Let's Give It a Try

"Mining deep-sea minerals?"

Jinbe, surprised, batted away Bright's incoming punch with a slap and retaliated with a punch of his own towards Bright.

"Over countless years of accumulation, the seabed's sediments and rock layers are filled with minerals."

Faint electrical sparks danced across Bright's body as he easily dodged Jinbe's punch, then unleashed a barrage of his own.

"These are all precious resources that only we can acquire."

Jinbe pondered as he continued to throw punches.

Their fists collided repeatedly, the sounds of thunderous impacts echoing one after another.

"For us, the difficulty of mining is far lower than for people on the surface,"

Bright stated.

This world lacked large continents, with countless islands scattered across the sea. It was understandable that major mineral resource locations were scarce.

Perhaps the Red Line was rich in such resources, but the difficulty of mining it was simply too great.

Under these circumstances, the world's cutting-edge technology being advanced, while its overall technological tree across the entire sea was quite backward, could be somewhat understood.

There was a severe lack of materials.

But the seabed was different.

In the vast, boundless, pitch-black depths of the ocean, countless resources lay dormant.

"Although simply selling resources isn't a long-term solution, it's not bad for now when we have nothing,"

Bright said, "More importantly, it can attract human merchants."

Doing business in the deep sea was a very dangerous undertaking.

Therefore, very few human merchants specifically came to Fish-Man Island for business.

However, if Fish-Man Island could supply abundant and cheap resources of all kinds, the situation would be different.

If there was profit to be made, merchants would go to any lengths.

After all, while Fish-Man Island was very far from the human world, if you calculated the straight-line distance, it was only a little over a hundred kilometers from the Sabaody Archipelago, so it wasn't actually that far.

If long-term trade could truly be established, not only could funds be acquired, but technology could also be introduced, allowing Fish-Man Island to possess its own industries. This would complement the mining industry, establishing basic industrialization and allowing wealth growth to benefit all residents of Fish-Man Island.

Bright didn't understand these things very well, but he felt it was feasible.

"That sounds very good."

Jinbe nodded in agreement, "I'll go talk to Neptune about it later."

Bright nodded.

Mining deep-sea minerals wasn't something that could be accomplished with just a few words.

After all, given the educational level of Fish-Man Island's residents, how many could distinguish between different types of minerals?

Not to mention identifying mineral deposits and excavating them.

This required the power of the state to drive it.

"But speaking of which, Bright,"

Jinbe grinned, and a powerful punch tore through the air, the accompanying wind whistling sharply, "Your techniques are becoming more and more proficient!"

Bright returned the smile, electrical sparks erupting on his arm as he met the punch with one of his own.

BOOM!!

The ground beneath their feet instantly cracked, and the surging wind transformed into expanding shockwaves.

"If I still showed no progress, wouldn't that be letting down my training partner, Big Brother Jinbe?"

Bright said with a smile.

Two days had passed since his fight with Hody.

The previous turmoil was gradually subsiding, and Fish-Man Island had returned to peace.

Bright's proficiency with Current Drive was increasing, and now even when fighting Jinbe, he could basically avoid losing control.

"But you're still too green! Tangca Wa Seiken!!"

Jinbe roared with laughter and threw a punch.

The air twisted in an instant, and invisible waves spread out from Jinbe's fist.

Bright was pushed back repeatedly before he could even touch Jinbe.

"You still haven't grasped the essence,"

Jinbe said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of shockwaves you'll create with electricity."

"I can't help it, I've only just gotten the hang of this technique,"

Bright replied, "I'll take it slow with the rest."

Although his physical talent was maxed out, his learning ability was clearly still at its original level.

Both his physical techniques and Haki are like this.

But there's no rush, we'll take it slow.

Bright had always been satisfied with the speed of his own improvement.

Now that he was proficient with Current Drive, he should be able to fight Jinbe for a bit without using Haki. After all, the explosive power brought by Current Drive was far more exaggerated than simple Fishman martial arts.

This speed was certainly astonishing, as it had only been a little over a month since returning to Fish-Man Island.

In the evening, after finishing his training, Jinbe said he wanted to treat Bright to a meal.

Bright had no reason to refuse a free meal, so he headed to their usual restaurant with Jinbe.

"Oh! Bright!! The Star of Hope of Fish-Man Island!"

