**Chapter 4: The Sea's Specialty: Reckless Youngsters**
Within Nereus's territory, he held absolute authority. His conduct and style were one aspect, but the most crucial factor was that Nereus himself possessed absolute military might.
During the process of gathering this group, he hadn't won them over with mere words. According to Fish-Man—or more accurately, Fish-Man District—tradition, such matters ultimately depended on fists.
These people knew exactly how hard Nereus's fists were.
If they continued to bicker now, Nereus would demonstrate what it meant to be "peaceful usually, but eager to resolve conflicts."
As everyone knows, a mediator only needs to be better at fighting than the combatants to perfectly end a dispute.
"Babel, take those Sea Beasts out. Let me see the results of your training."
"Don't worry, Big Brother. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
Babel waved his hand, leading two men carrying conch shells toward the nearby bay. Nereus took the binoculars Sunbell handed him and looked toward the distant sea.
"Specific identity?"
"The Treba Treasure Hunting Group. Captain Treba Bruchi. Bounty: 100 million Berries."
As the currency circulating on the sea, the Berry was in a state of gradual depreciation, changing even more drastically after the Great Pirate Era began.
To judge specific value, one could look at newspaper prices. In a sense, the World Economy News Paper served as a special "universal equivalent."
In the canonical timeline when Luffy received his bounty, a newspaper cost 100 Berries. Now, it only cost 50 Berries, so a 100 million bounty was also more valuable than in the future.
"Treasure Hunting Group?"
"They're bounty hunters. Three months ago, we liberated a batch of slaves. The slave ship belonged to this group. It seems because of us, they couldn't 'supply goods' on time, offended those World Government people, and ended up with bounties on their heads."
Sunbell read out the intelligence he had gathered. Although there was no definitive proof of what this group came for, they certainly weren't here for a friendly visit, so treating them as enemies was no issue.
In fact, that was precisely the case. After being bountied, these people dared not seek revenge against the World Government, so they targeted Nereus, whom they considered the "main culprit."
After all, in most people's eyes, no matter how strong a pirate force was, it couldn't compare to the World Government, the colossus that had ruled the world for hundreds of years.
"I've seen plenty who don't fear death, but being in such a rush to die... that's rare."
Thinking briefly, Nereus recalled that operation. He hadn't acted personally that time; a squad of his subordinates had completed the mission objective. The opponent's strength wasn't formidable.
However, Nereus wasn't surprised that they dared to come for revenge. After all, this sea was full of such audacious people; they were practically a local specialty of this ocean.
"Big Brother, no need for you to act. I'll handle it. Trash like this... five minutes is enough."
Seeing Nereus rolling his wrists as if wanting to fight, Sebastian stepped out first. Nereus simply nodded, agreeing to the other's idea.
Such situations were not uncommon. Slave traders wanting revenge, World Government Navy forces, other pirates trying to make a name for themselves—similar enemies frequently appeared in this vicinity.
Not every enemy was worth Nereus's personal attention. At this very moment, Sebastian had already turned into a white line on the sea surface, charging toward the incoming enemy ship.
Meanwhile, at the nearby deep-water harbor, accompanied by the sound of horns blown from the conch shell in Babel's hand, three massive shadows beneath the sea surface began to move slowly...
Simultaneously, on the Treba Treasure Hunting Group's ship, a man whose face was covered in scars, with a thin but tall frame and eyes filled with rage, was staring fixatedly in the direction of Hachinosu.
He was Treba Bruchi, nominally the leader of a treasure hunting group, but in reality, he engaged entirely in slave trading.
Because he served the World Government and possessed some strength himself, his life had been quite comfortable until he encountered Nereus's subordinates.
"Full speed ahead! That bastard is on that island. Kill them, recover all those goods, and only then will we have a chance to clear our bounties!"
"B-But Captain, that's the 'Beehive'... on there... maybe we should go back..."
Some people behind him appeared frightened, acting timid even though they had already arrived near Hachinosu.
It was no secret that Hachinosu was now a pirate gathering place, populated by big-name pirates.
The reason they still followed Treba Bruchi was that the World Government's bounty was on the group. Following Treba, his strength could still deal with the Navy and bounty hunters.
If they left here, they might soon be captured by other slave traders to fill the vacancies left behind.
As slave traders, they knew very well what the treatment of slaves looked like.
Precisely because of this, they continued to follow Treba Bruchi even after he made this insane decision, though that didn't stop them from trying to persuade him.
If Treba chose to take them into hiding somewhere, to live anonymously in a remote corner of the Four Blues, perhaps they could lord over a small area like a mountain bandit king.
"Shut up! I don't want to live a life of hiding! Those pirates just gather on this island; forget helping each other, it'd be good enough if they didn't stab each other in the back!
Last time was because I wasn't there; otherwise, how could those guys have succeeded so easily? Merfolk slaves are the highest-priced goods, and this time they'll be useful!"
To this day, Treba Bruchi still believed that Nereus's people had only managed to rescue those slaves because he hadn't personally escorted the ship that day.
This blind confidence in one's strength was common on the sea, changing little whether now or in the future.
High bounties couldn't dispel these people's notions. After all, bounties weren't based entirely on strength; heinous acts and behavior that disgusted the World Government would also increase the bounty amount.
Many felt those people had merely set sail earlier, believing they had long surpassed them and simply hadn't had the chance to show it yet.
This specialty was often called a "reckless youngster," frequently appearing among rookies on the sea.
In the original timeline, the Supernovas challenging the Yonko was a direct manifestation of this. Considering themselves invincible, they lacked understanding of true power and were usually quickly dealt a painful blow by reality.
*Boom!*
Treba wanted to continue issuing orders, but the ship's hull suddenly shuddered violently. The constantly shaking deck even flung two people directly off.
"What's happening?!"
Treba grabbed a stable part of the ship to steady himself. The crew, thrown off balance by the violent tremors, had no time to answer his question, but the ship beneath his feet gave him the answer with facts.
The deck creaked, and the hull emitted a deafening sound of fracture.
The sturdy keel was snapped in the middle. The ship's body split instantly into two like a giant tree rotted by insects being torn apart by monstrous strength.
Wood chips flew from the break, and seawater rushed madly into the cabins. The massive ship began to tilt and slowly sink, with crew members sliding into the sea one by one.
Although the remaining people grabbed onto fixtures on the deck and didn't fall immediately, it was useless.
While the ship's massive size prevented it from sinking instantly, its sinking was merely a matter of time.
"You guys really are arrogant. Do you not even know our combat style? It's been a long time since I met guys like you with zero underwater defenses."
Sebastian leaped out of the water. His massive size further accelerated the ship's sinking. If the ship hadn't been large enough to begin with, it wouldn't have withstood Sebastian's thrashing at all.
Standing on the slowly sinking hull, Sebastian looked at the enemies before him with eyes full of mockery.
"Two minutes left. But for dealing with you, that's enough."
After checking the time, Sebastian put away his pocket watch and looked coldly at Treba Bruchi in front of him...