Yes! Normally, the boss of Fish-Man District would want to join under Nereus.
After Nereus made a name for himself and the newspapers brought the news back, he became an idol in the eyes of the residents of Fish-Man District.
Over time, becoming the boss of Fish-Man District even turned into a kind of "academic credential" for becoming Nereus's subordinate.
"No, Tiger. Let's forget about it this time."
The joy on Tiger's face faded, replaced by shock. He couldn't understand why he had been rejected the moment they met.
Even if Nereus hadn't returned very often recently and didn't have much interaction with him, he should at least have asked a few questions.
"W… why?"
"Don't misunderstand. I can tell you've managed Fish-Man District well, and the people here genuinely call you Boss from the heart.
But my situation has changed too. After one more voyage, I'm planning to come back to Fishman Island for good. So there's no need for you to go out with me now. Just stay here and wait for me to return."
Tiger's character itself had no real issues. For Tiger, freeing slaves was something whose cost far outweighed the benefits, yet he was still willing to risk his life to do it.
Moreover, in the original timeline, even after being captured and sold as a slave to the Celestial Dragons, he was still able to suppress the hatred in his heart and seek a world of equality.
However, when he escorted Koala back home, the betrayal by her hometown family completely broke Tiger's resolve. In the end, he refused to accept human blood transfusion and died from blood loss.
In terms of character and temperament, Tiger had no real problems. His only issue was that his growth period was a bit long.
But that wasn't a serious problem either. There are many types of strong people on the seas.
One type is the naturally born monsters. Kaido and Bullet, who fought on battlefields from a young age, or Charlotte Linlin, who could knock down giants at just a few years old—these are all examples.
Another type is the late bloomer, those who remain obscure in their teens or even twenties, only to rise completely in their prime.
Dragon and Zephyr are examples of this group. In their teens, they were just ordinary soldiers, with most of their combat power coming from the flintlock guns in their hands.
Although top-tier powerhouses mostly belong to the former category, the latter can also become formidable fighting forces. Tiger's situation was closer to the latter.
"So that's how it is… Then, Mr. Nereus, since you're back, the boss of Fish-Man District…"
"I haven't been here for years. You're more familiar with the situation here, so there's no need to hand it over to me. But Fish-Man District is due for some changes. When the time comes, a few of my subordinates will stay here. You can get to know them first."
"Then… does this count as me joining you?"
"Of course. I don't really have any reason to refuse a compatriot joining, do I? But my subordinates must follow three ironclad rules.
First: never harm, betray, or sell out your companions.
Second: never take part in any slave trade or drug trafficking.
Third: treat all races equally.
Breaking the first two is punishable by death. The last one depends on the situation. Do you understand?"
If opposition isn't against discrimination itself, but only opposition to one's own being discriminated against, then it turns into a kind of exclusionary clique, which is clearly unreasonable.
Although there are many different demi-human races on the seas, in essence they all come from the same source. After all, their blood can intermix, and different races can produce offspring together.
It's just that the barriers of the sea created divisions between these races, and under the propaganda of those in power, different attitudes eventually emerged.
"I have no problem with that, Boss Nereus!"
"Mm. But you're a bit weak. I'll arrange a instructor for you later."
The current Fisher Tiger, let alone Haki, hadn't even studied techniques like Fish-Man Karate much. He was fighting purely on brute strength alone.
Dealing with ordinary pirates wasn't a problem, but Devil Fruit users were much harder to handle. Since he wanted to join him, some strengthening was naturally necessary.
While Nereus was talking with Tiger, he didn't lower his voice. Everyone around heard their conversation, and what excited them the most was Nereus's line: "I'm coming back."
That sentence spread through the entire Fish-Man District at astonishing speed. After passing through tens of thousands of people, although the original meaning was still that Nereus was coming back, countless versions had already branched out.
"Why didn't I know Dad was recruiting troops to go to war?"
Some time later on Fishman Island, Nanamo heard something utterly unbelievable from the local vendors.
"Isn't it true? A few people from Fish-Man District who came over earlier said so."
"Rumors. All of it is rumors. There's no such thing."
When stories are passed from person to person, some outrageous distortions are inevitable. For example, a phrase like "train troops rigorously and quicken up the pace" can be twisted into "hurry up and take off your pants" after being passed through just a few people.
Let alone something spreading on this scale.
"So that's how it is? Looks like they passed the message wrong. Oh, right, Miss Nanamo, your extra-large portion of takoyaki is ready. If you like it, come again next time."
The vendor was an octopus Fish-Man. His six arms moved so fast they almost left afterimages as he rapidly flipped each takoyaki. The portion in Nanamo's hands was extraordinary just from its size alone, nearly filling the box to the brim.
There was even a heated argument when Nanamo tried to pay. The owner absolutely refused to take her money.
"How can you run a business without taking payment!"
"Miss Nanamo, if it were someone else I'd definitely take it, but you're Lord Nereus's daughter… I'd feel bad taking your money…"
"If you don't take it, I'll feel bad! Hermes! Stop him!"
Nanamo had Hermes turn into a wall of clouds and forcibly stuffed the money into the owner's cash box.
It's true that she likes money, but not this kind of money.
If she wanted to, on Fishman Island Nanamo could get around almost everywhere just by showing her face. This was the positive feedback Nereus had built up on Fishman Island over the years.
They couldn't do much else, but this was their way of expressing gratitude.
Many of Nereus's subordinates were visiting relatives in Fish-Man District, so they were going to stay there for a day.
Although he had lived there for a long time, Nereus himself didn't like the environment of Fish-Man District. The darkness was only more suitable for combat. For everyday living, it is better to have plenty of sunlight.
Even though Amphitrite avoided outsiders every day, she hadn't reached the point of not seeing sunlight at all.
In the end, Nereus, along with a number of people, took up temporary residence in Coral Hill, a relatively prosperous area of Fishman Island, and made some arrangements.
For example, Sunbell and Barbell will be staying on Fishman Island to handle any minor issues that might arise here, while Sebastian and Big Pan, whose hometowns were not on Fishman Island, will continue to follow Nereus to South Blue to complete the remaining tasks.
As for Nereus himself, he was in the room studying an ancient logbook.
"Dad, what's this?"
"A record of a shipwreck from over three hundred years ago. Supposedly there were quite a few precious metals on board, and it sank somewhere in the South Blue. If we can salvage it, it'd be a decent haul."
TN: Hey guys, I will be releasing extra chapters for every 20 power stones. (5-7 chapters.)
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