Hachinosu Mining! Hachinosu Island Entertainment Company!

Beyond the eastern coast of Hachinosu Island lies shallow sea, not far from the island itself.

The weather on Hachinosu Island is great today, and the seawater is so clear that you can see right through the surface and onto the seabed.

Below are houses made of coral, shimmering beautifully in the sunlight streaming through the sea.

This is a magnificent underwater town.

When the immigrants from Fish-Man Island first arrived on this island, both Fish-Man and mermaids could only live on land.

However, after such a long period of time, the underwater town has been completed.

Mermaids who are not suited to life on land, as well as Fish-Man who wish to live in the sea, have migrated to this town.

Johnny carefully styled his hair, making sure his light blond hair was neat and tidy.

His wife, standing behind him, chuckled, "You never even bothered to groom yourself this much on our wedding day."

"Stop being so arrogant!"

Johnny, without turning his head, said, "I'm going to see Lord Ian later. Do you think you can compare to him?"

So Johnny was kicked out of the house by his wife, who was only giving him a forced smile.

He spat viciously towards the door.

"Come back for lunch!"

After leaving behind a harsh remark, he swam all the way to the surface of the sea.

Johnny is an Octopus Fish-Man. Although male mermaids cannot transform their tails into legs even at the age of thirty, their octopus tentacles still allow them to move freely on land.

Standing on the soft, shallow seabed, Johnny looked up at the sky.

Sunshine, blue sky, white clouds, sea breeze.

These were things he had never dared to imagine while living on Fish-Man Island, but now they were right before his eyes.

Even though he had lived on Hachinosu Island for a long time, Johnny still felt excited.

We've truly come to live at sea—is this what our ancestors longed for generation after generation?

Before Lord Ian appeared, I never imagined that this matter would be so simple.

"Are they here?"

There were already people waiting for him on the shore, Jinbe greeted him.

"Brother Jinbe!"

Johnny greeted Jinbe.

After Fisher Tiger's death, Jinbe became the boss of Fish-Man District.

Johnny wasn't from Fish-Man District, but he still admired this guy.

After Jinbe is now a high-ranking officer under Lord Ian, and the leader of the eleven pirate crews belonging to Hachinosu Island.

"Let's go, Lord Ian is waiting for you."

Jinbe led him onto the land of Hachinosu Island.

Johnny followed behind Jinbe somewhat nervously, and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Jinbe, what kind of person is Lord Ian?"

"Lord Ian?"

Jinbe laughed Jinbe, "No need to be nervous, he is a kind and tolerant adult."

"And this time, I'm letting you go as a reward."

Johnny nodded cautiously, a hint of anticipation appearing on his face.

As Johnny walked the streets of Hachinosu Island, the sight before him still gave him a sense of unreality.

On the not-so-wide streets, humans and Fish-Man mingled.

There were also Fish-Man and humans walking side by side, chatting and laughing.

"Hey! Johnny! Jinbe are you doing following Jinbe?"

Someone even greeted Johnny; he was the owner of the town's tavern.

Johnny frequented his pub, and they were friends.

"Hey-hey,"

Johnny smiled smugly. "It's something very important, but I can't tell you now!"

"Tch! You're just bragging! What important thing could you possibly have to say?"

Johnny would never have dared to imagine in the past that one day he would be able to chat and laugh with humans.

Initially, when both human and Fish-Man immigrants arrived on the island, prejudice and division still existed.

In the beginning, humans and Fish-Man had little contact, and both sides stayed within their own living areas without communicating with each other.

However, Hachinosu Island is only so big; it's impossible to avoid contact.

As time went by, the two sides were forced to begin communicating.

Communication leads to understanding.

Humans discovered that Fish-Man and Fish-Man did not seem to be much different from each other; they also had bright red blood, and their languages and cultures were largely the same.

The Fish-Man and mermaids have discovered that not all humans are ruthless villains; at least most of the people on this island are law-abiding citizens.

The contact gradually became closer, and then it became a habit.

The Fish-Man and humans on this island, while not exactly living in perfect harmony, are at least somewhat peaceful.

