"Luna… are you a wolf Mink or a dog Mink?"
In terms of fur colour, Luna was a mix of white and gray. She had long white hair, and although she had been treated as auction merchandise, the slave traders had actually taken good care of her hair. After all, they wanted to sell her for a high price.
Since they were both canines, Nereus really couldn't be sure of her exact kind.
"I'm a wolf! Not one of those dog Minks!"
"Got it. Zou Island doesn't have a fixed location. Do you have a Vivre Card to get back to Zou Island?"
The homeland of the Minks is called the Mokomo Dukedom, a nation located on the back of a giant elephant. Zou and Zunesha are both names that refer to that giant elephant.
Because it is a living creature, a Log Pose can't lock onto its position. On top of that, this living island constantly roams the seas of the New World, making it even harder to find.
Even the Minks who have lived on the elephant's back for generations need a Vivre Card to locate it.
By carrying the Vivre Card of family or friends, Minks who travel outside can find their way home.
"Um… I snuck out secretly and forgot to bring a Vivre Card…"
"Then you'll have to wait a while longer. I'll bring you along once we're active in the New World."
Zou Island's Vivre Cards aren't easy to come by. Fishman Island at least has several million residents, but Zou Island is essentially just a small town on an elephant's back, with a population of only tens of thousands. Its people rarely go out, so Vivre Cards almost never circulate.
Logically speaking, in terms of race rarity, Minks should be far more valuable than mermaids. It seems that on these seas, furries still aren't a mainstream group.
"Um… are you recruiting here? We Minks are born warriors! I'm really good at fighting!"
"We are recruiting, sure, but what's your reason?"
"I left Zou Island because I wanted to see what the outside world was really like, but then I got caught by those hairless monkey Minks. They said they were going to sell me.
The outside world is more dangerous than I imagined. I want to find some reliable companions. I think you all seem pretty reliable, and are good people."
Luna rambled on to herself and even nodded as she spoke. Her mentality matched that of a normal eight-year-old; she didn't think about things too deeply.
Nanamo grew up on a pirate island and received a very different kind of education.
Kuma and Ginny became slaves at a very young age, with entirely different experiences. Amphitrite lived a special life on the run. Different experiences shaped different personalities.
At least Luna had a normal childhood. Going out was mostly driven by curiosity; there wasn't much scheming in her at all.
As for the hairless monkey Minks she mentioned, she was referring to humans. In her eyes, humans were a subspecies of Minks.
"If you want to stay, then stay. But at your age, you should follow along and learn for a couple more years first. From now on, you can count as an apprentice on my ship."
Nereus recalled the mural he had seen back in Elbaf. It was said to have been drawn on a tree by a Giant child during the Void Century's war. Over the passage of time, it had become almost fossil-like, a witness to history.
In that mural, many races had once united to fight against something resembling a demon.
Judging by the current situation, the things depicted in that mural were almost all gathered here already: Buccaneer, Lunarian, Mink, Mermaid, and even a Davy's soul…
If one day archaeology made new discoveries and dug up some kind of ancient robot technology, that would be a perfect recreation.
Given Imu's level of fear and the immense length of the great war, Joy Boy might very well have been worn down and died of old age. At least from that perspective, Nereus didn't have much to worry about.
A few hours later, the ship had safely returned to Fishman Island. Compared to the last time they entered Fishman Island, today's island was noticeably livelier, and the reason behind it wasn't complicated.
The pirates who used to cause trouble on the island had now been completely suppressed, unable to stir up even the slightest wave.
Although Nereus himself had left the island to take care of other matters, Barbell and Sunbell both remained on Fishman Island. Compared to those monsters at the Admiral and Yonko level, the two of them were indeed a notch weaker, but they were still more than capable of serving as senior officers of a Yonko's crew.
With these two, plus several hundred fighters who had honed themselves in the New World for years, and with the added advantage of an underwater environment, they were already enough to safeguard peace in an entire region.
Even someone like Hody Jones, who could only boost his strength by popping drugs, had once turned Fishman Island into a dead end for many pirates. In the New World, there hadn't even been any newly rising pirates for several months, to the point that even the Marines couldn't figure out what was going on.
After replacing them with a group like this, such a result is actually quite normal.
"How have things been lately?"
"Basically no problems. Any pirates with ulterior motives have been taken out. The only thing was half a month ago, Roger's crew passed through Fishman Island. After entering the New World, the World Government seemed to have clashed with them. The objective is unknown."
Sunbell briefly summarized what had happened earlier. Externally, the situation around Fishman Island was still the same: those with real strength knew about Nereus, and even if they passed through Fishman Island, they wouldn't cause trouble.
As for the rest, even if they were tempted by profit, Sunbell and the others were more than capable of handling them.
Still at Coral Hill, Nereus had booked quite a few rooms here to accommodate those who had arrived at Fishman Island together with him.
Because of the number of rooms, most of them were sharing suites with several people.
"Yohohoho! Captain Yorki, everyone, do you see it? This is the scenery of Fishman Island…"
In the hotel lobby, Brook leaned against the window. From here, he could even see some Merfolk playing and frolicking in the water. This was the dreamlike scenery his former companions used to talk about.
But soon, Brook withdrew his gaze as he had a strange feeling just now.
For some reason, ever since Nereus brought her aboard the ship, that little Mink girl had been staring at him.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm a wolf Mink, not one of those dog Minks. I wouldn't want to gnaw on bones…"
"Didn't you just say what you were really thinking?! Honestly, if you wanted to, it's not like I couldn't let you take a bite…"
"Really?"
"Of course not. If you do want to bite something, then bite this instead. After all, my whole body is bones, I don't have a scrap of meat on me."
As he spoke, Brook took out a huge piece of meat with bone from beside him. He had just brought it back from the hotel dining hall. Watching the drool trickle from Luna's mouth and the unconscious smile spreading across her face, Brook suddenly felt a deep sense of relief.
The Rumbar Pirates were a pirate crew that could bring laughter to children. Back in the day, wherever they went, they would get along wonderfully with the local kids. Among them, there was even someone who would later become nearly legendary: Redfield.
Brook was also very good at entertaining children, and seeing this scene left him quite satisfied.
Not far away, Kuma wore a gentle smile as well, quietly watching the group eating and playing.
"Kuma, aren't you eating? The grilled meat on Fishman Island tastes really special."
"You eat first, Ginny. I'm not hungry yet. Bringing freedom to people, bringing them laughter… Right now, I feel that Mr. Nereus… might represent the legendary Nika."
Nika—rather than being a Devil Fruit ability, it was more like a kind of will. And across the world, among different races, interpretations of Nika varied.
Everyone also had their own Nika in their heart.
The Giants believed Nika would laugh as he destroyed everything. In Loki's eyes, Rocks was Nika.
King believed Kaido's strength was enough to change the world. That was the Joy Boy in his heart.
And to Kuma now, Nereus represented a new kind of freedom…
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