"Of course we're serious about this. The vast majority of this planet is ocean, and the resources in the deep sea are many times greater than those on land."
The merfolk are an aquatic race, giving them a natural advantage in this regard. You have the capabilities, and I have the channels; joining forces would be an incredibly profitable business.
The merfolk can provide high-quality, cheap labor, and the deep sea is full of treasures, both resources and shipwrecks. As long as they are brought to the surface, Oran has the ability to monetize them.
This would be much cheaper than mass-producing underwater robots, and it would also have a close connection to Poseidon, who was born eight years later.
The legends of the fish-men only state that a guide will appear with the birth of the Sea King, but they don't say who this guide is.
Upon closer examination, Oran was already connected to Otohime when she first began seeking a path to peace. As an old friend of the Sea King's mother, it is quite reasonable for him to guide the Sea King as a godfather.
It is common knowledge that monopolistic businesses are the most profitable, and in this respect, Fishman Island has no choice; at least at this stage, no other kingdom has such an idea.
They're already grateful they don't consider the merfolk to be fish.
Enabling fishmen to walk safely on land and raising this issue at the World Conference is already a tremendous help to Fishman Island.
But after a moment of excitement, Neptune's expression suddenly turned troubled.
Of the millions of people on Fishman Island, fishmen make up half. Apart from the elderly, women, and children, there are also quite a few strong adult male fishmen.
Now Neptune faces two problems: the news about the Seven Warlords of the Sea cannot be faked, since it has already been published in the newspapers.
Before Doflamingo staged his fake abdication, the newspapers were quite credible.
But Neptune didn't know whether Oran was genuinely trying to hire fishmen laborers or if he had something else in mind.
Another question is whether any fish-men are actually willing to do this, since many people have a negative attitude towards humans.
"King Neptune, you don't need to worry about some things. Human traffickers have always been on my blacklist. You can ask other humans about this. Anyone who isn't completely ignorant has heard of the rules of my country."
Also, to put it bluntly, I'm looking for fish-people employees, not mermaids.
Even in the slave market, merfolk aren't much more expensive than humans. Even if I had such an idea, I wouldn't take such a big risk to deceive merfolk.
"Haha, you're right. Sorry, I was just overthinking it."
Neptune seemed a little embarrassed that his inner thoughts had been seen through, but Oran's straightforward expression better dispelled Neptune's doubts.
"Furthermore, to put it bluntly, given the situation on Fishman Island, it might be simpler to just traffic people directly."
"."
Lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife. Oran's words achieved the effect of silencing the crowd, and even Shaq didn't know what to say.
"Alright, we can talk about hiring fish-men employees later; that's business. Now let's move on to friendly conversation. Otohime, I heard you already have a child. Congratulations."
During the moment when the entire room was silent, Otohime also came to Oran's side. Based on her understanding of Oran, she knew that he was not the type to rub salt in people's wounds.
"Friend. I've heard Otohime mention that you've known each other for many years. So, what kind of conversation do you mean between friends?"
"You are so sensitive to the member states because of the current predicament, but this is not something that can be solved simply by the approval of the member states. In other words, even if my proposal is unanimously approved at the World Government Conference, Fishman Island's predicament will not be resolved in the short term."
"Yes, this situation lasted for approximately..."
"No, King Neptune, that's not important. When this situation started and how long it has lasted are not the point. The point is that you need to solve this problem."
Otherwise, no matter how clearly you trace the origin, it will be meaningless.
Merchants who seek profit are driven by money, but if they weren't after money, they would be in greater danger, which means that simple economic interests are no longer enough for them.
If all you want is to make money, Oran wouldn't need to come here.
Of course, it's unrealistic to talk to the Ryugu Kingdom about overthrowing the World Government. There's no point in talking about that at this stage. Oran intends to give them a practical solution.
"We are taking action, for example…"
Upon hearing Oran's words, the Left Minister stepped forward and stated that the Dragon Palace Kingdom had made efforts in this regard, such as the entry screening of pirates and the border patrols of the Sea King Army.
"Brother Oran, why do I feel like the policies here are similar to those back home?"
Listening to the Left Minister's rebuttal, Ginny felt something was amiss. Fishman Island also had entry checks, and due to its terrain, the checks there were even more thorough than those in Piltover.
Ginny spoke softly at first, but after noticing Oran's gesture, she slightly raised her voice so that everyone around her could hear her.
Upon hearing the national policy, the Left Minister seemed to gain some confidence.
"You see, our national policies are still not too problematic."
Since the other party is using the same policy, it is impossible to deny this policy, because doing so would be denying oneself as well.
"The policy itself is not the problem, but the national conditions are different."
Pirates have illegally entered Piltover. I can persuade the Navy to send a hero vice admiral and an admiral to participate in their capture. Can Fishman Island do the same?
If someone causes trouble in my country, I can issue a kill order against him in the underworld, making it impossible for him to move an inch on the sea. Can you do that?
