After thinking carefully, Ah Long felt that Nereus might also be a mermaid, one who had reached the age of splitting her tail into legs.
Although her body was huge, Ah Long had never seen the Giant Race on land, whereas the Fishman Race underwater did have such large special individuals, with even some examples of crazily growing in size within a year. With so many people on Fishman Island, he couldn't know everyone and thus couldn't rule out such a possibility.
"You are...."
Mandfeish looked at the giantess in front of him with confusion.
"I am the newly appointed queen of the Gyarados Tribe by Lord Arceus. Lord Arceus bestowed the name Nereus upon me. I have come this time to consult you on some matters."
"Queen? Consult you?"
He wasn't a real Gyarados, just someone with the power of a Gyarados within him. But this also made him realize why he felt something strange toward Nereus; it seemed to be that thing granted by Arceus affecting him.
However, he didn't understand what she could possibly need to consult him about. According to Nereus, she was originally a Gyarados, so she must know more about Gyarados matters than he did.
Even the world's champion swimmer in the breaststroke couldn't teach a frog to swim; human breaststroke can never be more standard than that of a frog. The same logic applied to Gyarados.
"It's Mega. I hear you've already mastered that power. I need stronger power, so I'll be imposing on you for a while."
Nereus briefly explained her intentions and directly stated her plans for the near future.
The Mega Stone was the beginning, and to master Mega Evolution required practice. Among the Hundred Beasts who had mastered Mega Evolution, Mandfeish shared the same source of power as her, making him naturally the best person to guide her.
Although she had been crowned as queen, she did not see anything shameful in consulting others, as she herself said, she needed stronger power.
"Wait, you mean... you'll be staying here for a while?"
"Don't worry, I can stay in the sea usually, I won't disturb you all. During this period, my tribe will also help guard the surrounding waters for you."
"Rushaka, you see..."
"I have no objections, Feish, just do as you like."
Eventually, Nereus temporarily stayed in the vicinity to begin her Mega training sessions. However, Ah Long got off the sightseeing gondola and went to find Sharley.
"Sharley, I have something to tell you."
"What is it? Just say it."
As half-siblings, Sharley and Ah Long didn't have a very friendly relationship. Many times, due to differences in opinions, they were more like strangers.
"I admit that some humans are a bit different."
"Hmm?"
If such words came from another fishman, she might believe them, but coming from Ah Long, she suspected he had ridden the Ferris wheel too much and spun his brains out.
"Don't interrupt. That Mandfeish guy might not be bad, but he's not a suitable partner. He has too many women connected to him."
"What nonsense are you talking? What's that got to do with me? I'm leaving, you go back to spinning your Ferris wheel."
Watching Sharley swim away down the lane, Ah Long felt a bit frustrated. He originally thought that the only one involved with Mandfeish was Rushaka, which is why he said such things.
But now it seemed far more complicated than that. Moreover, his sister's attitude was also quite strange; apart from the initial period when they were getting to know each other, he hadn't heard the word "brother Ah Long" since.
"This is difficult..."
Ah Long planned to talk to Tiger. For him, there was nothing he couldn't discuss with Tiger, but after searching all over, he couldn't find where Tiger was.
"Hatchan, have you seen Big Bro?"
Watching Hatchan making takoyaki for others, Ah Long inquired about Tiger's whereabouts.
"Nyu? As for Big Bro Tiger, I saw him heading to the seaside earlier."
Having a rough idea of the location, Ah Long walked toward the sea and soon saw Tiger taking notes there.
He didn't rashly disturb Tiger, but planned to wait until Tiger was done talking. Meanwhile, he caught bits of Nereus's voice.
After a period of practice, Nereus had managed to get her volume under control to a relatively normal range, but if one listened carefully, some bits and pieces could still be heard.
Although Mandfeish had mastered Mega Evolution, mastering something was one thing, teaching others was another. The first teaching session did not yield results. After Mandfeish left to rest and ponder how to teach, Tiger came.
"Hello, I am Tiger, Fisher Tiger. I heard you mention Lord Arceus several times before, so I dare to ask, what do you think of that lord?"
"Fisher Tiger... I've heard of you..."
After she acquired the Onyudo Fruit, she stayed briefly in Wano Kuni, and during that time, she gathered a lot of human intelligence through other pirates. The more recent the events, the more she heard, and Tiger's name was naturally among them.
"Why are you inquiring about Lord Arceus?"
"Because... I saw the light ahead in endless darkness."
In the ensuing period, they talked very pleasantly. One was a fanatic excessively interpreting doctrine, while the other was a Gyarados created by Arceus. There was naturally no conflict in their communications.
Nereus couldn't speak ill of Arceus, and indeed, through Tiger's words, she felt that she had underestimated the greatness of Arceus, who created her.
Under Nereus's influence, Tiger also became more filled with anticipation for Wano Kuni.
At dawn, Tiger's notebook was filled with many things, and though he hadn't slept all night, he was in high spirits, seeming to have undergone significant spiritual elevation. On his way out, he saw Ah Long sleeping on the beach not far away.
Yesterday, Tiger and Nereus were so engrossed in their conversation that they lost track of time. Ah Long originally wanted to wait until Tiger finished talking, but ended up falling asleep himself.
Seeing Ah Long asleep, Tiger did not wake him but quietly left, not wanting to disturb his sleep.
Meanwhile, on the Red Earth Continent, Tesoro made a new decision.
"Alright then, this year's team building event... will be here!"
"Really? Mr. Tesoro, can we really go there!"
Seeing the destination Tesoro designated, An was very excited. Not only An, but Cindry and Stella also showed interest because Tesoro's pointed island was Ellegia, also known as the Land of Music.
Ohara is the archeological Holy Land, while Ellegia is the Holy Land of music. He planned to take this team-building opportunity to bring the artists to further their vocal training.
"Of course, pack your things, we're setting off immediately."