Many humans have even become friends with the Fish-Man.

That's Johnny.

However, it's impossible for them not to be harmonious.

Who would dare cause trouble on this island?

This is a completely different life from that on Fish-Man Island. I'm so glad I was able to answer Lord Ian's call to immigrate here.

Soon, Johnny followed Jinbe to the plaza outside the Skull Building.

The young men under Lord Ian are training here.

Johnny watched with some curiosity as the children fought fiercely in the square.

Although they are children, the powers they possess are extraordinary, and many of them are even gifted individuals.

When they fight, they can easily crush the earth and shatter stone pillars.

This is Lord Ian!

Even these children, who cannot serve as combatants, possess this power!

With these thoughts in mind, Johnny entered the Skull Building.

This was his first time here.

After all, this building is the residence of Lord Ian and his officers; ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

Johnny walked very carefully inside, afraid of disturbing some important person.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and he followed Jinbe to the giant-headed doll.

"Mr. Jinbe."

Tanaka, the big-headed doll, nodded Jinbe to Jinbe, then glanced at the somewhat reserved Johnny.

"Lord Ian requests to see him."

Jinbe said.

"Then please follow me."

Tanaka bowed slightly, turned to the two of them, and walked straight to the wall behind him.

At Jinbe's prompting, Johnny followed him and placed his hand on Tanaka's body, then followed the big-headed monster into the wall.

It was indeed a very magical experience; Johnny could clearly feel himself constantly ascending.

He was actually walking through the walls!

The Fish-Man was filled with astonishment. As expected of Lord Ian, even the person leading the way was an ability user!

Soon the two emerged from the wall and arrived at a heavy office door.

Johnny suddenly felt his heart clench; an unprecedented tension caused sweat to pour down his forehead.

Lord Ian is right behind that door!

One of the invincible Pirate Emperor, the ruler of Hachinosu Island!

They are also a great benefactor of Fish-Man Island!

Come in.

A very young man's voice came from inside the door.

Jinbe pushed open the door.

Johnny quickly followed him inside.

The spacious office wasn't cluttered with too many things.

The room features a sofa and coffee table for receiving guests, and a huge bookshelf on one wall.

And the desk by the window, and the handsome young man sitting behind it.

"Lord Ian!"

Johnny hadn't even gotten a good look at the boy before he quickly bowed repeatedly to him.

"His name is Johnny, right?"

A clear, youthful voice rang out.

"Yes, yes, Lord Ian!"

Johnny felt a surge of excitement; this esteemed man actually knew his name!

"Tell me how you discovered it."

The official spoke with great curiosity.

"Yes!"

Johnny straightened his back, but his eyes were lowered, still not daring to look at Lord Ian.

He recalled what had happened the day before.

"At that time, I was searching the seabed with my companions, just like always."

"Because the seabed there is very dark, we all carried lights and searched with our naked eyes bit by bit in the deep sea."

"So, when I brushed aside some more dust and sand from the seabed, I discovered that the exposed seabed was suddenly reflecting a faint light."

"I realize something's wrong."

Johnny's voice suddenly became enthusiastic, "Quickly grab a handful of sand and examine it! I recognized it immediately—it's the gold sand we saw in our training materials!"

There's a gold mine here!

"You did a great job, Johnny."

Johnny heard Lord Ian's praise, "You've discovered a vast underwater gold mine, making a significant contribution to the development of Hachinosu Island."

"No, no, Lord Ian!"

Johnny was beaming, but he kept saying modestly, "This is what I should do!"

"I appoint you as the leader of the prospecting team."

Lord Ian's voice sounded like heavenly music to Johnny's ears at that moment, instantly making his face flush with excitement.

"Now, I'll leave it to you to continue your journey into the deep sea and search for the hidden treasures lurking in the darkness."

"Yes!!"

Johnny answered decisively.

At the same time that Johnny, who had discovered the gold mine, was receiving a meeting with Ian, the gold mine located not far from Hachinosu Island in the deep sea had already begun to be mined.

Several enormous Sea Beast were digging on the seabed in the deep sea.

