Still carrying some doubts, Tiger and the others departed from Foolshout Island.
On the distant sea, after seeing Tiger leave, the Marines and Cipher Pol branch agents also breathed sighs of relief. No longer concerning themselves with the matter of the slaves, they quickly withdrew from the surrounding waters.
As insignificant underlings, becoming involved in the struggles of those above was never a good thing. Once dragged into it, no matter what result the higher-ups ultimately reached, they could easily be discarded as expendable pawns.
Rather than gambling on that minuscule possibility, keeping their distance was the wiser choice.
Meanwhile, on Fishman Island, a massive figure appeared outside Ryugu Palace. It was Harald himself.
To Giants, several years pass in the blink of an eye, not even long enough for time to leave any trace upon them.
The battles in the first half of the Grand Line had been no more than children playing house to Harald and had failed to leave so much as a scar on him.
However, a new symbol had appeared on Harald’s left arm: a cross embedded within a circle, resembling the flag of the World Government.
“The mark of the Knights of God. You didn’t have that mark the last time I saw you. It seems you finally got what you wanted?”
It was a mark personally bestowed by Imu. Although it was merely the lowest-ranked Shallows Covenant, and his position was only that of a reserve member of the Knights of God—a Devoted Blade of God—it still counted as a small step forward for Harald.
“It happened last year. There are certain matters I can’t speak much about.”
“That’s your own business. But what did you come here for? With your current status, you can already return openly to Mariejois through the Red Port. There shouldn’t be any need for you to come to my territory.”
“There are still some things I want to discuss with you. You should know that some Giants have joined the Marines.”
After exchanging a few casual words, Harald sat cross-legged on the ground and turned to the main subject.
“I haven’t attacked the Marines in some time. If I encounter any of your citizens, I’ll show them mercy.”
“Thank you, but that isn’t the main point. Not long ago, a Giant named Saul arrived in Elbaf. He once served in the Marines as well.
When I saw him again, however, he was suffering from severe frostbite. He rarely speaks about what happened in the past, but I can clearly sense that he no longer trusts the World Government or the Marines.”
After the Buster Call, Saul regained consciousness as the ice surrounding him gradually melted. After recuperating in his homeland for a time, he ultimately chose to travel to Elbaf.
Among Giants, Saul could be considered fairly educated. He was currently working at a school in Elbaf at Harald’s request.
However, Saul’s words had continued to linger in Harald’s mind.
“Your objective hasn’t changed, has it? Joining the World Government and integrating Elbaf into the world.”
“I simply can’t tell what the future will ultimately look like. I only hope Elbaf can become as peaceful and prosperous as this place.”
“I admit that the changes in the Ryugu Kingdom’s environment are somewhat connected to its agreement with the World Government. It has saved me quite a bit of trouble, but relying entirely on those people is out of the question.
However, you and I are different. I advise you to leave yourself some room when you act. Xebec’s ‘dying words’ made it perfectly clear that those people have their eyes on you.”
Since Harald had no intention of changing his plans, there was little point in saying too much.
Harald merely wanted someone to complain to for a while. After grumbling a little more about how difficult children were to raise and similar matters, he left Fishman Island and returned to Mariejois.
Compared to his previous status of working off the books, Harald had now become more like an ordinary contract worker and enjoyed considerably more freedom, frequently traveling between Elbaf and Mariejois.
Time slowly passed, and many things happened across the seas during this period.
Saul taught the knowledge he had acquired outside at Walrus School in Elbaf. His values were also influencing the next generation of Giants, though given the rate at which Giants matured, it would take an exceedingly long time for them to grow up.
Kaido came into conflict in the New World with Hanafuda, known as the “King of Lizards.” However, after a battle, Hanafuda ended up being captivated by Kaido’s charisma instead.
Although he did not directly join the Beasts Pirates, they formed a cooperative relationship.
Ever since the concert, Tesoro had followed Nanamo’s instructions and studied the insurance-sales business abroad. At first, the results were not very good.
After all, the Neptune Army was not the Marines. Even though it was powerful in naval warfare, its operational range did not extend across the entire world like the Marines’ did, and it could only operate within limited areas.
Furthermore, most large affiliated nations had Marine bases nearby. Compared with another country, most people still trusted the Marines and the World Government more.
At that moment, however, the World Government did Tesoro a tremendous favor.
The influence of the Great Pirate Era continued to expand. Some weaker nations lacked the national strength to deal with powerful pirates, and in one such country, pirates took five hundred soldiers hostage.
They demanded treasures and ordered the king to surrender his throne to them, making utterly outrageous demands.
The king had no solution of his own and requested aid from the World Government. Rob Lucci, who was dispatched there, employed the most unusual method of “rescue.”
Before the pirates could act, Rob Lucci personally killed all five hundred hostages, then killed the pirates who surrounded him afterward.
When rescuers could not guarantee the hostages’ safety, it was sometimes difficult to say who the terrorists were and who the rescuers were.
With the help of a certain informed source who preferred to remain anonymous, the news reached Morgans. After it was widely publicized, some countries genuinely began considering purchasing insurance from elsewhere.
This successfully boosted Tesoro’s sales business.
“Put that way, doesn’t it sound like it was just luck?”
“Luck is also part of one’s strength. The fact that he could pull it off shows that he has a talent for making money, so I promoted him and placed him in charge of external sales for the Sabaody Archipelago region. From the looks of things, he’s doing quite well.”
In September of the year 1525 of the Sea Circle Calendar, in Dressrosa, Nanamo was telling Scarlett about what had happened.
For ordinary personnel appointments, Nereus would merely take Nanamo’s opinion into consideration. But when it came to making money, Nereus would generally employ anyone Nanamo believed to be talented without hesitation.
“Speaking of which, I really never expected you to already have a child. Are normal babies like this when they’re just over a month old?”
“Why does that sound so strange coming from you? Didn’t you say you spent plenty of time looking after your younger sister?”
“I did, but Chloe was different. Look.”
As she spoke, Nanamo pulled out a burning piece of wood from the fireplace, called out to Chloe, and threw it toward her.
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