For Amphitrite, whether it was getting sick or taking medicine, both were quite distant concepts.
It was no exaggeration to say that her race's physique had evolved to an exceptional degree, which is capable of surviving in any natural environment.
Unless it was a fatal injury caused by external force, for Lunarians, a good night's sleep was basically enough to alleviate any discomfort.
The drug Saturn had developed was also based on human experiments conducted in the past on Lunarians captured by the World Government.
The ship's doctor under Nereus was quite capable, but the current mission target still posed a bit of a challenge for him.
"Lord Nereus asked me to check on how things are going. The people outside are all clamoring to start the welcome banquet."
At that moment, Hermes squeezed its body in through a crack in the nearby window. It had a special role on the ship: an exclusive messenger for Nereus and Nanamo, occasionally delivering verbal messages.
"The patient's physical condition is fine, just a bit malnourished. Some extra nourishment will take care of it. Help me tell Lord Nereus that I won't be attending the party tonight, I need to research something."
The ship's doctor waved at Hermes and returned to the medicine preparation room nearby.
"Got it. I'll report to Lord Nereus right away."
Meanwhile, outside, two warships had already been linked together with special hook boards, and were being dragged into the Calm Belt by several sea beasts.
This was the form of propulsion Nereus and his crew most commonly used in windless environments.
Although the Calm Belt was the nesting ground of Sea Kings, Nereus knew very well how to deal with them. As long as Seastone was embedded into the bottom of the ships and they didn't linger for too long, they wouldn't attract the Sea Kings' attention.
It wasn't just the hulls, even the specially made reins on the sea beasts were embedded with Seastone. This way, to a Sea King's senses, the area was nothing more than seawater with a slightly different current.
Embedding Seastone wasn't complicated at all. It was just that no one outside knew about it. Even Vegapunk, who would discover this in the original timeline, hadn't yet directed his research in this direction at this point.
Nereus himself wasn't afraid of Sea Kings. Even if they were discovered, he could drive them away, but this approach reduced a lot of unnecessary trouble.
By the time Amphitrite arrived on deck, the banquet had actually already begun. Kaido was off to one side drinking competitively with Barbell.
Earlier, when she was in the infirmary, Kaido had been the most insistent about holding the banquet. His pirate philosophy far exceeded that of Nereus's group, and for a pirate, any random excuse was enough for them to kick off a raucous celebration.
"Today's main character has arrived! This is our new companion from now on, Amphitrite…"
The host of the banquet was Nanamo. At this moment, Hermes had also switched into "atmosphere lighting mode," but when it focused the lights on Amphitrite, what it revealed was a mummy.
While in the infirmary, she had changed into a different outfit. But after the ship's doctor retreated to brood alone, she had swiped several rolls of bandages and wrapped up every bit of exposed skin.
Aside from her eyes, not a single inch was left uncovered, even her hair was coiled up and tucked into a hat.
"Is she injured that badly…?"
"The World Government b*stards are getting more and more excessive. Looks like another pitiful soul…"
Aside from the few officers who had seen Amphitrite's true appearance before, the ordinary crew member's first impression was one of pity; she looked so pitiful, having been injured so severely by the World Government.
The people on this ship already harbored no goodwill toward the World Government. In their eyes, the World Government was the embodiment of ultimate evil, and seeing a "severely wounded" new companion, they couldn't help but start cursing them.
But those who knew Amphitrite's real situation thought differently.
"Haha… our new companion seems a bit shy… anyway, the banquet begins!"
Nanamo had never encountered a situation like this before. After thinking it over and still not knowing what to say, she finally announced the early start of the banquet, tossed aside the microphone, and dragged Amphitrite over to Nereus.
Nereus himself didn't drink, and his presence among the crowd tended to make some people feel restrained, so during banquets he often took on night watch duty instead, staying in a relatively quiet spot.
Of course, if someone came to toast him, he wouldn't ignore them.
"Big sis… what are you doing? Is this really the kind of outfit you like?"
"No. It just cuts down on some trouble… I got used to it back in those days."
"Have you ever considered that dressing like this actually makes you stand out more, and draws even more attention?"
"..."
In fact, Amphitrite had dressed like this before as well, habitually wrapping herself up tightly. It was only after being targeted and relentlessly pursued by CP9 that she had discarded those things.
Thinking about it now, that kind of outfit back then… really did make her look like a suspicious person.
"Many people on this ship have unpleasant pasts, so no one asks about anyone else's history. I don't know what your life was like before.
But now, everything is different. No one will discriminate against you, and no one will look at you with strange eyes. You can live openly under the sunlight, without needing any cover.
If you're not used to it, just take it slowly."
Compared to Nanamo, who focused on Amphitrite's unusual attire, Nereus better understood the reasons behind her behavior, and he didn't force her to change.
Although she ultimately didn't remove the bandages, under Nanamo's guidance she gradually became part of the banquet.
At dawn the next day, the group crossed the Calm Belt and returned to the New World.
The swells of the sea gradually grew stronger, and Kaido, who looked as if he were still hungover, was the first to open his eyes.
"Nereus, now that we've reached the New World, I won't bother you any longer."
"Have you decided what you're going to do?"
"Of course. You reminded me, ships and the like aren't important. If I need one, I can just take it from the Marines.
I still need to find a companion first. Someone from the Lunarian race might be a good choice."
With that, Kaido leapt lightly and transformed into an azure dragon, flying up into the sky.
"Nereus, I'll challenge you again when we meet next time."
"Do as you like. I have no interest in what you plan to do, but I'm warning you, don't get in my way."
Nereus wasn't sure whether Kaido heard those words. By the time he said them, Kaido had already shot up into the sky and disappeared, flying off to who knows where.
After that, a few more days of sailing passed, and the group came before a special island.
The entire island was divided into three parts by three straits, with a circular body of water in the center.
Clusters of buildings could be seen across the island, and it looked like quite a few people had settled there.
On a watchtower by the coast, the guards also spotted the approaching ships. When they saw Nereus's flag through the telescope, they immediately struck the large bell beside them.
Then, picking up a loudspeaker, they shouted:
"Lord Nereus has returned!!"
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