At the same time, on Fishman Island, inside Ryugu Palace.
The Ryugu Kingdom's Minister of the Left was flipping through an ancient book from Fishman Island.
"Your Majesty Nereus, the last time the Ryugu Kingdom appeared at the Levely was over a hundred years ago.
According to past records, affiliated nations usually bring two guards when attending the Levely to ensure their safety…"
In truth, the Minister of the Left was even more excited than Nereus. He had never gone out of sea with Nereus before and had always remained on Fishman Island, a veteran official from the previous era.
Because he was familiar with all kinds of administrative matters, and Nereus had no one particularly skilled in that area, he had simply been allowed to retain his official position.
In the eyes of someone like him, being able to participate in the Levely was a huge step forward for a kingdom.
But as he spoke, he suddenly fell silent.
Ensure safety with guards?
If something really happened, it would probably be Nereus protecting them instead.
"Uh… we can skip that part. Let me see what's next… Aside from the king, other royal family members can also participate, usually one to five people…
The Levely lasts for seven days, during which people can interact with each other on Socializing Plaza…"
At this point, the Minister of the Left simply tossed the ancient book aside. These experiences were useless. Nereus's royal family couldn't be compared to the royal families of the past at all.
Whether to bring royal family members…
At present, the only ones who qualified were Nanamo, and possibly Amphitrite. The Minister of the Left didn't want to comment on this matter, as it was Nereus's family affair.
"Nanamo, do you want to go take a look?"
"Huh? Dad, are you planning to take me up there this time?"
"The situation is different. Last time I went to negotiate terms; now the terms have already been settled. You're not weak anymore, ordinary people can't do much to you.
As long as I'm not focused on starting a war, I can still ensure your safety."
There were indeed quite a few foolish Celestial Dragons in Mariejois, people like Charlos, who wouldn't care about disturbing Levely at all.
Even during the conference itself, in the original timeline, Charlos had tried to capture Shirahoshi as a slave.
But the Fishman Island under Nereus's control was not the same as the one under Neptune.
If anyone dared to lay a hand on Nanamo, whether they succeeded or not aside, even if they managed to capture her, instead of threatening Nereus, the more likely outcome would be directly driving him mad.
And the direct result of Nereus going mad would be disturbing Imu, followed by a massive purge.
In previous battles, Nereus had already proven that he had the ability to do this. So as long as even one of the Five Elders still had their sanity, they wouldn't do something where the risks outweighed the benefits.
Not only that, they would even take the initiative to restrain the most ordinary Celestial Dragons, preventing them from causing trouble at a time like this. That was why Nereus dared to bring one person along.
"Doesn't seem like there's anything particularly interesting. Those people aren't going to give me the money in their pockets anyway… Will people from Elegia be going?"
After thinking for a moment, Nanamo suddenly thought of a country - Elegia.
A famous kingdom of music, gathering musicians from all over the world, regularly holding music festivals.
"Maybe. I'm not sure either."
"Hmm… then going to take a look isn't a bad idea. If people from Elegia are there, I'd quite like to exchange some musical insights."
"Then make your preparations. As for guards… while they aren't needed in terms of strength, they're still necessary for appearances. I just happen to know someone familiar with royal guard duties."
Before long, Brook arrived inside Ryugu Palace and learned of Nereus's request.
"Yohohoho, Your Majesty Nereus, to be honest, I wasn't just a guard in the past, I was also the leader of a royal guard unit. I was fortunate enough to attend the Levely back then, although… it wasn't a pleasant memory."
After hearing Nereus's request, Brook first demonstrated his professionalism in this field, then let out a sigh.
Those memories were even older than his time as a pirate, and some things he could no longer recall clearly.
"It's fine. You only need to know how to put on a grand display. Hermes will be your partner; the two of you should work well together."
Having a cloud and a skeleton, two beings with very unusual appearances, serve as guards was not Nereus trying to be unconventional, but rather a way to display the inclusiveness of the Ryugu Kingdom.
This country accepted far more than just Fish-Men and Merfolk.
As for Amphitrite or Alber…
It wasn't that Nereus lacked confidence in protecting them, but he was worried they wouldn't be able to control their emotions. In terms of hatred toward the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, those two were far more intense than the people of Fishman Island.
"It's been a while, Mr. Hermes. I look forward to working with you."
Hermes examined Brook with a rather dangerous gaze. Even though this was just an ordinary working relationship, Hermes couldn't suppress the sense of crisis in his heart.
It felt like this was anything but a normal collaboration.
[Could it be that Lord Nereus discovered that I've been giving advice to Princess Nanamo recently? Is this his way of warning me?]
Hermes began overthinking wildly, completely unaware that Nereus simply thought that bringing along a Homie like Hermes, who was hard to kill, would be more convenient.
While Hermes was still lost in his thoughts, a piece of news was delivered to Ryugu Palace.
"Boss, Harald has arrived, but this time he represents the World Government. He's already at the entry checkpoint, do you have any instructions?"
At the entry checkpoint, Sebastian reported the situation in detail. There weren't many opponents he feared, but Harald was one of them.
Even in the deep sea, facing Harald gave Sebastian a sense of danger.
"Is he alone?"
"Besides Harald, there are also some World Government personnel. Judging by their attire, they're not agents. They say they're here regarding the Levely."
"Then let them in."
The fact that the World Government sent Harald here surprised Nereus slightly, but it wasn't incomprehensible; after all, his strength spoke for itself.
However, Harald's attitude upon meeting him was completely beyond Nereus's expectations.
"King Nereus, I represent the World Government to invite you to attend this Levely."
Outside Ryugu Palace, Harald bent his waist to a full ninety degrees and gave a respectful salute with one hand.
His voice was firm and full of vigor, as if he felt honored to represent this role.
"Harald, we've known each other for quite a long time now. This is the first time I've seen you this polite. How rare!
King Nereus… that's the first time I've been called that. If you don't mind, come to my Royal Palace. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
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