Chapter 270: Rob Lucci is Such a Great Guy
Carrying a lingering sense of profound suspicion, Fisher Tiger and his crew departed from Foolshout Island.
Watching Tiger's ship finally disappear over the horizon, the terrified Marines and Cipher Pol operatives hiding in the distance exhaled collective sighs of absolute relief. Completely abandoning any thoughts of recovering the "lost merchandise," they hastily fled the region.
For lowly grunts like them, getting tangled up in the apocalyptic geopolitical games played by the apex predators of the world was never a good idea. If a conflict broke out, regardless of how the upper echelons ultimately settled the score, grunts were always the first to be ruthlessly sacrificed as disposable pawns.
Rather than gambling their lives on a minuscule possibility of a promotion, running away was undeniably the wisest choice.
Meanwhile, on Fish-Man Island, a colossal figure appeared outside the Ryugu Palace. It was Harald, the King of Elbaf.
For a Giant, a few years was nothing more than a fleeting snap of the fingers, hardly enough time to leave a single new wrinkle on their massive faces. And the skirmishes in the first half of the Grand Line were akin to children playing house to someone like Harald; they couldn't possibly leave a single scar on his body.
However, there was a new, highly distinct mark branded onto Harald's massive left bicep: a cross encased within a circle—the exact emblem of the World Government's flag.
"The crest of the Holy Knights," Nereus noted from his throne, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You didn't have that the last time I saw you. It seems you finally got what you wanted?"
That mark was personally bestowed by Imu. Although it only represented the lowest-tier "Shallow Sea Pact," signifying his status merely as a reserve operative—a "Holy Blade of the Gods"—it was still a monumental political milestone for Harald.
"It happened last year. There are some things I am not at liberty to discuss," Harald replied solemnly.
"That's your own business," Nereus said, leaning back. "But why did you come all the way down here? With your current status, you could have easily returned to Mary Geoise openly through the Red Port. There was no need to visit my domain."
"I just wanted to talk to you about some things. You should be well aware of the current situation regarding Giants joining the Marines," Harald said, sitting cross-legged on the massive plaza floor.
"I haven't actively targeted the Marines for a while. But rest assured, if my forces genuinely encounter citizens of your nation, I will order them to show mercy."
"I appreciate that. But that isn't the main issue," Harald sighed heavily, his voice rumbling like thunder. "Not too long ago, a Giant named Jaguar D. Saul returned to Elbaf. He used to serve as a Vice Admiral in the Marines.
"When I saw him this time, his body was covered in severe, lingering frostbite scars. He refused to speak in detail about what happened, but I could clearly sense it... he no longer possesses even a shred of faith in the World Government or the Marines."
Following the horrors of the Ohara Buster Call, the ice encasing Saul had slowly thawed, allowing him to regain consciousness. After quietly recuperating in his hometown for a period, Saul had ultimately decided to seek refuge in Elbaf.
Among the Giants, Saul was considered a highly educated scholar. Currently, under Harald's direct patronage, Saul was teaching in Elbaf's academies.
Yet, the bitter, disillusioned words Saul occasionally muttered continued to weigh heavily on Harald's mind.
"Has your own perspective not changed in the slightest?" Nereus asked neutrally. "Your dream to forcibly drag Elbaf into the World Government's fold?"
"I just... I can't clearly foresee what the future holds," Harald admitted, rubbing his temple. "If Elbaf could achieve the same peace and prosperity your kingdom enjoys, that would be enough."
"I admit that Fish-Man Island's current environmental stability is tied to my treaty with the World Government. It certainly saves me a lot of petty, annoying harassment," Nereus chuckled darkly. "But blindly placing all your faith in those people is a fool's errand.
"You and I are fundamentally different. I strongly advise you to leave yourself an out. Rocks D. Xebec's final 'will' made it perfectly clear: those people in Mary Geoise are already watching you very closely."
Since Harald had absolutely no intention of altering his grand master plan, there was no point in Nereus lecturing him further.
Harald had essentially just come to vent his frustrations to an equal. After grumbling for a while about how difficult it was to raise rebellious children, the Giant King bid his farewells and returned to the surface, heading toward Mary Geoise.
