"I think… this should just be a coincidence, right?"
"A coincidence? I hope it is, but I generally don't believe in things being this coincidental."
The arrival times of the ships were only given as rough windows. The World Government would issue overall orders, but wouldn't concern itself with the details.
The specific escort missions were handled by the Marines.
"Looks like there are quite a few people in the Marines who aren't happy with me. Are they trying to create a spectacle here?"
Nereus spoke quietly, almost like he was talking to himself, but Harald heard him clearly. The previously calm Harald instinctively gripped the large sword at his waist.
If something really did happen, Harald would still choose to stop Nereus.
"Don't be so tense. I'm not a child. I won't make a move in a situation like this.
I'm just curious about what the Marines are thinking."
Although the Marine is a subordinate organization of the World Government, that doesn't mean they're all of one mind. At least within the Marine, the majority were dissatisfied with Nereus.
Having killed so many Marines, Nereus didn't find it strange that some of them hated him. He thought it was perfectly normal.
If it was just a coincidence, then so be it. But if certain people within the Marines had deliberately arranged the routes to make things line up this perfectly, Nereus had no intention of playing along.
Though he did indeed have some issues with Chap of the Deul Kingdom.
Back when the bounty on Hardinge was announced, Chap had publicly condemned it in the newspapers.
The general idea was that Hardinge was a citizen of the Deul Kingdom, and even if he committed crimes, he should be dealt with by the Deul Kingdom itself. Ryugu Kingdom's actions were unreasonable.
At the time, Nereus hadn't cared about what he said; verbal battles in newspapers were meaningless.
Now that they had met in person, Chap clearly hadn't forgotten the matter. Even behind his sunglasses, Nereus could feel that Chap's gaze had been fixed on him the entire time.
But Chap showed no intention of acting either. If a king started fighting in public, no matter the outcome, it would become a joke across the seas the next day.
"King Riku of Dressrosa has arrived!"
The arrival of a new ship broke the brief silence. Red Port was not a single location, but two—one on the New World side and one on the Paradise side, both serving the same function.
Nereus had come via the New World side, which was why he encountered kingdoms from the North Blue and West Blue.
Under the Marine's strong escort, these ships naturally didn't charge through Reverse Mountain's opposing sea currents like pirate ships, but instead crossed the Calm Belt.
With the protection of high-level Marine combat power, this wasn't difficult.
After all, some kingdoms were already in the New World. It wouldn't make sense to have them circle the entire Grand Line just to land on the other side.
"Nereus!"
"Oh, Doldo. I told you, we'd meet again under a different identity."
"I saw it in the paper earlier. Do you have any plans? I promised you before, if you put forward any proposals at the conference, I'd stand on your side."
Doldo wanted to coordinate with Nereus in advance. Between familiar nations, this was common; supporting each other's proposals and exchanging benefits.
Getting a sense of things beforehand also helped avoid being caught off guard.
"Hmm… nothing too special. Just things like escort services for maritime transport, salvaging shipwrecks or exploiting seabed mineral resources, and some issues regarding the abolition of slavery."
What nations discussed was essentially all about benefits. With sufficient benefits, even hatred could be temporarily set aside.
Aside from having attended the Levely a few more times than Nereus, Doldo didn't really have any advantages. What the Ryugu Kingdom could do, Dressrosa basically couldn't, and it also lacked Ryugu Kingdom's unique positional advantage.
However, Doldo's connections could save Nereus a lot of trouble. For example, Elizabello II of the Prodence Kingdom quickly became familiar with Nereus thanks to Doldo.
If Nereus and Harald were excluded, among the many kings, Elizabello II was also among the top in combat strength, earning the nickname "The Fighting King."
His inherited King Punch required time to charge, but it was said that a fully powered blow could not be withstood even by the emperors of the New World.
The two Bondolas had one advantage; they could separate kings with conflicts. At the very least, the people of the Deul Kingdom and the Ryugu Kingdom were not in the same lift.
The propellers slowly turned, and after a long ascent, the cabin carried the group up to the top of the Red Line.
Harald came up from another side using his own methods. There were no transportation facilities on the Red Line for him, but this level of difficulty was nothing to him.
Nereus was not unfamiliar with this place, but entering through official means instead of fighting or forcing his way in was a first for him.
The lift was only the beginning. After that, they had to climb a long staircase to truly reach Mariejois, and this route was not easy for some pampered kings.
But to avoid losing face in front of other kings, they all persevered and finally made it to the Socializing Plaza.
Before the conference officially began, the kings of various nations would have a brief exchange here.
"So you're the king of the Ryugu Kingdom, the heretic from the depths of the sea, huh?"
At that moment, a discordant voice sounded beside Nereus. Turning to look, it was Chap of the Deul Kingdom.
"Heretic?"
"A non-human like you setting foot on this land is nothing short of an insult to it. Earlier, you ignored my protest and took action against my country's citizen, Hardinge… ugh…"
Before Chap could finish speaking, his breathing suddenly became labored, and his body no longer obeyed him. Staggering, he collapsed to his knees directly in front of Nereus.
From beginning to end, Nereus had not taken a single step, only a faint red light flickered in his eyes.
If it weren't for the fact that causing trouble at the Levely would be inappropriate, Chap wouldn't have even had the chance to speak. And sometimes, for people like him, losing face had a greater impact than losing their life.
The commotion here drew the attention of many. To those unaware of the situation, all they saw was a king suddenly kneeling for no apparent reason.
"You're the one behind this… aren't you…"
His sunglasses hid his eyes, but the hatred in his voice was unmistakable.
"That's not important. You'll understand later, losing face alone is already quite merciful. Now I'll ask you again: are you certain that Hardinge is your citizen?"
"Of course…"
"Very good. Then you must not know, he didn't attack an ordinary citizen of the Ryugu Kingdom, but a soldier of the Neptune Army.
In that case, attacking my soldier without cause… are you declaring war… on me?"
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