At first, when the bear sent pirates here, it would notify the Navy in advance.
However, as they became more familiar with the process, the advance notification was omitted. The G6 branch even organized a special salvage team specifically to salvage pirates from this location.
The only detail here is the specific amount of the bounty, but the Navy doesn't have to spend its own money to pay the bounty, and the World Government isn't completely uninvolved in the formulation of the bounty order; the World Government reimburses them for it.
No one tampered with this, even though the navy's massive size has fostered many corrupt individuals. These people know which money they can and cannot touch.
Along the Grand Line, Laboon swam with the ocean currents towards the Sabaody Archipelago, moving much faster than ships.
As marine creatures, they have a keen sense of ocean currents and do not need to undergo complex learning like human navigators.
Even today, the most common mode of transportation on the Grand Line is still the ship, and Oran and his crew are no exception.
If you're really in a hurry, have a bear take you for a while, or fly yourself; otherwise, take a boat.
While Hextech Gates are convenient and are a technology Oran has already fully explored, they require Hextech Crystals to function properly, and two gates are needed at the starting and ending points respectively.
Oran's self-developed terminalless teleportation portal is still a laboratory product. It is usable but expensive, and mass production is not currently possible.
Moreover, substitutes for Hextech Crystals are hard to find. Even with the Gluttony Fruit, a super synthesizer, no identical Hextech Crystal could be replicated.
Even if it's replicated, it will be prioritized for supplying combat units. Hextech Gates also follow a fundamental principle: the larger the object being transmitted and the farther the transmission distance, the greater the consumption.
Even Piltover on the continent of Valoran did not build flying gates all over the world; instead, it established transit stations in places with frequent trade.
This is the nature of those businessmen: profit-driven. In most cases, they will not do business at a loss.
Some things can't be fixed just because they're convenient; a detailed analysis of the specific circumstances is necessary.
As for simple aircraft.
It's not difficult to make, but its practicality is even lower on the Grand Line.
The complex magnetic field renders conventional guidance devices ineffective, forcing aircraft to rely on a pointer recorder, just like ships, and most islands lack the environment for aircraft to dock.
That's not the biggest problem. The weather on the Grand Line is equally unpredictable. The weather here is truly unpredictable. Even if the weather station checked the weather five minutes ago and it was sunny, it could be pouring rain the next moment.
Yes, rain is normal. In the New World, it's not impossible for it to rain knives or thunderstorms.
Many of the meteorologists under the Golden Lion's command have difficulty understanding the situation. This is manageable in the Four Seas, but trying to popularize conventional flying machines in the Grand Line is somewhat thankless.
Ordinary people don't need it, and strong people don't need it either, even on Firefly Island.
Ordinary citizens have no need for long-distance travel, while the king, who travels all over the world, has more than one means of flying.
"Waaah!"
Rab suddenly yelled, then stopped, his mouth agape.
"Are we almost there, Fran? Ginny, let's go, let's go inside Laboon's mouth for a while."
The high mortality rate on Fishman Island is due to the risks caused by the coating. Even though the bubbles generated by the Yarchiman mangrove are very tough, they are still bubbles.
In the face of hidden dangers in the deep sea, the bubble wrap is likely to break, which usually means the ship is destroyed and people are killed.
A suffocating environment and immense water pressure are both deadly to humans.
Sizzle
Inside Laboon's mouth, Ginny pulled a tungsten filament from her pocket and, using the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, acted as a human light bulb, illuminating the surrounding space.
"Brother Oran, this whale isn't a vegetarian, is it?"
As the light illuminated the surrounding space, Ginny noticed something unusual, such as Laboon's mouth being full of sharp teeth.
"There are no vegetarian whales. It's just a difference between baleen whales and toothed whales. Island whales are a type of toothed whale. Laboon is not low in the food chain."
"That's exactly what I meant. It's so different from how it looks on the outside."
Although Laboon had a lot of scars on his head, he still looked rather honest. Ginny never expected that Laboon had a mouthful of sharp teeth under his honest appearance.
"One of the characteristics of marine life is that what looks ugly may be docile, and what looks cute may be the real predator."
No matter how large it was, it couldn't change the fact that Laboon was a living creature. Its breath had a slightly strange smell, but it didn't take Laboon long to dive. As a string of bubbles rose to the surface, its huge body disappeared into the sea and headed towards the deep sea.
Eight more years? That's such a long time.
Less than eight years have passed, which is a short time for us. The day of the King's return is fast approaching.
In the deep sea, Oran could hear the sea kings still discussing Poseidon; no one knew how long these sea kings had actually lived.
Perhaps they existed on the sea when the previous generation of Aquaman was alive, and everything now is just a cycle for them.
Meanwhile, on Fishman Island, Shaq also received a communication from Oran.
"Shaq, I'm almost at Fishman Island. If you're nearby, come and take a look. It's an island whale with scars on its head. We're inside its mouth."
These scars are remnants left by Labu himself.
The Grand Line is indeed dangerous for young Laboon, but for adult island whales, they have virtually no rivals except for those super-large sea kings.
