Chapter 155: Coincidence or Accident?
Only Harald entered the Ryugu Palace; the accompanying World Government staff were directly left outside.
Normal reception protocols were provided, and these personnel inherently had nothing to say about it.
The officials sent to Fish-man Island by the World Government shared a common trait: they were all punching bags with no connections.
After all, in the eyes of the World Government, traveling to Fish-man Island was a highly dangerous assignment. Anyone with a shred of networking pulled strings to get themselves out of this business trip.
An absolute powerhouse of the Giant Tribe and an absolute powerhouse of the Fish-man race. Even if those ordinary officials lacked an understanding of true strength, they knew that if these two Kings actually fought, the resulting impact would be immeasurable.
Even the shockwaves erupting from their clash would likely be unbearable for them.
Therefore, no matter what happened, as long as their lives weren't endangered, they didn't care. They even took the initiative to cozy up to the Ryugu Kingdom.
"Alright, Harald. There are no World Government people here, nor do they have the ability to eavesdrop on our conversation within this range.
Do you really need to maintain such a respectful facade? Or is it that over these years, you've truly integrated into the World Government?"
Inside the Ryugu Palace, Harald noticed that Nereus's ears had undergone a slight change. The distinct, pointed ears of a vampire indicated that Nereus had entered the beast form of his Zoan Devil Fruit.
"Nereus, this is my choice."
Harald let out a long sigh, sounding as if he had already grown accustomed to it.
"Choice... You've worked so hard for so many years, only to end up doing uncredited dirty work for the World Government? They directly pinned all the achievements you've made onto me, and you don't have a single complaint?"
"Saint Saturn gave me an explanation, and I feel it is acceptable. After all, the sins committed by the Kingdom of Giants in the past must be repaid. Spending a few extra years is nothing.
Rather... I never imagined that your radical methods could achieve such excellent results."
"Blindly compromising will only make the other party push further. Perhaps if you had acted tough enough, you would have achieved your goals long ago.
Elbaf, the strongest nation in the world. The World Government wouldn't want you guys causing any major disturbances either. Making some minor concessions is nothing to them."
Hearing Nereus's words, Harald nodded thoughtfully, but then dismissed the idea.
"Our national situations are different. If we want to erase the sins of the past, we cannot rely on martial force like you... There is only one nation in the world belonging to Fish-men and Merfolk, but there is more than one Kingdom of Giants.
The transgressions committed by the Giant Warrior Pirates and other Giants in the past will always cause people to hold prejudices against Elbaf..."
"Alright, let's not talk about this. This is your choice. The World Government sent you to 'escort' me. Do you have any other requests? Speak up. For the sake of old acquaintances, I'll try not to make things difficult for you.
You should understand that while I might not be able to defeat you in a short time, with my speed, if I truly wanted to do something, you might not be able to stop me."
Harald was very strong, but Nereus's knowledge of Harald came entirely from after his transmigration.
Before that, the Giants he knew of didn't include Harald, though they did include his son, Loki.
For such a powerhouse to have never made a splash—either he was dead, or there was some intelligence about him that Nereus didn't know. Whichever it was, he was worth paying extra attention to.
"I have no requests, just wanting you to avoid causing any major chaos."
"I also hope everything goes smoothly, but unfortunately, that is not something I can decide. However, during the journey under your escort, I probably won't make a move. If any problems truly arise, it will be up to you to fulfill your duties as a guard."
"..."
Harald felt there was nothing wrong with what Nereus said. Even if the World Government hoped he would stop Nereus if the latter truly made some uncontrollable move, it didn't change his status as a World Government escort.
If any problems truly arose, he really would have to continue handling those accidents on Nereus's behalf.
Yet for some reason, Harald kept feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Nereus wasn't in much of a hurry. Theoretically speaking, the Ryugu Kingdom was the country closest to Mary Geoise; they were neighboring countries in the truest sense.
After taking a few hours to surface, they would arrive directly beneath Mary Geoise.
"Speaking of which, I actually do have a question I want to ask you. The Galley-La Great Hammer Warband—do you have any news about those people?"
Nereus recalled the Giants that Tom had mentioned. Given the lifespan of the Giant Tribe, they weren't necessarily dead.
Now that Harald, a King of the Giants, had come to his door, it was only natural to ask about their specific situation in passing.
"No, those people... are also a distant matter to me. I've only heard the elders in the tribe speak of them, and they don't have accurate news either.
A very long time ago, those Giants lost contact."
Harald didn't shy away from the topic and gave an answer without even needing to think. Even to Harald, they were already something akin to a legend.
