In the New World, on Beehive Island—Hachinosu.
Ever since the Rocks Pirates were formed and established this place as their main base, Beehive Island had become an island of pirates.
In the southeastern part of the island, inside a tavern, a towering man with a pair of horns growing from his head sat at the bar.
One hand held a massive barrel of liquor, while the other gripped a spiked club. Around him lay several bodies; judging from the wounds on them and the blood staining the club, the horned man was clearly the one responsible.
Besides those already down, more than a dozen people still surrounded him with weapons in hand—the fight was clearly not over yet.
Scenes like this were common on Beehive Island. With countless pirates using it as their base, the island maintained a certain order, but fights and killings between pirates happened all the time.
A disagreement turning into a brawl was hardly unusual.
Behind the counter, a little girl tending the bar seemed completely unfazed, quietly wiping a glass in her hands.
Her skin was smooth, and she wore a one-piece swimsuit, but her complexion was unusual—a pale green unlike that of ordinary humans.
Her pupils were crimson, her ears resembled fish fins, and fin-like structures protruded from her elbows as well. Her aqua-blue hair was tied into a ponytail hanging behind her.
At that moment, she was holding a small notebook, recording the damage.
"Kaido, you're paying for everything you break."
The horned man was none other than Kaido of the Beasts—the future Emperor of the Sea, later known as the strongest creature in land, sea, and air.
At the moment, he was clearly drunk. Hearing the word compensation, a trace of sorrow entered his voice.
"Why… They were the ones who started it. So why do I have to pay in the end...?"
Kaido looked deeply aggrieved, as if tears might fall at any second. Anyone familiar with him would immediately understand—Kaido was drunk.
Drunk Kaido and sober Kaido were practically two different people. Once intoxicated, his emotions became abnormally rich: melancholy, clingy, dramatic—there was no telling what he might do.
"Hmph. If you beat all of them half to death, then of course you're the only one left to pay!"
"Worororo!! That makes sense! Looking at it that way, I guess I really do have to pay..."
There was no trace of sadness in Kaido's laughter now; instead, he sounded delighted, as though he genuinely found her reasoning convincing.
Tilting his head back, he drained the barrel dry, then casually tossed it aside, smashing it to pieces.
The girl calmly added another line to the bill.
As Kaido rose again with his club in hand, the surrounding pirates tightened their grips on their weapons.
Yet whether it was Kaido—who had just been told to pay—or the pirates whom the girl had already judged incapable of beating him, none of them showed the slightest hostility toward her.
"Kaido, you bastard! If you've got guts, step away from the bar first!"
The pirates clearly feared something, hesitating to attack while Kaido remained in that position. Kaido said nothing, simply rising and assuming a battle stance.
The instant the melee resumed, chaos exploded through the tavern.
"Thunder... Bagua!"
Kaido swung his spiked club forward. The pirate closest to him flew backward like a rag doll, crashing through another table nearby.
"Idiot! Where are you swinging that thing?!"
"Get him! Kill that bastard!"
"Don't lose, Kaido! I put all my money on you!"
The sounds of battle, breaking furniture, and rowdy cheers from spectators mixed together into deafening noise.
Meanwhile, the little girl remained seated calmly behind the counter, continuing to update her ledger.
"Hey, hey, hey! That table had sentimental value! Extra charge! Seven chairs, twenty-eight glasses, flooring—"
But just then, the tavern door swung open, and a man over three meters tall walked in.
He had long black hair and wore a blood-red robe. Aside from his size, he looked almost entirely human.
His pupils were also crimson, tinged with a faint coldness—but when his gaze landed on certain individuals, a trace of gentleness appeared.
The moment he entered, the tavern fell silent.
Only Kaido's fighting continued.
"Gulp..."
The pirates who had been cheering stopped at once, nervously swallowing. One even nudged the companion beside him, signaling him not to draw attention.
"What's wrong?"
"What are your eyes for? Don't you see? Nereus is here!"
Fear was obvious in the way he looked toward the door, clearly aware of how terrifying the newcomer was.
