Fish-Man Island, the Fortune-Teller Shyarly

Coating the ship, diving into the sea, and descending ten thousand meters beneath the surface.

In just a few hours, the scenery around them changed from a clear underwater vista with schools of fish swimming past to a pitch-black deep sea dotted with occasional faint lights.

Mobius sat by the railing, watching the seascape before him with great interest. This was his first time venturing so deep beneath the sea.

"Are those lights deep-sea monsters?"

Creatures like anglerfish possessed organs that produced light, which they used to lure prey in the darkness of the deep sea.

Thus, even on the lightless seafloor, faint glimmers could still be seen.

"Not necessarily sea monsters."

A middle-aged man in a captain's coat approached. His features were deeply set, and he carried an air of dependable authority.

"In this sea, there is a miracle known as Sun Tree Eve. It absorbs sunlight and oxygen from the surface and carries them down to the seabed."

Fish-Man Island had been built around the roots of Sun Tree Eve, and it was also illuminated by its light.

"If the lights ahead grow more numerous, that means Fish-Man Island is right before us."

As the captain spoke, a round glow visibly grew larger until its full form was revealed—a nation enclosed within an enormous bubble.

Fish-Man Island!

It shone like the sun in the deep sea. Through its translucent membrane, a city resembling a ship in a bottle could be seen.

Beaches, coral, waterway passages, honeycomb-like residential districts, and even an ocean within the island.

A sight that had been nearly impossible in his previous life was now plainly displayed before his eyes.

Was this something to praise as nature's divine craftsmanship, or as life's ingenious creation?

Mobius only knew that the instant he saw Fish-Man Island, a desire to claim it as his own surged within him.

Perhaps the instinct to conquer was carved into every intelligent lifeform.

Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, Mobius looked at the captain beside him.

"So, Captain, have we arrived at Fish-Man Island?"

The captain shrugged, casually pulled a cigarette from his coat, lit it, and took a satisfying drag.

"Obviously."

The merchant ship approached the gourd-shaped Fish-Man Island. At the center of the large bubble membrane below was a passage specifically meant for ships entering and leaving.

Mobius had deliberately found a merchant ship whose trade route passed through Fish-Man Island, so the ship naturally approached the official passage and entered Fish-Man Island legally.

From the deck, Mobius watched the captain converse with the fish-men at the official entrance. It was obvious they were old acquaintances.

After a lively exchange, the fish-men on guard barely checked anything before letting them through.

The merchant ship was able to enter Fish-Man Island and follow the internal waterway before docking in the ship district.

Mobius disembarked and planted his feet on solid ground. Looking up at the scenery of Fish-Man Island, which was almost no different from an island on land, he felt even more moved.

A supernatural world truly was fascinating.

"Hey, Mobius, are you going to see the mermaids?"

The captain asked lazily, a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

He was an old hand at sea, and he had seen through the nature of a young man like Mobius at a glance.

At the same time, he had also recognized that Mobius likely possessed considerable strength, which was why he had let him aboard.

"Yeah. I always thought they were just legends. Now that real mermaids actually exist, how could I not take a look?"

Mobius spoke half-truthfully. His reason for coming here was simple: this place would soon become the center of a storm. He was interested, so he came.

Of course, he also wanted to see whether he could encounter any opportunities. With the memories of his previous life, he knew Fish-Man Island contained quite a few secrets and connections.

"If that's the case, I suggest you visit the Mermaid Cafe. The ladies there are both beautiful and enthusiastic."

As he spoke, the captain tossed Mobius something resembling a piece of parchment.

Mobius caught it and unfolded it. It was a simple map of Fish-Man Island, with its transportation routes recorded in reasonable detail.

"Thanks, Captain."

"Think nothing of it."

The captain smiled. It was only a map, hardly worth anything. What mattered was that young man.

Years of sailing had taught the captain one thing: it was never wrong to build good relationships.

The captain thought highly of Mobius. Even if they would most likely never cross paths again, offering a little help was better than remaining strangers who had merely met by chance.

After bidding the captain farewell, Mobius followed the map and found Fish-Man Island's fish taxi.

Fish-Man Island was home to two races: fish-men and merfolk—

Fish-men had beast-like appearances and possessed arm strength ten times that of ordinary humans. They were comparatively bloodthirsty.

Merfolk, on the other hand, had human upper bodies and fish tails. Their average swimming speed ranked first among all races, they could communicate with ordinary fish, and they did not eat meat or fish.

Fish-Man Island's current king, Neptune, was a coelacanth merman. He was as massive as a giant and had long, curly orange hair and a beard.

Take Neptune, for example. He kept a whale as both pet and mount. The symbiotic relationship between merfolk and sea creatures was also commonplace among the merfolk race.

When Mobius boarded the fish taxi, its driver was, unsurprisingly, a merman. Upon seeing that Mobius was human, he seemed somewhat nervous.

But when Mobius declared that he wanted to go to the Mermaid Cafe, the veteran driver immediately revealed a knowing smile.

"That's in Coral Hill, southeast side. It's quite far away. Are you sure, sir?"

"Of course. Money isn't a problem."

This was an official business trip. All expenses would be covered by the World Government's Five Elders~

After confirming everything, the merman driver immediately guided his old partner and sped through Fish-Man Island's public waterways.

