“You… knelt pretty damn fast…”
Nereus didn’t pay attention to what Vander Decken VIII actually looked like. Whether Fish-Men or Merfolk, descendants don’t necessarily resemble one another.
Even blood-related siblings can look completely different; the randomness of Fish-Type traits can result in huge variations in appearance.
Of course, there are cases where they look very similar, but that’s basically down to chance.
Based on his memory of Vander Decken IX’s appearance, it was impossible to infer what the eighth generation looked like.
In fact, even the original records of Fishman Island only mentioned the pirate ship “Flying Dutchman,” so from the very beginning, Nereus had been targeting the ship itself.
“Haha… you’re joking, my lord. Who on Fishman Island hasn’t heard of your great reputation? I didn’t know that was your ship. If I had, even if you killed me I wouldn’t have dared to rob their cargo.
I’ll return those things immediately! Please give me a chance. I… I have a secret I can offer in exchange!
This is something Vander Decken left behind. You’ll definitely be interested…”
Vander Decken VIII looked like a catfish-type Fish-Man. His body structure was similar to Barbell’s, but unlike Barbell’s muscular build, Vander Decken VIII was simply obese, looking somewhat like Tahm. [TN: Tahm Kench from League of Legends]
At this moment, he was extremely humble, showing no intention of resisting at all.
“Interesting. Is keeping secrets some kind of custom on Fishman Island? Go on, let’s hear it. Considering you only looted cargo and didn’t hurt anyone, I can let you off lightly.”
Hearing that Nereus was willing to listen, Vander Decken VIII let out a sigh of relief. After dismissing his underlings from the ship, he even brought over a chair for Nereus.
“Lord Nereus, please allow me to explain. In truth, our clan’s ancestor, Vander Decken himself, originally lived on land.
The legend says that Captain Vander Decken suddenly went mad, threw all his crewmates into the sea, angered the gods, and was thus condemned to wander the ocean depths forever.
But that was a lie told by the first generation!
The real reason we came to the deep sea… was because of the ‘Mermaid Princess’…
And over these long years, the sea level has been rising without end. This world will eventually be swallowed by the ocean! The future world will belong to you! In the sea, there will be no one who can stand against you!”
Vander Decken VIII told Nereus a very long story, from the first generation all the way to the present, with the core focus being Poseidon and the rising sea level.
According to him, Vander Decken had foreseen all of this long ago, and so began laying plans several generations in advance.
“Lord Nereus, to be honest, I’ve long wanted to join your banner. For the sake of this great secret, please give me a chance.”
“So you’re just going to abandon Vander Decken’s ambition like that?”
“Please don’t joke, my lord. I know my own limits. But Lord Nereus, if it is you, so long as you find Poseidon, the world would truly be yours.
At worst, we do nothing at all and wait for the sea to drown the world. Only a few strong individuals in the world would be able to survive against the Sea Kings’ army… and you would be the strongest of all within the ocean…”
Nereus felt that Vander Decken VIII was painting him a pretty picture. According to him, obtaining Poseidon was equivalent to ruling the seas.
“Your secret is of no use to me.”
“Th-this…”
“But since you know when to submit, I’ll let you off with a light punishment this time. If you dare to offend me again in the future…”
Seeing how humble and compliant the eighth generation was, Nereus was willing to show mercy once.
Even back when it was Pontus, if he hadn’t stubbornly insisted on fighting to the death over the throne, Nereus wouldn’t have gone for the kill.
Seeing that Nereus had agreed to his request, Vander Decken VIII brought up another request.
“Please rest assured! Information is hard to get by on my end, I didn’t know you had already become king, otherwise I would’ve pledged my loyalty long ago. But I do have one small request. Could you… make it look like we fought?”
“?”
Faced with this strange request, Nereus didn’t think much of it, merely putting a bit more force into his movements as he departed.
Even so, it caused the deep-sea waters to ripple and surge; the sediment on the seabed, swept up by the surging sea currents, turned the already murky waters into a state of total darkness.
Those whom Vander Decken VIII had driven away had no idea what had happened aboard the ship. Yet once the waters calmed, they discovered that Vander Decken VIII was still alive.
“Boss, you… you didn’t die?”
“Hmph. I pretended to submit to him, then launched a surprise attack when he let his guard down. But his strength really is formidable, even that wasn’t enough to take him down.
And he, too, was shaken by my power and decided to take me in. Seeing as he truly has the future of Fishman Island at heart, I reluctantly agreed to join his ranks.”
The other Fish-Men around him exchanged looks, their faces plainly saying “We don’t buy it,” yet the fact remained that Vander Decken VIII was still alive after the supposed “battle.”
Nereus’s combat strength was beyond question. These people had all grown up in the Fish-Man District, and now they began to feel that perhaps they had underestimated their own boss.
The looted cargo was returned to its rightful owners, and the merchants were overflowing with gratitude. News that Fishman Island now ensured safe trade spread quietly through their networks. For a time, the number of people choosing to apply for trade licenses increased noticeably.
Many affairs on Fishman Island began running far more smoothly. The documents concerning the numerous Poneglyphs have also been sorted out. Making use of Kuma’s Paw-Paw Fruit ability, Nereus traveled to the former site of God Valley in the West Blue at incredible speed.
The two once-lofty mountain peaks were long gone, and even the island itself had been reduced to ruins. However, this wasn’t Nereus’s destination. Kuma had only left a single marker in the West Blue, and this was it.
After arriving here, Nereus headed for Ohara. The people on the island had no idea what happened; they only knew that a new scholar had joined them, bringing with him a large amount of documents.
Once all those documents had been translated, that scholar joined Ohara’s expedition team and set out once more, only to vanish without a trace on an island near the Grand Line.
That mysterious scholar was, of course, Nereus. He had already obtained what he wanted.
The re-checking of Poneglyphs corrected some minor errors. Combined with his own insights gained in battle and Rocks’s feedback on battle, Nereus was able to confirm one thing.
No matter what the activation conditions of Imu’s Domi Reversi were, by relying on the soul-substitution of the River of Death, he could avoid its effects.
Since the God Valley Incident of Year 1503, factoring in time spent sailing and developing Fishman Island, it was now the year 1505 of the Age of the Sea Circle.
Over these two years, the seas had never known peace. Most of the people who had once served under Rocks had already made names for themselves.
Nereus, who seemed to have been living quietly in the deep sea, playing the “make-believe game,” had set his sights on a new objective after making thorough preparations.
Red Line.
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