Pirate: My Piltover technology is far ahead!

Chapter 76 Listening to the Voice of All Things and Otohime

"Employment? Dude, are you kidding me? You might be more interested in buying a few merfolk or mermaid slaves, but I've never heard of a merfolk accepting human employment."

Upon hearing that Oran wanted to hire fishmen, the captain thought Oran was being naive, since such behavior did not conform to current mainstream values.

"I'm serious. It seems you travel to and from Fishman Island frequently. If you know of any useful routes, feel free to introduce them to me."

"No, I advise you not to think about such a thing. Hiring those barbaric guys will only bring you trouble."

The mainstream view of the World Government is to regard mermaids and fish-men as human beings and not to discriminate against them as fish. This point was already written into the law when the Ryugu Kingdom joined the World Government as a member state.

But in reality, this regulation is not very useful; mindset cannot be changed with just a piece of paper.

[Not born yet? How long has it been?]

It's almost here, almost here. The day of the king's birth is not far off; this is just a segment in our long lives.

"What did you say?"

"I told you that your idea of ​​hiring fishmen is unrealistic. What can those barbaric guys do?"

We're almost at Fishman Island, so please be careful.

Seemingly because of Oran's desire to hire merfolk, or perhaps because they were nearing their destination, the captain returned to his cabin after exchanging a few perfunctory words.

Shortly afterward, a glimmer of light appeared in the deep sea ahead.

That was a miracle brought by the Sun Tree Eve; it was because of it that Fishman Island was able to have its own sun in the deep sea.

"Father, I didn't hear anyone else speaking just now."

Frankenstein was certain that Oran hadn't misheard the captain's words. At the same time, the sound of rushing water came from above the ship, and it seemed that two enormous creatures had just swum past in the dark current.

"I know, this is the sea kings waiting for their king."

Aside from sea kings, Oran couldn't fathom what other creatures could emit such audio frequencies in the deep sea that even Frankenstein couldn't hear.

However, this also made Oran realize something: Observation Haki is the power of "hearing". Basic Observation Haki can be seen as an extension of hearing, but in this process, various special powers are also born, such as listening to the voice of all things.

His powerful mental strength has continued to play a role since he came to this world, and being able to hear the voices of sea kings is one manifestation of this power.

"It seems a bit of a mixed bag, but it's not bad either."

Oran wasn't sure if this ability was indeed the power to hear the voice of all things, so he didn't take it to heart for the time being.

He doesn't usually have any need to communicate with these giant creatures, and his existing abilities won't disappear out of thin air. He can naturally practice them gradually when the opportunity arises.

The ship had successfully entered the country, but Oran was facing a problem.

He had promised to meet Shaq again on Fishman Island, but they didn't have any way to contact each other. Finding each other on such a vast island seemed like a difficult task.

But before Oran could make any new decision, an excited voice rang out from the side.

"Mr. Oran! It's been so long! I've been waiting for you for ages!"

"Shaq?! How did you know I'd be here at this time?"

"It's a fortune telling. A famous fortune teller on Fishman Island told me that you would arrive this month. I thought you certainly wouldn't choose to enter illegally, so I've been waiting for you around here."

Divination is very popular on Fishman Island, and famous diviners are highly respected. Even the king will take appropriate measures based on the results of divination.

"Fortune telling. I was just wondering how to contact you. How have you been lately?"

"Not bad. I've never realized how precious freedom is before."

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let me show you around Fishman Island. There are many things here that you can't see on land. By the way, who is this gentleman?"

"Frankenstein, my daughter."

"She looks a lot like you, and seems just as smart as you."

Shaq didn't dwell on Frankenstein's appearance or age, treating him as a member of Oran's family from before, and then took them on a tour of Fishman Island.

"That's the Marin Shopping Center, which sells local specialties from Fishman Island. A little over there is my apartment."

"It seems you're financially well-off; this area must be quite expensive."

"That's what the top floor looks like, but I live on the bottom floor, and the rent is very cheap."

The most expensive thing on Fishman Island is "sunlight". The better the light, the more expensive the room. Actually, Fishman Street is cheaper, but it's too chaotic there, so Shaq moved to Fishman Island after he gained his freedom.

"Shaq, are you sure you're okay?"

"Mr. Oran, what did you say?"

"The environment here isn't very welcoming to humans, is it? Won't you cause us any trouble by acting as our guide?"

Fishman Island has a large population, but along the way, many mermaids and fishmen have chosen to avoid Oran and his group, intentionally avoiding certain things.

"It's alright. Trade with humans has always existed, and there's a lot of contact with humans at border crossings. Most of the people are just afraid of humans."

This is unavoidable; some people on Fishman Island also hope to live peacefully with humans, but reality is too cruel.

The pirate raids on Fishman Island, the popularity of mermaids in the slave market, and the inaction of the World Government are all exacerbating the conflicts between races.

Doing a thousand good deeds has less impact than one bad deed. The actions of a single conspicuous bag can escalate into discrimination against the region, not to mention that most of the people on Fishman Island are pirates.

However, there are a few exceptions despite the large population base.

Just as Shaq sighed, a mermaid floated up to him using coral bubbles.

"Uncle, would you be willing to help everyone learn more about humankind?"

"Little girl, who are you? What are you saying?"

"Ah, I'm sorry for being so abrupt. My name is Otohime. My dream is that one day in the future, humans, fish-men, and mermaids will be able to live together equally without discrimination and oppression."

With long, pale golden hair and a red and gold fishtail, the woman named Otohime is a goldfish mermaid and the future queen.

However, she is still just a young girl, and her ideas are more idealistic than when she was an adult.

"Fishman Island prevents most people from having the opportunity to understand the mainland. The unknown and those human pirates are constantly increasing the conflict, which is not good for the future of Fishman Island. Therefore, I want the people to have a better understanding of humans."

I seem to be quite good friends with these two humans, so would you be willing to help me?

Otohime's eyes were full of expectation, as if she wanted to get some kind of approval from Shak.

(End of this chapter)