Chapter 92: Complex Thoughts, The Ghost Ship in the Sea
The schools on Delta Island were semi-militarized. Although they taught normal knowledge, there was also a considerable amount of physical training. Those who graduated from here could be considered qualified soldiers.
Moreover, due to their respective experiences and pasts, the entire atmosphere on the island was filled with hostility toward the World Government, especially among the new generation.
Their parents' generation had been persecuted by the World Government, and in their eyes, the Marines were just accomplices of the World Government. Under these circumstances, there naturally wasn't much goodwill toward the World Government.
For Nereus, this atmosphere also made the island an excellent source of soldiers.
To put it inappropriately, in this era, those who could be sold as slaves usually had something special about them.
Lineage, Devil Fruit abilities, talents in certain areas, outstanding appearances, etc.—there was always something that caught people's eyes.
Before long, Nereus found Ginny.
"I see you applied for various types of Transponder Snails?"
"Yes, Mr. Nereus. I think my talent in this area is quite good, and I should be able to help you. The news about God Valley back then was spread by me.
If it weren't for the poor equipment on that transport ship, I could have spread the news even further."
"Base Station Transponder Snails are easy; I can get them for you anytime. Black and White Transponder Snails take some time."
Transponder Snails are magical creatures. They are sentient beings themselves, and by cooperating with equipment attached to them, they can turn into special telephones.
The reason they are willing to be used as phones by humans is mainly because they are lazy.
Being fed and cared for by humans actually makes their lives more comfortable.
Base Station Transponder Snails mainly rely on equipment. One needs to find larger, stronger Transponder Snails so the signal can travel long distances. These are the simplest to get.
"The Black Transponder Snails can wait a bit, but prioritize the White Transponder Snails. Otherwise, it's hard to carry out work. Without White Transponder Snails, it's easy to expose the signal location."
Transponder Snails have a unique communication network. When humans make phone calls, in the eyes of Transponder Snails, they are just chatting.
The hobby of Black Transponder Snails is eavesdropping on others' conversations. They like to exchange information with their own kind and spread it around, so they are suitable for wiretapping.
White Transponder Snails can emit special waves to shield against this, thus preventing eavesdropping.
Information exchange is mutual. Without White Transponder Snails to prevent wiretapping, the location can be easily exposed.
"I understand. Fish-man Island only has one set of White Transponder Snails right now. Once I get a second set, I'll send it to you. Is there anything else you need?"
"Um... regarding intelligence work, I need a more private residence, so..."
"I understand what you mean. A house will be arranged for you. If you want Kuma to move in, you don't need to apply separately."
Children without parents on the island lived in dormitories together, but the dormitories were separated by gender. Ginny had lived in the same church with Kuma for several months before and got used to it, so she made this request along the way.
However, what Ginny didn't expect was that while she settled everything on her end, a problem arose on Kuma's side.
"You don't want to move out?"
"You're a girl. Back in the Sorbet Kingdom, we had no choice, but living together now... isn't very appropriate, right?"
"That house doesn't just have one room. I checked; it's quite big."
"But I agreed to go to the library with my roommates tonight... Maybe later. Actually, I think dorm life right now is quite nice too."
Kuma ultimately decided to continue living in the dormitory. Being with a group of boys around the same age allowed Kuma to find a kind of happiness he had never possessed before.
However, Ginny was very unhappy. She kicked Kuma once before leaving in a huff, leaving only Kuma standing there confused, seemingly not understanding why Ginny acted this way.
Click—
A shutter sound rang out from the side. It was Kuma's roommate, whose hobby was photography. The camera in his hand was exchanged for credits.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just taking a photo. I'll give it to you when you get married in the future. Your expression was just fantastic; it'll definitely be interesting then."
"What marriage? Ginny and I have just known each other for a long time; we are friends. She looks fierce, but actually..."
"Alright, no need to explain. I understand everything. But you have to trust my eye."
Kuma still didn't quite understand, but at times like this, smiling was enough. Watching them make noise, Kuma also felt very happy.
...
Meanwhile, the construction of the branch island of the Ryugu Kingdom was preliminarily completed. The school had begun to take shape, and relevant personnel recruitment had started.
For example, masters skilled in Fish-man Karate or Merfolk Karate.
The two martial arts shared the same origin, but the Fish-man race focused more on brute force, so there were slight differences in specific application.
Nereus didn't lack such experts under his command. He himself was proficient in Fish-man Karate and Fish-man Jujutsu, and Sebastian and others were also leaders in this field.
But he lacked instructors who could lay the foundation for ordinary children. This recruitment focused not on who was stronger, but on who was better at teaching.
The word "school" was unfamiliar to the people of the Fish-man District. The tradition of the Fish-man District had always been the big teaching the small. Many people followed those Fish-man thugs to make a living since childhood, eventually becoming a new generation of thugs.
Nereus had now incorporated and reorganized them. Under Nereus's prestige, all the children in the Fish-man District, including Jinbe, had a new place to go. Residents living in Fish-man Island also received enrollment brochures.
However, compared to the school issue, Nereus now faced another commercial problem.
A merchant who frequently traveled to and from Fish-man Island reported a situation to Fish-man Island.
It wasn't about the head tax. The head tax targeted pirates. Passing merchant ships could apply for a business license in Fish-man Island. Holders of the license only needed to pay normal commercial taxes when traveling to and from Fish-man Island.
Although applying for a license also cost some fees, it was more cost-effective for merchants.
"You mean someone is robbing you in the deep sea?"
"Yes, Lord Nereus. I ask my conscience, I have always followed the rules you set and never harmed anyone in Fish-man Island within its territory.
I have already obtained a Fish-man Island trade license. Now encountering such a thing, shouldn't Fish-man Island provide us with corresponding protection?"
"Are you sure Fish-men did this?"
"Yes. That ship is the 'Flying Dutchman'. The captain calls himself Vander Decken VIII. My crew and I saw with our own eyes that those people could move underwater without any protection."
Nereus indeed wouldn't care about ordinary pirates; messy matters on the surface had nothing to do with Fish-man Island.
But the nature of this matter was different.
"Stay in Fish-man Island for a few days. Fish-man Island will retrieve your lost goods for you."
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