Chapter 265: Traditional Mysticism
"Our Haki cultivation manuals...?"
Nereus's condition made Gloriosa hesitate momentarily. She clearly hadn't expected him to ask for something like that.
"What? Is it really that difficult of a demand?" Nereus raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me that as the former-former Empress of the Kuja, you don't actually know how the Kuja systematically train their Haki."
"No, that's not it. Every warrior of the Kuja knows the method," Gloriosa quickly clarified. "I just didn't expect a man of your caliber to actually be interested in it.
"Given your strength, you must already possess far more efficient cultivation methods."
Many nations with ancient lineages possessed unique, inherited combat systems. Fish-Man Island's Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu were highly specialized martial arts; their ability to manipulate the moisture in the air and within a target's body meant even Logia Devil Fruit users couldn't ignore their strikes.
Gloriosa assumed the Ryugu Kingdom must already have its own closely guarded, systematic Haki inheritance.
"I naturally possess my own Haki cultivation methods," Nereus replied smoothly. "However, my methods are incredibly difficult to popularize on a mass scale. I am quite curious to know the exact methodology that allows the entirety of the Kuja's warriors to effortlessly master Armament Haki."
"Very well, I agree to your terms. However, I must clarify a few details first," Gloriosa said, her expression turning serious. "As you know, Amazon Lily is an island exclusively for women; no men exist in our society.
"Consequently, our Haki cultivation method was specifically designed and refined to be utilized by women. Whether it will be effective if a man attempts to learn it, I have absolutely no idea."
Amazon Lily was a nation built upon a strict meritocracy of strength. Even if a Kuja warrior ventured out and fell in love with a man, that man was rarely weak; practically all of them already knew Haki anyway.
As a result, there had never been a recorded instance of a man attempting to learn the Kuja's Haki cultivation method from scratch.
"That doesn't matter," Nereus dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. "As long as it is a proven, effective methodology, even if it ultimately fails to be popularized among my entire military, our transaction still stands."
Although the Ryugu Kingdom wasn't a strict warrior nation where every single citizen was a soldier like Amazon Lily, they had aggressively implemented mandatory, widespread militarized training over the past decade. If a severe crisis ever struck, the kingdom could swiftly transition into a state of total mobilization.
"This knowledge is considered a sacred secret of the Kuja," Gloriosa added solemnly. "I personally request that you do not disseminate it to the outside world, and restrict its usage strictly within your own territory."
"You can rest assured on that front," Nereus chuckled. "I have no shortage of enemies out there. Leaking a systematic power-up to the outside world offers me absolutely no benefit. My sole intention is to further strengthen the military might of my own nation."
While the Kuja's Haki method was technically a heavily guarded secret, it wasn't completely unknown to the outside world. Due to the deeply ingrained cultural susceptibility to "Love Sickness," the Kuja were notorious for completely losing their minds when struck by romance.
Once Love Sickness took hold, a Kuja warrior was liable to do absolutely anything. Over the centuries, considering the number of past Empresses and warriors who had ventured out to sea and fallen in love, bits and pieces of their techniques had undoubtedly leaked.
However, because the method was highly specialized for female physiology, even if outsiders caught wind of it, no external faction had ever managed to systematically preserve and pass it down like the Kuja themselves.
It was similar to the Giants' Hakoku (Sovereign State) technique. While it was the ancestral inheritance of Elbaf, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible if a monstrous outsider managed to replicate it.
As the former-former Empress of the Kuja, Gloriosa also had her own agonizing calculations to make. Compared to a standard warrior, the future Empress of the Kuja was exponentially more critical to their survival.
If they lacked an overwhelming, top-tier powerhouse anchoring their throne, the geopolitical deterrence of the Kuja Pirates would plummet disastrously.
Gloriosa already carried the heavy guilt of being a "sinner" who had abandoned her nation. Therefore, even if it meant paying a heavy price and breaking tribal taboos, she was desperate to protect the Kuja's future.
"The cultivation method can only be passed down orally. I will recite it to you holding absolutely nothing back," Gloriosa said firmly. "Now, will you help us?"
