Living Proudly in the Sunlight

To Amphitrite, whether illness or medicine, both were distant concepts.

Her people had evolved absurdly powerful physiques. Their ability to survive in any natural environment was no joke.

Unless an external force inflicted a fatal injury, a Lunarian could basically sleep off any discomfort.

The drug Saturn had researched had also been developed based on human experiments conducted on Lunarians previously captured by the World Government.

Nereus's ship doctor was quite skilled, but this mission target still gave him a headache.

"Lord Nereus asked me to check on her condition. The people outside are already clamoring to hold a welcome banquet."

At that moment, Hermes squeezed its body through a gap in the nearby window. It held a special role aboard the ship as Nereus and Nanamo's personal messenger, sometimes delivering verbal messages.

"The patient's body is fine. She's just somewhat malnourished; she only needs to eat more nourishing food. Tell Lord Nereus that I won't be attending the banquet. I need to research something."

The ship doctor waved Hermes off and returned to the medicine compounding room nearby.

"Understood. I'll go report to Lord Nereus right away."

Meanwhile, outside, two warships had been linked together with specially made hook boards, then dragged into the Calm Belt by several Sea Beasts.

This was the method of propulsion Nereus's group used most often in windless environments.

Although the Calm Belt was the nesting ground of Sea Kings, Nereus knew exactly how to deal with them. As long as Seastone was embedded into the bottoms of the ships and they did not linger too long, they would not draw the Sea Kings' attention.

Not only were the ship bottoms fitted with Seastone, but the specially made reins on the Sea Beasts were as well. To the Sea Kings' senses, this was merely a stretch of seawater with a different current speed.

Embedding Seastone was hardly complicated. It was simply that no one else knew about it. Even Vegapunk, who discovered this in the original timeline, had not yet turned his research in this direction.

Nereus himself was not afraid of Sea Kings. Even if they were discovered, he could drive them away, but this saved them a great deal of trouble.

By the time Amphitrite arrived on deck, the banquet had already begun. Kaido was off to one side drinking competitively with Babel.

While she had still been in the medical room, Kaido had been the most insistent on holding a banquet. His pirate ideals were far stronger than those of Nereus's group, and for a Pirate, any excuse was enough to start a wild celebration.

"Today's star has made her entrance! This is our new companion from now on, Amphitrite..."

Nanamo was hosting the banquet. Hermes had also switched into atmosphere-light mode, but when it focused its lights on Amphitrite, it revealed a mummy.

While in the infirmary, she had changed into another outfit. But after the ship doctor returned to shut himself away, she had taken several rolls of Bandage and wrapped every bit of exposed skin.

Other than her eyes, not a single inch was exposed. She had even tied up her hair and tucked it inside her hat.

"Was she hurt that badly..."

"Those bastards from the World Government are getting more and more excessive. She must be a pitiful person too..."

Other than the few officers who had seen Amphitrite's true appearance, the ordinary crew members' first impression was that she was pitiful, having been injured so badly by the World Government's people.

The people aboard this ship had never liked the World Government to begin with. In their eyes, the World Government was the ultimate evil. Seeing their "severely injured" new companion, they could not help cursing the World Government's people.

But those who knew Amphitrite's circumstances had another thought.

"Haha... our new companion seems a little shy... Anyway, the banquet begins!"

Nanamo had never encountered such a situation before. After pondering for a long time without knowing what to say, she finally declared the banquet open early, tossed aside the microphone, and pulled Amphitrite over to Nereus.

Nereus did not drink, and when he was among the crowd, some people could not relax. Thus, during banquets, Nereus often kept watch by himself in a relatively secluded spot.

Of course, if someone came to toast him, he would not ignore them.

"Big sis... what are you doing? Is this the way you like to dress?"

"No. It just reduces some trouble... I got used to it in those days."

"Has it occurred to you that dressing like this actually makes you stand out more and draws even more attention?"

"..."

Amphitrite had actually dressed this way before as well, habitually wrapping herself up tightly. It was only after CP9 had targeted and relentlessly pursued her that she threw those things away.

Thinking about it now, that old way of dressing... really did make her look suspicious.

"Many people on this ship have unbearable pasts, so no one asks about anyone else's. I don't know what your life used to be like.

But now, everything is different. No one will discriminate against you, and no one will look at you strangely. You can live proudly in the sunlight without needing to hide behind anything.

If you're not used to it, take it slowly."

Unlike Nanamo, who focused on Amphitrite's strange attire, Nereus better understood the reason behind it, but he did not force her to do anything.

Although she ultimately did not remove the Bandage, under Nanamo's guidance, she gradually joined the banquet.

At dawn the next day, the group passed through the Calm Belt and returned to the New World.

The swells gradually grew stronger, and Kaido, who appeared to be hungover, was the first to open his eyes.

"Nereus, now that we've reached the New World, I won't trouble you any longer."

"Have you decided what you're going to do?"

"Of course. You reminded me that ships aren't important. If I need one, I can just go take one from the Marines.

I should find a companion first. Someone from the Lunarian race might be a good choice."

With that, Kaido gave a light leap and transformed into an Azure Dragon, flying into the sky.

"Nereus, the next time we meet, I'll still challenge you."

"Do as you please. I have no interest in what you're planning to do, but let me remind you: don't get in my way."

Nereus was not sure whether Kaido heard him. By the time he said that, Kaido had already shot into the sky and flown off somewhere unknown.

After several more days of sailing, the group arrived before a peculiar island.

The entire island was divided into three sections by three straits, with a circular sea area in the center.

Rows upon rows of buildings could be seen across the island, and it looked as though quite a few people lived there.

The guards in the watchtower near the shore also spotted the approaching ships. When they saw Nereus's flag through their telescope, they immediately struck the large bell beside them.

Then they grabbed the loudspeaker nearby and shouted:

"Lord Nereus has returned!!"