It was simply fantastical.
This was Yang Tao's first thought upon seeing Fish-Man Island, which is located 10,000 meters beneath Holy Land Mary Geoise.
It is a necessary stop to reach the New World, and also the birthplace of most Fish-Men and Merfolk.
A giant bubble.
No, it was two layers of giant bubbles, with an air layer in between the two shields.
The size of the bubble was far beyond what could be depicted in anime or manga; even the large Sea Kings that occasionally swam past the edge of the bubble looked like ants.
"Truly the superb craftsmanship of nature!"
Through the bubble, one could see the colorful buildings within Fish-Man Island, most of which were composed of coral and shells.
From afar, it looked like a city from a fairy tale.
Perhaps because Yang Tao was alone, his arrival did not attract the attention of any Fish-Men.
He flew towards Fish-Man Island.
Generally speaking, Fish-Man Island, like "Sky Island..." usually requires outsiders to go through immigration checks, otherwise they would be arrested by the Ryugu Kingdom's "Sea King Army."
Clearly, Yang Tao was not an ordinary person.
He easily passed through the two layers of membrane and landed on Fish-Man Island.
Although it was deep beneath the sea, there was still a sky and clouds.
This was because the giant tree "Sunlight Tree Eve..." which grows near Fish-Man Island, could transmit sunlight from the surface to Fish-Man Island, which is why Fish-Man Island, located deep in the sea, experienced sunlight and the changes between day and night.
Yang Tao no longer held any desire to investigate the peculiar phenomena of the One Piece world.
Everything in this world, just like in Minecraft, is a source of 'conventional' existence.
Yang Tao had only one purpose for coming to Fish-Man Island: Shirahoshi… Exploration Value!
That's right, it was Exploration Value.
'Sea King' Shirahoshi was also good, but that was like killing two birds with one stone; if he could abduct her, he would.
Most areas of Fish-Man Island are underwater; if someone who cannot swim needs to move independently in the water, apart from taking local bubble-coated transportation, they can only apply a swimming coating to their body for protection.
Yang Tao quickly landed on the ground, and his appearance immediately drew the attention of those around him. Fish-Men and Merfolk live in different areas on Fish-Man Island.
The place where he landed was clearly the living area of the Merfolk, as most of those around him were fair-skinned, beautiful mermaids.
'Oh wow~'
'By the way, why would a fish wear clothes? What a waste!'
Yang Tao was momentarily dazzled. Given the One Piece tradition of women only wearing underwear on their upper bodies, he felt like he was watching a fashion show at a Victoria's Secret event.
At this moment, a sweet-looking mermaid, resembling Miko, swam over curiously. However, her eyes were not golden, but gem-like blue.
Her big eyes blinked, looking as if she had a sign carved on her face that read 'Fish silly, quick to trick.'
"Are you human?"
Yang Tao had landed in the water area, and he wasn't coated in a bubble, which naturally caught the attention of the little mermaid girl.
Seeing the little girl's curious gaze, Yang Tao chuckled and said, "No, I am a Fish-Man, a pseudo-human Fish-Man."
No human would believe such nonsense.
But the mermaid in front of him believed his nonsense, showing a surprised expression and saying, "Huh? A pseudo-human? Is that a new Fish-Man race? That's incredible! If you couldn't move freely in the water, I would have thought you were human."
Yang Tao had originally just intended to tease her, and he hadn't expected her to actually believe him.
"Hehe, what's your name?"
"My name is Lucia, what's your name?"
Lucia???
A few dark lines appeared on Yang Tao's forehead. If there hadn't been a prompt when he entered the world, and he had heard this name...
He would have immediately started brainstorming.
Rukia Kuchiki from 'Bleach,' Lucia the mermaid who lived for an unknown number of years from 'Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch,' Lucia the Cat from 'POP IN Q,' and Lucia the girl from 'A Certain Magical Index.'
After a brief mental complaint, Yang Tao took out a golden business card from his backpack and handed it to the mermaid Lucia.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lucia the mermaid... Also, I haven't lived on Fish-Man Island before, so could I hire you to be my Guide? Don't worry, I'll pay you."
He wanted to go to Fish-Man Street, and also to Hard Shell Tower, and find those Fish-Man pirates.
He also didn't know if Jinbe was on Fish-Man Island. He thought that this Exploration Value wasn't so easy to earn.
When he bravely charged into Marine Headquarters, he would surely gain a large amount of Exploration Value easily.
"Huh? You haven't lived on Fish-Man Island before?"
Lucia was utterly astonished to hear this. In her mind, all Merfolk and Fish-Men were born on Fish-Man Island.
"I can be your Guide, but as for payment, you don't have to worry about it..."
"Then thank you."
The fact that mermaids hadn't been completely abducted by humans only meant that the Fish-Men were truly working hard.
"Where would you like to go?"
Yang Tao looked up at another bubble in the sky of Fish-Man Island, which was the location of the Merfolk King's palace, Ryugu Palace.
However, ordinary mermaids and humans could not enter without an invitation.
"Let's go to the Mermaid Cafe first!"
The Mermaid Cafe was also a very important plot location in the Fish-Man Island arc, but he had arrived a bit early, so some of the plot mermaids probably hadn't arrived yet.
"Huh? Mermaid Cafe? Please follow me."
Lucia flicked her sky-blue tail and quickly swam forward, with Yang Tao following closely behind her.
From time to time, Fish-Men and Merfolk swam past him, most of them casting curious glances, even those Fish-Men who harbored animosity towards humans.
Mainly, Yang Tao's human appearance and his lack of a bubble were simply too eye-catching.
Soon, the two arrived in a small town. Lucia jumped out of the water onto the shore, pulled out a red coral from her body, and with a gentle press, a bubble emerged from the coral.
Lucia extended her hand and put the bubble around her waist, then turned to Yang Tao and said with a smile, "Sir Yang, you... Oh right, you have legs, so you don't need a bubble."
To facilitate walking on land, mermaids without legs would use bubbles for assistance, and some smaller mermaids could even use bubbles to fly in the air.
She pointed a finger towards a luxuriously decorated shop in the distance and said, "That's the Mermaid Cafe. Many humans who come to Fish-Man Island like to go there."
Just as Lucia said, there were many humans going in and out of the Mermaid Cafe. When these humans came out, their faces were all filled with reluctance, and their flushed cheeks were visible to the naked eye.
"Thank you, Lucia. If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to have a cup of coffee with me."
"Huh? Really?"
"Of course, it's just something to eat."
Lucia was very happy to walk towards the cafe with Yang Tao.
Pushing open the wooden door of the cafe, a mermaid with a fiery figure and beautiful looks immediately came up and hooked Yang Tao's arm: "Welcome to the Mermaid Cafe~"
Is this cafe legitimate??
Could it be a specialty maid cafe?
However, seeing the notification that his Exploration Value had increased, Yang Tao knew he had come to the right place.