Immigration Bureau

Bang!

Their fists collided, sending shockwaves surging outward.

Jinbe staggered back several steps. "You've gotten even stronger, Bright."

Across from him, Bright had already transformed into his Dragon Human form. Lightning and invisible ripples coiled around his right arm. "Now that I have Haki, my punches are a lot stronger."

"Of course. Haki is a power on par with Devil Fruits."

Jinbe smiled. "The world's strongest fighters may not have Devil Fruit abilities, but they must possess powerful Haki."

"So I still can't beat you."

Bright returned to human form, sounding somewhat wistful.

"Ha ha ha ha! That's already incredible."

Jinbe laughed heartily. "Beating you now wouldn't be an easy task for me either."

In just two or three months, Bright had grown far too much stronger.

His new martial arts, Armament Haki, and his ever-strengthening body had made him several times more powerful than when he had first returned to Fish-Man Island.

But of course, defeating Jinbe was still impossible.

Jinbe's Haki was immensely powerful, worlds apart from Bright's newly awakened Armament Haki. Not to mention that Bright had yet to awaken Observation Haki.

Still, if Jinbe did not use Armament Haki, Bright could certainly give him a run for his money.

"Let's keep going, Brother Jinbe!"

Bright clenched his fists.

Although he had learned Armament Haki, he had only just awakened it. His training still had to continue.

Both the quantity and quality of his Haki were poor.

His usage was limited to the most basic coating. The mainstream technique of hardening was still far beyond his reach, let alone more advanced techniques like emission and Internal Destruction.

Haki only grew stronger through clashes with powerful opponents.

It needed constant training to become stronger.

At the very least, he should learn hardening, something everyone else knew.

As Bright and Jinbe began sparring again, Arlong, crouching atop a thick coral branch below, said impatiently,

"So you're spending most of every day on this, Bright. When are you going to start doing something serious?"

"Something serious?"

Bright slammed a fist against Jinbe's as he casually asked, "What do you mean, Brother Arlong?"

"What else could I mean?"

Arlong said excitedly, "Now that we've united the entire Fish-Man District, shouldn't we set our sights on all of Fish-Man Island?"

"Neptune is too weak! It's time to drive him off the throne!"

Arlong jumped down from the coral. "Bright, you become the new king of Fish-Man Island! With the Fish-Man District behind you, you can absolutely do it!"

Bright's mouth twitched.

Setting Neptune himself aside, his daughter was Shirahoshi.

If he did something that made that little girl cry, things would get troublesome.

"Don't say such stupid things, Arlong."

Jinbe frowned. Although Arlong was now on their side, he was still just as radical. "Neptune is not our enemy!"

"If he can't change Fish-Man Island's current situation, then we will!"

Arlong sneered. "You say he isn't our enemy? If he stands in our way, then he is our enemy!"

Bright's mouth twitched.

Was this what he should expect from Brother Arlong?

Jinbe sighed. There was nothing he could do with Arlong. "Bright—"

Bright shook his head. "Brother Arlong, instead of thinking about that, how about training with me and making yourself stronger?"

"Huh?"

Arlong tilted his head.

"To achieve our goal, we'll definitely face terrifyingly powerful opponents in the future. You don't want to be unable to help when the time comes, do you?" Bright said.

Arlong was simply too weak.

But that was fine. Strength could be improved through training.

The talent one was born with was important, but training was no less important.

Humans were naturally much weaker than races such as the Fishman Tribe and Mink Tribe, let alone the Giant Tribe, but humans could surpass those innate advantages through training.

Even people like Koby and Helmeppo could become strong through rigorous training. There was no reason fishmen could not do the same.

"That's not impossible."

Arlong rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

If he was too weak, how could he hold a high position in the future Fishman Empire?

"Good."

Jinbe grinned. "Arlong, I'll train you properly."

Arlong immediately shuddered. "Hey, Jinbe, you're not going to use this to settle personal grudges, are you?"

