However, their plan never got the chance to materialize, because besides Otohime, Fisher Tiger also endorsed this department store's existence. He even brought Jinbe and the others to visit, showing his support.
As the acknowledged leader of Fishman Street, when it comes to dealing with the hoodlums there, his words are far more effective than Neptune's.
"It's wonderful. If only everywhere could be like this."
Looking at the staff inside Kojiro's department store, Tiger also had a smile on his face. Apart from the pirate crew outside, this was probably the first place where mermaids, fishmen, and humans worked together, and the first human enterprise without discrimination against mermaids and fishmen.
As a department store, its location was at the edge of Fishman Island's Jilong Kao'er Square.
This was a location relatively close to the center of Fishman Island and the only new large building on Fishman Island in recent years.
Inside, apart from its own goods, there were also some vacant stalls, provided for local fishmen to do business.
This was part of the initial agreement with Otohime, that the department store would allow him to use it free of charge, on the condition of offering free stalls to both fishmen and mermaids.
This indirectly promoted the economic development of Fishman Island. For example, Hachi's takoyaki stand opened here, and to cater to the mermaid market, he launched new products like scallop-yaki. His six arms were busy working hard.
"Yo, Hachi, seems like business is doing well!"
"Nyuu, Brother Tiger?! Yes, business here is indeed good. Would you like some?"
"No, I just came out of Dragon Palace City. Keep it up, it's a good thing to have a decent business."
That's the reason Tiger supported this endeavor. Fishman Street had many hoodlums, and he didn't want it to become a lawless land of trouble, which is why he had subdued the entire Fishman Street at the beginning. But back then, there wasn't much he could do even if he wanted to manage it.
If not for the fishmen being able to fish for food in the deep sea themselves, the situation on Fishman Street would only have worsened. Now that they have new job opportunities, their lives can stabilize, a situation Tiger is very happy to see.
As for those fishmen unwilling to live this way, most of them have been gathered by him, with plans to set sail as pirates after the Mary Geoise plan. Staying on Fishman Island would cause problems for the Dragon Palace Kingdom by that time.
Moreover, he also heard about the plan of that deep-sea mining company from Otohime. If it goes well, the people of Fishman Street will no longer be hoodlums, so he plans to help stabilize things here before any actions.
With the joint support of Tiger and Otohime, Kojiro's Fishman Island branch is developing very well, but the sea is not as calm.
A gamble with ever-increasing odds across various betting houses in the New World is finally about to conclude. Originally, the pirate crew of that lone hero had only average strength and couldn't have endured in the New World for so long.
But because of various strange factors, the matter escalated to a matter of face for the Sea Emperors.
Initially, it was just Namur, Charlotte Opera, and Scotch. Later, reinforcements were gradually dispatched to personally claim the opponent's head. The three parties have clashed several times, and they keep bringing in more people.
Although the Hundred Beasts and BIG MOM have some cooperation, they aren't as close as a family. They simply don't invade each other's territories, and minor conflicts at sea are common.
But now, it's expanded to battles among the deputies. If it continues, Kaidou and others might have to make a move, but small roles like this obviously aren't worth the Sea Emperors' direct involvement.
They won't easily start a full-scale war among themselves either, because it doesn't serve their interests.
Without any exploits involved, their battle would last for days and nights, and the aftermath would be enough to destroy nearby islands. Fighting on anyone's territory would have consequences none of them want to bear.
So everyone clearly understands this is a conclusive battle.
The fate of that lone hero is already sealed; now it's just a matter of face.
Due to the unique composition of the Hundred Beasts, not only are there two leaders, but even the deputies are two. King, being the General's designated guardian, is still in Wano Kuni.
However, Yamato and the others have been out for a long time. Most of the remaining kids are still in physical training, making it unnecessary for Shaina to train them personally, so Shaina is leading this time.
Similarly, the leader of the BIG MOM Pirates is Katakuri, while the Whitebeard Pirates' leader is Marco.
But the three parties haven't started fighting yet; instead, they're negotiating the opponent's fate. Their respective intelligence has already detected the hiding island, just waiting to capture the person.
Currently, the island is surrounded, and they are negotiating on the island's beach.
"Hey, hey, I'm telling you, that guy caused trouble on our turf, so by all rights, he should be handed over to us, right?"
"He stole what Mama prepared for other siblings, which is an unforgivable crime. That guy should be ours."
This is a relatively serious negotiation, so no one is trash-talking yet, but Katakuri and Marco are silently cursing each other as fools.
[To have caused trouble on Whitebeard's territory...]
[To have stolen BIG MOM's food...]
Originally, they were just chasing the opponent and didn't know the reason until this meeting revealed the reasons. Afterwards, they all simultaneously looked at Shaina.
Although pirates don't need some grand righteous justification, Marco doesn't want his family members to suffer significant casualties, Katakuri doesn't want his siblings to get hurt in battle, and Shaina doesn't want a massive three-party conflict, which is why they can sit down and talk.
"He tried to kidnap the family of our cadre."
Also a reason that can't be argued against. The negotiation table fell silent for a moment, but in the end, the resolution method remained violence.
Additionally, they've agreed on something: to determine the outcome through their own battles, avoiding further escalation of the situation.
"Does anyone want to back out?"
"This isn't a place for babysitting, but I have a proposal. Shaina, we do have some cooperation, how about we let Marco be the first to exit?"
Katakuri's remark about babysitting is referring to Marco; he's the youngest and shortest among the three. However, this one statement shifted the balance, turning what was initially a three-way battle into a more complex dynamic, considering Marco overlooked the commercial dealings between Hundred Beasts and BIG MOM.
The triangle has stability; originally, they would be wary of each other about certain matters. But with Katakuri's suggestion, Marco became more cautious, finding it difficult to handle a partnership between the two.