"Sebastian," Nereus called out immediately. "Contact Karma. Tell him to deploy every available operative. I want a comprehensive sweep for the tracks of any slaver ships operating in the nearby waters over the past few days."
Slavers weren't complete idiots. The astronomical profit margins of the human trafficking trade made them willing to risk their lives, but they certainly weren't stupid enough to hoist a pirate flag and broadcast to the world that they were hauling slaves.
Slaver ships operating anywhere near the Sabaody Archipelago went to extreme lengths to disguise their vessels as ordinary merchant ships.
Every single slaver was painfully, intimately aware of the horrifying fate that awaited them if they were caught by Fish-Man Island's patrols.
However, the immense risk hadn't eradicated the demand for slaves; it had simply caused the market price of slaves to skyrocket. Enticed by the promise of unimaginable wealth, there was never a shortage of desperate scumbags willing to roll the dice.
Gloriosa quickly handed over three sketched portraits to Nereus before sitting down and meticulously reciting the intricate details of the Kuja's Haki cultivation method. Meanwhile, Sebastian hurried off to relay the King's orders.
Before mobilizing the troops, Sebastian made a quick detour to visit Shyarly. While her clairvoyance couldn't pinpoint exact, real-time GPS coordinates, providing a general directional vector was incredibly easy for her.
Over the past few years, many disguised slaver ships had gone to their watery graves utterly baffled. They couldn't comprehend how—despite their flawless disguises and painstakingly complex detours—they still somehow managed to sail directly into the waiting arms of Fish-Man Island's elite execution squads. They all died cursing their terrible luck.
In reality, it was because Fish-Man Island possessed a unique, terrifyingly effective combination: mystical foresight seamlessly integrated with overwhelming military mobilization.
Divination alone couldn't sink ships. But when a ruler possessed enough absolute martial authority to actually act upon that divination and systematically narrow down the search radius... the results were devastating.
Nereus simply issued the order to hunt down the slavers' trail. If his subordinates encountered a force they couldn't handle, he would personally intervene.
However, by the time the order actually trickled down the chain of command to Karma, its tone had shifted dramatically.
"Gentlemen, I have some terrible news," Karma announced grimly.
Years ago, acting on Nereus's direct orders, Karma had successfully infiltrated the upper echelons of a major slaver syndicate. Later, due to Nereus's relentless purges, the slaver underworld developed a hyper-paranoid policy of permanently banning any Fish-Man or Merman from their ranks, knowing there was a 90% chance they were Nereus's spies.
Following that, Karma was recalled to Fish-Man Island. He was appointed as the commander of a highly specialized black-ops unit dedicated to tracking slaver movements, coordinating lethal strikes alongside the Neptune Army when the timing was right.
Looking at the official royal decree Sebastian had just delivered, Karma summoned his squad captains.
"A crew of slaver scum managed to slip past our surveillance net and escape through nearby waters.
"And now, this humiliating failure has reached His Majesty Nereus's ears. This is a direct, absolute decree from His Majesty himself: find these bastards.
"Gentlemen! Letting them slip past us silently was already a gross dereliction of our duty. But if we allow these scum to truly escape with their bounty... it will be an unforgivable stain upon our honor!"
The ocean was unfathomably vast, and the number of navigational routes was virtually limitless. However, there was only one underwater chokepoint connecting the two halves of the Grand Line, which was exactly why Fish-Man Island held such terrifying strategic leverage.
It was realistically impossible to prevent every single ship from slipping through the cracks of their patrols.
But because the matter had been elevated directly to Nereus, and an explicit royal decree had been issued, Karma interpreted it as a massive, humiliating reprimand.
Swiftly eliminating the heavily patrolled standard routes, Karma analyzed the nautical charts and circled several highly suspicious sectors.
Cross-referencing his deductions with Shyarly's divination vectors, he rapidly divided his elite operatives into specialized strike teams. After requisitioning additional heavy reinforcements from the Neptune Army, they launched a massive, coordinated sweep.
Gloriosa's intuition had been flawlessly correct. When it came to hunting down human traffickers, Fish-Man Island possessed a terrifying, industrialized expertise. With their intelligence network operating at maximum capacity, it didn't take long for them to lock onto several highly suspicious vessels...
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