"I see, then forget it. Looking at the time, it's about time we set off, right? My safety is in your hands then, King Harald."
After arranging the accompanying personnel and planning the execution scheme for Fish-man Island over the next few days, Nereus and his group, along with Harald's group, set off on the journey to Mary Geoise.
Because Harald, a Giant King with Ancient Giant blood, was present, the World Government simply used the ship Harald normally traveled on.
This gave Harald a taste of what it felt like to have to bring your own tools to work.
After all, the Marines' large warships would appear extremely mini in front of Harald; a person of this size was never considered during their design phase.
Being able to carry ordinary Giants was already the limit for large warships.
When the ship surfaced, quite a few warships were active in the nearby waters.
Every four years around this time, the Marines' military strength would become somewhat stretched.
Accurately speaking, other sea areas would become strained because the Marines would mass their forces along the routes that the Kings participating in the Levely needed to travel.
Pirates wanting to take the opportunity to rob or kidnap a King were not a small number. Most of them wouldn't consider the difficulty of the task or the repercussions after succeeding; in their eyes, there was only the high reward brought by high risk.
To prevent those who arrived early from waiting too long, and to allow the Marines to concentrate their forces more effectively, the Kings from various places generally departed in batches.
Due to its geographical location, the Ryugu Kingdom was actually the last nation to depart.
When Nereus arrived at the Red Port once again, a massive number of Kings from member nations had already arrived, and this final batch of people was arriving in succession.
The number of countries that had arrived far exceeded fifty.
The World Government had over 170 member nations; fifty was merely the number of countries allowed to participate in the conference. To secure a seat, fierce competition even emerged among the member nations.
For example, raising the amount of Heavenly Tribute paid, or providing the World Government with outstanding warriors during the World Military Draft.
In the eyes of these Kings, the livelihood of the people was unimportant. As long as they could elevate their country's status within the World Government and secure favorable agreements during the conference, such minor losses could easily be recouped.
Make the commoners suffer a bit, so I can be happy.
The country where Kaido was born was a prime example. Although Kaido displayed phenomenal combat power, and nurturing such a fighter could also make the nation strong.
But in the eyes of the King of the Vodka Kingdom, he couldn't control such formidable power. What he couldn't control didn't belong to him. It was better to hand Kaido over to the Marines in exchange for a voice at the Levely.
However, he underestimated Kaido's thoughts, resulting in one more uncontrollable pirate on the sea.
Although the countries lacking the qualifications to participate in the Levely couldn't speak directly during the conference, they could use these few days to conduct diplomacy and reach private national agreements.
Countries in the Four Blues were relatively fine, but communication was inherently difficult in the Grand Line due to the dangerous routes. Kings, mindful of their own safety, rarely went out to sea. Opportunities to gather so many people for face-to-face talks were exceedingly rare.
"Kano Country—King Ramen has arrived!"
"Brandy Kingdom—King Iwatobi has arrived!"
The Red Port had dedicated reception personnel. As every ship arrived, someone would announce the King's name. The reporters gathered at the Red Port also used this opportunity to hunt for news.
If they could capture two Kings from feuding nations getting into a physical brawl, that would also count as big news.
"The... the Ryugu Kingdom... King Nereus... has arrived!"
Security at the Red Port was handled by the Marines, so the person calling out the names was also a Marine. Even if he was mentally prepared, upon receiving communication from the World Government officials on the ship, he still felt some inner resistance.
His tone became somewhat stuttering, but ultimately, constrained by orders from his superiors, he fulfilled his duty.
The massive personnel overhaul at the Red Port back then had been Nereus's doing. Even though a considerable amount of time had passed, the Marines internally still held a strong impression of it.
"Doel Kingdom, King Chaplin has arrived!"
Golden earrings, a hat made of reflective material resembling a military cap, and a square little mustache under his nose.
In terms of fashion, this Chaplin's taste wasn't bad. His clothes not only possessed typical characteristics of his own country, but the aesthetic also aligned well with public taste.
It was said that this King was once an art student, and these things were all designed by him personally.
"Chaplin, Doel Kingdom. That's the kingdom that Harding guy was from, right? Harald, do you think this is a coincidence?
Or was it deliberately arranged by the World Government?"
Arriving at the exact same time as the Doel Kingdom made Nereus feel something was off. After all, if one were to ask which country currently had the biggest conflict with the Ryugu Kingdom, it would undoubtedly be the Doel Kingdom.
But judging from Harald's implications, the World Government was terrified that Nereus would cause a commotion here. So why they would arrive simultaneously was a truly intriguing matter.
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