I have enough military force to back me up, while Fishman Island cannot do that, and that's the root of the problem.
No, it's not that it's impossible, but that your methods are flawed.
Fishman Island doesn't really have any high-end combat power. If it were on the surface of the sea, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the problem is that this is the deep sea.
You don't need to be able to defeat them; just being able to pop the pirates' bubble will solve most problems.
Even pirates from the New World couldn't handle this, let alone the newcomers in the first half.
At worst, we can strengthen the checks at the exit point. If we find any problems, we can remain silent and send people to raid the other party's ship after it leaves Fishman Island. The problem will then be solved naturally.
The merfolk possess techniques like merfolk karate and merfolk jutsu, which specifically utilize water to strike their opponents.
When one cultivates to a certain level, one can directly vibrate the air and the moisture in the human body, directly striking the physical body of the ability user. Even without using Haki, one can harm the body of a Logia-type ability user.
Perhaps it is this very technique that makes Haki so rare on Fishman Island.
"This will deepen people's misunderstanding of us, making them think we are a violent race."
"Don't be ridiculous! Do you think you can rely on those pirates to promote your reputation? They'll just say that Fishman Island is poorly defended and a great place to make money, which will only attract more human traffickers and pirates!"
Oran's strategy was actually quite straightforward. That's exactly what the New Fishman Pirates did in the original timeline. Even a bunch of oddballs could significantly reduce the number of pirates appearing in the New World, so the Ryugu Kingdom could naturally do the same.
"Those are pirates. Even in human kingdoms, most pirates are despised. Their greatest value is in exchanging them for bounties, which also helps them build a friendly relationship with the Navy."
If it's inconvenient for you, I can pass it on to you.
Given Fishman Island's geographical location, new pirates pass by every day, making it quite easy to farm pirate dungeons. However, due to its high altitude, Fishman Island's external economic exchanges even rely on pirates.
But what they need to do is not to exterminate them all; eliminating those who break the rules and collecting taxes from those who follow them is enough.
The overall understanding of Fishman Island may not be true. Even though Otohime was influenced by Oran, she only reached the point of armed self-defense. Taking the initiative to attack is a distant prospect for Fishman Island.
"I've practically taught you how to do it step by step. If you still can't handle the future problems after all this, then there's nothing I can do."
This is also part of the plan. By making good use of this race's naval warfare capabilities, the current situation will soon be improved, which is a good start.
Then Fishman Island will gradually realize that this is still useless, and this method is only a temporary solution.
Because the World Government at the top has never intended to make Fishman Island equal, and once that point is reached, it will be easier to bring Fishman Island into its camp.
"Of course, that's not enough. The upper echelons of Fishman Island lack sufficient military strength, which is the root of the problem. At this point, we need to be more tactful and considerate."
"King Neptune, you and Whitebeard seem to have a good relationship."
"Newgate? I helped him out when he was younger, and he was fairly friendly."
"That's settled then. Let's borrow his pirate flag. Even if we have to pay some protection money to Whitebeard, it doesn't matter. The World Government can't interfere here. Whitebeard's flag has a considerable deterrent effect on those pirates."
"Once we have that flag and do as I say, the situation on Fishman Island will definitely improve within a year at most."
Whitebeard's flag sometimes had more intimidating power than the Navy. The Navy had to follow the rules, but Whitebeard didn't. If you angered him, Whitebeard could take action directly.
Doflamingo dared to debate right and wrong with Fujitora in Dressrosa and had a casual attitude towards the World Government, but he was very serious when facing Kaido.
Doflamingo knew that the leverage he held would make the World Government and the Navy hesitant to act, but it wouldn't threaten Kaido.
If Kaido is unhappy, there's no way to resolve it. Doing business with such a monster means accepting the consequences.
At this point in time, Piltover's reputation in the pirate world is far inferior to that of the Whitebeard Pirates. Since Roger's death, Whitebeard has been known as the man closest to becoming the Pirate King, and also has the nickname of the strongest man in the world.
If the relationship was good enough, Whitebeard wouldn't even charge protection fees. In the original timeline, Neptune had this relationship but didn't use it. It was Whitebeard who couldn't stand the situation on the island and took the initiative to provide protection, which alleviated the crisis on Fishman Island.
"The situation is that simple. With Whitebeard's protection and a tough stance, the Fishman Island problem can be 99% solved. It all depends on whether you have the determination to resort to force."
There will inevitably be some casualties in the early stages, but that's unavoidable. A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one; only by delivering this blow can the problem be solved.
There were relatively many moments of silence today. At Oran's suggestion, Neptune and the others fell into deep thought, considering the potential impact of Oran's words.
"Shaq, you can also tame a few sea monsters. There should be someone in Fishman Street who is good at this, right? A few sea monsters plus your strength should be enough to deal with the trouble. I also brought some new things with me."
Oran casually reached behind him and pulled out a huge harpoon gun launcher.
