Nereus naturally did not refuse such a request. It was just a concert, after all; it wouldn't delay anything.
Even if they received the news late and the tickets were already sold out, it didn't matter.
It was an open-air concert, and they had their unique cloud vision to watch it.
At present, Sabaody Archipelago was extraordinarily lively.
Even though the seas had not been peaceful lately, Sabaody Archipelago remained a thriving tourist destination, with visitors from all over the world arriving from time to time.
Many Marines from Headquarters would also choose to vacation at Sabaody Archipelago during their leave, though they would avoid the lawless areas.
Within the regions controlled by the World Government, it was still relatively safe.
All kinds of tourists moved about the various tree islands, fully showcasing the two extremes of Sabaody Archipelago.
On one end were the orphans struggling to survive in the slums, barely clothed—mostly those who had been abandoned or had drifted here with nowhere else to go.
On the other end were the tourists. In this day and age, anyone able to sail the seas and travel long distances was either wealthy or noble, most coming from well-off families, including quite a few children.
At this moment, one could see a purple-haired child holding a piece of wood shaped like a shield, with a red helmet hanging around his neck by a rope.
Anyone who frequently read illustrated stories would recognize that helmet—it was the protagonist's equipment from the most popular hero comics on the seas decades ago.
On his back was a cape resembling a Marine coat, though instead of the Marine word "Justice," it bore a large letter "Z."
He kept shouting titles like "hero," occasionally making "biubiu" sound effects.
But it wasn't long before this hero was suppressed.
"No running around, Yerick, or I won't bring you out next time."
A woman with short orange-brown hair stepped forward, ruffled his messy hair, and put the helmet back on his head.
"I told you not to bring so many things. You insisted on taking your father's childhood toys out, so now you'll just have to keep wearing it."
"Hero Z is the strongest hero even without a helmet! I'm learning from Dad!"
"Even your dad had to listen to adults when he was a child! Your father just went to carry out an escort mission, so you need to behave."
Hero Z was Zephyr's childhood idol, and the one holding Zephyr's childhood belongings was naturally Zephyr's own family.
The year he was promoted to Admiral, Zephyr had already married, and the following year he had his son.
This was not an issue for Marine higher-ups. Garp and Tsuru both had their own descendants. Among the older generation of Marine leaders, only Sengoku remained somewhat mysterious in that regard.
However, Zephyr himself had not been a natural-born monster but rather a late bloomer. His son was no exception, and his wife was an ordinary person as well.
They did not notice that after setting foot on Sabaody Archipelago, someone had begun tailing them.
"Are you sure it's those two?"
"No mistake. It's definitely him. That kid's hair color is the same as Zephyr's... and the face is very similar."
On this sea, there existed a serious "genetic disease"—face blindness.
Many people couldn't see through disguises full of flaws, relying instead on strange traits to identify someone.
This group were Zephyr's sworn enemies.
The Marines and pirates were mortal foes, that was common. Every high-ranking Marine officer, regardless of their stance toward the World Government, had participated in campaigns to exterminate pirates.
Beneath the feet of high-ranking officers lay the corpses of countless pirates. It was only natural for Marines to have pirate enemies.
Go to Impel Down and ask a few pirates; they could all name several people they deeply hated.
Yet among the high-ranking Marine officers, Zephyr had the most enemies of all.
All of this was because he adhered to his own principle of "not killing," a title even more famous than his nickname "Black Arm."
In battle, he would not deliberately hold back, but whenever he had the chance, Zephyr would refrain from delivering a killing blow. As a result, the number of pirates he had sent to prison was far greater.
Impel Down was the most heavily guarded underwater prison, and once imprisoned there, escape was nearly impossible. But it was not the only Marine prison.
Some pirates with lower bounties would not be sent there; instead, they would be detained at nearby Marine branches. Even beneath Marine Headquarters itself, there were exclusive underground prisons.
These people had escaped from a nearby Marine branch prison. Harboring hatred toward Zephyr, they wanted revenge against him.
