Recruiting Talent

The banquet had barely begun before it had to be temporarily suspended.

Her Highness the Queen, already frail, had merely wanted to hug her daughter, only to have a rib broken by the attempt.

"Her Highness the Queen, your body is very fragile, so please be more careful in the future," the Ryugu Palace Doctor said worriedly.

Although not many people supported Otohime's ideals, many fish-men and merfolk admired her passion and gentleness.

There was only one problem: her health was simply too poor.

She was the sort who would slap someone in the face and end up fracturing her own hand instead.

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

"But Shirahoshi is so adorable!"

Her Highness the Queen, whose tears had not even been fully wiped away, said righteously, "As expected of Mother's cutest daughter!"

Gently rubbing her daughter's enormous head, Her Highness the Queen revealed a blissful expression.

"Hehe."

The little girl had no idea what kind of harm she had caused her mother. Feeling only her mother's tenderness, she happily laughed in response.

"Ah, she's just too adorable!!"

As though she had a screw loose, the queen pounced on her daughter and rubbed against her like she was hugging a giant stuffed toy.

Then—

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

"Her Highness the Queen, didn't I tell you to be more careful?!"

Bright looked toward Neptune.

Neptune let out a melancholy sigh.

What a strong man.

This was probably his everyday life.

The banquet was ultimately held after all.

After the doctor treated Queen Otohime's now more serious injuries once again, the woman immediately came alive, laughing heartily as she brought her children over to Bright. It was impossible to tell whether she was frail or resilient.

"You have to call him Brother Bright!"

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

"Brother Bright!"

The Little Princess obediently listened to her mother and said brightly, "I'm Shirahoshi."

Her large eyes curved into crescents, and her tender little face was full of delighted smiles.

"So cute."

Bright could not help reaching out to stroke the little girl's cheek.

Well, this five-year-old girl was a whole head taller than him.

"Brother Bright, I'm Fanchexing!"

Much shorter than Shirahoshi and looking around ten years old, the boy happily introduced himself.

"I'm Ryuboshi, Brother Bright!"

Far bigger than his third brother and around twelve or thirteen years old, the second prince said with a grin.

"..."

The last of the four siblings, the eldest young merman, hesitated for a moment. "My name is Shark Star. Please take care of me, Brother Bright!"

"Nice to meet you all."

Bright smiled in greeting.

Neptune's family were all good people.

"Bright is really amazing!"

Queen Otohime proudly bragged to her children, "He's someone who'll change Fish-Man Island together with your father and mother."

Who was going to change it with you?

And what were you so proud of?

Bright's mouth twitched.

"Wow! Brother Bright is so amazing!"

The Little Princess completely believed her mother's words. She clenched her little fists tightly, her eyes seeming ready to sparkle with stars.

After chatting for a while, the banquet finally officially began.

The attendees were not limited to Neptune's family, Bright, and Jinbe. The Ryugu Palace Ministers had also been invited, for a very simple reason.

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

At the start of the banquet, Neptune made a loud declaration.

He solemnly announced both the appointment of Bright to establish the Immigration Bureau and the establishment of the Fish-Man Island Mining Company.

Naturally, this caused a huge uproar.

The Ryugu Palace Ministers almost instantly descended into a cacophony of arguments.

However, Neptune's attitude was very firm this time. With Otohime backing him up as well, the ministers could only grudgingly accept.

Neptune solemnly raised his cup to Bright. "Bright, Fish-Man Island's safety is in your hands!"

Bright nodded seriously and raised his own cup. "Leave it to us."

The two raised their cups and drained them at the same time.

Nearby, the eldest prince Shark Star, seated with his younger siblings, stared unblinkingly at Bright. "Fish-Man Island's... safety—"

"So amazing!"

By the time the banquet ended, it was already midnight. Bright and Jinbe took the Waterway back to the Fish-Man District.

"Brother Bright!!"

"Boss, you're back?"