Laboon had been waiting for the Red Line after the Twin Peaks collision, just as promised. It didn't know where to find the Rumbar Pirates, only remembering that they had promised to come and pick it up after they had circumnavigated the Grand Line.
Laboon's thinking is rather simple; he naturally assumes that the Rumbar Pirates are on the other side of Reverse Mountain, which is why he wants to crash into it.
Perhaps Laboon sensed the Rumbar Pirates' plight and was simply using this method to vent his grief.
Now that Oran has tricked it away, most marine life keeps its distance while it serves as a means of transportation, and it didn't encounter any trouble on its descent.
"An island whale with a scar on its head."
"Brother Shaq, look over there, is that it?"
Not long ago, Shaq had just dealt with a few pirates who had caused trouble upon entering the island. He was still at the entrance to Fishman Island when the soldiers of the Sea King's army, who were acquaintances of Shaq, noticed the large figure on the outside after overhearing the contents of the phone call.
The radiance of the Sun Tree Eve made the area very bright, but its size made Shaq pause for a moment.
"This whale is way too big; it won't fit through the entrance."
Fishman Island is an island encased in a giant bubble membrane, and it is a special double-layered bubble membrane.
Ships can enter the port without any problems. However, if ships that have undergone coating at the Sabaody Archipelago try to force their way in from elsewhere, the coating will automatically peel off and merge with the protective shield on the island.
Between the two layers of bubble wrap is an air layer, where ordinary ships would fall out.
Even if they manage to get inside, they will fall off Fishman Island after losing power, either crashing or being swept away by the internal currents.
However, this is for defense against conventional ships, and it is not a problem for an island whale of the size of Laboon.
"This way, this way, go in from here!"
After identifying the whale, Shaq used expressive body language to guide Laboon toward the direction of the Mermaid Beach, leading it through the bubble membrane and into the interior of Mermaid Island.
As Laboon opened his mouth wide, Oran and the other two walked out.
"Shaq, it's been a while. You seem to have grown a lot."
The numerous scars on his body served as the best proof at this moment, demonstrating both his physique and appearance what Shaq had been through during this period.
"It's nothing. Brother Oran, you've helped me a lot too. This domineering aura is really useful."
As an island that straddles the entrance to the New World, Haki is not common on Fishman Island; those who know Haki are mostly fishmen who go out to sea to become pirates.
If Oran doesn't provide assistance, it will become extremely difficult for Shaq to access the training methods of Haki.
While it's true that one's domineering aura can naturally awaken through repeated battles even without instruction, having a mentor to guide one makes the process much simpler.
"It's your own business if you can learn it. Some people can't even get the cultivation method to work if you just force-feed it into their brains. By the way, Otohime's letter to me said she's preparing for her wedding?"
"That's right. A few years ago, when Otohime and I were in Fishman Street, Otohime came into contact with Neptune by chance. He was the former prince and is now the king."
After the old king's death, Princess Otohime is now a queen.
In previous years, the wedding would have taken place long ago, but Roger's rise to Pirate King had a significant impact on Fish-Man Island, so the matter was postponed. In fact, even the eldest prince was born this year.
Shak explained to Oran what had happened on Fishman Island during this time, and then took out a bundle of coral branches.
"This is bubble coral, which can release bubbles. By adjusting the amount of air, it allows mermaids to fly on the land inside the island. This big whale should be able to do it too."
"Otohime told me before, 'Brother Oran, once you arrive, I'll just take you directly to the Dragon Palace.'"
Before long, a huge bubble ring appeared on Laboon's body. The bubble effect of Fishman Island was quite powerful, even an island whale like this could fly directly into the sky.
After adjusting to the new environment, Labu flew towards the Dragon Palace above.
On the way, Shaq also brought up the topic of seabed minerals.
"Brother Oran, our area of activity is limited, given the complexities of racial relations. However, we've almost finished exploring the mineral resources in this area; these are some things exposed on the seabed."
I have some mineral samples at home, but we can't really say what they are. You'll have to get them tested yourself, Brother Oran."
Shaq handed Oran a simple nautical chart, marked with many things, including some underwater ruins.
Shak and his crew even found a number of antique treasures within these ruins, which inspired some of the merfolk's exploration enthusiasm.
"That's enough, but if you were to reveal now that these industries are related to humans, how many people would be left in the mining team?"
"I don't know, but the impact will definitely be huge."
Putting everything else aside, Arlong and Jinbe both have strong opinions about humans now, while Tiger is a little better, but still maintains a neutral stance.
Shaq can use his prestige to suppress some rumors, but when rumors become reality, the difficulty is a different story.
"The mess left over from hundreds of years ago is not easy to clean up. But don't worry, I will explain this through the Dragon Palace Kingdom's channels later."
"Cooperation with humans is the Ryugu Kingdom's intention. You're just a messenger, so it won't affect you. Changing people's minds isn't easy."
Having Shak integrate Fishman Street was only part of the plan; after all, without dealing with the problems there, the orders of the Ryugu Kingdom simply couldn't be carried out in Fishman Street.
