The final solution for the Merfolk Special Zone in Nicuss's seabed was for the World Government to acquire ten merfolk at an extremely high price.
A small outpost was established there, solely responsible for transmitting intelligence to the World Government, still providing only basic information, primarily focused on Nero's movements.
Of course, all of this was done with the tacit approval of Nero and Neptune.
If Nero were to attack one day, they could at least buy themselves more time to react.
Nero and her group stayed on Amazon Lily for a full month before returning. Upon her return to Nicuss, Nero still couldn't forget the unique architecture of Kuja.
Thus, she began similar renovations in her own territory and decided that in the future, this island would be lifted into the sky to serve as Nicuss's Sky City.
Meanwhile, during the Minister of Science's absence, a major event that shook the entire nation occurred at Nicuss's Science Department... Five years passed in the blink of an eye.
Many significant events transpired during this period, and Nicuss's national power reached an unprecedented level.
The Nicuss Empire, located in the New World, boasted a golden capital, Four Seasons Island, and ten surrounding prosperous islands.
The Gold Entertainment City, built by Tesoro, a newly promoted Viscount of the Nicuss Empire, floated on the sea.
Under the sea was the City of Knowledge and Fairy Tales, where Neptune, the Great Knight of the Sea, served as mayor.
There was also the magnificent Sky City, a grand island soaring through the heavens.
Nero Claudius also gained the titles of King of the Sky, Land, and Sea.
Because of her ageless appearance, she was called the Eternal King, and in some kingdoms, she was even worshipped as a deity.
Demon/Devil Child Hathaway and Nero held a wedding, and Nicuss celebrated for ten days and ten nights.
Shanks also successfully became the new Four Emperors a few years ago, and former Admiral Zephyr, after being fitted with a custom-made mechanical arm by scientists, left the Marine and disappeared.
The world's greatest shipwright, the only Fishman recognized by Claudius Palace, passed away.
Supernova Portgas D. Ace and Shichibukai Jinbe fought for five days and five nights without a clear winner.
Later, he challenged Whitebeard and lost, becoming Whitebeard's new second division commander.
"What an extravagant city!"
Under the blazing sun, a freckled young man pulled down his cowboy hat slightly and arrived at Nicuss's capital.
"That Nero, she actually tricked me into thinking that old man Garp was some kind of schemer!"
The person who arrived was Ace. As soon as he entered the city, he was shocked by Nicuss's prosperity. Unlike other countries, there was a sense of order and tranquility emanating from the streets and the roadside vendors.
"Gold City, huh? Even the entrance fee is too high."
He was speechless remembering the ten million he had to pay when passing through Fish-Man Island back then. No wonder the capital could be built as Gold City!
At that time, he originally didn't intend to pay the toll, but the result was that he was locked up in a small dark room.
Deuce and the others barely managed to gather 100 million to bail him out, and in the end, he still honestly paid the toll to reach the New World.
He always knew Nero was strong and had great influence in the New World, but only after truly arriving in the New World did he realize that what he knew was merely the tip of the iceberg.
The World Government and the Marine were nothing more than Nero's pawns; if she wanted shaved ice, an Admiral would have to personally go, and when she was short on money, she even had priority in using the Heavenly Gold.
Even the strongest man's father admitted that he was no match for Nero, and even if all the Four Emperors combined now, their chances of winning would not exceed ten percent.
What Ace didn't know was that even that ten percent chance of winning included a bit of bragging, as Newgate also had his pride.
"Is that... a robot restaurant over there?" Walking down the street, Ace suddenly spotted a shop and immediately rushed over excitedly.
The technological levels of various countries in this world were uneven, and Ace had visited many places, but this was the first time he had seen a restaurant run by robots.
They wouldn't be selling engine oil there, would they?
A thought like that flashed through his mind, but his movements didn't slow down; instead, they sped up a bit.
"So cool!!!"
Ace's eyes lit up as he looked at the black and red four-armed robot boss.
"Praise the golden empress, what would our esteemed guest from afar like to eat?"
The robot boss's mouth emitted a hearty uncle's voice, asking with enthusiastic boldness.
This display made Ace even more excited: "Boss! Do you have..."
Boom—
Suddenly, an explosion sounded.
Ace stopped mid-sentence and looked towards the source of the explosion.
A burly, five-meter-tall man, built like a gorilla, was sprawled on the ground. A cold-faced girl in a military uniform held a military saber, its tip resting against the man's neck.
"Kuhazan, you destroyed property, privately hoarded 70 kilograms of gold, and killed an accomplice due to an uneven distribution of spoils."
The cold-faced girl closed her small notebook, shook her long blue hair, and brought the military saber a little closer to the burly man's neck: "You will serve as a second-class slave, working for Nicuss for five to ten years, or pay a billion in bail."
"A billion? These gold pieces aren't even worth that much, not even half!!!" Kuhazan yelled loudly, twisting his head to try and get further away from the saber.
"Alright, alright! No money, right? Go to the training camp for a month of study, and next month you can start working."
The cold-faced girl had no intention of arguing with him; hearing he had no money, she immediately made her conclusion.
Her familiar movements and perfunctory tone were very much like an elite corporate slave.
"Na...ni? I won't be a slave, a lackey of the Dragon Shadow Court, I... curse... Kuhaha!!!"
Seeing that the other party was about to utter profanities, the girl swiftly delivered an upper kick, and the burly man cried out in pain before being knocked unconscious.
Her small body so easily subdued a burly man, creating a strong sense of contrast.
"You all send this person directly to the slave training camp... make it number three, the instructors there are short-staffed and have been looking for me several times."
Turning her head, the girl instructed the other team members. It was clear she was likely the leader of this group in uniform.
"Yes, Captain!"
The other team members' replies immediately confirmed Ace's guess.
He remembered that the Dragon Shadow Court seemed to be Nicuss's internal law enforcement. Ace stared at the girl for a long time, feeling like she looked somewhat familiar.
"I'm going to grab a coffee; you guys head back first. You can get off work after escorting the prisoner."
The girl didn't leave; she pulled out her small notebook and started writing and drawing again, walking towards him.
Ace pondered, pinching his chin: "You are..."
Then, a sudden flash of inspiration, and the image of a little girl overlapped with the person in front of him.
"Kuina!" x2
Ace's voice overlapped with a childish female voice. Kuina, holding her small notebook, looked up in confusion.
"???"
Ace looked at the little girl who had spoken at the same time as him.
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