"Are we making a move?"
"If it weren't for the Marines transferring manpower away due to Levely and leaving that branch's defenses weak, we might not have escaped at all. We almost got executed because of that b*stard Zephyr!"
"The Levely just ended not long ago. That b*stard Zephyr shouldn't be here. And that concert has drawn a lot of Marine attention. This is a perfect opportunity…"
"When did I ever say we weren't making a move? We may have escaped, but our comrades are gone, our ship is gone… He ruined our dreams, so I'll ruin something of his!"
As for whether they might kill the wrong person, or whether the people in front of them were truly Zephyr's family, they didn't care.
Better if they got it right. If they got it wrong, it didn't matter. They were pirates, why would they care about such things?
"Not good! Boss, those two are running!"
Because of the mangrove forests and the tourism industry, Sabaody Archipelago was already filled with obstacles. With the current dense crowd, it was easy to lose track of someone.
Seeing that the mother and son were about to disappear into the crowd, the pirates stopped hesitating and chased after them with weapons in hand.
"Out of the way! Don't get in our way!"
"If you don't want to die, move!"
Without caring who stood in front of them, the pirate giving orders casually slashed toward the crowd ahead.
"Ah!!!"
"P-Pirates! Pirates are killing people!!"
Splattered blood landed on the faces of nearby tourists. The horrific screams and bloody scene immediately triggered chaos.
Those closest to the pirates fled in panic, desperate not to become the next target. The dense crowd instantly parted, opening up a path.
"Where are the Marines?! Where are they?!"
"I don't know, stop blocking the way!"
Amid the surging crowd, someone unfortunately fell, quickly causing a vicious stampede.
Even though the average physical condition of people in this world was stronger, under such circumstances many innocent people were still injured.
The Marines quickly received reports. They hadn't expected pirates to dare cause trouble at Sabaody Archipelago at a time like this.
After all, with kings from various nations having recently arrived, heavy forces had been stationed around Sabaody. For pirates to stir up chaos now was practically suicide. The Marines had naturally grown somewhat complacent.
"Where is it?"
"GR 33."
"Mobilize the troops immediately!"
"B-But the shortest route goes through the lawless area and Fish-Man Island's territory…"
"Then take a detour!"
The lawless area was already filled with pirates, and there was also the Ryugu Kingdom office. The former was manageable, but the Marines had no desire to deal with the latter, so they ultimately chose to go around.
But the people at GR 33 couldn't wait. While the Marines were still assembling, the scope of the unrest continued to expand.
The dense crowd nearly separated Yerick and his mother. His mother struggled with all her strength to protect her son amid the surging masses.
Soon, however, she realized that the pirates' target seemed to be her.
Before she married, she had often come to Sabaody at times like this to have fun. Like the local Marines, she had assumed that with heavy military presence nearby, pirates would generally stay hidden.
That habitual way of thinking made her fail to realize that after marrying Zephyr, danger would increase as well. She hadn't applied for extra guards.
The Marines, following the same line of thinking, had believed Sabaody to be in a safe period, ultimately leading to this outcome.
Although these pirates didn't even qualify to be imprisoned in Impel Down and didn't have particularly high bounties, reaching Sabaody at all was sheer luck, they were still several grown men wielding deadly weapons.
"Move faster! Don't let those Marines get here!"
"What's there to be afraid of, Boss? With so many tourists around, it'll take the Marines some time to get through."
"Maybe we should take them alive, make the Marines give us a ship. Otherwise it'll be hard to leave."
"Are you afraid the Marines can't catch up to us? Kill them quickly and slip away in the chaos. Where would the Marines even find us?"
Before they could even act, the pirates began arguing among themselves.
"Enough talk, kill the big one and take the little one! The little one's easier to control!"
Their boss chose a compromise. He quickened his pace and slashed toward the fleeing mother and son from behind, but just as his blade was about to hit its target, a white cloud suddenly blocked the way.
Clang!
