The Executives

"There's never a shortage of people on this sea who don't fear death..."

"Not fearing death? More like courting death... hic..."

Nereus and the others left the tavern one after another. They hadn't spoken quietly when discussing matters just now, and everyone in the tavern had heard their conversation, knowing what Nereus was leaving to do.

Though they didn't know who the challengers were, in the eyes of these people, those challengers had already been sentenced to death.

"So certain? To be able to reach the New World, those people shouldn't be weak."

Amidst a chorus of agreement, a discordant voice suddenly rang out, causing the patrons at several nearby tables to focus their gazes on him.

"Kid, how long have you been a pirate... No, how long have you been in the New World?"

The middle-aged pirate who had spoken first looked at the one who contradicted him. The speaker looked like a young, inexperienced punk, and his drunken gaze seemed to carry a hint of lecturing a junior.

"I was born in the New World, and I just set sail last month. What about it? Don't look at me like I'm a nobody now, I'll make a name for myself someday..."

"Hahaha, youth is great, but do you never read the news?"

"I can't read."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the tavern fell into a brief stunned silence, followed by boisterous laughter.

There were plenty of pirates who couldn't read, but when they traveled in crews, there was always someone among them who could. A rookie setting sail alone like this was quite rare.

"Kid, remember this: there are many powerhouses on this sea, and quite a few who can be called 'monsters'. This island is even a monster's nest, but in this gathering place of monsters, there are two people you absolutely must not offend.

They are monsters among monsters. One is called Rocks, and the other... is Nereus."

"Are they strong?"

Usually, these two names carried enough deterrent effect, but this young man clearly didn't understand them well enough, asking a question that seemed extremely foolish in the eyes of the other pirates.

"You know Marine Admirals, right? The highest fighting force of Marine Headquarters, they count as monsters too, right? Yet Rocks killed an Admiral. That was the first time I ever heard of a Marine Admiral being killed by a pirate.

As for Nereus, although he looks like an ordinary human, he is actually a Fish-Man. Yet he can fight evenly against Rocks on land—do you understand what that means?"

The Fish-Man Race, as a special demi-human race in this world, possessed innate endowments.

Because of their ability to breathe underwater, underwater combat was the home turf of the Fish-Man Race.

A Fish-Man's combat power underwater was usually several times greater than on land.

And if a member of such an underwater combat race could display that kind of combat power even on land, how strong he was underwater went without saying.

Seeing that the young man in front of him didn't seem to believe his words, the middle-aged pirate didn't say anything further. He just waved to the person behind the bar and bought another barrel of rum.

Then he filled the young man's cup to the brim.

"Drink up. I'll treat you to this cup. I've seen too many hotheads like you. If you don't die later, remember to treat me back. If you die, then this is your parting drink."

Feeling a sense of contempt from the other's tone, the young man didn't take the cup.

Accompanied by the laughter of the other pirates, he angrily ran out of the tavern anyway, heading along the same direction Nereus had left, seemingly wanting to see what the monster among monsters in the mouths of these pirates actually looked like.

On the southeastern coast of Hachinosu, a group of people were inspecting their weapons.

There were members like Nereus whose appearances were indistinguishable from humans, members with distinct racial traits like Sebastian, and Mermaid Race members with human upper bodies and fish tails from the waist down.

Unlike Fish-Men, mermaids only gained the ability to split their tails into dual legs and step onto land after turning thirty, and this was an exclusive ability of female mermaids, so the mermaids stayed at the shallows.

The two men in the lead were also tall, and combined they couldn't scrape together a single head of fine hair.

The Fish-Man on the left had blue-green skin, thick lips, a big nose, and grasped a harpoon. His name was Sambel, formerly a member of the Roger Pirates in the original timeline, though he had now been poached by Nereus.

The bald-headed Fish-Man on the right had a shiny pate, sported a mustache, and was rolling a string of prayer beads.

His name was Babel, formerly a member of the Rocks Pirates in the original timeline. Together with Sebastian and Big Pan, these four were Nereus's capable executives.

"Why is Sebastian taking so long?"

Babel impatiently twirled the prayer beads in his hand, complaining that Sebastian hadn't returned yet.

"Maybe big brother Nereus has some urgent business over there."

Sambel chimed in with a very calm tone. Although Babel twirled prayer beads and claimed to be a monk, his temper was much more volatile than Sambel's.

"That guy Rocks isn't even around right now. Aside from him, what else could possibly stump the boss on this island?

Couldn't he just make a phone call for something like this? Did he have to make a special trip? I bet that brat Sebastian went running off to suck up to the boss again..."

"Babel, teach me how to contact someone with a den den mushi when they don't have one on them."

Just as Babel was grumbling, Sebastian appeared right behind him, responding to his words with a less-than-pleasant tone.

"Besides, who are you calling a brat? I'm older than you, I just don't look as aged as you, going bald at such a young age."

The theoretical lifespan of the Giant Race was three hundred years, and mixed-blood members of the Giant Race were also affected by this, having a very long adolescence.

Yet compared to his age, Babel seemed much more concerned about his hair.

"This is a monk's ascetic practice! Practice!! It's not baldness, it's tonsure!! Don't you just have some giant blood in you? Does that make you so proud?!"

"It's alright. At least I don't lose my hair."

Sebastian flicked the hair behind his back, and those fluttering black locks caused several wrinkles and cross symbols to pop up on Babel's forehead. The word "hair loss" seemed to be attacking his soul.

The Babel of the past also had a head of long hair resembling flames, but as time passed, those flowing locks had abandoned him, and his midlife crisis had arrived early.

Of course, externally Babel always insisted that he had shaved his own head for the sake of better practice.

"Stop bickering, the captain is coming over."

Sambel patted the calves of the two men to remind them of Nereus's arrival. As for why he patted their calves...

Sebastian was tall due to being a Fish-Giant, and Babel himself had a sturdy build comparable to a lesser giant.

Such cases were not uncommon among the Fish-Man Race, and Fish-Men like Wadatsumi even approached the height of the Ancient Giant Race.

Compared to these two, Sambel, who was already considered quite sturdy for a Fish-Man, looked like a dwarf.

Hearing this, the two stopped arguing. Arguing was a common occurrence for them and could only be regarded as a unique form of entertainment.

They still knew how to tell the difference between times for joking and times for serious business.

Accompanied by various different titles from the others like "Captain", "Big Brother", and "Boss", Nereus arrived before the group.