Nereus wasn’t particularly interested in what Roger wanted to do. Even whether he could reach the final island had little effect on Nereus.
The matter of reaching the final island only became widely known because the Roger Pirates themselves spread the news, and it still required the push of other people behind the scenes.
If the goal was merely to usher in an age of chaos, Nereus himself could easily create a new “Pirate King.”
He already had a way to translate the Poneglyphs, and Nereus also knew perfectly well where the four Poneglyphs were located.
One was hidden within the Whale Forest on the back of the giant elephant of Zou Island, in the Mokomo Dukedom.
Another was buried beneath the inland sea within the towering walls of Wano Country.
Charlotte Linlin also possessed one in her treasure vault. Although she still didn’t quite understand its purpose, as an avid collector, she had collected one of these special Poneglyphs as well.
And then there was the final one right at his own doorstep. Although in the original timeline no one knew where this stone had been moved to, at this moment it was firmly under Nereus’s control.
It was just that the things on that island were like a time capsule—reaching it ahead of time wouldn’t be of much use anyway.
Besides that, arriving on the island early would only attract additional attention from the World Government, bringing no benefits at all. That was why he had never made a move.
Nereus also didn’t try to stop Roger in any way. After chatting for a while, the Roger Pirates safely left Fishman Island and sailed toward the New World.
It wasn’t until the ship neared the ocean surface that Bullet finally woke up. Instinctively, he immediately started throwing punches to the side, only for Roger, who had long been prepared, to casually catch his fist.
“Bullet, we haven’t reached the surface yet. Don’t go breaking the bubble coating.”
“How are we here… Wasn’t I fighting in the arena…”
“You lost, and we left. Simple as that.”
Clenching his fist, Bullet also recalled what had happened. He really had lost, and been utterly crushed head-on in a direct fight.
That feeling of helplessness… he had only ever experienced it from Roger before.
The first time he met Roger, it had been the same. Completely powerless as he was defeated with a single slash.
“Compared to that person… who’s stronger, Nereus or her?”
“Of course it’s Nereus. The one who fought you was his daughter. Though the student may surpass the master one day, she’s still far from that level.”
While Roger chatted with Bullet, not far away by the cabin, two heads slowly popped out.
Most people aboard Roger’s ship got along fairly well. At this stage, Shanks and Buggy were at most a pair of bickering friends. If the other truly encountered danger, both of them would willingly throw away their lives for the other.
But if asked who they disliked most on the ship, both of them would choose Bullet.
“An arrogant b*stard.”
“A loner.”
Those were Buggy and Shanks’s evaluations of Bullet. They wanted to see what Bullet would become like after losing to someone other than Roger.
“Shanks, what do you think that guy’s gonna do? He got knocked out with one punch, after all. Maybe he’ll collapse to his knees and cry.”
If they could really witness Bullet suffering such humiliation, Buggy would be more than happy to see it, because Bullet was the only person on the ship who gave him absolutely no feeling of being a companion.
“How is that possible? The first time he lost to Captain Roger, all he did afterward was keep challenging the captain.”
“That’s different. Captain Roger is a world-famous great pirate, but this time it was just some little girl from the deep sea.”
Buggy had obviously forgotten the other party’s real age, remembering only her deceptively youthful appearance. But the truth proved that Buggy completely didn’t understand Bullet.
Bullet hated defeat, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t accept it. Losing to a strong opponent wasn’t something unacceptable to him.
Without any negative emotions at all, Bullet immediately resumed training aboard the ship, looking as though he intended to find a chance to win back.
Not meeting Nereus himself was certainly disappointing, but discovering that there were other powerful people out there on the seas was also something worth getting excited about.
Meanwhile, back on Fishman Island.
Because of the appearance of someone outside the realm of normal combat strength like Bullet, the arena battles on Fishman Island also temporarily came to an end.
Repairs weren’t all that troublesome either. Though it was called an arena, in essence it was just a large open space.
If they actually gave the place luxurious renovations, then Fishman Island’s construction crews could practically secure lifelong government jobs. Even ordinary Fish-Men had enough power in battle to leave the place riddled with craters and pits.
So all they really needed to do was level the ground and put up a few signs.
And Bullet wasn’t the only one intensifying his training, Alber was as well.
“My apologies, Lord Nereus. That person… my abilities weren’t very effective against him.”
“There’s no need to be discouraged. In terms of effort and talent, that guy ranks among the best on the seas.”
Even after being locked up in Impel Down, Bullet continued training every single day, and after escaping prison he became even stronger. Whether in mentality or talent, Bullet could be considered top-tier on the seas.
If not for the racial gifts that gave Alber a higher starting point, dealing with Bullet wouldn’t have been easy at all.
“How’s your Armament Haki training progressing?”
“It’s going well enough. I’ve already found the threshold for internal destruction.”
Armament Haki brought more than just an invisible shield, it was also the sharpest blade of the human body.
There were only a handful of people who had mastered Conqueror’s Haki Infusion. Aside from that, Armament Haki was the mainstream offensive method.
Devil Fruit development and mastery required time. Aside from the Lunarian’s flame-based damage, if he wanted to make up for weaknesses in offense, Armament Haki was already the most effective method.
As for Conqueror’s Haki…
If someone had already awakened Conqueror’s Haki, Nereus could teach them how to use it. But for those who hadn’t awakened it yet, there was little Nereus could do.
Trying to awaken Conqueror’s Haki wasn’t something that could be achieved on a training ground. Aside from those born with the qualities of a conqueror, most people only awakened it on battlefields where life and death were at stake, when their emotions reached an absolute extreme.
“Kirin’s abilities are related to dreams, so don’t neglect your Devil Fruit ability either. These dreams may prove greatly useful someday.”
The birth of dreams was inherently tied to a person’s spirit. While it was impossible to make the body stronger just by sleeping, it was still possible to enhance one’s mental strength to some extent.
And when Conqueror’s Haki first awakened, it was fundamentally a form of spiritual and forceful intimidation. Overall, the two did share some connection.
Once dreams became more controllable, they would also become an excellent tempering method.
“As for Devil Fruit ability, you can only rely on yourself. You may learn from other people’s ideas, but every Devil Fruit is unique.
If there’s anything you don’t understand about Haki, come ask me. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty Nereus. I won’t disappoint your expectations.”
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