Otohime and the Start of Training

"And then? What was the final result?"

A bubble floated in the air, with Sharly sitting on it, her slender fish tail lazily swaying. She flipped through a magazine in her hand and asked casually.

Bright walked ahead, holding a rope tied to the bubble, and another rope in his other hand. These ropes were connected to a bunch of bubbles floating in the air, which contained various items. "A crushing defeat."

His raw strength was indeed enough to contend with Jinbe, but once Jinbe started using Fish-Man Karate, everything changed.

Powerful techniques had the ability to shift the balance of power, and he was completely outmatched in that regard.

He had already lost, even though Jinbe's Armament Haki was only used to block his lightning attacks and not for offense.

"But why do I feel like you're not sad at all?"

Sharly pulled her gaze away from the book and turned to look at Bright.

"There's nothing to be sad about."

Bright chuckled. "I'm already very satisfied."

Now, he had a clear understanding of his own strength.

If he were on the surface of the sea with his abilities fully unleashed, he could probably barely match the strength of a Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral.

Of course, he'd be among the weaker Vice Admirals. He couldn't compare to someone like Garp, and he was far inferior even to elite Vice Admirals like Doberman Onigumo.

But this was nothing to be sad about.

After all, just a few months ago, he wasn't even able to contend with Hag.

The abilities contained within that Devil Fruit, combined with Kaido's bloodline, had given him a massive boost.

Not to mention, as his various abilities gradually matured, he would continue to grow stronger at an astonishing rate.

"Are you really someone who's easily satisfied?" Sharly asked, a little surprised.

"Because I'm going to get stronger."

Bright said, "Sharly, there's something..."

"I'm not good at fighting, I can't help you train," Sharly said casually, her gaze returning to the magazine.

"I never expected that."

Bright's mouth twitched. Growing up, Sharly had never fought a single battle. With Arlong and him around, she never needed to resort to violence as a weapon.

"Jinbe will be guiding my training, so I can't provide security for you temporarily."

"Suit yourself," Sharly said, flipping through her book, appearing unconcerned. "Just don't come begging me when you're out of money for food."

"Hey, hey, hey, that's heartless! Aren't we childhood friends?"

Suddenly, there seemed to be some commotion ahead.

A crowd had gathered.

Thanks to his height advantage, Bright could easily see the figure in the center of the crowd, who was speaking loudly.

"...Please, quickly sign the petition! We need to show the world our will to migrate Fish-Man Island at the World Conference in three years!"

A woman with beautiful, wavy golden-blonde hair, wearing an orange robe with an orange scale pattern, and a slender figure stood on a makeshift platform, speaking loudly.

"We've only encountered a small, biased portion of humanity! The vast majority of humans know nothing about us. Fear and hatred are useless; we should proactively reach out to them!"

"She hasn't given up yet."

Sharly closed her magazine and looked at the woman in the distance with a sigh. "She's been giving speeches like this since we were kids, hasn't she?"

She could see clearly too, sitting on her floating bubble.

Moreover, Sharly's height, when she used her tail, was actually much greater than Bright's. She was about five meters tall.

Bright remained silent, simply listening to the commotion.

"Even if you say so, Queen Otohime, we can't agree!"

"That's right! Brother Tiger died because of humans! Because humans refused to donate blood for him!"

"How can we trust humans who caused Brother Tiger's death!"

The woman's name was Otohime, the wife of the king of this country.

She had been giving such speeches for many years. Her lifelong dream was to have Fish-Man Island migrate to the surface and for Fish-Man Island and humans to coexist peacefully.

However, the Fishmen and Merfolk surrounding her, while not overtly aggressive, clearly showed their resistance.

"Bright, did Brother Tiger die because he refused to receive human blood?" Sharly asked, looking at Bright.

"Yes."

Bright nodded. "To hide the cause of Brother Tiger's death, Brother Arlong lied to humans, and the newspapers reported false information."

If he remembered correctly, this directly led to the law prohibiting Fishmen and Merfolk from donating blood to humans.

In the future, it almost caused Sanji to bleed to death after seeing a Mermaid.

"Did that idiot Arlong do something unnecessary again?" Sharly said with a headache. "It was a good decision to stop him from going out to sea."

"It doesn't matter either way."

Bright said casually.

The relationship between humans and Fish-Man Island wouldn't change much whether this happened or not.

If anything, it was restraint on Arlong's part that he didn't directly state that Brother Tiger died betrayed by humans after saving them.

"Let's go, we've bought most of the daily necessities, let's head back," Bright said.

"Don't you want to look around anymore?"

"No need. It's meaningless."

So naive, Queen Otohime.

Freedom and respect were never something that could be gained through requests and compromises.

He was practically the opposite extreme of Brother Arlong.

After dropping off Sharly at the cafe, Bright, carrying the daily necessities he'd bought, was preparing to head back when...

"Bright, you can come help out at the shop during your training breaks. I won't say much, but I can provide your three meals a day and basic living expenses."

Bright was deeply moved.

"Sharly!!"

"Don't make that disgusting face."

The next day, training officially began.

Bright got up early. After helping Sharly prepare ingredients and eating breakfast, he headed to Jinbe's residence. After meeting up with Jinbe, they went to the depths of the Sea Forest.

Training naturally required a spacious area.

A large portion of the Sea Forest was outside Fish-Man Island's bubble, in the deep sea.

However, many exposed areas were also covered by large bubbles, containing air.

Bright and Jinbe chose such a spot.

"Are you ready, Bright?"

Jinbe stretched his limbs, a wide smile on his face.

He believed that the man before him was the future of Fish-Man Island.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Bright said seriously. "We can start anytime!"

"Excellent! It's good that you have that resolve!"

Jinbe nodded slightly. "Haki training is never easy!"

"Haki is a power hidden within our bodies. I don't know the exact principles, but that doesn't matter. All we need to do is guide that power out from within our bodies."

"And the method of this guidance might be a bit rough."

Jinbe showed a rare, strange smile. He raised his hands, which were wrapped in an invisible aura. "So, Bright, are you truly ready?"

Bright smiled. "Bring it on, Brother Jinbe!"

If he was afraid of even this, how could he talk about becoming a strong figure like Whitebeard or Kaido?

Those who bravely press forward through countless battles, that's what makes a strong person.

Bright had made his resolve.

Next, Jinbe first explained to Bright his own feelings when he learned Armament Haki, telling Bright how to perceive its existence and how to strive to bring it out.

Then came the real training.

"Alright, Bright, take this!"