of the few people in the deep sea who knew about Poseidon, he felt that if Poseidon’s birth truly was near, then it might not necessarily be impossible for Nereus’s daughter to be the one.
Although she was not pure-blooded, she still possessed the bloodline of the deep sea. Several hundred years had already passed; who knew whether some kind of change might have occurred? And who could guarantee that Poseidon would not be born a mixed-blood child?
The appearance of Poseidon had always been somewhat random; it’s simply that Fish-Men and Merfolk genes are more prevalent among pure-blooded individuals, making the probability of awakening greater.
“I wouldn’t know about something like that. At the very least, those big guys of the deep sea haven’t shown any reaction. But Vander, this isn’t something you should be concerned about.”
Sea Kings rarely communicated with people. Occasionally, Nereus would hear some of their mutterings to themselves, but at most they rambled about things like “variables” or “the king is about to return.”
Those words alone still were not enough to determine anything.
“Yes, yes, yes, I was being presumptuous… But if the little princess really is Poseidon, then Fishman Island would have gained another super weapon, wouldn’t it?”
“When the time comes for you to know, you naturally will. But your timing is pretty good. Help me test what abilities this little fellow actually has.
The encyclopedia Wobbegong found back then only recorded the type of fruit. The details about its actual abilities weren’t comprehensive enough.”
Devil Fruit Encyclopedias were never updated in real time. Over countless years, they were compiled from the oral accounts of ability users and recorded by others, so many of the encyclopedias people possessed were incomplete.
And as time passed, entirely new Devil Fruits could even come into existence. Not even the World Government dared claim that it possessed an absolutely complete Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
“Uh… Your Majesty, shouldn’t this sort of thing be handled personally by you…?”
Vander Decken VIII could not discern any emotion from Nereus’s tone. He had no idea whether Nereus was simply grabbing someone to do temporary labor, or whether asking about Poseidon had displeased him enough that he wanted to teach him a lesson.
But Vander Decken VIII knew his own strength very well.
Relying on the racial advantages of the deep sea, bullying coated humans who descended underwater was one thing. But if it came to a direct head-on confrontation, he would turn into a punching bag within three minutes.
“If I make a move, it won’t dare resist. I may have used a little too much force earlier. In any case, I’ll leave it to you.”
Nereus gave Vander Decken VIII no chance to argue. He shoved him toward the open area ahead, then tossed the Poneglyphs in his hand out once more, where they transformed into the gray-and-red Genbu.
“No need to worry. Go all out. As long as I’m here, you definitely won’t die.”
With Nereus’s assurance, Vander Decken VIII finally gained some confidence. Besides, in his eyes, this was just a giant turtle.
The “first encounter kill” potential of Devil Fruit users was extremely powerful. Without understanding an opponent’s abilities, even strong people could easily fall victim to them, and the same applied to weapons that had eaten Devil Fruits.
This was especially true for Mythical Zoans. Without knowledge of the related legends, it was impossible to know what sort of abilities they possessed.
Seeing that Genbu had no intention of attacking proactively, Vander Decken VIII made some preparations before cautiously throwing out a probing punch.
But Genbu stood there completely unmoving, while Vander Decken VIII himself was sent flying backward.
It did not seem as though he had simply punched a stone, but rather…
“Reflecting damage?”
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