Chapter 453: *Title Hidden*
Upon Manaphy's persuasion, the Sea King, much like a well-behaved child, swam far away. Neptune and Otohime, watching it go, looked dumbfounded, and even the Poseidon army following behind had their jaws dropping.
"King Neptune, Queen Otohime?"
Tesoro waved his hands for quite a while to snap them out of their stupor. Encountering sea monsters in the deep sea would terrify anyone, but Tesoro and Stella were unafraid because they had witnessed Manaphy's abilities on their way here.
The large ones could be convinced, and the small ones were even more obedient than pets.
"He... he is..."
"I am Manaphy. I was sent by my lord to ensure the safety of these waters, so there's no need to worry about the Sea Kings; they won't cause trouble."
Otohime's thoughts were in disarray for the first time. Although Manaphy claimed only to communicate, the line between communication and control blurred. That was a colossal Sea King, and communicating with it was a privilege of Poseidon.
Poseidon would only be born among Merfolk princesses, a power passed down through bloodline. What happened now exceeded Otohime's understanding.
Moreover, she couldn't sense any emotions from Manaphy. The unassuming little fellow's thoughts were completely blank, and there was also the mysterious master he mentioned.
"Queen Otohime, that's why I said earlier, we have prepared for many things. There's no need to worry. All we need is some labor from the Fish-Men."
This was the first step of the plan. After establishing sufficient trust with Fishman Island, they would assemble a deep-sea exploration team to search for what they needed in the underwater ruins.
With Manaphy escorting them, the biggest crisis in the sea had been effortlessly resolved, and soon they arrived at the designated mining site. The work had just begun, and their target was undoubtedly the mineral deposits near Fishman Island.
Working close to home could bring a sense of reassurance, and here, Otohime also witnessed the unique extraction method mentioned by Tesoro – the frog-like creatures that had been following them, Swamperts.
Tesoro gestured with a blueprint, and they quickly found their targets. This was a "semi-open" deposit in the deep sea, and by clearing away the surface silt, the exposed mineral deposits could be revealed.
Swampert's arms acted like hammer drills, smashing through the rock layers directly. The remaining tasks were not complicated for the Fish-Men. After a preliminary inspection, Otohime and Neptune saw no downsides. All that was left was to recruit workers.
Using her reputation as a guarantee, Otohime quickly found Fish-Men who were ambitious and willing to change their current circumstances through work. They were residents of the Fish-Man District, without stable employment, but unlike those who aligned with Tiger, they were not keen on battling on the seas.
Most people hoped for a stable life. Previously, they led a semi-relaxed life because there was nothing to strive for.
There were no essential items for them to purchase within Fishman Island; food and drink could be found in the sea. Even when pursuing a partner, they could search for beautiful shells and pearls in the sea themselves.
Although there are high-end shopping streets within Fishman Island, the products there can be found elsewhere. But the emergence of Kojiro's Department Store indirectly changed this situation.
Novel products from the mainland and Sky Island stimulated Fishman Island's economy, and many specialties had no substitutes. To buy those things, they needed money, and being a stable type, suitable job positions became crucial.
Kojiro's department store even indirectly addressed the issue of unemployment on Fishman Island.
Now that Kojiro was about to return to Wano Country, some people were quite reluctant to see him go. The final result was that his contact book gained a few more names.
Before leaving, Kojiro once again visited Mandrell's home. Jack's training was nearly complete; he had been taught everything he needed to know. The rest he can practice slowly. At this point, there was no need for him to stay on Fishman Island.
So, he would return to Wano Country with Kojiro. Currently, he was purchasing local souvenirs from Fishman Island, intending to distribute them back in Wano. However, at least half of the items in his backpack were prepared for Page One.
"Mandrell, I'm going back."
"Understand, take care. Thanks for everything before."
"It's nothing, we are colleagues after all."
"Jack probably won't be back for a while. Don't you want to take something with you?"
Kojiro has more acquaintances within Wano Country. Mandrell thought that he would also need souvenirs from Fishman Island.
"I've already prepared. By the way, these are for you."
Saying that, Kojiro handed Mandrell a bag containing some gold coins. It was the surplus funds from the department store during this period. Deducting the share given to the Beasts Pirates and the cost of procurement, he had control over the remaining funds.
"What's this for?"
"You must be short on money. Take it for emergencies. I'm sure you've been spending a lot of money lately."
Dating is a costly process. Although Rusalka didn't ask for much, Mandrell's expenses were not insignificant.
Mandrell is considered a senior manager with a small share of the Beasts Fruits, but the dividends haven't been distributed yet. Moreover, the primary source of income for pirates is a share of the spoils, but with Hancock dealing with the outside pirates, his finances have been a bit tight lately.
"Thanks, I'll repay you later."
"It's nothing. I have much more money than you."
Kojiro knew that having money alone was useless. His father was an example. If you only had money, you were just a fat lamb in this world. So, he always maintained relationships with the officers. As long as the Beasts Pirates didn't fall, even if goes bankrupt, he could make a comeback.
Shortly after Kojiro left, Rusalka returned with another Mermaid who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old. She wasn't Rusalka's daughter or sister; she was Arlong's sister, Shyarly.
She and Arlong had different mothers, but when she was three, her father abandoned her in Fish-Man District. Arlong took care of her during that time, but she was nothing like Arlong.
Their father was irresponsible to both Arlong and Shyarly. Now, Arlong had gone off with all his subordinates to follow after Tiger, leaving behind Shyarly.
Mandrell found her relying on fortune-telling to earn a living. Despite her young age, she was already a renowned fortune-teller on Fishman Island.
Business wasn't great, though. Despite having an extremely high accuracy in fortune-telling and not having failed yet, the tragedies foreseen in her predictions are too frequent. Unless there are special circumstances, people usually don't seek her fortune-telling services.
He had some friendship with Arlong back in the day, and since this sister was different from him, he did what he could to help take care of Shyarly. Fish-Man District wasn't suitable for a young female Mermaid to live alone.
APJ Chapter 453 Jack Returns Home and Shyarly Staying Over
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