The Sea's Specialty: Reckless Greenhorns

Within Nereus's sphere of influence, he held absolute authority. His way of handling matters was one reason, but more importantly, Nereus himself possessed absolute strength.

Gathering this group had not been a matter of a few words persuading them to join him. According to Fishman Race tradition—or more precisely, the traditions of the Fish-Man District—such matters still had to be settled with fists.

Everyone here knew just how hard Nereus's fists were.

If they kept arguing now, Nereus would show them what it meant to "usually avoid fights, but excel at breaking them up."

As everyone knew, as long as the person breaking up a fight could beat everyone involved, they could perfectly put an end to any dispute.

"Babel, take those Sea Beasts out. Let me see the results of your training."

"Don't worry, big brother. I guarantee I won't disappoint you."

Babel waved his hand and led two people carrying conch shells toward a nearby bay. Nereus accepted the telescope Sambel handed him and looked out over the distant sea.

"Specific identity?"

"Treasure Hunter Crew. Their captain is Treba Bruchi, with a Bounty of one hundred million Beli."

As the currency circulating across the seas, Beli had been steadily depreciating. After the Great Pirate Era began, those changes had become even more dramatic.

To judge its actual value, one could look at the price of newspapers. In a sense, World Economic News Agency newspapers could also be considered a special kind of "general equivalent."

When Luffy received his Bounty in the storyline year, a newspaper cost one hundred Beli per copy. Now, it only cost fifty Beli per copy, so a one-hundred-million Beli Bounty was worth more than it would be in the future.

"Treasure hunters?"

"They're Bounty hunters. Three months ago, we freed a group of slaves. The slave ships belonged to this lot. It seems that because of us, they failed to deliver their 'goods' on time, offended those World Government people, and ended up with Bounties on their heads."

Sambel read from the intelligence documents he had gathered. Though there was no concrete proof of what this group had come for, they certainly had not come to pay a friendly visit. There was nothing wrong with treating them as enemies.

That was indeed the case. After being wanted, these people did not dare retaliate against the World Government. Instead, they set their sights on Nereus, whom they considered the "culprit."

After all, in most people's eyes, no matter how powerful a Pirate force was, it could not compare to the World Government, the colossal entity that had ruled the world for centuries.

"I've seen plenty of people who don't value their lives. But ones so eager to die are rare."

After thinking for a moment, Nereus recalled that operation. He had not even acted personally; one of his squads had completed the mission. The other side was not particularly strong.

Still, Nereus was not surprised that they had come for revenge. The sea was full of such reckless people. They could be considered one of its specialties.

"Big brother, you don't need to do anything. I'll handle it. For trash like them... five minutes is more than enough."

Seeing Nereus roll his wrists as if he intended to act, Sebastian stepped forward first. Nereus merely nodded, agreeing to his proposal.

Situations like this were not uncommon. Slave traders seeking revenge, Marines under the World Government, other Pirates hoping to make a name for themselves—enemies like these often appeared nearby.

Not every enemy was worth Nereus acting personally. At that moment, Sebastian had already turned into a white streak across the sea, charging toward the approaching enemy ship.

Meanwhile, at the nearby deepwater harbor, as blasts of horn calls emerged from the conch shell in Babel's hand, three enormous shadows beneath the surface began to move slowly...

At the same time, aboard the Treasure Hunter Crew's ship, a tall but skinny man whose face was covered in knife scars stared furiously in Beehive Island's direction.

He was Treba Bruchi, captain of the so-called Treasure Hunter Crew. In truth, all they did was slave trader work.

Because they served the World Government and possessed some strength of their own, they had lived fairly comfortably until recently, when they encountered Nereus's subordinates.

"Full speed ahead! That bastard is on that island! Kill them and retrieve all those goods. Only then will we have a chance to get our Bounty lifted!"

"B-But, Captain... that's Hachinosu... There are... maybe we should go back..."

Some of the people behind him looked frightened. Even though they had already reached the vicinity of Beehive Island, they remained timid and hesitant.

Beehive Island was now a gathering place for Pirates. That was no secret, and it was filled with famous, powerful Pirates.

The reason they still followed Treba Bruchi was because the World Government's Bounty targeted the entire group. As long as they stayed with Treba, his strength could still deal with Marines and Bounty hunters.

If they left, other slave traders might capture them before long and use them to fill the vacancies they had left behind.

As slave traders themselves, they knew very well what kind of treatment slaves received.

That was why, even after Treba Bruchi made such a mad decision, they still followed him. But that did not stop them from trying to persuade him.

If Treba chose to take them somewhere to hide, concealing themselves under false names in some remote corner of the Four Blues, perhaps they could live like the Bandit King, throwing their weight around in a small area.

"Shut up! I don't want to live like some fugitive, hiding everywhere! Those Pirates are only gathered on that island. Forget helping us—they'd be lucky not to stab us in the back!

"Last time, I wasn't there. Otherwise, how could those bastards have succeeded so easily? Mermaid slaves are the highest-priced goods. This time, they'll come in handy!"

Even now, Treba Bruchi still believed that Nereus's people had only managed to rescue those slaves because he had not personally been aboard the ship that day.

This kind of blind confidence in one's own strength was common on the seas. Whether now or in the future, nothing would change.

Even high Bounties could not dispel such thoughts. After all, a Bounty was not determined solely by strength. Heinous acts and actions that disgusted the World Government could both increase the amount.

Many people believed that those famous figures had merely set sail earlier than them, that they had long since surpassed them and simply lacked the chance to prove it.

This particular specialty was usually called a reckless greenhorn, and it frequently appeared among newcomers to the seas.

In the original timeline, the Supernovas challenging the Four Emperors was a straightforward example. Believing themselves invincible, they lacked any understanding of true strength and were usually dealt a crushing blow by reality soon afterward.

Boom!

Cuiba was about to continue giving orders when a violent tremor suddenly ran through the ship. The wildly shaking deck even flung two people straight into the air.

"What's going on?!"

Cuiba grabbed the side of the ship to steady himself. Those being tossed about by the violent shaking had no time to answer him, but the vessel beneath his feet gave him the answer through cold, hard facts.

The deck creaked, and the hull let out an earsplitting sound of breaking apart.

The sturdy keel was snapped cleanly in half at the middle. Like a giant tree rotted hollow by insects, the ship was torn into two sections in an instant by monstrous force.

Wood chips sprayed from the break as seawater rushed madly into the cabins. The enormous ship began to tilt and slowly sink, and crew members slipped into the sea one after another.

Though the remaining people clung to fixed objects on the deck and had not fallen in yet, it did not make much difference.

The massive ship had not sunk immediately, but its sinking was only a matter of time.

"You people really are arrogant. Do you not even know how we fight? It's been a long time since I last encountered people like you, completely defenseless against attacks from below the water."

Sebastian leaped out of the sea. His enormous body further accelerated the ship's descent. If the ship had not been large enough, it would never have withstood Sebastian's rampage.

Sebastian stood atop the slowly sinking vessel, his eyes filled with mockery for the enemies before him.

"Two minutes remain. But dealing with you will be more than enough."

After confirming the time, Sebastian put away his pocket watch and looked coldly at Treba Bruchi before him...