The one beside him, however, looked like a newcomer—someone who didn't yet understand this place.
"Last time he fought Rocks, it lasted seven days and seven nights without a winner. If they hadn't both held back, they might've sunk the whole island. That man is a genuine... monster..."
That single sentence was enough for the rookie pirate to understand exactly what kind of strength stood before him. He immediately stepped back obediently, unwilling to court disaster.
"Big Brother Nereus, good afternoon!"
"Dad, you're here~"
A large, somewhat simple-looking giant near the entrance greeted him, while the little girl behind the bar waved cheerfully.
The reason none of the pirates dared show hostility toward the girl was this man.
Nereus—a transmigrator.
He looked like an ordinary human, and on this sea, a height of over three meters was hardly unusual.
But in truth, he was a fish-man.
Looking human was itself one of the traits found among fish-men.
Their appearances varied greatly. Some bore obvious fish characteristics, like Arlong's kind.
But as a demi-human race, another portion showed almost no such features at all.
In the original timeline, Jack and Sasaki of the Beasts Pirates were examples—they were fish-men too, despite barely showing any visible fish-man traits.
Nereus belonged to that latter type.
"Nanaimo, writing down the value of damaged items is correct... but why didn't you make them fight outside?"
Nanaimo was the girl behind the bar. Hearing the question, she quickly hid the notebook behind her back, apparently unsure how to explain herself.
Nereus did not press the issue, instead shifting his gaze toward Kaido, who was still fighting nearby.
The pirates on Hachinosu came from every corner imaginable. Though Kaido had not yet fully matured, dealing with this crowd was no challenge for him.
By the time Nereus approached, only a few were still standing.
As the battle went on, Kaido seemed to grow even more excited, casually grabbing a jug from a shelf and drinking from it. The drunkenness on his face deepened.
"Hic~ Nereus... you're here? Want a drink too?"
Though inviting him to drink, Kaido hurled the jug straight at the last standing pirate.
Blood mixed with liquor as it spilled across the floor, adding another layer of filth to the tavern.
"Tch. Did you forget what I told you... Don't make trouble on my turf."
No one could see Nereus move.
In an instant, he was beside Kaido, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder.
Cold sweat immediately formed on Kaido's forehead. Even his drunken haze seemed to clear somewhat.
"Nereus..."
Boom!
Nereus didn't wait for him to finish.
Instead, he delivered a very physical form of sobering up.
Kaido's massive body slammed into the floor, his head nearly embedded in the boards.
Nereus then walked over to Nanaimo and extended a hand, signaling for the notebook.
"Nereus... those guys... started it first..."
Not long after, Kaido sat up rubbing his head, trying to explain.
"Otherwise, did you think I'd only help you 'sober up'? Restore the tavern exactly as it was. Otherwise..."
"Dad, he's clumsy—he'll never do it properly. Just make him pay instead..."
Nereus lightly tapped Nanaimo on the head twice with the notebook in his hand.
Watching her squat there clutching her head and pretending the hit had hurt badly, he spoke in a stern tone:
"Do you think I don't know what these things actually cost? Where exactly were you planning to put the extra money you added?"
The prices in Nanaimo's notebook were clearly inflated. If Kaido had really paid according to her list, there would have been a considerable amount left over.
After all, if nothing gets repaired, where does the money come from? Repair the road twice, and naturally there's extra money.
"My allowance isn't enough..."
"If it's not enough, ask me. Don't play little tricks like this."
Nereus closed the notebook, then tossed a wallet to Nanaimo.
"If I remember right, you promised to meet Katakuri and the others this afternoon. It's almost time—go have fun."
Nanaimo checked the bills inside, then raised her hand and made a heart gesture before vaulting over the counter and leaving the tavern.
One of the large men beside Nereus silently followed after her.
This was still a pirate island, after all.
Even with certain rules in place for various reasons, letting a child run around alone outside was still too risky.
Inside his own territory was one thing.
But once she left, it was best to have someone with her.