If there had been no Nereus and Otohime had been left to grow on her own, she would still have become someone who longed for peace and advocated letting go of hatred.
And it wouldn't have been just empty slogans. She truly would have lived by those ideals.
But now, those still-unformed beliefs had begun to waver.
After all, her idealistic vision had not yet been put into practice, while Nereus had already taken action, and was even beginning to see tangible results.
On the original timeline's Fishman Island, no one had accomplished anything similar, so Otohime had been left to search for what she believed to be the right path.
In a sense, perhaps the Otohime of that timeline was correct. Fishman Island back then had been far too weak, and it lacked a leader strong and resolute enough to take firm action.
Now, with someone like Nereus as a living example, it was only natural that she would begin to question whether her original idea had been too naïve.
At present, Otohime was still just a child. What she would eventually become remained unknown.
As Fishman Island gradually set its various developments on the right track, the day of the Levely drew near.
After spending a great deal of time traveling from their respective countries, the kings of the world finally arrived at Mariejois.
Following more than ten days of rushed repairs, Mariejois had returned to its former splendor.
"King Cobra, this way please. The Bondola is ready."
The lift that had once been destroyed had now been rebuilt. As the propellers on both sides of the cabin began to spin, the bubbles beneath it started inflating.
Although it was called a lift its operating mechanism resembled more of a ladder truck or flying ladder.
Several kings from around the world stood aboard it, and those who were acquainted greeted one another.
"You must be the new king of Alabasta. Becoming king at fourteen years old. How remarkable."
"It was merely by chance. If not for certain accidents, my father would still be king. But the sunlight at Mariejois… it's truly intense…"
Cobra raised a hand to shield his eyes. Not a single cloud could be seen near the Red Line, and as the lift ascended, the blazing sunlight became almost blinding.
"It wasn't like this before. You could reach out and almost touch the clouds. But for some reason this year…
I arrived earlier than most. They say that for the past half month, the skies around Mariejois have been completely cloudless."
"I heard there was a torrential downpour half a month ago. Could it be that the storm used up all the clouds?"
The other kings were merely joking. Chatting about the weather suited the leisurely lifestyle of nobles and royalty. But Cobra did not see it that way.
A few months ago, Alabasta had dismantled a criminal organization within its borders. The reason was that the group had been illegally producing Dance Powder.
However, when Alabasta's royal army raided the hideout, they found no traces of Dance Powder.
The abnormal weather. The recent torrential rain. The Fish-Men attackers…
Could it be… that Fishman Island was the buyer of that Dance Powder?
Alabasta had never been able to identify the mysterious purchaser. Moreover, no abnormal rainfall had occurred within the kingdom itself, and eventually the matter was dropped.
But now, the young Cobra seemed to have found an answer in his heart.
"King Cobra, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about something. My apologies, I drifted off."
"You're too polite. The first time I came here, I was also so stunned by the sight that I lost myself for a moment. But since this is your first visit, you'll need to go to the Room of Authority to take your oath. Try not to lose focus then."
An older king beside him was reminding Cobra of some important formalities. After what could only be described as a long journey, the kings had finally arrived at Mariejois.
If there was any difference from four years ago, it was that Mariejois's "automatic road" was broken.
After all, that self-moving road had relied entirely on slaves pushing it from below. Though the damaged buildings had been repaired, replacing the missing slaves would not be so quick.
Although many slave traders believed that Mariejois must be short on slaves right now,making it the perfect time to act, they still decided it was better to wait until Nereus's momentum had died down.
The Levely lasted seven days, and the kings from various nations argued for nearly all seven of them. With fifty countries involved, there were countless matters to discuss. Even seven days were not enough for them to reach concrete decisions on every issue.
After the conference concluded, the Five Elders began deliberating another matter.
"Gentlemen, some time has passed since the attack. It's time we launched an effective countermeasure. Simply raising the bounty is far from sufficient."
Peter spoke first; after all, he had been the one who originally proposed taking action against Fishman Island.
"My question remains the same, what exactly can we do? That island is already isolated from the world. Are we supposed to destroy Eve and deprive Fishman Island of its light source?"
Warcury voiced his opinion. Judging by his posture, he seemed ready to take action at any moment.
"That won't do. At the very least, they are currently concentrated on Fishman Island. If we do that, it will no longer be a suitable place to live.
Nereus is already a madman. Do you intend to let millions of Fish-Men scatter across the Four Seas under his leadership and cause us trouble everywhere?
How much manpower would it take to ensure the safety of all maritime routes then? And how would we collect the Heavenly Tribute?"
Nusjuro voiced his opposition. As the Warrior God of Finance, any failure in collecting the Heavenly Tribute would fall squarely on his shoulders.
"Exactly. And Eve's root system… part of it even runs through the Red Line, and some of it is entangled with the Sabaody Archipelago. The Red Line might remain unaffected, but most of Sabaody would disappear. That is unacceptable."
Mars followed up with his own objection. As the Warrior God of Environment, he approached the matter from an environmental perspective.
Moreover, Sabaody Archipelago was a place frequently visited for leisure by other Celestial Dragons.
"Would you destroy your own garden just to eliminate a single pest?"
The votes were now tied two to two, leaving only Saturn yet to state his stance. The other four turned their gazes toward him.
"My, my… are you all so eager to target Fishman Island? Then it seems I've arrived at just the right time. How about considering my opinion?"
The voice came from behind Saturn. Including Saturn himself, all Five Elders turned in that direction simultaneously.
There, seated casually by the skylight in the wall as if on an outing, was Nereus. In his hand he held a thick, heavy chain.
"Nereus?!"
"Insolent wretch! You dare trespass here?!"
"What do you intend to do?!"
Boom!
Their shouts were answered by a thunderous crash. The chain in Nereus's hand had already been swung. At its far end was a massive, perfectly square boulder, and at this moment, that stone had slammed directly into Mars's body.
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