Clang! Clang!
The sound of bells echoed across the entire harbor. Those who heard it set down whatever they were doing, moving the small boats originally moored at the docks aside to leave enough space for large warships to berth.
This island was where Nereus had settled the slaves he had rescued. Over the years, those who had been freed and chosen to live here, along with the new generation born after settling down, numbered in the tens of thousands.
By the standards of these seas, it already counted as a small nation, and Nereus was its uncrowned king.
"Lord Nereus! Welcome home!"
"Lord Nereus! Was the trip smooth? We didn't see any news about you in the papers!"
Although there was a Calm Belt around the area, it wasn't like the one surrounding Amazon Lily that completely sealed the island off. There were enough gaps for News Coo to deliver newspapers.
"Everything went smoothly. Spread the word, we'll be heading to South Blue soon. Anyone whose hometown is in South Blue can come with us.
We've brought back quite a few newcomers this time. Arrange housing for them and explain the island's rules."
"Yes, Lord Nereus. Leave it to us."
The island's rules weren't complicated: no stealing or harming others, equal treatment of all races, no discrimination, and the like.
Housing would be provided, suitable work assigned, and everyone was ensured a way to make a living.
Those who had settled here early on were already used to all this and had long developed an efficient system for receiving newcomers.
This time, Nereus left behind a large number of accompanying personnel, along with a warship.
Most of them weren't combatants to begin with, and staying here was safer for them.
A small number of people whose hometowns were in South Blue and who still intended to return boarded Nereus's warship.
Under normal circumstances, Nereus didn't personally escort everyone home one by one. It was a time-consuming voyage, so he usually sent people back only when it fit his plans and route.
After all, there was still a fellow Fish-Man in South Blue that needed to be brought back, along with other matters that also required Nereus to make the trip.
Before anyone left the island, they had to undergo an inspection to ensure none of them carried an Eternal Pose to this island.
Because the island itself wasn't on any regular shipping route, a normal Log Pose wouldn't detect its magnetic field and thus couldn't lead anyone here.
Nereus had discovered the island purely by chance. As long as no Eternal Pose was smuggled out, outsiders would have almost no way of finding it.
After leaving behind part of the personnel, Nereus and his group set sail again. During the voyage, he also resumed his role as an instructor.
His main students were Nanamo and Amphitrite.
Teaching Nanamo was part of her regular curriculum, while Amphitrite had come to him on her own, with only one goal - becoming stronger.
"Amphy, do you have some kind of… strange inclination?"
"Strange inclination?"
"This is the first time I've ever seen someone who can still smile while learning Haki from Dad!"
Previously, Amphitrite didn't know Haki at all. Aside from a very small number of people who naturally awakened Haki with special abilities, everyone else had to master it through later training.
The method of learning Haki wasn't complicated. With a skilled guide to help, it basically came down to getting beaten.
Nereus was extremely strict during lessons. After all, on these seas, personal strength was paramount. The stronger his family and companions were, the more at ease he could be when dealing with other matters.
"Iron Balloon" could block guns, blades, and cannons, but it couldn't block Nereus's fists. Even Nanamo found the lessons painful and frustrating.
But Amphitrite was different. From the day Nereus said she could join the training as well, she had shown nothing but excitement.
Although she had never learned it before, Amphitrite's foundation was exceptionally solid, so much so that she could even be called a genius.
Not only did she endure Nereus's high-intensity training, but after just a few days under his guidance, she had already brushed against the threshold of Armament Haki.
"Being able to grow stronger, doesn't that feel pretty good?"
Amphitrite looked at the faint Armament Haki on her hand. When Armament Haki is emitted outward, it is colorless, but when it adheres to the body or a weapon, it instead takes on a pitch-black hue.
Although she still wasn't very proficient with it, her Armament Haki was already capable of being used as armor.
"Do you know what it means to have a basic grasp of Armament Haki?"
"It means I can start the next stage of training?"
"It means Dad can hit you even harder!"
In a sense, Amphitrite's thinking wasn't wrong. First, you take a small amount of beatings to obtain a basic grasp of Haki, then you take more beatings to become proficient with it. That's the training process for Armament Haki.
Differences in upbringing led them to view the same thing in completely different ways. Nanamo was still a bit young; even though she didn't resist training, she still had a playful side to her nature.
She simply couldn't see through this hardworking "junior" Amphitrite at all.
During the days of sailing, although there were gains, Nanamo always felt that her life had somehow become more painful.
After several more days at sea, the ship finally approached the Red Line. The craftsmen on board gradually got busy, coating the ship with a special liquid.
"That's a coating solution made from Yarukiman Mangrove resin. Only after being coated can a ship dive down to reach Fishman Island."
Fish-Men themselves weren't afraid of water, but there were plenty of things on the ship that couldn't get wet, not to mention some human crew members who lacked this talent. Coating the ship was therefore an indispensable step.
However, the people on board didn't have to wait the whole time. They could swim down directly, and Nanamo was among those who couldn't wait. She immediately called out to Nereus, saying she wanted to head down with him first.
"Sister Amphy, you wait on the ship for now. We'll go down first, see you in a bit."
"From here to Fishman Island… how long would it take to swim?"
"A coated ship takes about three hours. If we swim, about an hour should be enough. It's pretty quick."
"If it's just an hour, then I don't need to wait. I'll swim down with you."
As she spoke, Amphitrite stretched her body, as if preparing to swim. Hearing this, the Fish-Men around her all showed looks of disbelief.
"Kid, I'm not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, but you probably don't understand Fishman Island very well. That island is ten thousand meters below the sea, and Miss Nanamo said one hour."
Sebastian took off his sunglasses, as if wanting to see clearly whether this girl who habitually dressed up like a mummy was talking nonsense.
"You didn't mishear me, and I'm not trying to show off.
Even if I can't breathe underwater like you, I can still last for a while without oxygen. I can hold my breath for two hours in one go. There's more than enough time."
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