Next Bonus, 100!!
The Noah had been built by Joy Boy and the Mermaid Princess of his time. It was meant to fulfill the promise of moving the inhabitants of Fish-Man Island to the surface.
Hody Jones had planned to use it as a troop transport to attack the Sabaody Archipelago, which was why he had enlisted the help of Vander Decken. With his Mark-Mark Fruit, Decken could move the massive ark and throw it at the archipelago.
The Noah was, without exaggeration, a floating castle, with numerous buildings on its decks.
How many people could live here?
"Why don't you live on the Noah?" Jin asked, scanning the massive structure.
He had observed over the past few days that the main social problem in the Ryugu Kingdom was the conflict between a rapidly growing population and a limited amount of land. The island was only about 50 square kilometers, but it was home to 5 million people. The high-end areas were fine, but the lower-class districts were practically slums.
If they used the Noah to create another "Bubble Island," it would greatly alleviate the pressure of overpopulation.
"We couldn't possibly!" Aladdin exclaimed. "It's a sacred vessel! The Ark of Promise!"
Jin understood. To the fish-men, the Noah wasn't just a ship; it was a symbol of hope, a physical manifestation of their faith. As long as it existed, the promise of "a place in the sun" remained. One day, someone would come to fulfill that dream.
It was just like Kuma.
They were entrusting their fate, their future, to a prophecy, to a "god."
The "god" would come and save them, and in the meantime, all they had to do was wait.
It disgusted Jin—this blind faith in a savior. As if the moment "Nika" appeared, the world would magically become a better place. As if all the material, spiritual, and racial conflicts would just... disappear.
It was the ultimate deus ex machina.
The world of One Piece had its idealistic side, but this was a bit much.
For Jin, who was accustomed to analyzing things through a materialistic, dialectical lens, the idea that "Nika" could liberate the world without changing the existing systems, the means of production... it was absurd.
Let's say "Nika" led the charge, and all the races united to defeat Imu and the Five Elders. The Revolutionary Army establishes a new order. What then? A new king takes the throne? The nobles are still nobles? Anarchism?
The conflict between humans and the other races just... resolves itself? No one does evil anymore? Love and peace descend upon the world?
Was this a fairy tale?
Even Totland's order was maintained by Big Mom's "blood ties" and her iron-fisted rule. Without her overwhelming power, it would have fractured long ago.
Jin didn't have a problem with Nika. He had a problem with the people who were waiting for a savior.
The ethos of self-reliance was etched into his very bones.
And as his Haki grew, his philosophy, his ideas, began to radiate outward.
He was challenging the world.
"Hah," Jin scoffed, at the Noah, at this world.
In that moment, Jinbe, Aladdin, Robin, and Wadatsumi all felt it—a fundamental shift in the very nature of Jin's presence.
"Conqueror's Haki..." Jinbe's eyes narrowed, his heart pounding.
Of the three types of Haki, Conqueror's was the only one that couldn't be trained. It grew with the user's ambition, their will, their spirit. Defeating a stronger opponent, achieving a great victory, or simply possessing a grand ambition... all of it could strengthen one's Conqueror's Haki.
Jin's growth, at this moment, was a result of his recent actions—the annihilation of over sixty thousand people, and his witnessing of the state of Fish-Man Island and the Noah.
It was a change in his id, his ego, his superego.
His beliefs, based on his knowledge and experience, had undergone a profound awakening.
This wasn't a sudden change. It was a gradual accumulation, from his battles with Whitebeard and Big Mom, from all the lives he had taken.
And in this moment, that accumulation had reached a critical point.
This was different from the brute, untamed force of ordinary Conqueror's Haki. It was... refined. Controlled.
They only felt a quickening of their pulses, but the Haki itself was spreading, reaching out, and touching the entire deep sea.
From the New World to Paradise, to the Four Blues, countless undersea creatures trembled with an instinctual fear.
Sea Kings, super-large Sea Kings, all turned their heads in this direction, some letting out roars.
In the Florian Triangle, a colossal shadow stirred, and two blood-red eyes opened in the abyss.
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After a moment, Jin reined in his aura. A plan had already formed in his mind.
"Jinbe," he said with a smile, "if I could bring sunlight here, do you think the fish-men would move to the Fish-Man District and the Noah?"
Jinbe was stunned. Bring sunlight here? How was that possible?
"Technology changes the future," Jin said. "Anything is possible."
He wasn't just bluffing. He had extracted the resin of the Sunlight Tree Eve and had discovered that it had properties similar to fiber optics. It could conduct light and produce bubbles. With the right equipment, he could "guide" the light.
It would require a certain knowledge of optics.
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"King Jin of the Winter Blossom Kingdom has arrived! King Neptune and the royal family have welcomed him for a friendly exchange!"
"King Jin has announced an investment of one billion Berries in the Ryugu Kingdom to research the development of deep-sea mineral resources!"
"King Jin has announced that he will provide Fish-Man Island with a light-guiding illumination system!"
"A light-guiding illumination system that can bring sunlight to the deep sea, illuminating the entire island!"
"King Neptune has announced the development of the 'Fish-Man District-Noah' ecosystem, with plans to relocate one million residents!"
"The Ryugu Kingdom and the Winter Blossom Kingdom have entered into a treaty of friendship!"
The good news kept coming, and the fish-men all cheered for Jin. They may have claimed to despise humans, but deep down, they had always yearned for their recognition.
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
sp-atreon/dragonnx
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