"I'll go there myself, there's no need for you to worry so much. Even if someone's going to die, it won't be here."
Nereus's tone remained calm, yet it sent a chill down this CP0 agent's spine.
For some reason, he had the feeling that what Nereus meant was that if they met somewhere else, he would kill him.
In the end, Chap was taken away by those CP0 agents, coaxed and deceived, mixed with a hint of threat.
Although the World Government is composed of various affiliated nations, it is not a loose alliance. The World Government itself can be regarded as a special kind of nation, and those affiliated nations are merely subordinates under its command.
Most countries are unwilling to come into conflict with the World Government, and since they also couldn't defeat Nereus right now, Chap ultimately followed those CP0 agents and left.
"Dad, the reputation you've built up seems pretty useful. Those agents are quite afraid of you."
"Once you've killed enough, they'll naturally fear you. That's how this sea has been for hundreds of years. Only those strong enough are qualified to talk about rules. When I go to the meeting later, you can chat around here as you like.
Don't go looking for trouble, but don't be afraid of it either. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Relax, my dear father. I'm not some battle maniac. Instead of fighting them, I'd rather promote Fishman Island's insurance business. If I succeed, can I get a commission?"
Shipping and deep-sea salvage are the easiest sectors for Fishman Island to get involved in. They don't even require any technical expertise; just basic labor is enough to handle everything.
And that's precisely what ordinary people can't do.
"If you can make a deal, it's not impossible. It depends on your effort."
Exchanges between kingdoms are essentially business dealings; trading benefits for benefits. Approaching it from a commercial perspective is perfectly viable.
However, Nereus noticed that Brook had been staring at a distant porch for a while now.
"What's wrong, Brook? Is there something over there?"
"It's nothing, Your Majesty Nereus. I just saw someone… who seemed a bit familiar, but it's been so long that I'm probably mistaken."
In the original timeline, Brook had drifted alone in that sea area for decades, and the prolonged solitude had a profound impact on him. What he remembered most clearly were his companions from the Rumbar Pirates.
At this point, however, Brook hadn't been trapped in the Florian Triangle for nearly as long, so he remembered more about his past.
Just now, he saw a figure that resembled someone he had known before becoming a pirate.
At the same time, in the direction Brook had been watching, a blue-haired figure had already appeared before the Five Elders.
"Saint Saturn, there's nothing significant happening over at the Socializing Plaza. The others in the Domain of the Gods haven't disturbed the meeting either. I've already delivered the order. Over the next seven days, they are not allowed to leave the Domain of the Gods."
"Well done, Gunko. However, Garling and the others are currently away due to new information from Roger's side.
For the next few days, I'll have to trouble you with things here."
The blue-haired figure was Gunko, formerly one of the Devoted Blade of God, and now an official member of the Knights of God.
If there was any group at the Levely most likely to cause conflict, it would undoubtedly be the other Celestial Dragons, and the Five Elders were well aware of this.
In the past, they wouldn't have imposed such strict restrictions, but to prevent Nereus from causing a large-scale "purge" incident in Mariejois, they decided to restrict them.
Although these Celestial Dragons can act arrogantly in the outside world, their internal hierarchy is also clearly defined. The Knights of God even possess the authority to execute ordinary Celestial Dragons, which is enough to keep them in line.
The Levely officially began, and the process was not complicated. Fifty nations would take turns presiding over the meeting, putting forward various proposals for discussion and resolution.
Occasionally, new nations like the Ryugu Kingdom would appear, replacing an original seat.
No one would care about the country that had been stripped of its right to participate in the meeting, because that implied weakness or the attitude of the World Government.
Even in the original timeline, when Neptune attended the Levely, quite a few nations were willing to establish contact with them.
Of course, there were also strange looks. Given the massive population base, that was unavoidable.
Among the many nations, those most willing to build relations with Fishman Island were the kingdoms from the New World.
The previous sea blockade had drastically reduced the number of pirates in the New World, and the troubles they faced had lessened significantly.
"King Nereus, if possible, could you try to restrain the pirates passing through? We can provide Fishman Island with a certain amount of military funding and support."
"Everyone, you all know that the accumulated number of those pirates is already a problem for Fishman Island as well.
However, I can provide some security along the shipping routes in the New World, which will most likely allow your ships to pass unimpeded.
As for those pirates, through certain methods, their routes can be guided toward remote, uninhabited islands."
They wanted to provide military funding and have Fishman Island act as mercenaries to block all pirates at Fishman Island, but that was not a worthwhile deal for Fishman Island. Maintaining such a sea blockade for a long time also did not align with Fishman Island's current interests.
However, the long-term business proposal put forward by Nereus interested these kingdoms, and with Doldo supporting them, they achieved considerable results.
After several consecutive days of exchanges, quite a few official agreements were signed. These nations promised to treat citizens of all countries equally within their borders. Even Fish-Men or Mermaids could settle there and live peacefully.
Such paper agreements were something Fishman Island had never been able to obtain in the past. Although they couldn't be fully trusted, they were still a good start.
As for the nations that harbored hostility toward the Ryugu Kingdom, most of them were nations where slavery still exists. Nereus's consistent anti-slavery stance was extremely displeasing to them.
However, these people had no direct conflict with Nereus and did not want to be the first to stand out, so during a break, they sought out Chap.
Based on that single "kneel," they were certain Chap wouldn't forget about it, not to mention the widely discussed sea blockade incident from before.
"This is the 'Peace Round Table' of the Levely. No matter what, he wouldn't actually start a fight here, would he?"
"You don't need anything else, just make him give you an explanation. You have to reclaim the face you lost, don't you?"
"We'll support you as well. It's always like this at every meeting. If you don't dare, then forget it."
Chap could tell that these kings were provoking him, but he already harbored resentment over the matter, and what they said did align with the usual practices of the Levely.
During the first few days, in order to facilitate smooth communication, everyone would tacitly avoid contentious topics and reduce arguments.
The afternoon of the seventh day, however, was when conflicts were resolved. Thus, at the end of the meeting, in front of the other forty-eight kings, Chap once again brought up that issue to Nereus.
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