Sea lions, Masira, and sea tigers all have hands and claws. With their immense strength, they can stir up a lot of dust by grabbing something on the seabed.

It's like a large excavating machine that can work on the seabed.

And alongside these Sea Beast, Fish-Man are assisting them in their work.

They collect the gold dust dug up by the Sea Beast, or perhaps they themselves are digging with shovels.

Although it is a gold mine located on the seabed, it is not a difficult task for Hachinosu Island to extract the minerals.

Several ships, already covered with a membrane, were moored beside the underwater mine, Fish-Man were continuously loading the mined gold ore onto these ships.

Once the ships were fully loaded, they suddenly and mysteriously began to float.

Despite having no power and being operated by anyone, these ships floated up like ghost ships from the seabed and headed towards the surface.

"I'll take these ships up first."

A voice suddenly echoed through the pitch-black depths of the sea.

If you look closely, you can see that the seawater around those ships is a bit strange. Strange currents are swirling the large ships, and you can vaguely make out a huge face.

Hachinosu Island, port.

Ian stood on the dock, gazing at the ships that were getting closer and closer in the distance.

Although there was no strong wind on the sea, huge waves were surging beneath the ships, propelling them rapidly closer together.

"That's so convenient!"

Tesoro stood beside Ian and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "It doesn't even need human control; it can transport the minerals on its own."

As he said this, he couldn't help but look at Ian's retreating figure with awe.

Lord Ian, is this your foresight?

By this time, the ships had gradually come to a stop outside the harbor, and the workers who had been waiting on the dock immediately rushed aboard.

The next step is to transport the gold ore down from the mine and then perform the most basic processing.

Then the ship is coated again.

Ian nodded slightly.

The gold mine has considerable reserves, which has temporarily relieved his immediate crisis. In this way, Hachinosu Island can be said to have a pillar industry that it can rely on for a living.

"Thanks for your hard work,"

Ian looked at the sea in front of him and said, "Water Homie."

"You're too kind, Lord Ian."

The sea before him suddenly surged up, and a face emerged from the mountain-like waves. This Homie, formed from the sea, spoke in a deep voice, "This is what I should do."

Ian nodded. "Go on, get back to work."

"Yes, Lord Ian."

As the seawater sank, the water Homie named Water Homie continued to dive into the sea, heading towards the mine.

That's why I say the Homie are truly a magical existence.

"However, Lord Ian,"

Tesoro looked at the workers bustling about on the docks. "Is all this trouble necessary? If it's a gold mine, just have Solemn come over; he can easily extract all the gold."

"In the future, the Fish-Man will discover more mineral deposits on the seabed, and even more minerals will flock to Hachinosu Island."

Ian said, "Instead of taking shortcuts, we should first train a group of skilled workers. After all, Hachinosu Mining is not Hive Gold."

"Besides, gold is not important, Tesoro."

He said calmly, "What's important is that wealth circulates."

Tesoro nodded thoughtfully.

This is why Lord Ian founded Hachinosu Mining.

Hire Fish-Man and mermaids to explore the sea and mine for minerals.

Then the humans on shore would process the minerals further.

In this way, both Fish-Man and humans can receive rewards.

If they have money, they will naturally spend it, thereby stimulating the island's economic prosperity.

As expected of Lord Ian!

"By the way, how's the preparation going with the entertainment company?"

Ian said.

"The basic framework has been established,"

Tesoro smiled and said, "With your relationship with Morgans, even the most troublesome issue of distribution channels has been perfectly resolved."

"He's already hyped it up for us in the newspapers."

"Gordon is helping Uta write songs, and they'll soon be able to do their first live stream, sending Uta's voice to the world."

"Very good,"

Ian nodded in satisfaction. "I can't wait to see Uta's singing voice spread throughout the world."

Tesoro reminded him, "Lord Ian, the Affiliated Nation of the World Government are certainly not included in this coverage."

"That's enough,"

Ian chuckled. "I believe that one day Uta's singing will captivate everyone in the world."

Tesoro's smile froze slightly.

Lord Ian, I can't pretend I didn't hear that!