Chapter 121: Lying Through Their Teeth
Over the past two years, he had worked tirelessly, hiding his identity to do illegal labor for the World Government.
He had traded his willingness to sell himself into slavery for this opportunity, but his progress had only just begun.
Now, someone with a far worse track record than his had achieved what he wanted ahead of time. Even Harald found it somewhat hard to understand.
He was no goody-two-shoes; in his youth, he had been quite the violent thug himself.
Searching his soul, Harald felt that his martial prowess was not inferior to Nereus's. Even if there was a gap between them, he wouldn't be much weaker.
And compared to Nereus, he had been acting like a perfectly well-behaved child.
How was it that while he was just starting out, the other party had directly reached the finish line using such brutal methods?
"Forget it. Our national circumstances are different. That kind of method is destined not to be suitable for the Giant Kingdom. But if you can also achieve peace, then that is a good thing..."
Harald didn't dwell on this matter too much and quickly let it go. He felt his and Nereus's goals were actually quite similar; they just used different methods.
If such radical methods could succeed, he should also be close to achieving his goal.
It was fortunate Harald rarely returned to Mary Geoise. Otherwise, if he knew the Five Elders' plan to make him do Nereus's dirty work to build up some "meritorious service," his expression would probably be far more complicated.
While Harald could brush this off, the one who actually felt the deepest emotional impact from the news reports was Neptune.
"You really did it, Nereus... In less than a year, you achieved the goal Fish-man Island couldn't accomplish for over a century..."
The contents of the report left Neptune with mixed feelings. The World Government had its customary way of shifting blame. They completely omitted why things had been the way they were over the past years—anyway, it wasn't their fault.
They didn't even entertain the thought of firing "temporary workers"; they simply stated that the relevant personnel had unfortunately died in a previous natural disaster, meaning the dead couldn't be held accountable.
As for the Ryugu Kingdom, it wasn't Nereus's fault, but the problem of the former royal family. The report even went out of its way to flatter Nereus in this regard.
"Neptune, it might not be appropriate for me to say this, but that guy Nereus... aside from being as strong as a monster, his mindset is also highly unique.
I spent some time with him over on Beehive Island (Hachinosu), and the feeling he gave off...
He clearly didn't understand the relevant situations, yet he grasped some very crucial things..."
"It's nothing. Even my Royal Father would want Fish-man Island to walk towards glory. If he can truly achieve this... it is a good thing."
Meanwhile, Golden Lion Shiki and Silver Axe were still engaged in some bizarre struggle where the loser would be deemed a low-tier pirate. But after seeing the report, Golden Lion suddenly felt he had fallen behind the times.
Compared to being a pirate occupying a piece of territory, establishing a kingdom of his own seemed much more interesting.
"Boys! The game is over! All hands, retreat! Let that idiot Silver Axe play by himself!"
"Admiral? What about us?"
"The era has changed! I'm going to establish my own Flying Empire! Jihahahaha! This is my first step to conquering the world!"
Back on Fish-man Island, the news that the Ryugu Kingdom had regained all its rightful privileges had already been announced to the entire island. However, the feelings of the majority of Fish-man Island's residents towards this were different from those of outsiders.
"His Majesty Nereus is so amazing to be able to make the World Government change its attitude."
"Yeah, even the World Government fears His Majesty Nereus's power."
This was the most widely circulated narrative among Nereus's worshippers. In their eyes, whether the World Government acknowledged it or not wouldn't change anything.
Fish-man Island had always been like this. The risks brought by passing pirates had been vastly curtailed under Nereus's suppression. Recently, there hadn't been a single incident of a citizen going missing.
Those who could realize that this meant Fish-man Island was beginning to step out of the deep sea and reintegrate with the world were actually in the minority.
This was also the impact of Fish-man Island being closed off for so long. Once the new generation gradually received more education, they would naturally come to understand these things.
Compared to those long-term goals, the immediate benefits were what commanded their attention.
Inside the Ryugu Palace, Amphelite looked at the newspaper just brought back, her eyes equally filled with disbelief.
[Confirmed by the World Government: This individual is not a member of the Lunarian Tribe. The bounty promised by the World Government will not apply to her. Please do not report her...]
"Are they just... lying through their teeth?"
"Of course. After all, clashing to the bitter end over you brings them no benefit.
But don't pay too much attention to these things. Rather than saying Fish-man Island signed an agreement with the World Government, it's more accurate to say I signed an agreement with the Five Elders.
The prerequisite for all these agreements taking effect is that we are strong enough. If Fish-man Island declines again one day and its own strength cannot defend these rights, then all of this will just be empty talk."
Fish-man Island needed a broader space for development, and it also needed time to develop. Now, Nereus had secured these things single-handedly.
"According to the contents of the agreement back then, the Lawless Area of the Sabaody Archipelago is now considered ours. That place is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes; combat is inevitable.
When the time comes... you should go there and temper yourself. Without sufficient real combat experience, you won't be able to grow."
Not only Amphelite but also Nanamo and the entire next generation of Fish-man Island would begin using the Sabaody Archipelago as a stepping stone to gradually start their trials.
Pirates who could reach that location usually had some strength, but there wasn't the kind of insurmountable gap found in the New World. It was the perfect location for tempering oneself.
When the time came, Nereus would also hold down the fort over there. Compared to handling boring governmental affairs in the palace, ensuring the development of the next generation was much more important.
At the same time, on a deserted island in the New World, quite a few corpses lay scattered around. An eleven-year-old boy stood among the bodies, looking suspiciously at the report in his hands.
[This person is not a Lunarian...]
"Impossible. These features... she is clearly a Lunarian... How did she do it?"
The boy had a tattoo on his face similar in style to Amphelite's, and flames burned equally upon his back. Without a doubt, he was also a Lunarian. His name was Alber—the one who would later become "King" under Kaido.
His previous living conditions were similar to Amphelite's, constantly dealing with hostile elements from the outside world.
No matter how you looked at it, this person was a compatriot, yet she was singled out by the World Government stating she was not a Lunarian. This filled Alber's heart with endless questions.
"Fish-man Island... It doesn't seem too far from here. I'll go take a look."
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