"I don't have any money."
Although she didn't know why Nanamo asked that question, Amphitrite still gave her an answer.
For Lunarians, money isn't even a necessity for living.
Money exists as a general equivalent for the exchange of goods, and using it means interaction with other people.
But Lunarians aren't suited for interacting with others. Most of the time, they stay far away from crowds, and there are plenty of islands scattered across the sea.
Lunarians are also naturally adept at using fire, so basic survival isn't a problem. The clothes Amphitrite wore were all made by herself from animal hides and feathers.
From time to time, she would also seize some supplies from bounty hunters, pirates, Marines, or Cipher Pol agents who chased after them.
So, money was basically useless.
"Having no money is good… no, I mean, I've got a huge business. Are you interested? I guarantee you won't have to do anything and can still make a fortune."
"I'm not really interested in money…"
"What?!"
Nanamo came to a sudden stop, then rushed over to Amphitrite. She really couldn't understand how someone could have no interest in money at all.
But then she thought about it again. This was their first meeting, and the other party didn't even know her name yet. That was normal.
Compared to believing someone wasn't interested in money, she was more inclined to think Amphitrite simply didn't trust her enough.
"Oh right, I forgot to say, I'm Nanamo, my dad's only daughter. Dad already said you've joined us, so from now on we're companions. Companions you can trust."
"Companions… huh…"
The word "companions" felt distant to Amphitrite. Ever since her people died, she hadn't heard that word in a very long time.
"That's right, companions who will never abandon each other. I'll take you to the infirmary to rest first. As per tradition, we'll prepare a welcome party, and then I'll introduce you to everyone else."
"Thank you, but… I'd like to ask about your mother."
"My mom? Oh, she and my dad have had nothing to do with each other for a long time. You don't need to worry about that. Even if you wanted to be my stepmother, I wouldn't mind, but… how old are you this year?"
Nanamo didn't really care about that matter. To be honest, the way Charlotte Linlin often looked at her made Nanamo uncomfortable.
Her attitude was kind enough, but that utilitarian feeling couldn't be hidden at all.
As for Amphitrite…
Although Nanamo thought Hermes was making a fuss over nothing, Hermes was actually very good at judging people. Combined with what had been said earlier and the fact that Amphitrite was asking about her mother, Nanamo didn't find it strange.
Most importantly, when she heard that, she even noticed Amphitrite let out a sigh of relief.
"Seventeen."
"I'm twelve this year. You're only five years older than me, so you're definitely not possible.
But it doesn't matter. I won't interfere with you. I only have one request, if you really do end up having some kind of relationship with my dad, then in the future, let's each go our own ways."
"Thank you…"
Amphitrite had probably said "thank you" more times today than she had in the entirety of last year. As for why she felt that way…
Nereus saving her was only a small part of it. The impression he left at their first meeting was already quite good. Another reason was her own view on choosing a partner.
For a race whose numbers were steadily dwindling, reproduction was extremely important. As the population declined, race itself was no longer a limiting factor.
What Amphitrite valued most in a partner was strength.
She wanted to find someone strong enough, preferably someone whose strength could be inherited by their offspring along with the Lunarian's racial talents, reaching a new level altogether.
If someone didn't meet her standards in strength, then no matter how outstanding they were in other aspects, she wouldn't even consider them. Appearance and wealth were optional at best to Amphitrite.
And Nereus already exceeded the standard.
"By the way, what's that money-making plan of yours?"
"Just to be clear first, my dad absolutely hates those World Government b*stards, so there's no way we'd ever stand on their side.
The plan itself is very simple. I heard that information about Lunarians is worth one hundred million Berries. Once we find a deserted island, we'll use your location to scam the World Government out of the bounty."
"Then I'll go ask my dad to wipe out everyone who comes after you.
That way we might be able to fleece the World Government for several hundred million Berries. As long as we control the frequency and don't expose ourselves, this could even be a long-term project!"
Nanamo wasn't talking nonsense. She had even calculated the feasibility of the plan. The danger rating of Lunarians in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons still wasn't high enough. Let alone the Five Elders or Imu, even the chances of the Knights of God taking action were slim.
All these years, it had always been the Marines and agents handling this matter; at most CP0 agents would be dispatched. As for Marine Admirals…
With the Marines' Admiral roster currently not even fully staffed, Admirals simply didn't have the time to carry out missions like this. Anyone they sent wouldn't even qualify as speed bumps.
If it was just CP9, Nanamo felt she could handle it herself. Anyone who didn't truly master Armament Haki wouldn't even be able to break her defenses.
There were only two real difficulties: convincing the person involved and the others to agree to the plan, and figuring out how to keep the World Government from discovering the truth so they could fleece them multiple times.
"It sounds… like a pretty good plan."
Amphitrite didn't care about the Berries. Normally, people from Cipher Pol branches had fixed assignments, and the ones tasked with capturing Lunarians were always the same group of agents.
If she could really lure them out, then she could get her revenge.
"But I'd rather kill them with my own hands… Right now, I'm too weak…"
"That's easy. As long as you can endure hardship, once you've recovered, I'll have my dad teach you. As long as your foundation isn't too bad, you'll be fine."
Nereus was strong and knew a lot, but on the ship, only the officers were personally trained by him. He didn't involve himself in the combat training of ordinary fighters.
The reason was simple. He couldn't really teach it. In Nereus's understanding, it was very simple: do this, then that, and it's done.
But for people without enough talent, that was like listening to heavenly scriptures.
"Hardship doesn't matter. I've already had more than enough of that."
"Then let's put this plan on hold for now. If you can't personally kill your enemies, you'll probably feel uncomfortable about it, and end up with regrets."
On the way to the infirmary, Nanamo and Amphitrite quickly grew closer. Before long, however, the mindset of the staff at the infirmary began to crumble.
The medical facilities on a Marine warship were excellent. Based on the symptoms and examination results, the ship's doctor quickly identified Amphitrite's problem and produced an antidote for the toxin.
The problem was that the medicine didn't work on Amphitrite. After it was injected into her body, before it could take effect, her body had already broken it down.
This sparked the ship doctor's competitive spirit, but before he could formulate an effective drug, Amphitrite had already recovered on her own thanks to her antibodies.
"You Lunarians… what medicine do you even use when you get sick?!"
"Um… drink some hot water… or take a nap."
"???"
Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 20 chapters on my pa*reon.