On the way to the restaurant, they ran into an old friend. "Hahaha, you said you'd treat me last time, but there's been no sign of it yet."

"Mark,"

Bright greeted him with a smile. "If you want to eat, we can do it now."

He still hadn't spent the 100,000 Belly he borrowed from Jinbe, as he'd been freeloading meals from Sharly during this time.

"But what does 'Star of Hope of Fish-Man Island' mean?" Bright asked curiously.

"Huh? Bright, you don't know yet?"

His old friend asked in surprise, "Everyone calls you that now."

"Huh?"

A certain tavern in the Fish-Man District.

"Brother Arlong, is that kid Bright really as amazing as you say?"

A drunken Fishman holding a wine glass asked with a grin.

"Hahahaha!"

Arlong, whose cheeks were also flushed from drinking, laughed heartily. "Of course! That guy has unprecedented talent! He will become the strongest Fishman in history!!"

He spread his arms and declared to everyone in the tavern, "If anyone can truly lead us to the sea, to rule over humans, and establish an unprecedented Fishman Empire, it will definitely be Bright!!"

"Even that guy Jinbe thinks so!"

The tavern immediately became lively.

"Hahaha! That's amazing, isn't it?"

"Even Brother Jinbe thinks so?"

"If both big brothers think so, then it must be true!"

"Just like Brother Fisher Tiger! That kid Bright has also gained the approval of both big brothers!"

"Hahahaha!"

Arlong laughed heartily, then jumped onto a table, raising his wine glass high. "Fools, cheer for the Star of Hope of Fish-Man Island!!"

"Oh!! Star of Hope!!"

The atmosphere in the bar was extremely high.

Bright, holding the bar door, looked at the scene inside and twitched the corner of his mouth. "A Star of Hope like this..."

"Hahaha, that's right, Star of Hope," Mark laughed heartily. "Don't forget your old friends when you make it big."

"...Haha."

Bright gave a dry laugh.

"Oh! Bright is here!!"

Arlong noticed Bright's arrival and excitedly extended his hand. "Hahahaha! You've come at the perfect time, come and say a few words to the people who support you!"

Bright felt a headache coming on.

So what he said that day wasn't a joke at all, Brother Arlong.

Your initiative is a bit too high.

"Hahaha, isn't this good?"

Jinbe walked into the bar with a laugh. "If it's Bright, he is indeed the most likely person to change Fish-Man Island!"

"Oh!! Boss Jinbe really said that?"

The Fishmen instantly erupted. "A new leader has been born in the Fish-Man District!"

"Cheer for him! Brother Bright!"

"Brother Bright!! Oh!! Brother Bright!!"

For a time, the entire bar was filled with cheers.

With Fisher Tiger gone, there were only two prominent figures left in the Fish-Man District: Jinbe, who represented the majority, and Arlong, who represented a small group of extremists.

Together, they represented a significant portion of the Fishmen in the Fish-Man District.

What would a man recognized by both of his older brothers bring to them?

"What are you hesitating for, Bright!"

Arlong laughed heartily, "Say something!"

Jinbe also turned his head to look at Bright, his eyes full of encouragement.

If he was going to change Fish-Man Island, then it would start now.

Bright fell silent.

He remembered his original goal, to simply survive peacefully.

But soon, that thought faded.

He remembered Brother Fisher Tiger.

That man worried about the future of Fish-Man Island until the day he died.

He remembered the mermaids who were kidnapped before.

How bright their smiles were after surviving.

He remembered the Fish-Man District where he grew up.

The Fishmen here were poor, uneducated, idle every day, and fighting was a common occurrence.

But it was these fierce and savage Fishmen who allowed him to grow up smoothly.

The older brothers who led him forward, the companions who grew up with him, the restaurant owner who never said kind words but always left him clean food...

He remembered so many people.

Sharly told him to do whatever he wanted.

Bright smiled freely and walked into the tavern.

The Star of Hope for Fish-Man Island?

Then he would try to be it.

He opened his mouth, wanting to respond to Fish-Man Island.

"Wait up, Star of Hope for Fish-Man Island, hic—I won't acknowledge you until you defeat me, hic—"

From the cheering crowd, someone squeezed out.

As you can all see, the book title has been changed. I thought about the original name for a long time, it's truly touching.