Compared to his previous status as an illegal, undocumented black-ops worker, Harald was now officially recognized as an elite, dispatched contractor, granting him far greater freedom to travel between Elbaf and Mary Geoise.
Time flowed slowly, and many events unfolded across the vast sea.
In Elbaf, Saul was quietly teaching the knowledge he had gathered from the outside world at the Walrus Academy. His fundamentally different values were slowly beginning to influence the next generation of Giants. However, given a Giant's agonizingly slow maturation rate, the time required for those seeds to bear fruit was still incredibly distant.
In the New World, Kaido violently clashed with an infamous pirate known as the "Lizard King," Hanafuda. However, following a brutal, world-shaking battle, Hanafuda found himself profoundly captivated by Kaido's overwhelming charisma and sheer, barbaric strength. Although he didn't formally join the Beast Pirates, the two forged a powerful, unspoken alliance.
On the Sabaody Archipelago, following the concert's massive success, Nanamo had instructed Tesoro to actively expand the Ryugu Kingdom's external "insurance" (protection) business.
Initially, the results were incredibly poor. After all, the Neptune Army wasn't the Marines. Even though their naval combat prowess was terrifying, their operational jurisdiction was highly localized; they didn't have bases stationed across the entire globe. Most ordinary nations and merchant fleets inherently placed far more trust in the Marines and the World Government.
However, in a twist of profound irony, the World Government inadvertently handed Tesoro the greatest marketing campaign imaginable.
As the Great Pirate Era continued to violently escalate, many weaker nations found themselves utterly incapable of defending against the surging pirate armadas. One such affiliated nation was brutally hijacked by a pirate crew, who managed to take five hundred royal soldiers hostage.
The pirates made astronomical demands, extorting the nation's treasury and demanding the King abdicate his throne to them. Desperate and utterly powerless, the King formally pleaded with the World Government for rescue.
The World Government dispatched their most lethal assassin, Rob Lucci, who executed a highly "unconventional" rescue operation.
Before the pirates could even initiate negotiations, Lucci systematically slaughtered all five hundred hostages with his own hands. Only after ensuring there were no hostages left to be leveraged did he proceed to exterminate the pirates.
If the designated "rescuers" couldn't guarantee the safety of the hostages... then the line separating the terrorists from the saviors became incredibly, terrifyingly blurred.
Driven by a certain "anonymous tip" from a highly knowledgeable source (likely within Fish-Man Island), this horrifying incident was leaked directly to Morgans. Under the World Economy News Paper's sensationalized, global broadcast, several terrified nations actually began to seriously consider purchasing external "insurance" from alternative factions.
This single, brutal incident single-handedly skyrocketed Tesoro's sales figures.
"So, you're saying... all of this success was basically just sheer, dumb luck?"
"Luck is a critical component of true strength!" Nanamo grinned proudly. "The fact that he managed to capitalize on it perfectly proves that the man is blessed with a heaven-defying fortune! That's exactly why I instantly promoted him to officially manage all of Fish-Man Island's external revenue operations on the Sabaody Archipelago. And look at him now—he's doing incredibly well!"
It was September, Sea Circle Calendar Year 1525.
Nanamo was currently in Dressrosa, happily recounting recent events to Scarlett.
For ordinary administrative appointments, Nereus usually just consulted Nanamo's opinion. But when it came to making money, if Nanamo recognized a terrifying talent, Nereus generally gave them the green light without question.
"By the way," Nanamo said, her expression softening as she looked down at the bundle in Scarlett's arms, "I still can't believe you actually have a kid now! Is this what normal human babies look like when they're a month old?"
"Why are you asking such a strange question?" Scarlett laughed softly, gently rocking the baby. "Didn't you practically raise your little sister?"
"Yeah, I did. But Chloe was a bit... different," Nanamo chuckled nervously. "Don't believe me? Watch this."
Without warning, Nanamo reached into the nearby stone fireplace with her bare hand, casually pulled out a massive, blazing log, called out Chloe's name, and ruthlessly hurled the flaming wood straight at the little girl's head.
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