At this point, Nereus could confirm that Chloe carried Merfolk bloodline, though the exact type was still unclear. At the very least, Chloe had never displayed any related abilities.
Although Fish-Men were said to possess greater arm strength, power itself was the result of full-body coordination, and Fish-Men held an overall advantage in physical strength.
Without that boost, Chloe could not match her big sister in terms of raw power.
The ability to switch flame modes, the underwater swimming speed of Merfolk, and the aerial superiority of the Lunarians—Chloe was destined to possess a far more three-dimensional combat style in the future.
Moreover, across the entire sea, Chloe was one of the very few people capable of learning every combat method Nereus himself used aside from his Devil Fruit ability.
“Come to think of it, Chloe’s already over three years old. The playful kind of training should more or less end here. It’s time for proper training to begin.
As for flames, I don’t really have any experience with them. After all, that’s the inheritance of your Lunarian race. You and Alber will have to handle that part.”
Nereus looked toward Amphitrite beside him. As some of the very few Lunarians left on the seas, only they themselves truly understood the legacy of their race.
“I know. I was already planning to start teaching her properly. Honestly, I think she could’ve started even earlier.”
“This is already early enough. Training is training, but there still needs to be balance. After all, childhood only comes once. If you miss it, it might never be made up for in a lifetime.
I understand what you’re thinking, but these things can’t be rushed. An era of chaos is about to arrive, and within that era, we’ll bring the past to an end.”
The intensity of Chloe’s training began to rise, though she herself didn’t really notice it. Full of energy, she instead felt that her parents and big sister seemed to have more time to play with her.
This situation did not last very long before Nereus received a report from the surface.
The Oro Jackson had appeared in nearby waters once again.
And this time, Roger’s objective was clear. When applying for passage permits, he had already stated that he wished to meet Nereus about something.
“Roger, based on what you said, does that mean the final Road Poneglyph was originally in Nereus’ hands?”
As the Oro Jackson descended, Rayleigh, Gaban, and the others sat solemnly inside the cabin. After all, they were only one step away from success, and all of them wanted to help Roger fulfill this wish.
Or rather, this was not merely Roger’s wish; it was the dream of the entire Roger Pirates.
“Yeah. Judging from his tone back then… that should be the case.”
“Assuming the Poneglyph really is in his possession, how are we supposed to obtain the text on it? Sneak in like we did at Whole Cake Island?”
“No. This is Fishman Island, and Nereus isn’t Big Mom. If he discovers us doing that and starts chasing us in the deep sea, there’s no way we’ll escape.”
Roger rejected the idea outright, though he was already putting it politely.
Not to mention how difficult it would be to escape in the deep sea, even if they were lucky enough to return to the surface, if Nereus locked onto them, the rest of their journey would become impossible to complete.
Any ship sailing on the sea would be helpless in that situation.
“Besides, he probably isn’t interested in that matter. Think about where the other three Poneglyphs are located. I remember Nereus also has Minks under his command, so he probably knows there’s one on Zunesha as well.
As for the one in Big Mom’s possession, he probably has a way to get his hands on it too. And regarding Wano Country… Oden, you said he visited Wano a long time ago, right?”
Roger looked toward Kozuki Oden, who had been borrowed over from Whitebeard’s crew.
“Yeah, that was many years ago. I even fought his daughter once. She was an incredibly troublesome opponent.
Oh right, he could read Poneglyphs too. Back then I thought that kind of script was widely known in the outside world. I didn’t expect none of you knew it.”
Oden suddenly clapped his hands together as he blurted out something he had just remembered.
“Doesn’t this feel a little strange? If you count it that way, if he really wanted to go to the final island, he could’ve gone there long ago. It almost feels like he intentionally gave up the opportunity.”
Only now did Oden belatedly realize the issue and say it out loud directly.
If they accomplished something nobody else could do, then it truly would be an unprecedented grand adventure.
But suddenly hearing that someone else could have done it all along and simply chose not to inevitably dampened the excitement a little.
Roger himself merely laughed loudly, looking completely unconcerned.
“No matter what, nobody has reached that island so far, right? Or rather, none of us from the later generations have gone there yet. That place still holds far too many mysteries waiting for us to uncover!
Speaking of which, did any of you hear another voice just now?”
“What?”
“Something about a hybrid princess or whatever. I didn’t hear it clearly. If it wasn’t one of you talking… then maybe I just misheard it.”
The enormous shadow of a Sea King swam overhead, and Roger’s group temporarily ended the conversation as they continued descending toward Fishman Island.
Passing through that familiar stretch of sea, Roger and his crew once again arrived outside Fishman Island, within the waters illuminated by Eve.
“The last time we came to Fishman Island, that muscle-brained idiot Bullet caused such a mess that we never got the chance to properly look around. This time that guy’s gone, so nobody should cause trouble, right?”
After landing, Roger headed off alone to look for Nereus, while the others dispersed as usual after arriving on the island, each going about their own business.
Buggy looked around at the changes in the surroundings while complaining to Shanks about Bullet.
“Not necessarily. Look over there.”
Shanks pointed toward Oden nearby. In the original timeline, Oden had often visited Fishman Island while aboard Whitebeard’s ship, but now, because of Neptune, the Moby Dick generally avoided coming to Fishman Island.
Whenever there were matters that needed handling, other ships would be sent instead. Oden, who had remained aboard the Moby Dick the whole time, had therefore never come here. Even now, Oden was still full of curiosity about the place, acting like an inquisitive child.
If there was anyone likely to stir up trouble here, it would probably only be Oden.
Whether Oden would actually cause any commotion remained unknown, but Roger had already arrived at Ryugu Palace.
“I told you, you would come back.”
“So the Poneglyph… really is with you.”
Looking at the two stone blocks at the entrance, placed like guardian lion dogs to protect the house, Roger understood many things.
“Then let’s get straight to the point, Nereus. I don’t have much time left. This will most likely be the last time we meet.
The information recorded on that stone concerns my voyage. What price must I pay to obtain the text recorded on it?”
“A price? There’s no rush for that. The fact that you managed to arrive here smoothly already proves that I never intended to stop your voyage.
But what I’m more curious about is this: what was your purpose when you first set sail? And now… what is it you want to do?”
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