"Good evening, Boss Bright!"

The fish-men were incredibly enthusiastic upon seeing Bright. Bright was the Fish-Man District's new boss, after all.

Before he even reached home, Arlong, having received the news, emerged from some unknown corner.

"How did it go?"

He almost could not wait to ask, "Was Neptune being uncooperative? When are we attacking Ryugu Palace?"

Jinbe could not help saying, "Arlong, stop thinking about such ridiculous things all day."

"The talks went smoothly."

Bright smiled as he walked forward. "Brother Arlong, help me gather the Fish-Man District's leaders tomorrow. I have two pieces of good news to announce."

"Good news?"

Arlong frowned.

"Anyway, tomorrow will be a brand-new beginning!" Jinbe said expectantly.

"It had better be."

Arlong curled his lip.

Bright shook his head helplessly. He knew that Arlong was hoping to directly overthrow Ryugu Palace and have them take control of the country.

But Bright did not want to do that.

The relationship he envisioned between the Fish-Man District and Ryugu Palace should be like that between the Happo Navy and the Flower Country.

Ryugu Palace would be responsible for developing the nation, while he and the others would be responsible for making it strong.

They should be close, inseparable partners.

As for whether that relationship might deteriorate in the future, Bright was not worried.

In this world, all power, wealth, and fame were built upon strength.

After returning home, he went straight to sleep. He had no dreams that night, and when he woke, it was already dawn.

After washing up a little and changing clothes, Bright went to a restaurant he often visited for breakfast. He would not have time to visit Shyarly today.

"Oh! Brother Bright is here!"

The owner, who had practically watched Bright grow up, laughed heartily. "What are you having today? It's on me!"

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

Bright found a seat and sat down with a smile. "The usual."

"Hahaha, got it, Boss. Just wait a moment!"

More and more people gradually filled the breakfast shop. Everyone who saw Bright warmly greeted him, and he warmly responded in turn.

More people were gathering outside the breakfast shop as well.

Tall, muscular fish-men came in from every direction, then quietly stood in the street outside the shop. A dense mass of them had already gathered together.

"Oh! It's all the bosses!"

"Why have they all gathered here?"

"Idiot, of course Boss Bright summoned them!"

"Looks like something big is about to happen!"

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

Bright, who had just finished eating and put down his utensils, felt his mouth twitch.

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

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

"Boss Bright!"

In perfect unison, everyone lowered their heads and loudly greeted Bright.

Their gathered voices formed a wave that spread in every direction.

Surprised and admiring gazes came from all around.

"Shahahahaha."

Bright heard laughter. Turning his head, he saw Arlong leaning against a wall nearby. "So, Bright, this is power!"

"Enough nonsense. Let's get down to business."

Brother Jinbe squeezed out from the crowd.

Bright looked behind him. The Sun Pirates had come along with him.

Bright nodded to Jinbe, then announced loudly, "I called everyone here today mainly for two matters. Don't question it. Just listen."

"First, notify every person in the Fish-Man District. Ryugu Palace will soon establish a mining company to excavate underwater minerals and trade them with humans for wealth. The company will prioritize hiring workers from our Fish-Man District, and the pay should be quite generous."

Bright was not a capitalist. He had no intention of exploiting his own people.

Mining was hard work, so naturally the compensation had to be good.

It did not matter if the company made a little less money.

The minor leaders from all over the Fish-Man District had already begun discussing it among themselves.

Before they could come to any conclusion, Bright continued.

"Second, help me select a group from the Fish-Man District. Around ten thousand people. There are two requirements: first, they must obey orders; second, they must know how to fight."

He declared loudly, "I'll soon establish an organization to manage those entering and leaving Fish-Man Island. It's time to make outsiders afraid to run wild 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 Huaiyu hy and Gudongdong Whirlwind for the 100-point donations, and thanks to All Data Is Nothing More Than This for the 1,500-point donation. Thank you, thank you!