Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

The banquet, which had just begun, had to be temporarily halted.

Because the frail Queen Otohime, in attempting to embrace her daughter, had broken a rib.

"Your Highness, your body is very fragile, so please be more careful in the future," the Ryugu Palace Doctor said with deep concern.

Although not many people agreed with Otohime's views, her warmth and gentleness were also admired by many Fish-men and Mermaids.

However, there was one thing: her health was simply too poor.

She was the kind of person who would break her own hand by slapping someone else's face.

It was hard to imagine how she had successfully given birth to four children of such enormous size.

"But Shirahoshi is so cute!"

The Queen, her tears not yet dry, declared righteously, "As expected of Mommy's cutest daughter!"

Gently stroking her daughter's large head, the Queen wore a blissful expression.

"Heehee."

The little girl, unaware of the harm she had caused her mother, simply smiled happily in response to her mother's tenderness.

"Ah, so adorable!!"

The Queen, seemingly missing a screw in her head, threw herself onto her daughter, nuzzling her as if hugging a giant doll.

Then.

"Ah!! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

"Your Highness, didn't we tell you to be careful!!"

Bright looked at Neptune.

Neptune sighed melancholically.

What a resilient man.

This must be his daily life.

The banquet eventually commenced.

After the doctor treated Queen Otohime's worsened injuries again, the woman immediately became lively and, laughing heartily, brought her children before Bright. One really couldn't tell if she was fragile or tenacious.

"You should call him Brother Bright!"

Otohime introduced Bright to her children. "Come, introduce yourselves."

"Brother Bright!"

The Little Princess, obedient to her mother, said crisply, "I'm Shirahoshi."

Her large eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and her tender cheeks were filled with a happy smile.

"So cute."

Bright couldn't help but reach out and stroke the little girl's cheek.

Hmm, a five-year-old girl who's a head taller than me.

"Brother Bright, I'm Fanchexing!"

Much shorter than Shirahoshi, a boy who looked about ten years old happily announced his name.

"I'm Huangxing, Brother Bright!"

The second prince, considerably taller than his third brother and about twelve or thirteen years old, said with a grin.

"..."

The last of the four siblings, the eldest merman, hesitated. "My name is Shark Star, nice to meet you, Brother Bright!"

"Hello, everyone."

Bright greeted them with a smile.

Neptune's family are all good people.

"Bright is very capable!"

Queen Otohime boasted proudly to her children, "He's someone who will change Fish-Man Island with Mama and Papa."

Who's going to change it with you?

And what are you so proud of?

Bright's mouth twitched.

"Wow! That's amazing, Brother Bright!"

The Little Princess believed her mother's words completely, her small fists clenched tightly, her eyes seeming to sparkle.

After a brief chat, the banquet finally began in earnest.

The attendees were not just Neptune's family and Bright and Jinbe; the Ryugu Palace Ministers were also invited. The reason was simple.

"Today's banquet is to celebrate two things!"

When the banquet began, Neptune declared loudly.

He solemnly announced two matters: appointing Bright to establish the Immigration Bureau and to form Fish-Man Island's mining company.

This, of course, caused a huge stir.

The Ryugu Palace Ministers almost instantly started arguing amongst themselves.

However, Neptune's attitude was very firm this time, and with Otohime's support, the ministers could only reluctantly agree to accept.

Neptune solemnly raised his wine glass and said to Bright, "Bright, the safety of Fish-Man Island is entrusted to you!"

Bright nodded seriously and also raised his wine glass, "Leave it to us."

The two simultaneously raised their glasses and drank them dry.

Beside them, the eldest prince, Shark Star, sitting with his younger siblings, stared intently at Bright, "Fish-Man Island's, safety—"

"So amazing!"

It was already midnight when the banquet ended, and Bright and Jinbe returned to Fish-Man District via the Water Road.

"Brother Bright!!"

"Boss, you're back?"

"Good evening, Boss Bright!"

The Fish-Men were very enthusiastic upon seeing Bright; he was the new boss of Fish-Man District.

Before they even reached home, Arlong, who had received the news, emerged from some unknown corner.

