Within Nereus’s sphere of influence, he held absolute authority.
That dominance came partly from his manner of conduct, but more importantly, from his overwhelming personal strength.
When gathering this group of people, it was never as simple as a few words of persuasion.
By the traditions of the Fish-Man race—or more precisely, Fish-Man Street—this kind of situation always came down to one thing: fists.
And everyone here knew just how hard Nereus’s fists were.
If they kept arguing now, Nereus would simply demonstrate what it meant to be “not fond of fighting, yet excellent at settling fights.”
As everyone knew, if the one breaking up a fight was stronger than everyone involved, the conflict would end perfectly.
“Barbel, take those sea beasts out and let me see the results of your training.”
“Don’t worry, boss.
I won’t disappoint you.”
Barbel waved his hand and led two others carrying conch shells as they swam toward a nearby bay.
Nereus took the telescope handed to him by Sunbell and looked out over the distant sea.
“Details?”
“Treva Treasure-Hunting Group.
Leader: Treva Bluchi.
Bounty: 100 million Berries.”
As currency circulating across the seas, the Berry was in a gradual state of devaluation, and the onset of the Great Pirate Era only accelerated that trend.
A rough way to judge its value was to look at newspaper prices.
In a sense, the World Economy News Paper could even be considered a kind of informal “general equivalent.”
When Luffy’s bounty was first issued in the story timeline, a newspaper cost 100 Berries per copy.
Now it cost only 50.
In comparison, a 100-million-Berry bounty actually carried more value than it would in the future.
“A treasure-hunting group?”
“They’re bounty hunters.
Three months ago, we freed a group of slaves.
Their transport ships belonged to this crew.
It seems that because of us, they failed to deliver ‘goods’ on time and offended those World Government people.
In the end, they were put under a bounty.”
Sunbell read out the intelligence he had gathered.
Although there was no solid proof of their purpose, it was obvious they weren’t here as guests—treating them as enemies was entirely reasonable.
And that was indeed the case.
After being targeted by a bounty, they didn’t dare retaliate against the World Government, and instead turned their attention to Nereus, whom they considered the “culprit.”
After all, in most people’s eyes, even powerful pirate forces couldn’t compare to the colossal entity that had ruled the world for hundreds of years: the World Government.
“I’ve seen plenty of people who don’t value their lives.
But ones this eager to die are rare.”
After thinking briefly, Nereus recalled the previous operation.
He hadn’t even acted personally; one of his subordinate squads had completed the mission.
The enemies weren’t particularly strong.
Still, he wasn’t surprised they came seeking revenge.
After all, the sea was full of reckless fools—one of the ocean’s most common “specialties.”
“Boss, no need for you to take action.
I’ll handle it.
This kind of trash… five minutes is enough.”
Seeing Nereus flexing his wrists as if preparing to fight, Sebastian stepped forward first.
Nereus simply nodded in agreement.
Situations like this weren’t uncommon—slavers seeking revenge, Marines under the World Government, or other pirates trying to make a name for themselves.
Such enemies frequently appeared around here.
Not every opponent was worth Nereus’s personal attention.
At that moment, Sebastian had already turned into a white streak across the sea, rushing straight toward the approaching enemy ship.
Meanwhile, in the nearby deep-water harbor, the horn signals echoed from Barbel’s conch shell.
Beneath the surface of the sea, three massive shadows began to slowly move…
At the same time, aboard the Treva Treasure-Hunting Group’s ship, a thin yet tall man covered in scar-like wounds stood with a face full of anger, staring dead in the direction of Hachinosu Island.
He was Treva Bluchi, leader of the so-called treasure-hunting group—though in reality, they were nothing more than slavers.
Because they served the World Government and possessed some strength, life had been relatively comfortable for them recently—until they encountered Nereus’s subordinates.
“Full speed ahead!
That bastard is on that island!
Kill them and recover all the ‘goods’!
That’s our only chance to clear our bounty!”
“But… but Captain, that’s ‘Hachinosu’… there are—maybe we should turn back…”
The men behind him sounded frightened.
Even after reaching the waters near Hachinosu, they remained hesitant.
Hachinosu Island was now a gathering place for pirates; that much was no secret.
It was home to numerous infamous great pirates.
The reason they still followed Bluchi was because the World Government’s bounty targeted the entire group.
Staying with him meant protection from Marines and bounty hunters thanks to his strength.
If they left, they would likely be captured quickly by other slavers to fill the gap they left behind.
As slavers themselves, they knew exactly what awaited them if they fell into that fate.
Because of that, they followed Bluchi even after his reckless decision—but that didn’t stop them from trying to dissuade him.
If he chose to hide somewhere instead, maybe in a remote corner of the Four Seas, they could live in obscurity and dominate a small area like a local bandit king.
“Shut up!
I don’t want a life of running and hiding!
Those pirates are just gathered on that island.
At worst they won’t help us—but they won’t stab us in the back either!
Last time it only worked because I wasn’t there.
Otherwise, how could those guys have succeeded so easily?
Fish-Man slaves are the highest-value goods—we can use them this time!”
Even now, Bluchi still believed that the slaves had been rescued only because he wasn’t personally present during the operation.
Such blind confidence in one’s strength was common on the seas—then and in the future.
High bounties alone couldn’t dissuade them, because bounty value wasn’t based solely on strength.
Cruel deeds and actions that angered the World Government also increased it.
Many believed that others had only started earlier than themselves, and that they had already surpassed them—just without the chance to prove it yet.
This type of person was commonly called a “hothead,” frequently appearing among new arrivals on the seas.
In the original timeline, the Supernovas challenging the Yonko were a clear example.
Overconfident and ignorant of true power, they were soon dealt a painful reality check.
BOOM!
Bluchi was about to issue further orders when the entire ship suddenly shook violently.
The deck lurched so hard that two men were thrown overboard.
“What’s going on?!”
He grabbed the side of the ship to steady himself, but the violently shaking deck gave no answers.
Instead, the ship itself provided the explanation.
The planks creaked and groaned as if screaming.
The keel snapped cleanly in two, and the hull broke apart like a massive tree eaten hollow by worms, torn apart by overwhelming force.
Wood splintered outward as seawater rushed into the hold.
The ship began to tilt and slowly sink, crew members sliding helplessly into the sea.
Those still aboard clung desperately to anything fixed to the deck, but it was useless.
The vessel, though massive, was only delaying its inevitable sinking.
“You lot really are reckless.
You don’t even understand our fighting style?
It’s been a long time since I met people with zero defense against attacks from underwater.”
Sebastian burst out of the sea.
His enormous body made the sinking even faster.
If not for the ship’s size, it would have already gone under.
Standing on the tilting wreck, Sebastian looked at them with cold mockery.
“Two minutes left—but dealing with you… that’s more than enough.”
He checked the time and closed his pocket watch, then fixed his icy gaze on Treva Bluchi.