Chapter 171: Where Did So Many Nereuses Come From?
Unless the World Government parachuted someone in, the position of Marine Fleet Admiral was always promoted from the rank of Admiral.
With Zephyr starting to become unreliable and Garp outright refusing promotion, the only one left to rely on was Sengoku.
Even without these recent incidents, Fleet Admiral Kong's chosen successor would have still been Sengoku. These events merely further solidified this thought in Kong's mind.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, look on the bright side. Although Zephyr and Garp have caused quite a bit of trouble, they are indeed cracking down on pirates. The situation on the sea has also improved, hasn't it?"
Roger was still sailing on the sea, but many others had already been thrown into prison. Byrnndi World, known as the "World Destroyer," was directly arrested with the help of undercover agents planted by the World Government.
Besides him, many renowned pirates had also met their end, such as Captain John.
This pirate, rumored to possess the most treasure on the sea, was extremely greedy and refused to share even a single fraction of his wealth.
In the end, he was betrayed by his subordinates and died a miserable death in some forgotten corner, leaving behind only the legend of his treasure.
There were also some great pirates who, while still surviving on the sea, had their grand schemes thwarted. Overall, the Marines' morale was steadily rising.
As for a certain thwarted pirate... he was currently catching up with an old acquaintance in the New World.
"Newgate, I don't understand. Why did both of those guys choose the World Government?"
"Shiki, did you come looking for me just to spout this nonsense?"
On the deck of the Moby Dick, two massive sake bowls were set out. The Golden Lion, who had come here alone, was currently matching Whitebeard drink for drink, though their conversation didn't seem all that harmonious.
Whitebeard had stated more than once that if the Golden Lion dared to cause trouble, he would sink him straight to the bottom of the sea.
However, the Golden Lion's tone wasn't veiled with hostility; instead, he seemed to be genuinely seeking answers.
"I heard your plan for a Flying Empire was thwarted, and you suffered heavy losses? And it was that guy Nereus who did it? It seems he didn't even get serious, otherwise with your level..."
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed into slits as he looked the Golden Lion up and down. After all, based on his understanding, despite both being aerial combatants, the Golden Lion was no match for Nereus.
"No, I never even saw Nereus from beginning to end! The one who made a move wasn't him, it was that bastard Harald! That guy really has become the World Government's loyal lapdog now!"
Seemingly deeply frustrated, the Golden Lion downed the contents of his massive sake bowl before he began to complain.
Back when his ambitions were swelling, the Golden Lion attempted to build his own empire. But the World Government had no intention of compromising with him or accepting his terms.
For one thing, the Golden Lion had openly declared his goal to become the King of the World. For another, he hadn't managed to present the same level of threat as Nereus. Consequently, he suffered a devastating blow from the World Government.
Although the Golden Lion Pirates still existed, and he was still the Admiral of the Golden Lion Armada, that Flying Empire was no more.
"Gurararara! Looking at it that way, your luck wasn't half bad. At least the one you ran into was Harald."
Both were absolute powerhouses on the sea, but in the Golden Lion's case, his survival rate was actually higher when facing Harald.
"Is that what I'm talking about?! Have you not been reading the newspapers lately?!
"The one taking out pirates in the Florian Triangle was Nereus. The one waging a kingdom war in the North Blue was Nereus. The one issuing the sea ban was Nereus. And then the one who fought me was also Nereus?!
"And the one attending the Levely in Mary Geoise was still Nereus!
"Does that bastard know how to clone himself?! Where did so many Nereuses come from?!"
Seeing that Whitebeard hadn't grasped his meaning, the Golden Lion directly voiced his thoughts. Although those events hadn't happened at the exact same time, some were separated by vast distances.
But the one who fought him was clearly Harald, yet the World Government insisted on saying it was Nereus. This alone made the Golden Lion feel that something was seriously wrong.
The Golden Lion was certain there was foul play involved, but he couldn't quite put his finger on exactly what the problem was.
"Gurararara, who knows? I have no interest in these things. But what about you? What are your plans now? Rebuild your empire?"
"No, it's too early. I need someone to join forces with, like that guy Roger.
"If he's willing to cooperate with me, even if Harald attacks again, we won't end up in today's situation."
"Shirokichi! Are you guys very familiar with that man named Nereus?"
Just as the Golden Lion finished his sentence, a puzzled voice drifted over from the side. This person was Kozuki Oden—the only other person on the ship who didn't call Whitebeard "Pops," but was instead acknowledged as his little brother.
"We sailed on the same ship together for a while in the past, so I suppose we're fairly familiar," Whitebeard replied.
There were very few people the Golden Lion could complain to. Only someone who understood both Harald and Nereus could grasp the meaning behind his words.
And among those few people, the only ones the Golden Lion held in high regard were Whitebeard and Roger. This was what led to today's meeting.
"I see. Actually, a few years ago, I also met this man once in Wano Country.
"That time, he came to take his citizens back home. He must be a good person, right? I felt he was quite easy to talk to, and that daughter of his also seemed very formidable..."
Oden recalled the past event and gave his own evaluation. But to the ears of the Golden Lion, these words carried a completely different flavor.
"A good person? How can there still be idiots who think that guy is a good person? He's the type who won't lift a finger unless there's something in it for him. Since he appeared there, there must have been something else attracting him..."
It was true that Nereus went to bring his citizens home. But the Golden Lion wasn't completely wrong either; Nereus did indeed have his own ulterior motives.
However, the Golden Lion's tone of voice had already made Whitebeard extremely displeased. Before the Golden Lion could even finish his sentence, Whitebeard tossed his sake bowl aside and grabbed his naginata, Murakumogiri.
"Whose family member... are you calling an idiot?!"
"Tch, you just keep playing your little game of house! I'm going to go busy myself with my grand ambitions!"
The conversation between Whitebeard and the Golden Lion ultimately ended on a sour note. Seeing that Whitebeard wasn't just talking this time but was genuinely enraged, the Golden Lion hurriedly took to the sky and left the area after dropping a couple of lines of trash talk.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world at Twin Cape, the not-so-famous doctor Crocus was currently comparing two items in his hands.
One was a wanted poster from decades ago, and the other was a recent newspaper.
"The same hairstyle, the same bone structure, the same name... Brook, is that you?"
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