Chapter 83: Infrastructure, Schools, and Transit Taxes
"Wait... if there are over three thousand people left... my dear father, you wouldn't... make me fight three thousand consecutive battles, would you?"
Three thousand was not a small number. A large Marine warship was usually staffed with 800 to 1,200 Marine soldiers, with slight variations depending on the specific scale of the ship and the mission standards.
A standard warship, one size smaller, was staffed with about 500 soldiers. These people were already enough for the Marines to organize a small fleet to execute certain missions.
Placed on a drill ground, they would form a dense, dark mass of people.
Even if it took just one punch per person, she would have to throw three thousand punches. After all, at a time like this, they certainly wouldn't be allowed to attack all at once.
"I won't do something meaningless like that. Battles of this level offer no improvement for you. Rather than that, it would be better for me to train you myself for a while."
"That sounds... even worse than fighting three thousand people..."
"Don't overthink it. You aren't exactly a nobody; there won't be too many people challenging you."
Nanamo carried a bounty on her head as well. Although not as high as Nereus's, it had broken through the 100 million mark, reaching exactly 110 million Berries.
Part of this was due to her own strength, and part was due to Nereus.
The determination of bounty amounts was complex. Besides strength, influence, and threat level, the identity of the "Captain" was also a crucial factor.
The bounties of executives under great pirates would more or less be inflated because of their captain.
The Fish-man District had its own hierarchy of strength. After some members who were originally minor gang leaders failed their challenges, the rest dismissed the idea.
The busiest ones, in fact, were the Fighting Fish.
Once the gap between people became apparent, defeating a Fighting Fish to improve their treatment became the better choice in their eyes.
But even Fighting Fish were not so easily defeated. While the deep sea was the home environment for Fish-men, it was also the home for various Sea Beasts and fish.
Fighting Fish were an extremely ferocious species. Those who could tame them were the cream of the crop in the Fish-man District.
Currently, Fisher Tiger had achieved the most significant results. Relying on brute force, he suppressed the largest Fighting Fish with his bare hands. After obtaining its consent, he successfully placed a saddle on its back.
If it were about hunting Fighting Fish using various weapons and traps, the Fish-men would find it much easier.
But the goal now was to beat them into submission, which raised the difficulty significantly.
The more than three thousand people were subdivided into thirty squads of one hundred each. Those who performed outstandingly were promoted to Squad Captains. The position of Legion Commander for the First Legion was given to Sebastian.
Since the members were mainly from the Fish-man District, Fisher Tiger, the current boss of the Fish-man District, became the Vice Commander, leading these soldiers alongside Sebastian.
The newly formed First Legion was also the planned "Training Legion." These people would undergo training for a long time in the future, becoming the backbone members of the entire Neptune Army.
The original Neptune Army wasn't directly disbanded either. Instead, as before, they were responsible for domestic public security issues.
In a sense, this could be considered a demotion. After all, being responsible for domestic security and being responsible for external warfare were tasks for two different levels of troops.
However, given the situation of the Neptune Army, it wasn't really a demotion, since they didn't have much capability for external warfare to begin with.
Meanwhile, the artisans of Fish-man Island also began to get busy, opening up brand-new bubble zones.
Nereus wasn't renovating the palace; he was building schools, preparing to cultivate the next generation properly.
Although the surface area of Fish-man Island itself was limited, the architectural space of Fish-man Island was three-dimensional.
As long as a new bubble was created and a foundation laid, a new area could be created very quickly.
Ryugu Palace was built in this mode at the very top of Fish-man Island, a small area independent of the main island.
Connected by specialized bubble pipelines, Fish-man Island could even become a molecular chain-like archipelago of Fish-men.
The construction speed of bubbles and island foundations was not slow. The reason Fish-man Island didn't do this before was due to limited energy and resources; after all, they could barely take care of the main island, let alone expand into new areas.
Under these circumstances, everything proceeded in an orderly manner. The original main hall of Ryugu Palace was turned into a martial arts arena (dojo).
Nanamo, Amphelite, and other members received training here every day to improve their strength.
Fish-man Island was changing bit by bit, displaying a brand new scene to all residents—or rather, this was the scene Fish-man Island should have had given its location.
...
At dawn.
Sunlight, conducted by the Sunlight Tree Eve, arrived at Fish-man Island on time. Accompanied by the low sound of a conch horn, Tiger walked out of his resting room, ready to start his new life.
"Miss Rachel, I'm ready."
When Tiger and his Fighting Fish partner arrived near the entrance of Fish-man Island, Rachel was already prepared. A Sea Rhinoceros and a Sea Giraffe, with the help of several other mermaids, had already been fitted with saddles and unique armor.
However, when Rachel and the others turned around, Tiger was startled.
She was wearing a terrifying Sea Monster mask on her face. Coupled with the ghost and monster masks of various styles worn by the others, it gave Tiger quite a shock in the dim morning light.
"Is this... a welcoming ceremony for newcomers from Lord Nereus?"
"Not really. All female mermaids under Big Bro Nereus have similar masks. You know, mermaids are born with outstanding appearances; it's hard to find an ugly mermaid.
But beauty is sometimes not a gift, but a disaster..."
The beauty of mermaids was one of the reasons their prices remained high in the slave market. Human aesthetics were generally similar.
Except for a few with slightly different tastes, normal people could distinguish between beauty and ugliness, unless it was for political correctness (modern reference).
This mask was just to make themselves look a bit scarier, increasing their intimidation factor against enemies.
After chatting for a few sentences, they rode on the backs of the Sea Beasts, advancing toward the dim seabed in the distance.
Due to the seabed terrain and the propulsion of currents, there were only a few paths ships on the surface could take to reach Fish-man Island.
And their mission was to patrol this path.
Before long, a pirate ship appeared in everyone's field of view.
"Pirates! Halt!"
The Sea Rhinoceros's broad and thick body blocked the front of the ship, stopping these pirates who wanted to continue forward.
Looking at the two Sea Beasts that were about the size of their own pirate ship, even lawless pirates appeared very nervous in this deep sea.
"What do you want?!"
"Ahead is Fish-man Island. Those entering are required to pay a transit tax. 100,000 Berries per person. Either pay the tax or turn back. So, pirates, what is your answer?"
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