Capítulo 669: *Title Hidden*
Fishman Island relied on Whitebeard's pirate flag to avoid a lot of trouble, and the World Government is aware of this. In the depths of the sea, they couldn't be bothered with it, but on land, it's a different story.
This is the territory assigned to Fishman Island by the World Government, and displaying a pirate flag here was unacceptable.
So, according to the agreement, if they displayed any flag other than the Sun Pirates', the island would automatically lose its status as an affiliated nation.
Ryugu Kingdom needed this status. With it, those interested in the Fish-Men and Merfolk, such as slave traders and pirates, would at least not act openly.
The World Government was still the strongest force on the sea, and without this protection, they might face more trouble. Even the kingdom armies of other nations could legally plunder the island.
Under these circumstances, they had to agree to the terms. While they couldn't openly display a flag, they could handle things discreetly.
As for Marine protection, theoretically, the island qualified for Marine protection. However, the World Government had no intention of placing Fishman Island under Marine jurisdiction, and Fishman Island also never requested it.
Unless the Marines are stationed directly on the island, there won't be enough time to intervene, but even Otohime wouldn't agree to that.
Fishman Island has to rely on the World Government, but neither Otohime nor Neptune have much faith in the Marines. This is determined by their living environment; for the past several hundred years, Fishman Island has never been under Marine jurisdiction.
Currently, the island is still under construction, encountering only minor troubles. With the Sun Pirates, they could handle these issues, but this environment wasn't suitable for ordinary citizens to settle.
This is also one of the World Government's objectives. They hope Fishman Island can help alleviate some of the pressure from pirates, while also taking advantage of the chaos to capture some slaves.
Although Mjosgard was a Celestial Dragon, he didn't represent all Celestial Dragons, and there were others interested in Fish-Men slaves.
To change the situation here, considering the forces Otohime and Neptune trust, Beasts Fruits have become the only option.
Legal, powerful, accepting of the Fish-Men, and able to fulfill Otohime's wish for peaceful coexistence between the two races.
Peace couldn't be achieved through speeches alone; only by instilling fear in those people can stability be achieved.
Beasts Pirates naturally also have their own goals, which include the Fish-Men themselves. This race is more suited to underwater combat compared to humans. To prepare for future wars, the Beasts Pirates' expansion and recruitment have never ceased, and incorporating more Fish-Men is part of their plan.
Otohime discussed this matter with Tesoro, but he reported it up the chain. This led to Mandrell leading a team to the island. While they couldn't appear openly, they make dealing with certain issues more convenient.
During this period, a team of Fish-Men quietly arrived on the island.
...
"Boss Tai? Long time no see. How have you been lately?"
Jinbe, who was in charge of the island's defenses, was delighted. He hadn't seen his boss in a long time.
"Not too bad. You seem to have grown a lot as well."
Patting Jinbe on the shoulder, Tiger looked around the still-developing island.
This island was a big deal for the Fish-Men. Upon hearing the news, Tiger naturally came over, and he also brought along a special person—Tom.
As the top shipwright of the Fish-Men, Tom could build more than just ships. In the Great Pirate Era, any seaworthy ship needed some defensive capabilities.
When building the Sea Train, Tom created some large weapons to drive away sea beasts. Without the deep sea as a barrier, they had to consider more factors while constructing the city. That's why Tiger brought Tom here to help.
"This is a massive project. It's my first time building an island from scratch," Tom grumbled about the project's size, but he had already started drawing the blueprints. This was a significant event for the Fish-Men, and as a Fish-Men, he also wanted to contribute.
"Uncle Tom, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to check things out over there."
"Don't worry, I'll design it well."
"Wait, Senior Tom. If you're going to design it, please improve it according to this plan. It's what Her Highness and the others agreed upon."
Tom, who had just arrived, was unaware of the situation here. The Fish-Men who were already working on the site handed Tom a rough plan.
"This is... an underground labyrinth? Are you planning to use it to defend against enemies?"
The design was a general plan. The island appeared to be a barren rock island, but it had many underground rivers. The current plan was to break through the surface, expose the underground space, and then modify the central area.
The outer underground rivers could serve as natural defensive barriers, while using the complex labyrinthine pathways, invaders could be driven into a dead end.
The overall structure was similar to Wano Country, which was also a terrain easy to defend and hard to attack. However, while Wano Country was above sea level, this plan was below sea level.
At this stage, the main residents were still the Fish-Men and Merfolk. Water wouldn't be a threat for them, and they also had bubble technology.
This was one reason for their location choice. Merfolk needed bubbles to live, and bubbles could only be produced and maintained in large quantities near Sabaody Archipelago.
This area is also within the influence of the Sabaody Archipelago, allowing the use of bubbles to implement certain plans. The bubble membranes will prevent seawater from flooding in and seal the entrance above. Entering from above would trigger an alarm, marking it as illegal intrusion.
To enter, one had to go through the proper underwater channel, similar to Fishman Island, but the water here was only a few dozen meters deep, unlike the original Fishman Island.
Then there was the labyrinth. After passing through it, one would reach the residential area, which even had escape routes leading to the deep sea.
"Although it's a bit unusual, the idea is okay. But...how do we build this labyrinth? We can't use a lot of explosives because of its structure. How many years would it take with manual labor? And what if the traps injure ordinary people?"
Tom saw no issue with the idea, but the practical challenges were significant, especially modifying the underground caves.
"We don't know. They said not to worry, they'll handle it."
"They?"
At that moment, on Mandrell's ship, besides pirates, there was a large group of brown creatures with disproportionate heads and bodies, resembling turtles but they were actually ants - Ant Pit Pokémon—Trapinch.
Chapter 669 Plan for Underground Labyrinth and Trapinch
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