"My specially made harpoon has a range of seventy meters underwater. With this, you don't even need to get close to shoot through the bubble membrane outside the pirate ship."
The water is your domain, you fish-men. You don't need me to teach you what to do next, right?
By the way, this harpoon gun is very easy to use; even Otohime's constitution can use it. Remember to give me an exact number of how many you need, and I'll give you a discount.
Underwater conditions differ from those on land, and even modern firearms can be affected.
When a bullet leaves the barrel, it faces enormous resistance from the water column in the barrel, which leads to an increase in chamber pressure. This not only affects the reliable operation of the automatic mechanism but also easily causes a barrel explosion.
The bullet spins forward after leaving the barrel, and has almost no stability in water, making the speargun the most cost-effective weapon.
"King Oran, thank you for your suggestion. The Dragon Palace Kingdom will remember this day. No matter what happens in the future, you will always be a friend of the Dragon Palace Kingdom."
This is the first time in so many years that a human has offered such comprehensive advice to the Dragon Palace Kingdom. Compared to this, the wedding is hardly a big deal.
The hiring of employees for Fishman has been preliminarily finalized, but implementation will take time.
There's no need for Oran to stay here and teach them step by step in this regard. Shaq said that after a while, he would definitely bring a group of employees to Firefly Island to report.
Oran's suggestion was like someone using a sledgehammer to carve a hole in the rigid operating mode of the Dragon Palace Kingdom, opening up a new direction for them. It would take some time before they could fully accept and implement it.
Oran then attended the wedding of Otohime and Neptune here, but did not make a public appearance, as the timing is still not quite right.
According to Otohime and Neptune's plan, the time would be to publicly introduce each other's identities to the people only after the situation on Fishman Island had improved.
With the help of humans, the environment of Fishman Island has improved, which is also beneficial in eliminating the hatred of the people towards humans. There are many villains among humans, but there are also good people.
We cannot generalize from any aspect.
After the wedding, Oran and the other two returned to the sea aboard Laboon. Laboon's mouth remained silent, but the chewing sounds never stopped.
Ginny was holding a book and kept taking food out of it.
Just as he had promised Leliana, Oran packed several books' worth of food on Fishman Island, single-handedly forcing the island's food shops to close early once again.
Even the chefs of the Dragon Palace Kingdom couldn't understand why the requirements for food at this wedding banquet were so many times higher than those of previous banquets.
"Ginny, can you even eat anything here?"
Inside a whale's mouth, the aroma of food is largely masked, which significantly impacts the overall taste.
"It's actually not so bad once you get used to it. It just has a bit of a fishy smell and doesn't mask the taste of the food. Besides, in those days, we were lucky if we could get enough to eat. We didn't have the chance to be picky about our surroundings."
Even twins can develop into completely different people depending on their environment.
Some people are born villains, needing no reason to commit evil. Others, even after experiencing tragedy, can still treat the world with kindness.
On the return journey, Laboon was even more excited than when it went to Fishman Island; it knew very well that this was the road to find its friends.
Braving the raging wind and rain, Lab led the three through several treacherous currents.
Along the way, they encountered all sorts of people, fought off troublesome pirates, and rescued distressed merchant ships.
"My benefactor, don't go any further! That's a devilish sea where you can lose your way!"
After Oran and his men transferred some of the victims to a passing merchant ship, the people there, seeing that Oran and his men showed no intention of turning back, spoke up to remind them.
"Yes, that's the Devil's Triangle. It's said that more than 100 ships mysteriously disappear there every year, and there are even ghost ships adrift in there!"
"Thank you for reminding me, but that's where we're going, so please don't worry about it."
Oran waved goodbye to the strangers he had just met, then patted Laboon on the forehead, signaling it to keep going. But after that, Ginny seemed a little off.
"Ginny, are you afraid of ghosts?"
"No way, they're just ghosts and phantoms. If they dare show themselves, I'll electrocute them! Ah!!"
A sudden, cold sensation touched her cheek. In a reaction, Ginny turned around and released a current of electricity, which then vanished into thin air.
"I'm full, thank you for the meal."
Frankenstein's internal circuitry can mimic human body temperature, but as soon as she shuts down the circuitry, her body becomes as cold as a machine. The hand that just touched Ginny's cheek was Frankenstein's.
"Fran, don't scare people like this! You can just tell me if you need anything!"
"The book says that the electricity of different emotions tastes different, but it seems that's a lie."
Frankenstein gave his reasons for doing so, which also made Ginny remember the author of the book and plan to let him taste what the angry lightning tastes like in the future.
However, this actually relaxed Ginny's tense nerves quite a bit.
As Laboon stealthily moved forward, the surrounding sky gradually darkened. Although it was still daytime, the thick fog and dark clouds made it indistinguishable from night.
"It looks like we've arrived. Ginny, sense it out. If nothing unexpected happens, the guy we're looking for should be in this area of the sea."
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