“In my personal opinion, Vegapunk’s attitude toward the World Government is very strange. He doesn’t trust them, and he clearly intends to make use of their funding.
But at the same time… he doesn’t hold much hostility toward the World Government either. He seems to view them from a neutral standpoint.”
“That’s normal. He grew up in a different environment from ours. If he were a Lunarian, he would naturally carry an irreconcilable hatred toward the World Government.
It’s like those people who worship the Giant Warrior Pirates and see them as heroic warriors, they all come from countries that were never plundered by giants.
You can maintain some contact with him. There are still certain technologies we’ll need his help with. But don’t rely on him too much, and there are some things there’s no need to tell him.”
A great many things were shaped by a nation’s environment. In many countries with slavery, some slaves themselves accepted the system by default. What they complained about wasn’t slavery itself, but the fact that they were the slaves.
The environment of many islands and seas also made each island relatively isolated, and even with Levely as a channel, communication was not frequent.
That gave rise to all kinds of cultures and characteristics, but it also bred countless conflicts.
Vegapunk relied on the World Government to complete certain research projects, even secretly conducting studies the World Government had forbidden. But serving under the World Government also doomed some of his creations to become tools for their use.
Warships capable of crossing the Calm Belt, Seraphim, Pacifista, Mother Flame…
Whether or not it was his original intention, the outcome was inevitable. It was a double-edged sword, and different methods of using it would naturally lead to different results.
“We’ve already prepared a place for you to stay. Fishman Island has changed a lot over the years, so take your time adapting to it. Enjoy these final peaceful days while you can. It won’t be long before the seas fall into turmoil once again.”
Although everyone attended the welcome party, it didn’t last very long. There was no banquet that went on for days and nights.
People with work responsibilities gradually left one after another.
After all, they were no longer wandering pirates. They were now legitimate government officials serving a nation, and since most of them were veterans, many held fairly important positions.
After being away from their posts for a while, they had to return to work.
As for those without anything urgent to do, like Sunbell, he brought Wobbegong around to familiarize him with the entirely new Fishman Island.
“The changes really are huge. Even for someone who grew up here, it feels easy to get lost now.”
“Fish-Man District has already been demolished. That area’s now one of the Neptune Army’s bases, though part of the old buildings were preserved. If you’re interested, you can go take a look.
Is Zeo going to school? I’m in charge of the school side of things, and it just so happens that enrollment is open right now.”
Sunbell’s main occupation was chief instructor, so logically speaking he should have been a military officer, but he also handled some civil administrative work.
“No need. I know exactly what Fishman Island’s education standards are like. Making this kid study that stuff would just be a waste of time. I’ll take him to the laboratory and teach him personally.”
It wasn’t that Wobbegong was arrogant. After all, what he dealt with weren’t fixed exam papers. If it were purely about test scores, Wobbegong might not necessarily excel.
For reading comprehension in subjects like language arts, even if you brought the original author in, they might not necessarily get a high score.
But from a practical standpoint, teaching the child himself really would be more effective.
“As you wish, but personally, I still think kids should go to school. At the very least, they can make some friends.
These are Fishman Island’s current laws. There’s nothing too troublesome in them.
Otherwise, you might end up making things difficult for the Boss.”
While introducing the changes on Fishman Island, Sunbell was also explaining some of the rules to Wobbegong. In a world with extraordinary strength, a country’s system was closely tied to the will of its strongest individual.
Many people were powerful enough to act outside the rules, but on Fishman Island, the people who established the rules were themselves the strongest.
These people were all old subordinates who had followed Nereus for years, and they already received extremely generous benefits. If they violated certain rules, ordinary citizens might not say anything openly, but they would inevitably harbor dissatisfaction inside.
Thus, alongside high benefits, they were also held to high standards by Nereus.
Right now, Sunbell was emphasizing exactly that point.
Wobbegong walked slowly, seemingly reminiscing about the feeling of his homeland. And upon this homeland of the Fish-Men and Merfolk, many people were also beginning entirely new lives.
“Arlong, sawshark Fish-Man, sixteen years old. No problems, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Congratulations, you passed. Here are your documents. Report to the Fish-Man District in one week.”
Although the Neptune Army had not carried out massive recruitment and expansion like it did during the reconstruction years, its numbers had still been growing steadily. Some retired soldiers had also returned to the reserves, helping ordinary citizens master certain combat techniques.
Young people like Arlong, meanwhile, began searching for a path forward after finishing their short school careers. Exploration teams operating in the outer seas and joining the Neptune Army were considered popular career choices among the youth.
Compared to ordinary Fish-Men, Arlong was also considered one of the more outstanding ones. Though far inferior to those monster-like individuals, he could still be regarded as an excellent graduate.
It was just that those even more talented than him had already graduated early and been specially recruited away. Arlong could only be considered exceptional among ordinary people, steadily following the usual steps of life.
After going through physical examinations and evaluations, he had officially become one of the new recruits, and a period of closed-door training would soon begin. This one week was the final vacation granted to them.
It wasn’t that Arlong had no family, but he felt absolutely nothing toward the father who had only sired him without raising him. As for his half-sister Shyarly…
It wasn’t as though Arlong lacked familial affection for her either. If a fellow Fish-Man encountered trouble and asked him for help, Arlong would more or less lend a hand instead of ignoring it.
He also understood how the Neptune Army worked, so he planned to go inform Shyarly.
Back then, because he lacked the means to raise her, Arlong had entrusted Shyarly to the orphanage’s care. He visited her every so often, so Shyarly was not unfamiliar with this older brother.
But when Arlong saw Shyarly, he suddenly had a strange feeling…
“This brat… seems to be doing better than me?”
At that moment, Shyarly was in Gyoncorde Plaza, holding a crystal ball and running her fortune-telling stall. The people lining up to have their fortunes told could practically be described as endless, with a long queue stretching out before her.
Arlong waited off to the side for quite a while before Shyarly finally became free.
“I’m going to serve in the Neptune Army. I leave in a week. If anyone—”
“If anyone gives you trouble, just call me. I know quite a few people in the Neptune Army.”
Before Arlong could finish speaking, Shyarly, while putting away her crystal ball, spoke the line that should have belonged to him instead, leaving Arlong rooted to the spot, completely unsure how to respond…
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