“With such outstanding precedents already in place,” whether it was the current state of Fish-Man Island or Elbaf’s present development, the World Government felt both aligned well with what they needed.
When facing individuals powerful enough, as long as they showed the intention, recruitment could be considered. This was now a line of reasoning accepted by the World Government.
The essence of the Shichibukai system was exactly that. They did not care whether the other party harbored ambitions or ulterior motives.
As long as those ambitions had not been revealed, it was considered acceptable.
As for what might happen in the future, that could be dealt with in the future. At least for now, they were satisfied with the results.
The dissatisfaction within the Marines was not within the World Government’s scope of concern. There would always be some higher-up who could accept it; letting them persuade the others was enough to settle the matter.
When Kong saw the information regarding the Shichibukai, he had tried voicing his objections, but the Five Elders did not bother arguing much.
“When Nereus’s matter came up back then, there were plenty of objections within the Marines too. Haven’t they accepted it now?”
If a room is too dark and someone proposes opening a skylight, everyone will certainly oppose it. But if you propose tearing off the entire roof, people will come to compromise and become willing to accept the skylight instead.
Many quotes have been falsely attributed to Lu Xun, but this was one he genuinely said.
This was the “Door-in-the-Face effect,” also known as the “face-saving effect” or the “skylight effect.” [TN: This concept originates from Lu Xun’s classic metaphor in “Silent China”]
When making a request, one can first ask for something large and difficult.
Then follow it up with a smaller, more achievable request. Because the other party feels guilty about rejecting the first request, they become more likely to agree to the second.
For the Marines, however, the current situation was even more peculiar.
The appeasement policy toward Nereus was equivalent to tearing down the entire building. Since they had already accepted demolishing a whole building, what was wrong with removing a single door panel?
The Marines had no ability to stop this system from being implemented. Even if they disliked a particular candidate joining the Shichibukai, the most they could do was find a more suitable target and secure a slot in advance, rather than outright reject the system.
Actually putting this system into practice would still take considerable time. According to the original timeline, filling all the Shichibukai positions had taken quite a while.
However, as a new generation of monstrous rookies set sail, the Shichibukai system gradually began to crumble.
Inside Ryugu Palace, Nereus was examining the list in his hand. The outside world was developing, and Fish-Man Island was developing as well. Among the names on the list, Nereus spotted several familiar ones.
“Sasaki, Namur… the new generation is starting to grow up as well.”
Kawamatsu and Jinbe had been among the outstanding figures of the previous generation, while Sasaki and Namur represented the new one. In the original timeline, one became a Tobiroppo under Kaido, while the other became a division commander under Whitebeard. Both were powerhouses capable of standing on their own in the New World.
In the original timeline, some Fish-Men and Merfolk had been born in the outside seas. Sasaki represented that group.
Others had been born on Fish-Man Island, but back then Fish-Man Island only enjoyed peace during that turbulent era because of Whitebeard’s protection. As a result, many people went out to sea and joined other forces. Namur was an example of that.
Now, however, things were different. Although many parts of the stories Wobbegong told Yamato about Nereus were exaggerated, such stories were practically commonplace on Fish-Man Island.
While Fish-Man Island had always recorded its previous history objectively at the official level, the folk stories about Nereus were often far more outrageous.
As these stories spread from person to person, some were even beginning to evolve into myths. Under such circumstances, children born on Fish-Man Island naturally grew up with a goal to strive toward.
Meanwhile, people living in the outside seas gradually returned to Fish-Man Island, having found new goals. Some had even encountered trouble abroad and were brought back by merchants who needed to pass through Fish-Man Island.
Those merchants frequently traveled this route, and earning some goodwill from Fish-Man Island was never a bad thing.
Even Rayleigh had once been saved from a shipwreck by the young Hachi. Underwater, Fish-Men and Merfolk possessed innate advantages. It was a natural difference brought about by their race.
The ability to breathe underwater was something no other demi-human race possessed. Even a race as powerful as the Lunarians could only rely on their immense vitality to store more oxygen within their bodies. If submerged for too long, they still had to surface for air.
And compared to Sasaki and Namur, there was an even more special talent—Jack.
That was not his real name. As an orphan, nobody currently knew what his true name was. Yet his appearance and physical characteristics clearly revealed his identity.
One of Kaido’s Calamities in the original timeline – Jack the Drought.
Though he suffered defeat after defeat, every battle he fought was a high-level one. He had the reckless courage to charge at any ship and possessed tenacious vitality and tremendous endurance.
He looked rough, burly, and far older than he really was, but he was actually only twenty-eight years old. Becoming one of the 3 Calamities at such a young age, whether compared to others within the Beasts Pirates or to the forces under Whitebeard and Big Mom, was proof of truly exceptional talent.
Aside from his two daughters and the talented individuals recruited from outside, Jack would, barring any surprises, become one of the leading figures of the future. Though with that personality of his, he might need an external brain to accompany him.
The others noticed that Nereus was focusing on the list of citizens but didn’t pay it much mind. After all, Nereus’s criteria for selecting people had always been very accurate over the years; those he promoted had excellent talent and grew faster during training.
“You’re all so noisy! Can’t you stop chattering all the time?!”
While Nereus was examining the list, Chloe, who was attending lessons nearby, suddenly shouted angrily toward the front.
The teacher responsible for her cultural lessons froze in surprise, even dropping the lesson plan in hand. It was clearly a situation they had never anticipated.
“Chloe!”
“Mom… I wasn’t talking about the teacher. It’s just really noisy…”
“You may all leave for now. No classes today. Have the people outside leave as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Hearing Chloe’s words, Amphitrite suddenly realized something and waved for everyone else to depart.
Clearly, Chloe had heard voices that others could not. Although Merfolk could communicate with ordinary fish, when they were not actively speaking with them, it was as if they possessed a built-in mute function.
The only explanation for this situation was the Sea Kings.
On their journey back to Fish-Man Island, Chloe’s ability had begun to awaken faintly. Compared to the ordinary Sea Kings of the outer seas, the colossal Sea Kings of the deep sea were far more sensitive to it.
Naturally, this situation could not escape Nereus’s notice. As the bystanders left, he also walked over to Chloe’s side.
“Dad…”
“It’s alright. I know what’s happening to you right now. But those aren’t noises, they’re greetings from subjects that belong to you alone.”
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