"How did it go?"

He asked impatiently, "Was Neptune uncooperative? When are we attacking Ryugu Palace?"

Jinbe couldn't help but say, "Arlong, stop thinking about such absurd things all day."

"The talks went smoothly."

Bright walked forward with a smile, "Tomorrow, help me gather the leaders of Fish-Man District, Brother Arlong. I have two good things to announce."

"Good things?"

Arlong frowned.

"In any case, tomorrow will be a brand new beginning!" Jinbe said with anticipation.

"I hope so."

Arlong pouted.

Bright shook his head helplessly. He knew Arlong was hoping to directly overthrow Ryugu Palace and let them lead the country.

But Bright didn't want to do that.

In his vision, the relationship between Fish-Man District and Ryugu Palace should be like the relationship between the Eight Treasures Navy and the Flower Country.

Ryugu Palace would be responsible for the country's development, while they would be responsible for making the country strong.

They should be close partners.

As for whether this relationship would change in the future, Bright wasn't worried.

All power, wealth, and fame in this world are built on the foundation of strength.

He went straight to bed upon returning home. He slept soundly and woke up when it was already dawn.

After a quick wash and changing clothes, Bright went to a shop he frequented for breakfast. He didn't have time to visit Sharly today.

"Oh! Brother Bright is here!"

The owner, who had practically watched Bright grow up, said with a hearty laugh, "What do you want to eat today? My treat!"

"No need. How can a big brother let his little brother treat him?"

Bright found a seat and said with a smile, "The usual, please."

"Hahaha, okay, Boss, just a moment!"

The breakfast shop gradually filled with people. Everyone who saw Bright greeted him enthusiastically, and he responded with equal warmth.

Outside the breakfast shop, the crowd also grew.

Tall, strong Fish-Men gathered from all directions and then quietly took their positions on the road outside the shop, forming a dense crowd.

"Oh! It's all the Brothers!"

"Why are they all gathered here?"

"Idiot, it's because Boss Bright summoned them!"

"It looks like something big is about to happen!"

"Something big? What big thing? Are we attacking Ryugu Palace?"

Bright, who had just finished his meal and put down his cutlery, twitched the corner of his mouth.

Did the people of Fish-Man District have such a deep obsession with attacking Ryugu Palace?

After paying for breakfast, Bright walked out of the shop.

"Boss Bright!"

In unison, everyone bowed their heads and greeted Bright loudly.

The combined voices formed a wave, spreading out in all directions.

Amazed and admiring gazes were cast from all around.

"Hahaha."

Bright heard laughter and turned his head, seeing Arlong leaning against a nearby wall. "How about it, Bright? This is power!"

"Enough nonsense, let's get down to business," Brother Jinbe squeezed out from the crowd.

Bright looked behind him and saw that the Sun Pirates had come with him.

Bright nodded towards Jinbe, then said loudly, "I've gathered everyone here today for two main reasons. Don't question it, just listen to me."

"The first matter is to help me notify everyone in the Fish-Man District. Ryugu Palace will be forming a mining company to excavate undersea minerals for trade with humans in exchange for wealth. The company will prioritize selecting employees from our Fish-Man District, and the salary should be quite considerable."

Bright wasn't a capitalist and had no intention of exploiting his compatriots.

Mining was a very tough job, so naturally, the pay had to be high.

It didn't matter if the company made less profit.

The small bosses from various parts of the Fish-Man District began to discuss amongst themselves.

Before they could come to any conclusions, Bright continued.

"The second matter is to help me select a group of people from the Fish-Man District, around ten thousand. There are two requirements: first, they must be obedient, and second, they must be able to fight."

He said loudly, "I will be forming an organization to manage the entry and exit of personnel on Fish-Man Island. It's time to stop outsiders from acting presumptuously on Fish-Man Island!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then.

"Oh!!!!"

They had been waiting for this for a long time.

Thanks to 'Huai Yu hy' and 'Gudongdong Xuanfeng' for their 100-point rewards, and thanks to 'It's All Data, Nothing More' for the 1500-point reward! Thank you, thank you!