To be precise, no matter where it was, Roger had no desire to end up in a fight to the death with Nereus.
The Roger Pirates were not the kind of violent maniacs who fought their way through every place they visited. As things currently stood, Roger’s goals and Nereus’ goals did not really conflict.
And when there was no conflict, there was naturally no need to fight.
Moreover, Roger understood very clearly just how massive a boost the deep-sea environment gave to Nereus. If it were on land, with assistance from others, it wasn’t as though Roger had absolutely no way to deal with him.
But underwater, it wasn’t just Roger who would be helpless; the entire Roger Pirates would have no way to handle him.
The speed of coating depends not only on the size of the ship; the skill of the craftsmen, the amount of resin, and even the structure of the ship would all affect the efficiency of the coating process.
If the ship’s structure were just a simple wooden raft, coating it would only take minutes. But coating the Oro Jackson was by no means a task that could be completed in a short time.
In the end, Roger did not have everyone remain aboard the ship the entire time. Instead, he brought Shanks and Buggy along and followed the direction Rayleigh had left in, heading together toward Ryugu Kingdom’s office on the Sabaody Archipelago.
It rather felt like he was bringing two apprentices out to broaden their horizons.
Although Rayleigh had not left long ago, he had gone out on official business. Roger, meanwhile, strolled around leisurely with the two apprentices as they made their way there. By the time they found Ryugu Kingdom’s office, Rayleigh had long since disappeared somewhere unknown.
“Yo, Barbell, long time no see. You’re the one stationed here now?”
“Roger, so you guys have returned to the Grand Line again. Didn’t that b*stard Rayleigh already come by? What are you here for now?”
Most of the pirates who had once been active on Fullalead Island were still active on the seas today. If one absolutely had to make a strength ranking, there were quite a few people ahead of Rayleigh.
But if it were a ranking of the male pirate most hated by other male pirates, Rayleigh would unquestionably sit at the very top.
After all, those years could be called the era of the Great Frustration. Even Rocks himself had failed to escape the irresistible power of the supreme succubus in the early days, and the fact that Rayleigh had taken Shakuyaku away was no secret.
There wasn’t a single pirate who had once been infatuated with Shakuyaku that didn’t hate Rayleigh.
As for Barbell…
Though under Nereus’ influence he hadn’t become quite so obsessed, he still held absolutely no favorable opinion of Rayleigh. Even so, he did not deliberately make things difficult for him and simply handled matters in an official manner.
“I brought the apprentices on my ship to broaden their horizons, and while I’m at it, I wanted to ask around about something.
I heard Ryugu Kingdom has someone named Brook. He should look like a skeleton on the outside. Have you heard of him?”
Roger also knew why Barbell spoke of Rayleigh with such resentment. If it were about something else, Roger would probably have a good exchange with Barbell over that address, but this matter was an exception.
Not only because Nereus stood behind Barbell, but also because Roger himself had once been one of the resentful masses back then. This sort of face-to-face jab did not really amount to much.
So he simply changed the subject and asked about Brook instead.
“Brook? He’s indeed with Boss, sometimes acting as accompaniment to the princess. You know him? I remember him saying that when you first went to sea you were just a rookie. He shouldn’t know you.”
Given Brook’s age, practically everyone on Fish-Man Island counted as rookies in his eyes. Only long-lived species like the Sea Kings could compare with Brook in terms of seniority.
Barbell was rather curious why Roger was looking for Brook.
“Not me. It’s my ship’s doctor.
He’s searching for someone named Brook. Looks like these two Brooks are the same person. Can you help me contact Nereus?”
Roger would still keep the promises he made. Since Crocus had boarded his ship, then fulfilling that promise was Roger’s commitment to a companion, and naturally he would not break it.
“And why should I help you people? This is just the place for entry visas. That kind of matter isn’t under my responsibility.”
“My ship’s doctor is highly skilled. He has a formula for a hair-growth tonic.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient. I just so happen not to have reported your arrival yet, so I can include it when I report to the Boss.”
Old acquaintances had their advantages. At the very least, Roger knew exactly what kind of things interested Barbell. But while Roger and Barbell were talking, Buggy poked Shanks beside him.
“What is it?”
“Shanks, if I remember correctly… isn’t Uncle Crocus bald under that headscarf?”
Buggy gestured for Shanks to lean closer, then whispered quietly.
Crocus always kept his head wrapped up on the ship and rarely exposed his scalp. Buggy had only seen his true appearance beneath the scarf while in the bathhouse.
“A guy who’s already bald himself… would he really have some secret for growing hair?”
“……”
Shanks said nothing. He merely silently covered Buggy’s mouth, then dragged him behind Roger. He was not sure whether that hulking Barbell had heard anything.
Actually, even if Roger had not come looking for Barbell, Barbell still would have reported the matter to Nereus.
Pirates passing through was no longer anything unfamiliar to the current Ryugu Kingdom. Even if Nereus himself did not make a move, the others could solve ninety-nine percent of problems.
Roger was one of the few people they could not handle easily, so Nereus had to be informed about it no matter what.
Any pirate with even a little fame, anyone troublesome enough to matter, was basically someone from Nereus’ own era, and none of them would choose to enter illegally.
Even if they did, the sentry posts throughout the ocean would still discover them.
The time required for the descent would give Fish-Man Island more than enough time to prepare.
Coating ships was not something that could be rushed. If something went wrong in the deep sea, it truly meant shipwreck and death. No matter how fast Rayleigh worked, the Roger Pirates’ descent still happened several days later.
The sunlight was gradually swallowed by the ocean. As the ship dived deeper and deeper, it was only after entering the range influenced by Eve that sunlight once again shone across the deck.
“Fish-Man Island… has it gotten bigger again?”
“Looks like it. Last time we passed through here, there weren’t this many branch islands around it.”
Looking at the vast cluster of islands in the deep sea, which resembled a honeycomb connected by bubble pipes, even Roger was astonished by the changes here.
From time to time, gigantic Sea Beasts and guards circled around the ship, but as long as they showed their properly issued permit, the guards would not make things difficult for them and would even point out the route into the island.
However, those artificially established islands built later were like the Sabaody Archipelago itself, they had no magnetic field. Anyone carrying a Log Pose would still need to remain on the main island for a period of time if they wanted to reset their pointer.
For Ryugu Kingdom, the approximate descent time of ships that had obtained permits, as well as their estimated arrival time at Fish-Man Island, could all be calculated.
Thus, when the Oro Jackson entered the island, Crocus had already seen that familiar afro…
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