Chapter 48: Haki Training, Hometown of the Deep Sea
Clang! Clang!
The sound of the bell spread throughout the entire harbor. Those who heard it put down their work and moved the small boats originally docked at the port, leaving enough space for a large warship to dock.
This island was the place where Nereus settled the rescued slaves. Over the years, counting the settled slaves and the new generation born here, the population numbered in the tens of thousands.
According to the customs of this sea, it could already be considered a small nation, and Nereus was its uncrowned king.
"Lord Nereus! Welcome home!"
"Lord Nereus! Did the trip go smoothly? We didn't see any news about you in the papers!"
Although surrounded by the Calm Belt, the Calm Belt here wasn't like the one around Amazon Lily, which wrapped the island tightly. The gaps left were enough for News Coos to deliver newspapers.
"Everything went smoothly. Spread the word: we are going to the South Blue soon. Anyone whose hometown is in the South Blue can come with us.
We brought quite a few newcomers this time. Arrange accommodation for them and explain the rules of the island."
"Yes, Lord Nereus. Leave it to us."
The rules on the island weren't complicated. Simply put: no stealing or hurting others, equal treatment for all races, no discrimination, and so on.
The island would arrange housing and assign suitable work to ensure everyone could make a living.
The earliest residents were long accustomed to this and had a practiced plan for receiving newcomers.
This time, Nereus left a large number of accompanying personnel and one warship here.
Those people weren't combatants to begin with, so staying here was safer.
A small portion whose hometowns were in the South Blue and still intended to return boarded Nereus's warship.
In most cases, Nereus wouldn't send everyone home one by one—that would be a very time-consuming voyage. He usually dropped people off along the way according to his plan.
After all, there was a Fish-man compatriot in the South Blue to bring back, and other matters also required Nereus to make a trip there.
Everyone had to undergo a check before leaving the island to prevent them from carrying an Eternal Pose to this island.
Because this island wasn't on conventional shipping routes, normal Log Poses wouldn't capture its magnetic field, making it impossible to find.
Nereus discovering this island was pure coincidence. As long as no Eternal Pose was smuggled out, outsiders basically couldn't find this place.
After leaving some personnel behind, Nereus and his group set sail again. During the voyage, he resumed his duties as an instructor.
The main subjects of his teaching were Nanamo and Amphelite.
Teaching Nanamo was her regular curriculum, while Amphelite had sought him out herself with only one goal—to become stronger.
"Amphe, do you have some... strange tendencies?"
"Strange tendencies?"
"It's my first time seeing... someone who can still smile while learning Haki from Papa!"
Previously, Amphelite didn't know Haki. Aside from a very few people born with special awakened Haki abilities (like Aisa or Otohime with Observation Haki), the rest had to train to master it.
The method of learning Haki wasn't complicated. With a skilled guide to help, getting beaten up was enough.
Nereus was extremely strict during lessons. After all, on this sea, personal strength was crucial. The stronger his friends and family were, the more at ease Nereus felt doing other things.
Even an "Iron Balloon" could block guns and swords, but not Nereus's fists. Even Nanamo felt distressed during lessons.
But Amphelite was different. From the day Nereus agreed to let her join the training, she showed great excitement.
Although she had never learned it before, Amphelite's foundation was excellent—she could even be called a genius.
Not only could she withstand Nereus's high-intensity training, but within a few days under Nereus's guidance, she had touched the threshold of Armament Haki.
"Being able to get stronger—isn't that great?"
Amphelite looked at the faint layer of Armament Haki on her hand. If projected externally, Armament Haki was inherently colorless (invisible armor), but when attached to the body or weapons (Hardening), it would appear pure black.
Although she wasn't proficient with it yet, her Armament Haki could indeed be used as armor now.
"Do you know what mastering the basics of Armament Haki means?"
"Does it mean I can start the next stage of training?"
"It means Papa can hit you even harder!"
In a sense, Amphelite's thought was also correct: first get beaten a little to grasp Haki basics, then get beaten more to master it proficiently. This was the training process for Armament Haki.
Different upbringings gave them completely different perspectives on the same matter. Nanamo was still a bit young; even if she didn't resist training, she still had a playful mind.
She couldn't understand this "overachiever junior" Amphelite at all.
During the few days of sailing, although she gained something, Nanamo felt her life seemed to have become more painful.
After several days of sailing, the ship approached the Red Line. The shipwrights on board busied themselves one after another, brushing a special liquid onto the ship.
"That is coating liquid prepared from the resin of the Yarukiman Mangrove. Only after coating can the ship dive to reach Fish-man Island."
Fish-men weren't afraid of water, but many things on the ship couldn't be soaked, and some human crew members lacked aquatic talents, so coating was an indispensable job.
However, the people on board didn't have to wait. They could swim down directly. Nanamo was among those who couldn't wait, immediately calling for Nereus to go back first with her.
"Sister Amphe, wait on the ship first. We'll go down ahead; see you later."
"How long does it take... to swim from here to Fish-man Island?"
"Coating the ship takes about three hours. If we swim, one hour is about enough. It's very fast."
"If it's one hour, I don't need to wait. I can just swim down with you."
Saying this, Amphelite stretched her body, seemingly preparing for a swim. Hearing her say this, the surrounding Fish-men looked at her with disbelief.
"Little girl, not to dampen your enthusiasm, but you might not understand Fish-man Island well enough. That island is ten thousand meters deep in the sea. And Miss Nanamo said one hour."
Sebastian took off his sunglasses, seemingly wanting to take a good look at whether this little girl who habitually dressed like a mummy was talking nonsense.
"I didn't mishear, and I'm not trying to be brave.
Although I can't breathe underwater like you, I can last for a while in an anaerobic environment. I can hold my breath for two hours in one go. The time is plenty."
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