Chapter 2: The Ex-Wife
With Nereus's arrival, the conflict in the tavern had officially come to an end. The others seemed used to this; after splitting the winnings from their bets, they went back to drinking as if nothing had happened.
Kaido, however, seemed to be suffering from a headache in the double sense: partially from the aftereffects of being physically sobered up, and partially from contemplating how to fix the mess he'd made.
Nereus sat by himself on the side, glancing at the calendar on the wall. The year 1503 was clearly visible.
(Note: According to the official SBS timeline, Luffy's current journey is in the year 1541, and he set sail in 1539. Based on the new data, the timeline of this book is 38 years ago.)
"Thirty-two years..."
After leaving the orphanage and encountering the infamous "Truck-kun," Nereus had arrived in this world. The year was 1471 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
He was born in Fish-Man District, a place originally designated by Fish-Man Island to house orphans. In a sense, he had returned to his "starting point."
However, due to chaotic management, Fish-Man District soon became a gathering place for the lawless elements of Fish-Man Island.
Of course, its original function wasn't entirely abandoned. Nereus himself grew up there, scraping by through thick and thin. He even chose his new name during that time, signifying a fresh start.
During those years of growth, several residents of Fish-Man District had helped him immensely.
Before long, he realized exactly what kind of world he was in.
He had a rough idea of what would happen in the pirate world, though his knowledge of the plot only went up to the Egghead Arc. Anything beyond that was just fragmented pieces of intel; overall, he only remembered the broad strokes.
To survive better in this dangerous world, he began learning combat techniques. Several years later, he took a few companions from Fish-Man District, left Fish-Man Island, and began to make his way in the outside world.
He wanted to change the status quo—and he wanted to change it from the root. That meant overthrowing the current World Government and ending the rule of the Celestial Dragons. And for that, he needed strength.
On these seas, the slave trade was common. Even before Roger kicked off the Great Pirate Era, Fish-Man Island was a heavily impacted disaster zone for slavers, with merfolk being considered top-tier merchandise in their eyes.
After destroying a World Government slave transport ship, Nereus landed himself on a Marine bounty poster.
By now, his bounty had multiplied countless times since that first incident, and slave traders felt a massive headache just hearing his name.
"Big Bro Nereus, I saw your little princess heading toward the town. Should I go check on her for you?"
Just as Nereus was contemplating his next move, a tall, muscular Fish-man pushed open the door and walked in. His skin was mostly light blue, dotted with bright green patches.
This was Sebastian, a member of the World Pirates in the original timeline—a hybrid of a Fish-man and a Giant. Now, however, he was Nereus's subordinate.
This loyalty stemmed from Nereus's race. Because he was a Fish-man who had come to the surface, other Fish-men and merfolk found it easier to trust him. Consequently, the majority of Nereus's crew consisted of Fish-men and merfolk.
Sebastian was one of his top executives.
"No need. Big Pan is with her. Besides, she's going to see her mother."
Nereus seemed quite at ease with this. Big Pan was also a Wotan (a Giant-Fish-man hybrid), a member Nereus had recruited in the open seas after leaving Fish-Man Island.
In the original timeline, Big Pan was merely a member of the Foxy Pirates. But now, under Nereus's personal training, his strength had increased dramatically, earning him a respectable place even in the New World.
However, what truly reassured him was Nanamo's mother—Nereus's ex-wife, Charlotte Linlin.
Also known as the future Emperor of the Sea, the only female among the Yonko—Big Mom.
If something major happened, Charlotte Linlin would handle it. If it was minor, Big Pan could deal with it himself.
At this age, Charlotte Linlin wasn't the senile, violent crone from the main storyline, nor was she the ignorant child unaware of her own strength.
Youthful and beautiful, she was currently a bold, righteous heroine of the seas, possessing rational judgment on many matters.
Their relationship wasn't complicated. Given Charlotte Linlin's goal regarding other races, upon meeting a powerful and handsome Fish-man, they established a relationship before long.
Nanamo was her first child, the true eldest daughter of the Charlotte Family, born even earlier than Perospero.
However, their relationship didn't last long. Due to conflicting worldviews, huge disagreements arose quickly. Even now, they still disputed custody over their daughter.
After their breakup, Charlotte Linlin continued as she always had, and now had quite a few more children.
Aside from delaying Perospero's birth slightly and indirectly preventing the birth of the original eldest daughter, Charlotte Compote, not much had changed on Charlotte Linlin's end.
Their romantic relationship had fractured, but it was a relatively amicable split. There was no bizarre divorce settlement involving half the family fortune.
Furthermore, Charlotte Linlin valued this daughter highly. After all, among her current children, Nanamo was the only one who had inherited her "Iron Balloon" talent.
What dissatisfied Charlotte Linlin the most was that Nanamo was closer to Nereus and usually lived with him.
Given Nereus's own strength, Charlotte Linlin's usual tactic of "keeping the child and ditching the father" didn't work here.
Thus, she hoped that through interactions with Katakuri and Nanamo's other half-siblings, she could change Nanamo's mind and make her a purer member of the Charlotte Family.
"Is there anything else?"
"Nothing major. The outpost in the sea sent word that a group of guys who have a grudge against us are approaching Hachinosu..."
Before Sebastian could finish, Kaido, who had been sitting on the floor, suddenly stood up.
"I'll find someone to help you with repairs later. I've got something to do, so I'm heading out."
Demolishing houses was Kaido's specialty. Even though he wasn't a Devil Fruit user yet, tearing this place down was easy. Fixing it, however, was a bit beyond him.
But given the nature of Hachinosu, conflicts erupted constantly, so there actually was a group of people dedicated to repair work. After all, no one wanted to sleep in ruins every night.
Before Nereus could answer, Kaido had already rushed out. Nereus didn't stop him.
The root of the issue wasn't the money; it was breaking Nereus's rule about fighting inside. A lesson had been taught, and that was enough. Besides, Kaido wasn't the type to welch on a debt like this.
After Kaido left, Nereus turned to ask Sebastian about something else.
"How are those Sea Beasts doing lately?"
"Not bad. They aren't as obedient as that batch of Fighting Fish, but training is pretty much done."
"Take them out for a spin. Let's test their combat capabilities."
"Yes, sir."
Whether Fighting Fish or Sea Beasts, they were unique species of this ocean. To ordinary human sailors, these ferocious marine creatures were disasters of the voyage.
But to the Fish-men living in the ocean, they were like hunting dogs—combat power that could be tamed.
In traditional Fish-man culture, specific methods existed for taming Sea Beasts.
The Sea Beasts Nereus referred to were a batch captured and trained a while ago. Now was the perfect time to see how they performed in battle.