Win-Win Cooperation

"What happened?"

Neptune was the first to speak, his face full of unease.

With the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, countless pirates had flooded the seas like a swarm of locusts.

Because of their unique race, the people of Fish-Man Island were hunted not only by pirates but even by the Marines, who sold them into slavery.

Even though Fish-Man Island was a member nation of the World Government, it had received no help whatsoever. On the contrary, many of their enslaved brethren had been bought by the Celestial Dragons and taken to Holy Land Mary Geoise.

Now that he had heard of such a grim future, Neptune had already sorrowfully imagined the calamity of his kingdom's destruction.

Shyarly held out her hand to Mobius, and Mobius naturally passed her the newspaper and wanted poster.

After laying them on the table, Shyarly gestured for the three of them to come over and look.

Jinbe merely glanced at them, and his expression changed drastically.

"Brother Tiger!? Why is Brother Tiger wanted!"

"The Mary Geoise attack... Could it be..."

Neptune's pupils contracted as he realized something.

"That's right. It should have been Brother Tiger. He attacked Holy Land Mary Geoise to free the slaves. He must have been rescuing our people."

"But now the World Government has issued a wanted poster for him, and Brother Tiger has stirred up the seas."

"Fish-Man Island will soon be surrounded by forces from every side and placed in danger."

"And..."

Shyarly hesitated, but under Jinbe's widened eyes, she still spoke the truth.

"I saw Brother Tiger collapse in a pool of blood. I saw the fact of his death."

Bang!

Jinbe flew into a rage. Rarely losing his composure, he slammed his palm down on the newspaper and roared.

"How is that possible! Brother Tiger did it for our people! Why would he die!"

"I will never allow it!"

The terrifying strength of a fish-man erupted. With a sharp crack, he shattered the wooden table piled high with food.

Amid the clattering sounds, Neptune and Otohime's faces turned even uglier.

"Your Majesty!"

Hearing the commotion, a large number of Neptune's Army soldiers rushed in. Seeing the mess on the floor, they were immediately alarmed.

"Wait!"

"I did this. My apologies."

Seeing this, Jinbe still managed to restrain his anger and stopped the guards.

Neptune also spoke with difficulty. "Stand down. This has nothing to do with you."

The guards had rushed over in a hurry, only to leave again just as baffled.

The only sound left was increasingly heavy breathing as Jinbe tried to calm his fury.

"Shyarly, what exactly happened?"

Jinbe asked with difficulty. He could not accept it!

Shyarly had no choice but to describe the scene she had seen once more.

"A flowing white beard..."

"Whitebeard!?"

A flash of insight appeared in Neptune's mind. Yes, if they had Whitebeard's protection, they could surely survive the Great Pirate Era!

But Tiger...

Neptune hesitated again. He greatly admired Tiger as a person. Otherwise, the unrest caused by the hundred thousand drifters in the Fish-Man District would have been unbearable.

But now Tiger had enraged the World Government, and a wanted poster had already been issued. The World Government undoubtedly wanted Tiger dead.

Fish-Man Island might lie ten thousand meters beneath the sea, but reaching it only required coating a ship.

Once a ship drew close, even powerful individuals alone could wrap themselves in bubble coating and force their way across to Fish-Man Island.

It looked like a natural fortress, but the fact that its residents had been abducted for so many years proved that its defenses were completely inadequate.

There was no shortage of ordinary soldiers, but Fish-Man Island severely lacked true powerhouses.

If they truly wanted to turn Fish-Man Island into an impregnable fortress, they could only destroy the outer bubble coating. But the price would be the destruction of everything Fish-Man Island had built over the years.

It was not worth the cost. They had not reached that point yet.

Hearing that Whitebeard would protect this place in the future, Jinbe's expression eased slightly. Yet Tiger's death still lingered in his mind.

"Your Majesty Neptune..."

Jinbe cast him a pleading look. He wanted Fish-Man Island to protect Tiger.

Neptune took a deep breath. It was not only Jinbe—Shyarly was looking at him too, and even his wife Otohime's eyes showed distress.

The only spectator was Mobius, who was regretting the loss of such a fine table of food.

"If Tiger returns to Fish-Man Island and is willing to remain here, I will protect him with all my strength."

Neptune spoke softly. This was the only thing he could do.

Tiger could conceal his identity and spend the rest of his life on Fish-Man Island.

The Fish-Man District was not within Fish-Man Island itself. It directly faced the deep sea. Even if the World Government came in person, it could not search the Fish-Man District for someone.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jinbe was overjoyed. If that was the case, Brother Tiger could be saved!

There was nothing wrong with staying on Fish-Man Island. Jinbe had always been dissatisfied with Brother Tiger leaving the Fish-Man District.

Shyarly was delighted, but when she recalled the scene she had seen, her face turned pale again.

"That's impossible. I didn't see Brother Tiger return to Fish-Man Island. He might not want to trouble his homeland."

Jinbe fell silent again. Neptune had no answer either. His power only extended to Fish-Man Island; beyond that, there was nothing he could do.

Mobius blinked as he watched them struggle.

Pirate intelligence really was something else.

"Since Tiger won't come back, why don't you go find him? After doing something so huge, there's no way he'll simply stop."

"In the future, he'll surely continue fighting the World Government—either freeing slaves or sending those slaves home. That is why the World Government will have him killed."

"The root of the problem is that Tiger is too weak when facing the World Government."

"So all you need to do is find Tiger enough support, enough to make the World Government wary of acting against him."

"Think about Fish-Man Island's strength, and think about your network of connections. Why can't you protect Tiger?"

Mobius received countless gazes. He folded his arms, his expression calm.

"What... do you mean, sir?"

Neptune blinked. He seemed to understand, yet he did not.

