“You don’t need to be so nervous. You didn’t break my rules, did you? As long as you honestly follow the rules I set, you can pass through Fishman Island safely. Isn’t that a very simple principle?”
Compared to Roger, Nereus appeared far more casual. Even though Roger and his crew had already landed on Fishman Island itself, he showed no sign of nervousness.
After all, as long as Roger hasn’t lost his mind and doesn’t want everyone to be left behind in the deep sea, he won’t do anything utterly shocking.
The aftermath caused by Bullet’s challenge wasn’t really a big deal either.
Although the surrounding terrain had suffered severe damage, if responsibility were carefully divided, 10% was caused by Alber, Bullet had at most destroyed 30%, and the rest had all been blasted out by Nanamo’s own punch.
Even if Bullet was the cause, the challenge rules had been established by Nereus himself, so it would hardly be appropriate to pursue the matter for that reason.
And it was precisely because of that punch that Nereus had been drawn over.
He wanted to see what kind of situation could make Nanamo cause such a huge commotion.
“Originally, I thought you would quietly pass through and search for that final island. Looks like someone on your ship still couldn’t resist the boredom.”
“The final island… So you also realized that Lodestar Island isn’t the true endpoint?”
At this time, the final island still didn’t have the name Laugh Tale. Laugh Tale literally meant the Island of Laughter, a name Roger would only give it after reaching it.
Currently, very few people even knew of that island’s existence.
“Of course. Want me to tell you how to get there? Although I haven’t gone there myself, I still know a bit about the specific method.”
“No.”
Hearing Nereus say that, Roger rejected the offer without a second thought.
Even though Crocus repeatedly emphasized that Roger only had a few years left to live, Roger still believed he could find the path to that island himself.
“An adventure where someone else tells you the answer loses the feeling of adventure. I’ll find the way there myself and complete this voyage.”
“I knew you’d say that. But when the time comes, you’ll still come back to find me.”
To reach the final island, four Road Poneglyphs were required, and one of them was currently serving as the guardian Genbu in front of Nereus’ Royal Palace.
If he didn’t come here, Roger would probably never find the Road Poneglyph.
But the Roger who had just resumed his voyage had not yet realized this method, so he didn’t understand what Nereus meant.
“Speaking of which, what exactly have you been doing lately? The Knights of God seem very interested in you.”
“The Knights of God? You have connections with those people…?”
Roger, who had just relaxed slightly because of Nereus’ seemingly casual small talk, immediately became tense again. He had no idea how Nereus had managed to maintain control over Ryugu Kingdom while also regaining status within the World Government.
But one thing was certain: somewhere behind the scenes, Nereus and the World Government had definitely reached some kind of deal.
Because of Shanks, the Knights of God had clung to them like plaster, sticking to their trail even more relentlessly than Garp.
Every time they managed to shake them off, it wouldn’t be long before they caught up again.
“Connections? I suppose you could call it that. Those idiots wanted me to help intercept you in the deep sea, but I refused.”
Fishman Island’s geographical location made it the best possible place to intercept a pirate, but the matter of Garling’s child going missing was ultimately considered a private affair.
He had not reported it to the higher-ups and requested the Five Elders to dispatch more forces to search for the missing Shanks.
On one hand, making the matter widely known would be humiliating. On the other hand, the Five Elders might not necessarily help him with something like this.
Allowing him to mobilize the Knights of God on his own was already a form of tacit approval.
Under such circumstances, the Five Elders naturally would not communicate with Nereus through official channels.
Compared to someone like Nereus, who would require enormous benefits before possibly offering any assistance, Harald was far easier to use. Just painting him a promising picture was enough to make him work wholeheartedly.
And the people from the Knights of God didn’t know the first thing about humbly asking for help. In the end, they merely had Harald relay the message.
“Tell that Nereus to stop Roger.”
“The people from the Knights of God want you to help intercept Roger’s crew.”
After Harald’s translation, the statement at least didn’t cause too much trouble, though poor Harald suffered as the translator, because Nereus’ reply was even harsher.
In the end, after shortening and trimming the response, Harald only replied with a few words.
“He says he’s busy.”
“I already told you not to be so nervous. If I actually wanted to help them, you never would’ve made it into Fishman Island in the first place. I’m only curious about this matter.
After all, I know about your love-hate relationship with Garp, but I really don’t know what kind of conflict you have with those Celestial Dragons. Don’t tell me it’s also because of Shakuyaku?”
In a certain sense, Shakuyaku was the beginning of many events. Without that succubus era, the sea might have turned out completely differently.
After all, without her, many people would never have appeared at God Valley.
“This matter… really has nothing to do with Shakuyaku…”
Roger rubbed his temples with a slight headache. Then, after thinking for a moment, he gestured for Gaban, Rayleigh, and the others to bring Shanks and Buggy back to the ship, taking Bullet along as well.
Only after those people had left did Roger let out a long sigh, then looked in the direction they had gone and said:
“That kid Shanks… I picked him up at God Valley. Somehow, he had hidden himself inside a treasure chest.
At first, I couldn’t understand why those Celestial Dragons kept chasing after us. Every time, we had to beat them until they no longer had the ability to keep reviving.
It wasn’t until later, when a guy named Sommers let it slip, that I found out Shanks was actually that Garling’s child.”
Roger understood very clearly that Nereus was right. If he truly wanted to do something, then to be safe, he simply would never have allowed them to land in the first place. He would have resolved everything in the deep sea.
Besides, there was no point hiding this matter. Nereus’ relationship with the Celestial Dragons might allow for some temporary agreements, but true compromise was impossible.
Rather than letting Nereus stay curious and giving the Celestial Dragons a chance to persuade him, it was better to explain everything clearly.
“How interesting. So that means he’s also a Celestial Dragon.”
“Shanks is different from the people in Mariejois.”
“I know. People are always diverse. Even in Mariejois, some ‘outliers’ are born.”
The Donquixote Family had Homing, Doflamingo’s father, who was precisely such a special existence. It was just that this kind of thinking was considered heretical among the Celestial Dragons.
“But even knowing his identity, you still kept him by your side… Roger, your thoughts don’t seem all that simple either.”
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