"Hey, Mandefish big brother, you're back?"
As soon as he entered Fishman Street, a six-armed octopus fishman noticed Mandefish and greeted him enthusiastically. That was one of the fishmen Mandefish knew over the years—Hatchan.
He requested a transfer at the end of 1502, completed the transfer at the beginning of the next year, and has now spent three years on Fishman Island. Knowing some people is quite normal.
Hatchan isn't considered his underling but rather one of the fishmen he gets along with well. After all, Hatchan's boss is actually Arlong.
As for the relationship between Mandefish and Arlong...
Initially, when Mandefish was fighting for territory on Fishman Street, he had a fight with Arlong and easily defeated him. Later, he also defeated some slave capture teams and other pirates on Fishman Street, and at that time, he had a good relationship with Arlong.
Arlong, a sawshark fishman, is a racist.
As a child, he once longed for the human world, but later, the discrimination against fishmen by humans and the advent of the Great Pirate Era shattered this illusion.
Although he hates humans, he's different from that lunatic Hody Jones. Arlong is kind to his fellow fishmen and quickly accepted Mandefish after being defeated by him, helping him integrate into Fishman Street.
This is related to Mandefish's appearance, as his capable form somewhat resembles Fisher Tiger, who is recognized as the boss of Fishman Street, making Mandefish's appearance quite appealing to him.
The two had a period of close cooperation, but later gradually drifted apart for a simple reason: Mandefish is too friendly towards humans. Arlong hates all humans, while Mandefish only attacks specific humans and even helps some.
This caused their relationship to no longer be as good as before. While they didn't have a falling out, they gradually became distant.
However, Hatchan hasn't changed much. He doesn't harbor as much resentment towards humans as Arlong, and he has a good relationship with Rayleigh, who lives in the Shampodi.
"Ah, I'm back. Here's a gift for you, a takoyaki machine."
He not only brought gifts for Rushaka but also for some friends and underlings.
"Really, for me? This is great!"
As an octopus fishman, Hatchan's biggest dream is to open a takoyaki shop, but Fishman Island doesn't have a complete industrial system, and he doesn't have much money, so he's been eyeing such a machine for a long time.
"Yes, it's for you. There's also a recipe included. Look at it in a dry place. And the machine as well; you can use it on Fishman Island, but not on Fishman Street. You should also do some legitimate business; that guy Arlong is bound to get into trouble sooner or later."
Mandefish knew very well that Arlong could only bully others underwater and would be easily defeated by anyone truly skilled.
Yet he remained arrogant, and in Mandefish's view, getting into trouble was only a matter of time.
"Nyu..."
"Mandefish, stop badmouthing people behind their backs. What can those humans do to me? Under the sea, the Fishman Race is the true king!"
"Yes, everything you say is right. As long as you're happy."
He tried to advise him at first but later gave up, letting Arlong do as he pleased.
"Tch, I'd advise you to be careful yourself. That curse on Rushaka has always been quite effective."
"That's none of your concern. I've never seen any curse, and I'm still living just fine."
When it came to this issue, Mandefish became less friendly, his tone carrying a hint of threat. But Arlong didn't delve into the matter and left with a few fishmen.
...
"Nyu, Mandefish big brother, actually, about brother Arlong..."
"Alright, Hatchan, you don't need to say any more about this."
"Okay, but is this... a child?"
Looking at Jack, who was following Mandefish, Hatchan showed a skeptical look. Jack's face still appeared quite young, but he was so large that neither Mandefish nor Hatchan could compare to him in height.
If it weren't for that youthful face, Hatchan might have believed he was an adult.
"Oh, he's Jack, a grouper fishman. I'm... I'm taking care of him for someone for a while. By the way, where's Hack?"
After thinking for a moment, Mandefish changed his wording and inquired about another fishman, whom he planned to have as a teacher for Jack.
Hack, a red snapper fishman, though just over 20 years old, was proficient in Fishman Karate and Fishman Judo.
Nicknamed Hundred Stage Hack, his strength might not be the strongest, but he was good at teaching others and had a friendly attitude towards humans. In the normal timeline, he would join the Revolutionary Army in the future and become an instructor.
"He should still be on Fishman Island. We haven't seen him on Fishman Street lately."
"Got it. By the way, Hatchan, can you help deliver these things to a few of them for me? I'll head to Fishman Island first."
"Nyu, got it, leave it to me."
The benefits of being an octopus fishman became apparent. In the deep sea, with the presence of soap bubbles, these things are very light, so with enough arms, he can carry many items.
The items weren't expensive, but they were things fishmen liked and were hard to come by. Fishman Island is directly below Shampodi, but fishmen rarely go there, as the Shampodi Islands are very dangerous for them.
Many merfolk or fishmen dream of visiting Soap Bubble Park, but they may never set foot on land in their entire lives.
Mandefish, on the other hand, directly took Jack to Fishman Island.
He wasn't sure where Hack was, so he took Jack to Rushaka's home. During their journey, they passed by Jilong Kao'er Square, where a woman was giving a speech.
She was Otohime, the Princess of Fishman Island, an idealist with a dream for all merfolk and fishmen to live equally with humans on the surface.
She gave her speech with great effort, but not many were willing to listen. What she talked about was too advanced for the residents of Fishman Island.
"Mandefish big brother, is it difficult for fishmen to live on land?"
Passing by, Jack heard Otohime's speech and was confused about this question. After all, he had always lived on land and never faced discrimination.
"It's not easy. Thanks to Governor Kaido and Lord Arceus protecting you, you didn't encounter this issue. The outside world is actually much more complicated than you think. Let's go; we're almost at Rushaka's house."
Mandefish pulled Jack away from there. He wasn't interested in the speech, but he didn't notice that Otohime's gaze fell upon them. This was due to her strong natural Observation Haki, which allowed her to sense others' thoughts and emotions.
She used this ability to see how many people were willing to accept her, and although she didn't gain much insight, she unexpectedly sensed some of Mandefish and Jack's thoughts...