Under the current circumstances, theoretically speaking, as long as the Marines did not actively seek trouble with Nereus, Nereus would not attack them either.
But that did not stop the Marines from worrying about what Nereus might do. Regardless of the cause, once a monster of this level started fighting, it would create enormous chaos throughout the Sabaody Archipelago.
Time could make people forget many things, but the terror represented by the name Nereus had always lingered in the Marines’ hearts. It was a fear forged from endless bloodshed.
The soldier responsible for monitoring Nereus’s movements was neither some powerful officer nor a stealth-specialized Cipher Pol agent. Instead, he was a newly enlisted recruit who had only recently been assigned to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Although Nereus’s name had not become something the World Government absolutely had to conceal like the “D” in the names of Rocks or Roger, it was still a presence gradually being downplayed.
If veteran soldiers were assigned this kind of mission, the fear buried in their hearts would easily make them retreat.
Besides, for soldiers tasked with this mission…
No matter how strong they were, they could never possibly be stronger than Nereus. Since they would be exposed anyway, it was better to send someone weaker—someone with little initiative of their own who would only strictly carry out superior’s orders—and have him observe the target from a distance.
Even if they were discovered, it could still be presented as a standard procedure rather than a declaration of war.
Besides, because these new recruits did not know much about Nereus, they actually carried less psychological pressure.
“Someone’s following us.”
Not long afterward, at Bubble Park, Amphitrite looked toward a distant corner with an extremely unfriendly gaze.
Her former life on the run had made her extraordinarily sensitive to pursuers. Sometimes it wasn’t even through Observation Haki, but pure instinct.
“It’s fine, just little rats sent by the Marines. If they want to follow us, let them. Smart rats that know how to stay quiet are much more interesting than rabid rats squeaking noisily everywhere.”
This kind of tailing surveillance was just like the monitoring ships used to watch great pirates—it was essentially a suicide mission from the start. It was fine if the target ignored them, but once they made a move, those Marines would be completely helpless against them.
The only thing they could do was use their deaths to inform Marine Headquarters that these pirates had made a new move. In theory, even if one batch died, another batch would replace them. The Marines had endless numbers of soldiers they could expend as cannon fodder like this.
Besides these obvious watchers, quite a few members of the World Government and Marines were also hidden throughout the Sabaody Archipelago. People who looked ordinary on the surface might secretly possess completely different identities.
After all, judging by the World Government’s way of thinking, even someone like Rob Lucci—hailed as the greatest Cipher Pol genius in eight hundred years—could still be assigned undercover infiltration missions.
With talent like Lucci’s, awakening within two years, or someone like Kaku awakening only two years after eating a Devil Fruit, if they hadn’t wasted so many years infiltrating, they might already have earned titles like “Strongest XX.”
Since there were currently no plans to completely tear relations apart, letting these people quietly follow them was no big deal.
“Still… these guys should stay a little farther away.”
Borrowing some paper and a pen from a stall owner in the amusement park, Nereus casually scribbled a few words down. Then he seemingly carelessly flicked the slip of paper aside.
Whoosh!
The light piece of paper produced a sharp tearing sound the instant it left his hand. The seemingly fragile sheet became like an arrow released from a bow, embedding itself into the button on the chest of the leading Marine before anyone could react.
Crack…
The metal button was sliced apart cleanly, and after cutting through it, the thin paper perfectly lodged itself into the man’s collar.
Gulp…
The Marine who sensed something strange suddenly felt his legs weaken. Trembling, he raised his hand toward his chest.
Rip…
The fragile paper tore in half under his pull. A small portion remained embedded in his clothing, while the other half ended up in his hand.
【Stay farther away.】
“Fall back… stay farther away from them…”
The instant the paper sliced through the button, he had already raised his hand to signal everyone to stop.
After repeatedly confirming that it was just an ordinary piece of paper with nothing special about it whatsoever, the Marine remained silent, but decided to follow the instructions written on the note.
His throat certainly wasn’t tougher than a metal button. If that paper could slice through the button just now, the next one could cut through his throat.
“Captain, then the mission…”
“The mission only said to follow them. It never specified how close… His Majesty doesn’t need our ‘protection’ anyway. If you don’t want your name appearing on a casualty notice… then behave yourselves…”
That’s right—the mission’s official purpose was secretly protecting the king of an affiliated nation. After all, Nereus’s current status was no longer the same as before.
But among the Marines, the infamous reputation of slaughtering Marines and killing a Marine Fleet Admiral still remained deeply ingrained. Even if the recruits didn’t understand it, the veterans remembered it vividly.
They couldn’t ignore him, but they also couldn’t manage him properly, nor could they treat him like an ordinary pirate. In the end, this situation was created.
As they retreated, the Marine also picked up the button that had fallen onto the ground.
“Monsters… they really are all monsters…”
Their own bodies were their greatest weapons—this was the evaluation given to those martial powerhouse types.
Garp could throw cannonballs with his bare hands faster and farther than actual cannons could fire them. On these seas, a human body tempered through endless training could surpass even roaring steel weaponry.
Once it was confirmed that Nereus was merely sightseeing, the Marines at the Sabaody Archipelago finally relaxed somewhat. However, the criminals lurking around Bubble Park ended up suffering miserably because of it.
To prevent any of those people from provoking Nereus, the Marines carried out a preemptive crackdown in the surrounding area, improving public security in the Sabaody Archipelago to a certain extent.
At that moment, Nanamo and Chloe were standing before a shooting game stall, firing at targets. Compared to her earlier indiscriminate bombardment, Chloe’s accuracy had improved significantly.
While she still couldn’t hit every shot like a master marksman, she was no longer missing 100% of the time like before.
“I’m planning to take Chloe out on a trip.”
“Where to?”
“East Blue. I’ll take her to broaden her horizons, and while I’m at it, collect a debt someone still hasn’t repaid.”
“That place… has something special about it?”
Amphitrite had her own understanding of the Four Seas.
Each sea had produced powerful individuals. East Blue had given rise to top-tier figures like Roger and Garp, but after Roger, no overwhelmingly powerful great pirate had emerged from East Blue.
Among pirates, East Blue was mockingly called the weakest sea. Even producing the Pirate King couldn’t change its overall weakness.
But in the eyes of the Marines and the World Government, East Blue lacked the mafias and criminal syndicates rampant in West Blue, the endless kingdom conflicts of North Blue, and the overwhelming number of pirates found in South Blue.
As the most stable sea, it symbolized peace.
If the goal was broadening one’s horizons, the cruel New World would seemingly have been the better choice.
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