Exercising the body and mastering skills is what the siblings have been focusing on lately. They can't learn high-level skills yet, but they are gradually becoming familiar with their body structure. For example, Page One now has a personal teacher - Elizabeth.
This is related to his method of flying. Despite being a Ground Type, Garchomp has the ability to fly. However, Garchomp's flight is different from ordinary flying. Once mature and skilled enough, a Garchomp can take off vertically and then fly at high speed like a jet fighter.
But Page One hasn't reached that level yet. At present, he is at most like a glider, needing a running start to take off barely, so Elizabeth, who is good at gliding, has become his special instructor.
"Go Page! Keep going!"
"That's right, Page, don't be afraid, I'll catch you!"
"You can't call him Page; only I can do that!"
Standing on a slightly higher slope, Page One is preparing to take off, while below, the crowd is just watching the fun. Although over the months, Ulti has realized that this warning is useless, as Yamato and Jack both call him Page.
But she still hasn't given up on her declaration of ownership. As for whether this flight training is dangerous, she doesn't think so. After all, when teaching Page One to walk, it took just a few days for him to learn.
She's still waiting for Page One to take her flying. In her mind at this moment, Page One is vaguely tagged as a mount, after all, Garchomp can move freely both underground and in the sky, except underwater.
As for why she didn't refuse Jack's offer to catch Page One, it's because she's not stupid despite being protective of her brother. She can't catch Page One's body size.
"Tuck in your body, spread your arms, unfold the wing membrane... unfold your fins and then start running with all your strength."
Elizabeth demonstrates in front of Page One. After a running start, she glides up, riding the wind to fly, but Page One isn't as successful. Unsurprisingly, his first flight ends with him falling.
After breaking through Maria's protective web made of spider silk, he continues to fall until he's caught by Jack's trunk.
With the combined height of Jack's body and trunk, it reaches a level Ulti cannot touch. To her, everything on Ghost Island is still fine. Even Shaina hasn't targeted her since she corrected that issue.
She can even get used to that naturally open white-haired female idiot, but this Jack, who's constantly competing with her for her brother, really annoys her.
"Put down Page now! Can't you see you've scared him?!"
After prolonged training, Jack's trunk has become as nimble as his arms and can support significant weight.
"I told you to put him down, not on your own back!"
The failed-to-fly Page One has reverted to his normal form, so Jack just puts him on his shoulder.
To outsiders unfamiliar with them, these people don't seem like pirate recruits at all. Each has their training suited to them, and in the office on Ghost Island, Mandfeish has temporarily left Fishman Island; he is back to report for duty.
"How are things going on Fishman Island lately?"
"It's been quite stable, but overall, it's still the same old place. Even though Whitebeard's banner deters many unsavory types, instances of abduction still occur occasionally on Fishman Island."
Whitebeard's banner serves as a deterrent, but there are still many who care more about money than their lives. Brave slave traders and pirates willing to target mermaids or the Fishman Race still exist, especially given the high price mermaids fetch, attracting many thrill-seekers.
Although Whitebeard is formidable, he is not omnipresent. Those caught by Whitebeard's crew naturally suffer, but as long as they're not caught, nothing happens. Many harbor this thought when targeting mermaids.
Besides external threats, Fishman Island has internal issues. Some members of the Slave Capture Team are fishmen themselves and show no guilt when targeting their kind.
The royal family of the Dragon Palace Kingdom is not successful in management, especially the border controls, which sometimes are virtually nonexistent.
"Other than that, near Fishman Island, we've discovered some rare mineral deposits under the sea. With some equipment testing, I've determined the reserves are quite abundant. There's likely been no mining in the past few hundred years.
However, mining costs are high unless we can employ those fishmen.
Also, large equipment cannot be used underwater, and there are threats from large Sea Beasts. If we want to mine, we can only rely on your power."
Although Mandfeish's request for reassignment was due to Rushaka, he has still accomplished much. He knows only by demonstrating the value of the reassignment can he maintain his position.
The ocean's expanse is much vaster than land, particularly in the pirate world. Under the deep-sea beds, many valuable mineral deposits might be buried. Even sunken treasure ships could mean additional income.
The bubble film technique, while allowing ships to dive, isn't suitable for underwater mining. The misaligned technology tree lacks such capabilities. Building a submarine to mine might yield wages lower than the investment itself.
"What's the attitude of the Fishman or Mermaid populations?"
"Um... I've been interacting with them using a fishman appearance. There's significant polarization, and most fishmen have a poor view of humans, but if needed, I can still round up some manpower."
Fishman Island has a population of about five million, with a roughly equal proportion of mermaids to fishmen. After all, their births are entirely random.
Moreover, due to the random variation in fishman and mermaid species, confirming paternity can be somewhat challenging.
The reason Mandfeish stated he could gather some manpower is because he's made a name for himself on Fishman Street.
Fishman Street isn't within the Dragon Palace Kingdom's bubble film territory but instead lies in the external deep-sea. Yet, since it's inhabited by the Fishman Race, it's not much affected.
Originally a large orphanage, Fishman Street has, due to the incompetence of its management, become a hub for illegal activities.
For Fishman Island, Fishman Street is its largest slum.
The laws of Fishman Island hardly apply in this place, while the law of the fist prevails. Fisher Tiger, Jinbe, and other famous fishmen mostly originated here, which in turn makes the Dragon Palace Kingdom appear even more peculiar.
With inherently stronger bodies than humans, the kingdom lacks internal strongmen, with all notables being gangsters, which is as bizarre as certain football players.
In such an environment, Mandfeish naturally can use his fists to make a mark. After all, on Fishman Island, he needs some fishmen as subordinates. Thus, he's become a small leader on Fishman Street.