“This sea… is never short of fools who aren’t afraid to die…”
“Not afraid to die?
I’d say they’re just looking to get themselves killed… hic…”
As Nereus and the others left the bar one after another, the earlier conversation had been loud enough for everyone inside to hear.
They all knew exactly why Nereus was leaving.
They didn’t know who the challengers were—but in their eyes, those people were already as good as dead.
“You’re that certain?
Anyone who can reach the New World shouldn’t be weak.”
Among the agreeing voices, a discordant one suddenly cut in.
Several nearby tables turned their attention toward the speaker.
“Kid, how long have you been a pirate… no, how long have you been in the New World?”
The man who had spoken first—a middle-aged pirate—looked at the one who had interrupted him.
The boy looked young, and his drunken expression carried a hint of condescension.
“I was born in the New World.
Just went out to sea last month.
Don’t underestimate me—I’ll make a name for myself someday…”
“Haha!
Youth is nice.
But… you don’t read the news, do you?”
“I can’t read.”
The bar fell silent for a moment.
Then it erupted into laughter.
Plenty of pirates couldn’t read, but most crews had at least one literate member.
A solo rookie like this was rare.
“Listen up, kid.
There are monsters all over this sea.
This island?
It’s a monster nest.
But even among monsters, there are two you absolutely must never offend.”
“They’re monsters among monsters.
One is Rocks.
The other… is Nereus.”
“How strong are they?”
Normally, those two names alone would be enough to shut someone up.
But the boy clearly didn’t understand the weight behind them and asked what others considered an idiotic question.
“You know Marine Admirals, right?
The strongest force of the Marines?
One of those monsters?
Rocks killed one.
That was the first time I ever heard of a Marine Admiral being killed by a pirate.”
“As for Nereus… he looks human, but he’s actually a fish-man.
And he can fight Rocks on land without falling behind.
Do you understand what that means?”
Fish-men were a special race, blessed with unique physical advantages.
Their ability to breathe underwater made the ocean their true battlefield.
A fish-man’s combat power underwater was usually several times stronger than on land.
And if one of them could display that kind of strength on land… then his power in the sea needed no explanation.
Seeing that the young man still didn’t fully believe him, the middle-aged pirate simply waved to the bartender and ordered another barrel of rum.
He filled the boy’s glass.
“Drink.
This one’s on me.
I’ve seen plenty like you—hotheaded rookies.
If you survive, buy me one someday.
If not… consider it your farewell drink.”
The young pirate felt the disdain in his tone and didn’t take the drink.
Amid the laughter of the others, he stormed out of the bar and followed the direction Nereus had left in—clearly intent on seeing for himself what a “monster among monsters” looked like.
On the southeastern coast of Hachinosu, a group was inspecting their weapons.
Some looked human, like Nereus.
Others had clearly distinct fish-man traits, like Sebastian.
There were also merfolk—humanoids with fish tails instead of legs.
Unlike fish-men, merfolk could only split their tails into legs after the age of thirty, and only females had that ability.
As a result, many remained near the shallow shore.
At the front stood two towering figures—together, they couldn’t even assemble a full head of hair.
On the left was a blue-green fish-man with thick lips and a large nose, holding a trident.
His name was Sunbell, once a member of the Roger Pirates in the original timeline, now recruited by Nereus.
On the right was a fish-man with a shiny bald head and two thin mustaches, calmly stringing prayer beads.
His name was Barbel, once a member of the Rocks Pirates in the original timeline.
Together with Sebastian and Big Pan, the four formed Nereus’s core officers.
“Sebastian’s taking his sweet time,” Barbel muttered impatiently, rolling his prayer beads.
“Maybe the boss had something important to handle,” Sunbell replied calmly.
Compared to Barbel, the so-called “monk,” he was far more even-tempered.
“Rocks isn’t even on this island right now.
What could possibly slow him down?
This is just a small job.
He could’ve called.
I bet that kid Sebastian’s just sucking up to the boss again…”
“Barbel, explain to me how exactly you’re supposed to call someone when they don’t have a Den Den Mushi on them.”
Sebastian’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
“And who are you calling ‘kid’?
I’m older than you—I just don’t look like I’m falling apart at the seams like you are.”
Because of the giant bloodline, fish-man hybrids like Sebastian had long lifespans and slow aging.
But Barbel seemed more concerned about hair than biology.
“That’s monk training!
Shaving my head is discipline!
Not baldness!”
“Oh?
Must be working wonders.”
Sebastian casually shook his long black hair, making Barbel’s forehead twitch with anger.
Barbel’s hair had once been his pride—like flames—but time had taken it from him.
Now he insisted it was “spiritual practice.”
“Enough.
The captain’s here,” Sunbell said, lightly tapping their legs to signal Nereus’s arrival.
Why their legs?
Because among fish-men, sizes varied wildly.
Sebastian’s giant blood made him enormous, Barbel was nearly the size of a small giant, and Sunbell—despite being strong himself—looked almost like a dwarf in comparison.
In fact, some fish-men like Wadatsumi were so large they rivaled ancient giants.
The argument stopped immediately.
Banter was normal for them—but never when business began.
Under a chorus of titles—”Captain,” “Boss,” “Leader”—Nereus arrived before them.