"Mining... mining? Brother Jinbe, you can't be serious."
Listening to Jinbe's suggestion, Wores didn't know what to say for a moment. Miners indeed earn a considerable amount, but a ship costs quite a bit too, which seems like a time-consuming venture no matter how you look at it.
"I'm not joking, you all seem to be in decent shape. If you work together for a while, you can afford a regular sea vessel. But if you're aiming for a high-quality ship made from Treasure Tree Adam, then of course it won't be enough. Besides, there aren't any of those kinds of ships here."
Shipbuilding is also a skilled trade. Most islands can only offer ship repair services, and if you want to build a ship, you have to specifically travel to an island that specializes in it. Water Seven made its mark on the Grand Line through such means.
New Fishman Island's ability to sell ships was decided after Otohime and Neptune had a discussion. The Fishman Race doesn't lack shipwrights; many legendary craftsmen have come from this race. With these skills, New Fishman Island has gained a foothold in the New World by being able to build high-quality ships.
Aside from the specially crafted ships, the dock also has some standardized ships, aimed at unfortunate souls like Ace who have encountered maritime disasters.
No one has quite figured out the New World's weather. With its numerous abnormal weather patterns and bizarre meteorology, the New World limits shipping and technological progress.
According to this world's crooked tech tree, creating planes isn't difficult, but on the Grand Line, such devices are meaningless. If there truly were planes, they'd probably be delayed for 25 hours in a 24-hour day.
The complicated atmosphere almost seals off the possibility of flight.
"Well... Brother Jinbe, is there a slightly faster way?"
"No, unless Lady Otohime or King Neptune gifts you a ship, or are you thinking of speaking in a pirate's manner?"
Out of care for his fellow Fishmen, Jinbe patiently answered the question but also reminded them not to entertain any crooked thoughts.
If the Hundred Beasts or Whitebeard came here and said they needed a ship, they wouldn't hesitate to hand one over. Both Whitebeard and the current Hundred Beasts have been quite beneficial to Fishman Island's development.
It's not impossible for former Sun Pirates members to request a ship, but they either follow Jinbe or Tiger, so theoretically, such a need shouldn't arise.
For pirates, the quickest way is to take one by force, and even if it's from fellow Fishmen, Jinbe wouldn't hold back if someone tried to take a ship.
"Ah, no, of course not, but might we run into some trouble-making pirates here? We could handle them, and then you could give us their ship as compensation."
Ace isn't a purely evil villain and doesn't rob indiscriminately, especially here, which is his crew member's hometown. His goal is to seize ships from other pirates.
"There are indeed some, but..."
Jinbe, hearing Ace's words, became slightly intrigued after a long time of not meeting such naive pirates.
"This is the New World; do you think you can handle those pirates, rookie?"
"How will I know unless I try?"
"Alright then, if you get the chance, go ahead and give it a shot."
Jinbe didn't dismiss this idea. New Fishman Island is quite safe, but it still frequently encounters trouble, and there are plenty of those who are tempted by the Mermaids.
The main defense is still his responsibility, and during battles, members of the Sun Pirates sometimes get injured. If someone is willing to take this task over, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
Jinbe is very chivalrous, but chivalry needs context. Between a strange pirate crew and his birthplace and longtime companions, the latter is more important to him.
In the end, however, Ace and his crew became day laborers for a few days since they were penniless and had to find a way to gather some living funds.
...
"Nobody can believe that our journey through the New World would start again with mining."
Dues wrote helplessly in his novel, feeling quite resigned about their current life.
And here, they encountered a strange person, a red fishman.
When the miners were resting, he would hold a book and try to talk to them, but few were willing to listen.
"Hey, what's that big guy doing? The fishmen here seem to respect him quite a bit."
"I don't know. Let's ask Wores when he comes back. He seems to be... proselytizing? Is there any special belief among the Fishman Race? Never heard of it before."
The proselytizing fishman was naturally none other than Tiger, though different from Misu.
Misu's proselytizing in Wano Kuni went very smoothly, as it can be seen as a temporary Divine Kingdom with many miracles appearing there. Coupled with years of cultivation, the foundation for proselytizing had long been laid.
But the people here came from all over the Four Seas, and being able to independently navigate to New Fishman Island means they have their own goals. Changing their beliefs isn't so easy.
Many who followed Tiger were influenced, but Tiger wasn't satisfied. He could clearly feel that these fishmen's beliefs were different from his; they were blindly following his suggestions because they idolized him.
Most fishmen shared this attitude, so Tiger was practicing how to properly proselytize, but so far, the results were minimal.
"Everyone is exhausted after a day's work, and when you talk to them about this, no one will listen."
Seeing Tiger's failure, Mikhail stepped forward to offer a few words. For someone with minor social anxieties, this was a rare expression.
Due to his role as a teacher, he could somewhat empathize. When he first lectured and no one listened, he also felt down.
"I know, but this is something that can cleanse the soul. After hard work, dreaming of the Master's world is a wonderful thing. I see you're different from them; would you like to know more?"
Tiger became interested in Mikhail, who had taken the initiative to talk. Perhaps this was an example of success. However, Mikhail didn't take an interest in his reply. He couldn't understand such fanatic speech.
After exhaustion, he'd only feel sleepy listening to ramblings and couldn't comprehend why Tiger found it wonderful, so he politely declined.
"Right, I heard from Jinbe that you all came here for a ship? What happened to your original one?"
"It sank in a storm; our captain has his own goals."
"The Pirate King?"
"No, he's someone who aims to surpass the Pirate King. The journey will be tough, but we'll still push through bit by bit."
"Is that so, then where do you plan on starting? Red Hair, BIG·MOM, Whitebeard, or perhaps the Hundred Beasts?"