Beneath Wano Country, or rather within the mountain range, Big Pan was carefully swimming.
In shallow seawater, there would still be some sunlight filtering through, but soil was a different matter.
The Swim-Swim Fruit only allowed Big Pan himself to move freely; fundamentally, the land and rock remained the same.
So Big Pan had already equipped a headlamp to illuminate these dim surroundings.
After descending more than two hundred meters, Big Pan still hadn't encountered the situation Nereus had mentioned—the kind that would make him feel weak.
"So strange… why isn't there anything… is it not deep enough, or did I go the wrong way…?"
Big Pan's thinking was simple and straightforward: since Nereus said it was down here, then it must be here. If he couldn't find it, the problem must be his own.
With that mindset, Big Pan continued his exploration.
After swimming for quite a while, and as the moisture in the surrounding soil began to increase, Big Pan finally discovered the kind of stone that his ability couldn't convert, and that even made him feel weak.
"So it's here, what a huge piece…"
Big Pan didn't understand the terrain here, nor did he use Observation Haki to sense the external environment.
If viewed from a special perspective, one would realize that Big Pan's current position was no longer within the mountain, but beneath the entirety of Wano Country's old site.
Afterward, Big Pan swam around the area a few more times. One region's Seastone vein was closer to the surface where Nereus and the others were located, like a pillar buried within the mountain.
That place was Udon, the region of Wano Country where Seastone was mined.
After returning to the surface, Big Pan used a very simple childlike drawing to show what he had seen below.
"As expected, the exposed veins near the surface are only the easiest to mine. Beneath the whole of Wano Country, there are much richer Seastone reserves."
If one was familiar enough with a person, it was still possible to understand what his drawing meant. Besides, Big Pan's drawing wasn't abstract; at most, it was like the difference between a travel map and a detailed expedition map.
Though not very precise, it still showed the general situation.
"Dad, do you have some special plan?"
"Why don't you guess?"
"Let me think… this is a Seastone vein, and currently all Seastone in the world originates from here.
Seastone is something we can use too, and you once said resources shouldn't be controlled by others… Wano Country is in a state of isolation, and you had Pan survey the terrain. It definitely wasn't to help them understand their own situation.
Under the sea… you're planning to send people to establish a new mining site underwater!"
Resources beneath the sea were far more abundant than those on land, and this ocean was no exception. Across hundreds of years of history, countless riches lay on lands that had sunk beneath the sea.
In the past, Nereus's subordinates didn't even need to mine. Relying on their racial talents, strolling along the seabed was like picking up money.
Sometimes, it was like those scavengers who walk around construction sites with magnets. After one round, the magnet would be covered with screws and nails of all sizes.
Limited by technology, most islands and nations lack the ability to conduct deep-sea mining, but Fish-Men are different. Unless something is buried deep within the earth's veins, all they need is a pickaxe.
It is precisely because of this near-effortless way of making money, combined with the trade taxes left behind by past merchant ships and pirate ships, that Fish-Man Island's economy is overall quite prosperous, allowing it to maintain a standing army at what would sound like an exaggerated ratio.
People in the Neptune Army are not just soldiers. Some also belong to production corps, and from time to time they carry out seabed surveys and search missions.
Nanamo was no stranger to this and quickly guessed Nereus's plan.
Wano Country being closed off was their own affair; mining directly from the nearby seabed works just as well.
"Dad, you're not planning to dig that thing out as well, are you?"
"Now that's where you're wrong. That thing isn't some mineral on the seabed that can be casually dug up. If Wano Country doesn't open its borders, it's basically impossible to take it out.
And to open this place, even Zunesha's power would be necessary.
But that thing isn't urgent. Digging it out in advance when it can't even be used wouldn't be a good thing."
"That thing" naturally referred to Pluton. Nanamo understood what an Ancient Weapon meant on the seas, so she didn't say it outright and instead used a substitute term.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, standing nearby, didn't understand what they were talking about, but they did catch the word "Zunesha."
"Zunesha's power?"
"But Zunesha can't communicate, can it? It just silently walks across the sea and ignores us."
"It's also an intelligent being, how could it not communicate? Its situation is just special; ordinary people simply can't understand what it says.
Alright, this operation is over. It's time to prepare to leave. I'll catch newly hatched carp for you once we reach the open sea, I won't forget."
Whether it was Zunesha or the Sea Kings, these creatures that had lived for countless years and possessed enormous bodies had intelligence no less than that of humans.
The reason they don't communicate is simply due to differences in language. Only those who can hear the Voice of All Things are able to understand those mysterious words.
Even if one could understand them, the other party might not be willing to communicate. For example, Sea Kings generally only converse with Poseidon; even if others can understand them, the Sea Kings may not respond.
Surveying the mineral veins here and bringing Kawamatsu and his mother back were the original purposes of this trip; picking up two Minks along the way was already an unexpected bonus.
As for Devil Fruits…
There are quite a few in Wano Country, but most have already been eaten. Although both the Yamata no Orochi and the Okuchi no Makami are Mythical Zoan abilities, no one has ever said they originated here.
Even Kaido said obtaining the Okuchi no Makami cost him considerable effort. If that fruit had been in Wano Country, he wouldn't have needed to go through so much trouble.
The Yamata no Orochi was also brought in by Kurozumi Higurashi, who had spent quite a long time sailing outside.
The Onyudo Fruit and the Millet-Millet Fruit were indeed discovered in Wano Country, but that was decades later. The rebirth of Devil Fruits is random on a global scale.
Unless the user experienced certain special circumstances at the time of death, it is completely uncontrollable.
So-called inherited Devil Fruits are mostly ones that were never eaten, or ones that were painstakingly recovered after the user's death. Technology capable of restricting the fruit's reincarnation location is not widespread; at the very least, Nereus has never heard of such technology.
As for the current status of those two fruits, it is still unknown. Back then, being able to find the Vampire Fruit was thanks to its location being clearly recorded.
"Hermes, it's your turn to perform again. Get ready, we're about to set off."
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