Before long, Oran arrived at the Dragon Palace. A male catfish mermaid wearing a top hat, a monocle over his left eye, and holding a bull-horn cane in his right hand approached, swaying his long fish tail.
He is the Left Minister of the Dragon Palace Kingdom. Unlike female mermaids who split their legs at the age of thirty, male mermaids always have a fish tail as their lower body.
Unlike Fishman Island, which has many dry environments, Ryugu Castle is filled with seawater, allowing even mermaids to move around freely.
"King of mankind, I have come to greet you on the orders of King Neptune and Queen Otohime. Please move to this bubble."
The Left Minister was considered an old-fashioned man in the Dragon Palace Kingdom, meticulous in his work and treating Oran with the etiquette expected of royalty.
However, he didn't know if there were any flaws in these actions, as no other royal family had appeared on Fishman Island for hundreds of years.
"You may all come along, but this whale cannot enter; the Dragon Palace cannot accommodate it."
[Rabu, wait here for a moment. After I finish dealing with things here, I'll take you to find your friends.]
After signaling Rab to wait aside, Oran and the others entered the Dragon Palace under the protection of the bubble.
"Brother Oran, if this bubble bursts, do you think the three of us will drown here?"
"Don't worry, the bubbles here won't burst easily. Even if they do, I have emergency measures in place, so you definitely won't drown."
"But Fran, don't poke it. If you really poke it open, it'll be a real problem later."
Oran glanced at Frankenstein, who was incessantly poking bubbles out of curiosity, and stopped her dangerous behavior. Meanwhile, the Left Minister kept glancing at the people behind him out of the corner of his eye, lost in thought.
After passing through a long corridor filled with underwater themes, they arrived at the main hall of the Dragon Palace.
"Welcome, King of Humanity, long-awaited guest of the Dragon Palace Kingdom."
"Mr. Oran, it's been a long time. Welcome to visit us as scheduled."
"Long time no see, Queen Otohime. You know my habits, so I won't waste any more words. I'm here to discuss a deal with Fishman Island."
I have a project about the ocean depths that requires the assistance of many fish-men, so I'd like to sign a labor agreement with Fishman Island to hire their fish-men.
Adding "Queen" to the title serves two purposes: firstly, it shows respect for Princess Otohime's status, and secondly, it indicates that the discussion is about state affairs and has nothing to do with personal matters.
"That's quite direct, King Oran. No human has ever made such a request in the past few hundred years."
"That's because not many humans have come to Ryugu Castle in the past few hundred years."
To show my sincerity, let me state my conditions first.
First of all, I now hold the position of a Shichibukai, fly my flag, and can sail freely on the seas. Humans will not make things difficult for you.
Even if you are threatened by pirates or something similar, you can ask the nearby navy for help.
Ordinary Shichibukai do not have this qualification. Although they are considered to be on the same side as the Navy, they are fundamentally different. The Navy does not trust these pirates who have been recruited.
According to the rules, the Navy and the Seven Warlords of the Sea should cooperate in battle, but in reality, they generally do not interfere with each other and allow each other's strength to be consumed by the enemy.
Oran is an exception. In the past, he could also rely on the Navy's power through connections. After having this title, the Navy's support became more reasonable.
The lack of suitable footholds is one of the most direct reasons why Shaq's prospecting team cannot explore far into the distance, but it would make sense if they were to openly work for Oran.
It could even be said that these fishmen were hired to mine deep-sea minerals for the development of pacifists, and anyone who interfered with the work of these fishmen was obstructing the pacifist project.
Most people wouldn't be able to handle such a label.
"Secondly, when the next World Conference begins, my country will become a member state, and a member state with the qualifications to participate in the World Conference. I can propose a solution to the predicament of the Dragon Palace Kingdom at the World Conference."
When Oran uttered his first words, Neptune felt that the man was arrogant and rude; who would immediately say they wanted to hire someone else's citizens?
But after Oran expressed his sincerity, Neptune realized he was wrong; it seemed like someone had come to offer help.
From an outsider's perspective, the royal family of the Dragon Palace Kingdom is a symbol of incompetence.
However, in the eyes of the people of the Ryugu Kingdom, Neptune was an excellent, brave, responsible, and dedicated king who was deeply loved by the people of Fishman Island.
Before he became king, he personally led troops to guard Fishman Island. Neptune did not exploit or oppress the country; he truly cared for his people.
Unfortunately, he lacked the ability to make any effective changes.
Neptune knew very well that the discrimination that land-dwelling humans held against merfolk and fish-men could only be gradually eliminated through communication, but those in the deep sea simply had no way to communicate with land-dwelling humans.
Aside from pirates, hardly anyone ever goes to Fishman Island, and now, Oran has just appeared here.
Although the news about the member states was not published in the newspapers, the news of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had already spread far and wide, and the Ryugu Kingdom also received newspapers from the land through the travel of ships.
Neptune was sitting comfortably on the throne just moments ago, but now he has come directly to Oran.
"King Oran, is everything you're saying true?"
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