Of course, despite being called waterways, most parts of Fish-Man Island had no water. The sea creatures used as transportation moved about while wrapped in bubble membranes.

Mobius studied the sea creature beneath him. It felt somewhat like moving in zero gravity in space, or perhaps more like riding a hot-air balloon?

With nothing else to do, Mobius started chatting with the merman driver.

This method of riding sea creatures reminded Mobius of the pet games from his childhood: Pokémon, Locke Kingdom, Seer, and so on.

"Sir, is there anywhere on the island that sells sea creatures like this? I'd like to take a look."

If he could really find a good fish, Mobius would want to acquire it.

After all, as a Devil Fruit user, he had to take precautions against the sea.

It seemed that any major pirate crew had fish-men aboard. For example, the Roger Pirates had Sunbell, while the Rocks Pirates had Barbel.

If he ever fell into the sea, having a fish-man around would mean someone could pull him back out.

As a newcomer, Mobius also wanted to recruit some fish-men or merfolk on Fish-Man Island. If that did not work out, sea creatures or sea monsters could at least serve as a fallback.

"You're interested in sea creatures, sir?"

The veteran driver was somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had met a human who wanted to buy sea creatures.

"Of course. Whether as pets, mounts, or companions, I think they're all excellent. You have your own old partner too, don't you?"

"Have you been together since you started working? How did you raise him?"

The merman driver's eyes lit up. Now this was a topic that woke him right up.

From their first encounter, to growing up together, to working together, and then starting a family, with his old partner even playing with the children...

The merman driver talked nonstop the entire way, his mouth barely ever resting.

Clearly, to ordinary merfolk, the fish they raised had already become part of the family.

Mobius listened with a smile. This sort of bond and way of getting along was quite nice too.

At last, the fish taxi arrived at Coral Hill, and the driver even took him directly to the cafe entrance.

"Young man, if you want to raise sea creatures, I suggest you go here. The fry there are all excellent, perfect for young people like you!"

The merman driver spoke cheerfully. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed chatting with someone this much.

"Of course!"

Mobius readily agreed, already planning to go take a look.

Since Neptune could keep a whale, Fish-Man Island should sell them too, right?

He would see whether he could raise one. When it came to mounts, Mobius had only one requirement: big!

"See you around, sir."

After saying goodbye to the driver he had chatted so happily with, Mobius saw even more merfolk.

Coral Hill was a prosperous district of the Ryugu Kingdom, and the merfolk living there were all fairly well-off.

Although the merfolk were wary when they saw Mobius, they did not react much. Most merfolk had gentle temperaments.

Mobius merely smiled politely before striding toward the Mermaid Cafe. Before he even reached the entrance, a chorus of sweet, chirping voices drifted over.

When he pushed open the door, a burst of youthful energy washed over him.

"Welcome~"

A pleasant female voice rang out, more captivating than a lark's song.

Mobius looked over and saw mermaids of every figure smiling in welcome. Their professionalism was impeccable, without the slightest hint of nervousness.

After scanning the mermaids for a few moments, Mobius immediately found his target.

Her skin was cool and pale, while short black hair concealed half her face. Her exposed eye was gemstone blue, her features were refined and sculpted, and her aura was darkly alluring.

She wore a deep-purple hooded top fastened by a single button at the waist, leaving her navel exposed. Bandages were tightly wrapped around her ample chest.

She was a size larger than the merfolk beside her, with a closed-lipped smile and a long, streamlined shark tail below her waist.

She was practically the perfect mature beauty archetype, though her face still retained a trace of youthfulness. Mobius glanced over her a few times before his gaze finally settled on her face.

By his calculations, she was only around middle-school age. Mobius quickly looked away.

"Sir, what would you like?"

Seeing that he was a human customer, the mermaid manager personally came over. She approached gracefully, slender branches bearing abundant fruit, with a proper and charming professional smile that felt like a spring breeze.

"One signature set meal, extra sugar in the coffee, and a serving of chocolate if you have any."

Mobius did not like bitter flavors, but he rather liked the taste of chocolate.

"Also, I heard there's a famous fortune-teller here whose predictions are extremely accurate. Could you introduce her to me?"

The manager nodded, understanding why this guest had come.

Still wearing her warm smile, the manager answered before turning to make arrangements. Then she looked toward the girls in the cafe.

"Shyarly, please come entertain this guest. He wants to see what you can do."

"Okay, Manager."

Shyarly replied with a smile, still not showing her teeth. She carefully moved her larger-than-average body toward Mobius.

"Hello, sir. Please come with me."

"Thank you."

Mobius answered with a smile as well. She was the person he had come to find.

A fortune-teller who could accurately foresee the birth of Poseidon, the exact time of that birth, the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, the Summit War, Whitebeard's death, and other major events.

Information was important in any world. Although Mobius already possessed much crucial information about the pirate world, he still felt it was not enough.

Therefore, Mobius placed great importance on Shyarly. If possible, he wanted to bring her under his command.

It was just...

Looking at Shyarly, who was still so immature and even nervous in her behavior, Mobius felt a strange sensation arise within him.

It seemed he had come a little too early. Madam Shyarly had not yet grown into the mature and dependable woman she would become.