"Why would I?" Brother Jinbe smiled with his usual honest simplicity.

Bright clapped his hands. "Brother Arlong alone isn't enough. It would be best to select the most talented young people from the Fish-Man District and train them together."

Letting them develop on their own could not compare to organized training.

They did not all need to master Haki proficiently. Under Jinbe's guidance, it would be enough if each of them learned some capable Fishman Karate.

"That is a good idea."

Jinbe agreed. "To change Fish-Man Island, we'll need more and stronger power."

"Then it's settled."

Bright smiled. "We'll try putting it into practice afterward. But before that, there is something more important."

He looked at Jinbe. "Brother Jinbe, can you arrange a meeting with Neptune for me?"

"Is this about what we discussed before?"

Jinbe nodded. "Sure. I'll contact Ryugu Palace."

"Thank you."

Bright said gratefully.

Brother Arlong was right. It was time to do something serious.

The facts proved that Brother Jinbe had considerable influence in the Ryugu Kingdom. Neptune quickly agreed to meet Bright.

Next, they would head to Ryugu Palace.

Ryugu Palace was located above Fish-Man Island.

Literally above it.

The royal palace of the Ryugu Kingdom was not inside Fish-Man Island's great bubble. It floated above the bubble, within a slightly smaller one.

To get there, one could take a designated waterway or use a reception ship dispatched by Ryugu Palace.

Bright and Jinbe chose the waterway and arrived directly outside Ryugu Palace's gates.

"Oh! Welcome, Jinbe! And we meet again, young man!"

Unexpectedly, Neptune was waiting for them right at the gate.

He was certainly giving them plenty of face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Neptune!"

Jinbe greeted him as he walked over.

Bright also responded with a smile. "It's been some time, King Neptune."

"Truly impressive."

Neptune looked down at Bright and praised him sincerely. "I heard about what happened in the Fish-Man District. Well done."

It was hard to know what to make of it.

Was that something a king should be saying?

Bright had united the entire Fish-Man District and now commanded hundreds of thousands of fishmen.

Fish-Man Island only had a population of five million. The power gathered under Bright's command was already astonishing.

Yet Neptune seemed almost happy about it.

"With this, the Fish-Man District can finally settle down."

Neptune sighed. "This country failed to make that place better. That was my failure, Ryugu Palace's failure. So, Bright, I hope you can accomplish it."

It was hard to tell whether he was broad-minded or simply shirking responsibility.

But upon reflection, Neptune's mindset was perfectly normal.

In this world, His Majesty the King was not particularly imposing before true powerhouses.

"That is exactly why I came."

Bright said seriously.

"That is why I set aside an entire afternoon for you."

Neptune smiled. "Come. The tea and desserts are ready. We can talk at length."

Later, in Ryugu Palace's tea room.

"Mining seabed minerals—what a brilliant idea!"

Neptune said earnestly, "I've already sent the kingdom's mineral experts to survey the surrounding mineral deposits. They've found quite a lot."

"That's good. We can discuss that in detail later. But there is another matter now."

Bright said, "Border control."

"About that..."

Neptune nodded, looking troubled. "The resistance is greater than expected. Many ministers oppose it, mainly because they fear pirates who refuse to cooperate will cause trouble."

"Then leave it to us."

Bright's voice was calm. "We will establish Fish-Man Island's first line of defense!"

"Bright..." Neptune's eyes widened.

"We'll call it the Immigration Bureau. Its duty will be to inspect humans entering and leaving the island," Bright continued without pause. "The goal is to ensure that, at least on Fish-Man Island, our people are protected from human harm."

"Of course," Bright said with a smile, "even if you refuse, we will do it anyway."

"Hey, kid, show me at least a little respect! I'm still this country's king, you know!"

Thanks to readers '20190612200005278' and '20212031221303185' for the 100-point tips. Thank you, thank you.