The seemingly soft cloud was harder than steel. The recoil traveling back along the blade made his arm go numb.
"Princess Nanamo! I've found the culprits and successfully stopped their violent acts!"
The cloud then called out as if claiming credit, while controlling half of its body to perform a kneeling gesture of welcome.
"So it was you guys causing trouble here and delaying the concert? Do you even know… how much a front-row scalper ticket costs?!"
Although she could freeload from a high-altitude vantage point, for a better viewing experience Nanamo had gone to scalpers and bought several tickets—three of them, in fact—and paid with her own little treasury.
Just as they were checking tickets and preparing to enter, chaos erupted outside, forcing the concert to be temporarily suspended.
Not hearing the music, coupled with the possibility that she had wasted her money, made Nanamo furious on the spot. She had come here directly to find out who was responsible.
"What nonsense are you spouting? You monsters, get out of my way!"
One was made of clouds, one had unusual skin, and behind them stood a skeleton with an afro; this combination looked completely wrong to the pirate.
The leading pirate kicked forward, but his leg sank into Hermes' body. The body that had been as hard as steel suddenly turned into something like a swamp, mercilessly swallowing him.
"Three-Verse Humming… Arrow Notch Slash."
Before the other pirates could react, a faint sigh echoed by their ears.
With the sound of a blade being sheathed, blood suddenly sprayed from their necks or hearts. Their eyes rolled back as they collapsed.
"Villains who slaughter innocents and make children cry are truly detestable… Princess Nanamo, they have been dealt with."
For the first time, Brook fulfilled his duty as a bodyguard. Then, seeing the frightened and crying Yerick, he tried to comfort him with a smile.
But upon seeing the skeleton figure, the child cried even harder.
"I'm sorry, the child is frightened… Could you help me contact the nearby Marines? I… I am a relative of Headquarters' Admiral Zephyr…"
Perhaps due to the shock, Yerick's mother was also in poor condition.
Her face was pale, sweat beading on her forehead. After saying that, she collapsed to the ground while holding her child, breathing heavily.
Though she had no combat ability, she had an excellent memory. Because of the Levely, the recent news had focused on those attending.
She had seen Nanamo's face in the news and remembered her as a princess of an affiliated nation participating in the Levely.
She didn't know much about national affairs, but in her understanding, the Marines and affiliated nations were on the same side.
And since Nanamo had just stopped the pirates, she felt reassured enough to reveal her identity.
"Contact the Marines? Those guys are such a hassle. But a Marine Admiral's family member… fine, I'll let Father handle it."
Due to Nereus and past habits, Nanamo didn't particularly like dealing with the Marines. Still, she understood that saving an Admiral's family member might be beneficial to Nereus.
She remembered that Nereus had once shown interest in this Admiral, so she contacted him directly.
When Nereus arrived, he also brought a doctor from Sabaody Archipelago. After a simple examination, it was concluded that she was merely overly frightened and in no serious danger.
Seeing the surrounding crowd still in panic, with many injured from the stampede, Nereus made another call to the Sabaody Archipelago office.
"Lord Nereus?"
"Have the patrol unit on rotation head to GR 33 to maintain order. Bring military doctors and medical supplies, there are many injured here."
In a chaotic situation like this, with the Marines nowhere to be seen, it was a perfect opportunity to build reputation. Nereus wouldn't waste it.
The affiliated nation's guards arrived at the scene before the Marines and even had the chance to subtly influence public opinion. The people here were from all over the world, ready-made promoters.
Because they had to gather their forces and take a detour, the Marines arrived late. The junior officer leading the unit quickly noticed that the people involved seemed to be Zephyr's family, and also noticed Nereus.
But a low-ranking officer had no authority to directly contact an Admiral, nor did he dare approach Nereus. In the end, he could only report the matter up the chain of command.
By the time Zephyr received the news, he was so shocked he nearly had an asthma attack.
"Admiral Zephyr, this is bad, your wife and child are in Nereus' hands!"
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