Arlong had always been obsessed with amusement parks. When he was young, he would secretly surface at night and gaze longingly at Bubble Park.
Back then, the ruler of the Ryugu Kingdom had not yet been Nereus, and Bubble Park was a place that Fish-Men and Merfolk yearned for but was also full of danger.
Nowadays, they could walk into it openly. Fish-Man Island even possessed its own sphere of influence on the Sabaody Archipelago, though caution was still necessary.
Yet Arlong’s yearning for Bubble Park had never faded. Creating a free amusement park was now his goal.
Of course, that amusement park absolutely could not contain anything related to Shyarly. It had to be far away from whatever shop she opened.
Listening to Arlong’s speech, which sounded suspiciously like he was raising a flag, Jinbe didn’t say anything. They weren’t the closest of friends, but they were old acquaintances. After knowing each other for so many years, Jinbe still supported him in this decision.
Jinbe felt that Arlong’s suggestion made a lot of sense, so he contacted Kawamatsu on the other side and started a goods parade.
The results were immediate. Shipbuilding companies that had been suffering from a lack of materials, upon seeing such a large quantity of lumber arriving, all started making offers to buy it. Some even considered selling everything they owned for one last gamble.
As long as they could successfully build and sell a large ship, it would be enough to bring their companies back from the brink of collapse.
There were also some people who tried to seize the lumber by force, but that level of violence was utterly insignificant before this Neptune Army detachment.
With their original distribution channels cut off and anyone venturing out to procure lumber risking death at sea, Fish-Man Island’s appearance became a lifeline in the eyes of these people.
Whether it was insured escorts or lumber procurement, they were willing to gamble everything on it. As a result, Arlong and his group received a considerable amount of deposits.
After all, Arlong and the others were not wandering merchants. They were a military force flying the flag of an affiliated nation and represented a nation’s army.
Moreover, because the nation’s population consisted entirely of Fish-Men and Merfolk, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to impersonate its citizens. In this era, their credibility was quite high.
Although prices had risen somewhat compared to before, the increase was still acceptable to these companies. At the very least, it was far cheaper than hiring the Marines to perform such tasks.
Not just anyone could hire the Marines. Most people couldn’t spend that money even if they wanted to. That was a privilege reserved for affiliated nations, and the fees were charged on a national scale. These companies simply couldn’t afford it.
Although the profits weren’t directly related to Arlong personally, he could still accumulate merits and earn bonuses through them. While Arlong was busy building his own career outside, people elsewhere were making money as well.
Sabaody Archipelago, within the area effectively controlled by Fish-Man Island.
The definition of this territory was currently quite complicated.
Originally, this region had been a lawless area. After it was occupied by the Ryugu Kingdom, it naturally could no longer be considered lawless due to the kingdom’s status, and this was also the official public stance.
However, from the Marines’ perspective, it remained a zone they deliberately ignored. No matter what happened inside, they would not interfere without direct orders from Marine Headquarters.
By the Marines’ definition, it was still a lawless area.
Yet under Fish-Man Island’s administration, it had instead become the safest area in terms of public security.
Human trafficking organizations already avoided the place like a plague. The only troublemakers were newly arrived pirates.
And whenever something did happen, the suppression response was several times faster than the Marines’. To different people, this territory carried completely different meanings.
Although the Sabaody Archipelago as a whole was primarily a tourist island, quite a few people lived here permanently.
Within the GR 10–19 region, there were not only Fish-Man Island personnel but also many ordinary workers.
Located in the central area, it was accessible no matter which side people landed from. Aside from pirates merely passing through, there were also tourists, and some residents even lived in the hotel district.
Inside the Ryugu Kingdom’s office, one could see quite a few humans in addition to Merfolk and Fish-Men.
These people were outsourced employees. The managers still came from the Ryugu Kingdom, but the ordinary staff positions had already been filled by humans.
They were not from Delta Island. Rather, but rather were rescued after some human traffickers on the outskirts of Sabaody Archipelago were destroyed. Having nowhere else to go, they simply settled down and started working in the Sabaody Archipelago.
“Isn’t that Tesoro? Come to see her again?”
Near the Ryugu Kingdom office, a young man was peeking toward the office staff while carrying a package that appeared to contain a packed lunch.
A middle-aged man carrying several crates greeted Tesoro familiarly. Tesoro didn’t respond immediately. He pulled out a mirror, adjusted his hairstyle, and then lifted one crate off the top of the stack.
He knew this delivery team was headed to the Ryugu Kingdom office. By following them, he could go directly there without having to wait for her to get off work.
“You brat… here’s a little rumor. Stella apparently has a new suitor recently. You’d better step up your game.”
“What?! Who is it?! Did she accept?!”
The appearance of a rival immediately shook Tesoro’s confidence, and his voice became noticeably panicked.
“Hahaha, I’m just messing with you. The office over there doesn’t hire men, and us delivery guys are all rough laborers. There’s no way a girl like her would be interested in us. But who knows what the future holds? You’d better hurry up!”
The Sabaody Archipelago had undergone tremendous changes. The biggest change was that the slave auction houses had disappeared from Sabaody.
No matter how powerful their backers were, they couldn’t compete with a monster like Nereus. Operating such businesses under Nereus’s watchful eye was impossible. Long ago, they had been forced to switch to a guerrilla-style operation, constantly changing locations.
This chain reaction led to Stella’s fate changing.
Although she had still been captured as a slave, the slave ship transporting her was sunk as soon as it approached the area. The rescued captives all went their separate ways, while Stella remained on the Sabaody Archipelago.
As for Tesoro—the future Golden Emperor of the original timeline—he was still just a poor kid at this point. Ever since childhood, he had loved singing and dreamed of performing on stage.
However, his father was a gambler who soon died of illness, and his mother hated his singing. As a result, Tesoro ran away from home.
He survived through theft, gambling, and various other means, using money to make friends.
Two years ago, after losing everything he owned in a casino, he was nearly captured by human traffickers. While desperately fleeing, he accidentally stumbled into Fish-Man Island’s jurisdiction. The men chasing him feared entering that territory and ultimately had no choice but to give up.
Bruised and battered, Tesoro leaned against a wall and sang quietly to comfort himself. It was then that he happened to meet Stella as she was getting off work.
“You sing really well.”
At that moment, Tesoro felt as though his very soul had been purified. He felt that he had fallen in love…
From that day onward, Tesoro turned over a new leaf, began supporting himself through honest work, and embarked on his long journey of pursuing her…
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