Chapter 52: Three Iron Rules and Distorted Messages
Yes, usually the boss of the Fish-man District wanted to join Nereus's crew.
After Nereus made a name for himself and newspapers brought back the news, he became an idol in the eyes of the Fish-man District residents.
Over time, becoming the boss of the Fish-man District even became a "credential" for joining Nereus's crew.
"No, Tiger. Not this time."
The joy on Tiger's face faded, replaced by astonishment. He couldn't understand why the other party rejected him as soon as they met.
Even if Nereus hadn't come back often recently and didn't interact much with him, he should have at least asked a few questions.
"Wh... why?"
"Don't misunderstand. I can see you manage the Fish-man District quite well. The people here call you 'Big Bro' from the bottom of their hearts.
But my situation has changed. After one more voyage, I plan to return to Fish-man Island permanently. So there's no need for you to come out with me now. Just wait for me here."
Tiger's character was fine. Liberating slaves was an act where the cost far outweighed the benefits for him, yet Tiger was still willing to risk his life to do it.
Moreover, in the original timeline, having been captured and sold as a slave to the Celestial Dragons, he could still suppress the hatred in his heart to seek an equal world.
However, when sending Koala home, the betrayal by her hometown villagers made Tiger completely lose hope. In the end, he refused a transfusion of human blood and died from blood loss.
In terms of character and mentality, Tiger had no issues; it was just that his growth period was a bit long.
But this wasn't a big problem. There were many types of strong individuals on the sea.
One type was the natural-born monsters: Kaido and Douglas Bullet, who fought on battlefields in their youth, or Charlotte Linlin, who could knock down giants at the age of five. These were examples of this type.
Another type could be considered late bloomers. They appeared obscure in their teens and twenties, only truly rising in their prime.
Dragon and Zephyr could be considered examples of this type. In their teens, they were just ordinary soldiers whose combat power basically relied on the flintlock guns in their hands.
Although most top-tier powerhouses belonged to the first category, the latter could also become formidable combatants. Tiger's situation was more like the latter.
"Is that so... Then Mr. Nereus, since you're back, the position of Fish-man District boss..."
"I haven't been here all these years. You are more familiar with the situation here. There's no need to yield it to me. However, it's time for the Fish-man District to make some changes. A few of my subordinates will stay here then. You guys get familiar with each other first."
"So... does this count as me joining you?"
"Of course. I have no reason to refuse a compatriot joining, do I? However, my subordinates must follow three iron rules.
First, no harming, betraying, or selling out comrades.
Second, no participation in any slave trade or drug smuggling.
Third, treat all races equally.
The first two are capital offenses. The last one depends on the situation. Do you understand?"
If the opposition wasn't against discrimination itself, but only against being discriminated against personally, then they would just become like the "N-word community" (referencing hypocritical victim mentality), which was obviously unreasonable.
Although there were various demi-human races on this sea, they essentially shared one origin. After all, blood could be transfused between them, and different races could produce offspring together.
It was just that the separation by the sea created barriers between these races. Under the propaganda of those in power, different attitudes emerged.
"I have no problem with that, Big Bro Nereus!"
"Good. But you're a bit weak. I'll arrange a coach for you later."
Current Fisher Tiger hadn't even mastered Haki, let alone delved deeply into techniques like Fish-man Karate. He was fighting entirely on brute strength.
Dealing with ordinary pirates was fine, but encountering Devil Fruit users would be difficult. Since he wanted to join, he naturally needed some strengthening.
Nereus didn't lower his voice when talking to Tiger. The surrounding people heard their words. And what excited these people the most was Nereus's sentence "I plan to return."
This sentence spread throughout the entire Fish-man District at extreme speed. After being passed through tens of thousands of people, although the original meaning was still "Nereus is coming back," it had spawned numerous versions.
...
"How come I didn't know Papa was recruiting soldiers to launch an invasion?"
Some time later, inside Fish-man Island, Nanamo heard something unbelievable from a vendor.
"Is that not it? A few people who came from the Fish-man District earlier said so."
"Rumors. All rumors. No such thing."
Word of mouth always produced ridiculous phenomena. "Train elite soldiers, pick up the pace" could turn into "Quick, take off your pants" after passing through just a few people.
Let alone a spread of this scale.
"So that's how it is? Seems they passed the wrong message. By the way, Miss Nanamo, your large portion of Takoyaki is ready. Come again if you like it."
The vendor was an Octopus Fish-man. His six arms moved almost in a blur, quickly flipping the takoyaki balls. The portion in Nanamo's hand was extraordinary just by looking at it; the box was stuffed to the brim.
There was even a fierce argument when Nanamo tried to pay. The owner refused to take Nanamo's money no matter what.
"How can you do business without taking money?!"
"Miss Nanamo, if it were anyone else, I'd definitely take money. But you are Lord Nereus's daughter... I can't in good conscience take your money..."
"I can't in good conscience let you not take money! Hermes! Stop him!"
Nanamo had Hermes turn into a cloud wall, forcefully stuffing the money into the owner's cash box.
It was true she liked money, but not this kind of money.
If she wanted, Nanamo could basically go anywhere on Fish-man Island just by showing her face. This was the positive feedback Nereus had generated on Fish-man Island over the years.
They couldn't do much else, but they expressed their gratitude in their own ways.
Many of Nereus's subordinates were visiting relatives in the Fish-man District, so they would stay here for a day.
Although he had lived there for a long time, Nereus himself didn't like the environment of the Fish-man District. The dark environment was only more suitable for his combat; for daily living, a place with ample sunlight was better.
Although Amphelite hid from outsiders every day, she hadn't reached the point of never seeing sunlight.
In the end, Nereus took quite a few people to stay temporarily at Coral Hill, a relatively prosperous area of Fish-man Island, and made some arrangements.
For example, Sunbell and Babel would stay on Fish-man Island to deal with potential minor troubles. Sebastian and Big Pan, whose hometowns were not on Fish-man Island, would follow Nereus to continue to the South Blue to complete the subsequent tasks.
Inside his room, Nereus was studying an ancient logbook.
"Papa, what is this?"
"Records of a shipwreck from over three hundred years ago. It's said the ship carried a lot of precious metals, and the place it sank is also in the South Blue. If we can salvage it, it would be a decent profit."
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