“What a pity…”
Looking at Kyros and Scarlett nearby, King Riku sighed. He had valued Kyros’s integrity and strength and assigned him to protect his daughter.
But this wasn’t the kind of protection he had in mind!
King Riku was still lamenting that Nanamo was a girl. Had she been Nereus’s son, given how close the two were, she would now have been the perfect candidate for a marriage alliance.
“Father, the funeral isn’t over yet. Keep looking sad.”
Viola poked King Riku, reminding him to pay attention to the occasion. The funeral was still underway.
Scarlett had always enjoyed a good reputation throughout the country, so her funeral left countless citizens grief-stricken. It was not until evening that the ceremony finally came to an end.
The group who knew the truth then went to the new home King Riku had prepared for Scarlett.
Although it could not compare to the Royal Palace, it was small but fully equipped, and they would not need to worry about their daily necessities.
At this moment, Nanamo was scrutinizing Scarlett and Kyros with a somewhat unfriendly gaze. She could not shake the feeling that she had been played.
“What a shame. When I came here two years ago, I should’ve brought a Vision Dial. Then I could play it back for you now.”
The moment she finished speaking, a Vision Dial was held out in front of her.
“Sister Nanamo, do you need a Vision Dial? I brought one!”
“Why did you bring a Vision Dial…?”
“To record my life. That way, when I return to that lightless place called Wano Country someday, I’ll still be able to reminisce about the outside world.”
It was Yamato who had offered her the Vision Dial. Such items were quite common on Fishman Island, which sold many products suitable for use while traveling outside.
“No need. You and Chloe can go play outside. I was only joking with them. Hermes! Go keep an eye on them!”
Outside Scarlett’s new home stretched an endless field of sunflowers. Viola ran out with them as well, and they all played together amid the sea of flowers.
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago, a slightly stooped figure appeared.
Although she looked like nothing more than an elderly woman, her movements were remarkably swift, and she made her way directly to Shakuyaku’s Rip-Off Bar.
“Gloriosa? What brings you here?”
“Shakuyaku, something happened… Hancock… was taken by human traffickers…”
“How did those people get into Amazon Lily?”
“It didn’t happen on the island. It happened aboard a ship while they were away.”
After hearing Gloriosa’s explanation, Shakuyaku found it even harder to understand. A Kuja ship venturing outside was no sightseeing vessel, but a warship filled with warriors.
The strongest empress of the current generation had been aboard, and the highly venomous Yuda were pulling the ship. Yet someone had still managed to take a person away from it?
“Tritoma wasn’t on the ship?”
“She was. We still can’t explain how Hancock was taken. The problem is… how are we supposed to get her back? That girl’s talent surpasses even yours and mine. She is…”
“I know. The successor to the next empress and the most gifted warrior. But the problem is… there’s not much I can do about something like this either.”
Shakuyaku had left the Kuja many years ago, but if they needed help, she would not stand idly by, provided she was actually capable of helping.
Shakuyaku knew a little about Hancock’s situation. She could be called the genius of the Kuja’s next generation and had already been designated as Tritoma’s successor. This voyage had also been part of Hancock’s trial as a warrior.
“With that girl’s beauty, if this drags on for too long, she’ll probably be sold to those Celestial Dragons… You’ve lived on the Sabaody Archipelago for so long. Do you have any way to contact Nereus?
When it comes to something like this… he’s the real professional.”
Back on Fullalead Island, talented individuals had been everywhere, each with their own area of expertise. If one had a conflict with a major criminal organization entrenched on some island, invoking the names of Golden Lion or Silver Axe would certainly have an effect.
Whether that effect would be positive or negative was another matter.
Ganzui was a major figure in the smuggling trade, while Buckin possessed all manner of scientific technology…
But the one who understood slave traders best was Nereus. Even though those people spent every day devising ways to hide from him, he still managed to come knocking on their doors.
Neither Shakuyaku nor Gloriosa was particularly close to Nereus. The number they had used back on Fullalead Island no longer worked, and Gloriosa had no idea how to contact him, so she could only come here first.
“Let’s go to Fishman Island’s office. They’ll have a way to contact Nereus.”
Before long, Shakuyaku brought Gloriosa to Fishman Island’s office. Barbell was still the one on duty, which saved them quite a bit of trouble when it came to explaining things.
However…
“You’re Gloriosa?”
Barbell’s eyes widened. No matter how hard he tried, he could not connect the old woman before him with the Gloriosa of the past.
Had Shakuyaku not been standing beside her, Barbell would never have believed that this woman was Kuja’s Gloriosa from back then.
Even without any title like the most beautiful woman in the world, the young Gloriosa had been just like Buckin—one of the beauties of Fullalead Island, with no shortage of pursuers.
“It’s me, Barbell. For old times’ sake, help me contact Nereus. I have something very important to discuss with him.”
After a moment of silence, Barbell still picked up the Den Den Mushi beside him. They had never had any major conflicts back on Fullalead Island, and with their old acquaintance, making a phone call was hardly a problem.
…
Gloriosa’s journey went fairly smoothly. Nereus did not refuse to meet her and instead had Barbell send someone to escort her to Fishman Island.
“Time truly is cruel, Gloriosa.”
“Everything has changed, yet you still carry the same elegance… I’ll get straight to the point. One of the Kuja pirates was captured by human traffickers in the nearby waters. I hope you can help me find her and bring her back.
I heard you’ve continued striking at those people all these years. For you… this shouldn’t be difficult, should it?”
“If you knew exactly who did it and where their ship was, then it would indeed be easy. But if you knew that, there’d be no need to come to me. With the Kuja’s combat strength, you should be capable of taking her back yourselves.”
Nereus’s attacks were random. Whoever happened to be caught was simply unlucky. A situation like Gloriosa’s was not exactly like searching for a needle in the ocean, but it would still take a considerable amount of effort to possibly intercept the culprits.
“This…”
“All right, there’s no need to explain so much. I do hate those people, but fulfilling this request of yours will require no small amount of effort. It’s only reasonable for me to ask for compensation, isn’t it?”
“What do you want?”
Compared to Nereus setting conditions, Gloriosa was far more worried that he would refuse. After all, the Kuja truly had no intelligence network outside their island, and it would be difficult to locate the culprits through their own strength.
“It’s simple. I want the Kuja’s method of training Haki. Aside from that, you don’t have anything I need.”
Powerful people all taught Haki, but the Kuja were special. As a nation where every citizen was a warrior, nearly all of them could use explosive arrows infused with Armament Haki.
That involved a training method which was easier to popularize, exactly the kind of thing that interested Nereus…
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