"It's very simple. Since Fish-Man Island can find a network of protection, why not find one for Tiger as well?"

Mobius did not think the World Government truly cared about Tiger. To them, this incident was nothing more than a minor accident.

Tiger would not die at the hands of the World Government, either. He would die because of betrayal from within and an ambush by the Marines.

"You mean, have Whitebeard protect Tiger?"

Neptune understood now, but he was still troubled.

"We can't trouble Newgate too much..."

Mobius shrugged. Good people really were troublesome.

"Neptune, friends need to maintain mutual contact. You can't rely on friendship alone, go decades without seeing each other, and expect everything to be renewed with a single drink at the end."

"Since Whitebeard is your friend, you should interact more. Let Whitebeard help you, and help Whitebeard in return. Wouldn't that be good?"

"But how could we help Whitebeard? Fish-Man Island is too..."

Neptune's gaze dimmed. They did not have much strength.

"No, no. Helping someone means seeing what they lack and filling that gap."

"Neptune, what do you think Whitebeard lacks the most?"

"What Whitebeard lacks..."

Neptune muttered several times before saying decisively, "He lacks money!"

That bastard always came to Fish-Man Island to mooch off his liquor. He had never once treated Neptune to a drink!

"Then does Fish-Man Island lack money?"

Thinking of Ryugu Palace's magnificent buildings, Neptune fell into thought.

Come to think of it, aside from mermaids, what attracted outsiders to Fish-Man Island was the treasure of Ryugu Palace.

"Mr. Mobius, I understand. I'll use money to hire Whitebeard to protect Tiger!"

Neptune declared heroically. Wasn't money enough? Fish-Man Island had nothing else, but after generations of hiding away, it had accumulated a huge pile of wealth!

"No, you completely misunderstand!"

Mobius cut him off with disdain. This really was the pirate way of thinking.

"Huh?"

Neptune blinked. Was that wrong too?

"Please guide me, sir."

"A simple transaction cannot bind people together. If you want both sides to truly be united, what you need is long-term exchange."

"Neptune, do you know what win-win cooperation is?"

"What?"

"It means maximizing overall benefits through joint action, shared resources, and complementary advantages, allowing every participant to gain something."

"What resources does Fish-Man Island have? What resources does Whitebeard have? If they can be connected, what could they create?"

Mobius spoke unhurriedly.

"What?" Neptune still asked blankly.

Mobius fell silent.

"Whitebeard possesses the finest and broadest territory in the New World, but he has no interest in ruling it. Though his power is immense, those under him merely muddle through each day."

"Fish-Man Island has residents capable of moving beneath the sea and a unique ecological structure. The entire ocean is open to you, yet you cannot make use of it because of your lack of strength."

"Think about it. If you had Whitebeard's protection and could move freely through his territory, who could match your speed underwater?"

"Have you not seen Elbaf's development? By communicating with the outside world, and with the Giant King possessing the strength to protect his people, Elbaf's specialties can be shipped throughout the world, earning enormous profits. Even its reputation as a nation of war has changed."

"You fish-men and merfolk can likewise travel through Whitebeard's territory, transporting goods. In the underworld, there is a major figure known as the Shipping King."

"Do you think Fish-Man Island's speed could not surpass that Shipping King?"

This time, Neptune understood. So did Otohime and Jinbe, and even Shyarly understood.

"Let fish-men transport goods through Whitebeard's territory and develop like Elbaf..."

Neptune felt as if his heart had never beaten so quickly.

Elbaf had already been accepted by the world. Was it finally Fish-Man Island's turn?

It was not that Neptune did not trust the World Government. The World Government simply did not take them seriously.

Rather than trust them, Neptune would rather trust his old friend Whitebeard.

"As for goods, I'm sure you, as king, know best what valuable things Fish-Man Island possesses."

"If you trade in Whitebeard's territory, you must give Whitebeard a share of the profits. You could even have his sons guard the shipping routes and pay them wages."

"That way, Whitebeard will gladly protect Fish-Man Island. He might even let his children join the Ryugu Kingdom. That man truly loves his family."

"Neptune, in that case, Fish-Man Island gains protection, Fisher Tiger gains protection, your residents can reach the surface, and there will be countless jobs."

"I imagine the tens of thousands of drifters in the Fish-Man District are giving you quite a headache too, aren't they?"

"Whitebeard gets money, and his children get work and more options."

"That is a win-win situation."

Never before had anyone spoken to Neptune like this about the future. He felt utterly enlightened, as though a skylight had opened in his life.

"Mr. Mobius, please stop calling me Your Majesty. Just call me Neptune."

Neptune's gaze burned as if he wanted to immediately take Mobius as a brother.

"From now on, you will be the most honored guest of our Ryugu Kingdom!"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Mobius, you must stay!"

The light in Otohime's eyes seemed ready to burst forth. She had spent her entire life wanting fish-men and merfolk to reach the surface and embrace sunlight.

Yet she had never found a workable method. Then, in only a few words, Mobius had presented a perfect plan. It was simply flawless!

"This is only a plan. Whether it succeeds will depend on the specifics of its implementation."

"For example..."

"Neptune, do you have capable navigators who can map routes through Whitebeard's territory? Do you have skilled businesspeople who can arrange transportation between both sides..."

"All of this must be considered."

"This is already more than enough, Mr. Mobius. It is far better than what we had before!"

Neptune waved a large hand, his expression excited.

"Please allow us to properly entertain you, in gratitude for your wisdom."

"And as I said before, please do not call me Your Majesty anymore."

Seeing Jinbe's admiring expression and Shyarly's eyes full of worship, Mobius nodded happily.

His level of ability might have been so common in his previous life that throwing a brick into the street could have killed a whole crowd of people like him, but among pirates, it was already enough.

He had to seize power, and he had to seize influence as well. That was the way of balance~