Chapter 53: The Deep Sea Way of Making Money
"Three hundred years ago? That's quite a long time. Is it really still there?"
Amphelite, sitting to the side, was skeptical about whether the sunken ship could still be found. After all, three hundred years was enough for a Giant to live out their entire life.
"I don't know. Sometimes we come up empty, and sometimes we reap surprises. You haven't been with us long, but this is actually our main source of income."
Nereus and his crew didn't live by pillaging in their daily lives. Seizing loot after defeating enemies was a different matter, but unless it was something they absolutely had to obtain, their operational targets were rarely purely for wealth.
The main economic source of the Fish-man Pirates was the deep sea.
"The Lunarian race must have had records of the world from before, right?"
"There used to be, but I can't find them anymore. I've only heard people say that a long time ago, when our race was at its peak, there was much more land than there is now."
Amphelite sat by the window, looking at the roots of Eve that blotted out the sky above Fish-man Island—the island's "Sun."
The sunlight above was dimming; it seemed the sky outside was darkening as well.
"That's about right. It is said that there was once a supercontinent connected together in this world. The current Red Line is merely a part of that continent from back then, and the scattered islands across the world are just fragments of that land.
But during that 'Great War' hundreds of years ago, these lands were shattered, and countless kingdoms perished into the deep sea.
Their wealth, technology, and countless other things were buried deep under the sea.
For humans to excavate these things, the energy required is immense. But for us, as long as we can determine the location, retrieving these items is as easy as lifting a hand."
It wasn't just things existing in history. Even outside the Grand Line, within the waters of the Four Blues, shipwrecks were not uncommon.
And when it came to deep-sea salvage, no one was more skilled than the Fish-man race. Some people even contacted Nereus through Underworld channels after their ships sank, hiring him to send people to retrieve their items.
Although the fees for such salvage operations were expensive, it at least minimized their losses, saving them from total bankruptcy.
It could be said that over the past few hundred years, everything that had sunk was a treasure trove yet to be exploited by the Fish-man race. They could dig it out bit by bit, like opening blind boxes.
Sometimes, they could even dig up surprises, like ancient technology.
After all, the most powerful weapons on this sea were the legendary Ancient Weapons. Poseidon was a bloodline inheritance that randomly appeared in Fish-man Island every so often.
The specific form of Uranus remained unclear. As for Pluton, it was rumored to be a terrifying ancient battleship capable of destroying an island with a single shot. Then there was Emeth, the robot with self-awareness.
These were all created by people hundreds of years ago. Compared to hacking through the fog to invent new technologies, archaeology was actually a simpler path.
Just like the Protoss (Star Spirits) from fiction—dig around in past ruins, and powerful weapons naturally come to hand.
"Looking at it this way, you guys aren't short on money at all?"
Amphelite shifted her gaze to Nanamo. Her obsession with money made Amphelite feel like the child was constantly broke, but according to Nereus, the profitability of the Fish-man race was actually very strong.
"We definitely aren't short on money for living expenses, but the places where we need to spend money are vast. Even if we dig up some old antiques, we can't just use them right away. Restoring them to working order costs a considerable price.
There is a severe gap in the technology of this world; many things from the past have been lost."
Just the treasure taken from God Valley was an astronomical figure. If spent solely on personal expenses, it wouldn't run out in a lifetime.
But if poured into certain major projects, the speed of spending that money would be no different from burning it.
After a short rest, Nereus took a small number of personnel and set sail again. After entering Paradise, they sailed south, preparing to cross the Calm Belt into the South Blue.
However, just as they were about to enter the Calm Belt, a massive paddle steamer appeared ahead.
Unlike traditional wind-powered sailing ships, this ship not only had massive paddle wheels but also giant smokestacks spewing black smoke, suggesting an internal combustion engine was driving it.
The letters MADS were engraved on the hull, and the flag it flew read PACIFIST.
"Pacifist... Papa! It's the MADS ship! Are we going to see Uncle Wobbegong?"
On the lookout tower, Nanamo watched the situation on the sea ahead with her binoculars and called out to Nereus.
"Hermes, signal the ship opposite with 'semaphore'. Sebastian, contact Wobbegong. We might as well deliver the items to them now to save another trip."
Nereus glanced into the distance, then gave his orders. Upon receiving the command, Hermes immediately floated into mid-air, twisting its cloud body into specific characters.
The navigator on the MADS ship ahead also observed this situation but didn't know whether to stop. After all, in the general public's perception, the ship approaching them was also a pirate ship.
Those with management authority on the ship were currently in the lab studying various things. Only a person covered in black and white stripes, resembling a zebra with features obscured, walked over.
Looking from behind, one would notice a shark's dorsal fin on his back.
"Stop the ship. It's someone I know. Don't worry."
"Yes, Mr. Wobbegong."
Wobbegong. Nereus's compatriot from the Fish-man District and a veteran figure who left the district with Nereus back in the day.
However, compared to Sunbell and Babel, Wobbegong's combat power could be described as meager. Forget about the top executives; Wobbegong would struggle even against ordinary combatants.
What he loved wasn't fighting, but scientific research.
A year and a half ago, the "Loan Shark King" of the Underworld, Du Feld, invested in establishing the MADS Peace Research Institute for his own prestige, recruiting Vegapunk as a genius scientist.
It was at that time that Nereus sent Wobbegong over, making him a member of MADS to engage in research projects. Being around Vegapunk also allowed him to learn knowledge better.
Although personal martial prowess was crucial on this sea, technology could also bring qualitative changes. Ancient Weapons were also a part of science, and the Lineage Factor of Devil Fruits could work wonders in various aspects.
Nereus needed one of his trusted aides to master related powers, and Wobbegong fit this role perfectly.
Currently, his research direction included not only Lineage Factors but also botany—such as cultivation techniques for the Sunlight Tree Eve and reinforcement operations for Red Yarukiman Mangrove resin. These were future necessities for Fish-man Island.
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