Dream Utopia

"Mandrell, what's wrong?"

Rusalka was worried about Mandrell's health as she watched him rub his eyes incessantly on the deck.

"Nothing, it's just... I might be seeing things. Look at Tiger. Doesn't it seem like he's glowing?"

"No, Boss Tiger looks the same as always."

Rusalka stared at Tiger for a long time but couldn't see any glow. As a sea bream Fish-Man, he didn't have any bioluminescent organs. She couldn't understand why Mandrell would feel that way.

"Something's not right... I might really need to get a check-up. Anyway, I'll take Tiger to the monastery first, then I'll show you around."

Mandrell had his own officer's room in Onigashima, but there wasn't much to see there. Being stationed outside most of the time, his room didn't have much in it.

Someone in Onigashima regularly cleaned his room, so it was tidy, but it lacked any novelty.

Compared to the small amusement park built on the island where he was stationed, this was a huge difference, from hundreds of acres to a small room of just a few square meters.

His task was to bring Tiger back here, after which professionals would take over. In terms of preaching, Misu had already proven her ability, even Shayna couldn't compare to her.

"Come with me. The monastery is right here, Sister Misu is already waiting for you."

As he spoke, Mandrell led the way out of Mogura Port and into the bustling area of Hakumai.

...

"This is Wano Country. We've been building our headquarters here for more than ten years. This area is called Hakumai, currently managed by Lady Shayna."

Most of the Beasts Pirates' infrastructure was built in Hakumai, including the Pokémon Center, Monastery, and Squirtle Squad. Mogura Port was also an important external transport hub, so this area was entrusted to Shayna.

"I read in a document that Wano Country used to be a very closed-off country, right?"

The document Tiger referred to was part of the overall doctrines, which stated that Wano Country had been closed off for many years, even more so than Fishman Island.

Fishman Island had foreign ships passing by every day, but Wano Country, due to its terrain, had almost no outsiders. Without internal assistance, only one or two outsiders might accidentally come here over the course of several decades.

"It used to be like that. Is there a problem?"

"These people don't seem to fear me."

As the captain of the Sun Pirates, Tiger had sailed the seas with his Fish-Men for three years. Although they hadn't entered the New World during those three years, they had visited many islands in the first half of the Grand Line.

As Arlong had said, humans view Fish-Men with suspicion and fear. Unlike the beauty of Mermaids, Fish-Men often have rough appearance, which many equate with the word "monster."

And fear stemmed from the unknown. It was because they didn't understand that people thought Fish-Men were terrifying creatures based solely on their appearance.

Even islands that maintained external contact were like this. It should have been even more severe for the closed-off Wano Country.

As far as he knew, Wano Country had few Fish-Men. As for Jack, his appearance was very close to human, and no one could make out he was a Fish-Man unless told.

He didn't have the characteristic features of a Fish-Man; rather, he looked more like a giant.

Here, in the central economic region of Hakumai, there was a large flow of people, mostly locals from Wano Country. This was evident from their clothing. A few young people had adopted some changes, but most adults still wore traditional Wano Country attire.

There were even children playing nearby, and the adults didn't hurry to pull them away. Even when saying goodbye to Koala on Foolshout Island, Tiger could see the fear in the eyes of other villagers. But here, there was none.

To these people, he seemed to be just an ordinary person.

"Why would they fear you? You might look fierce, and years ago, they might have seen you as a monster. But now, things are different. There are many here who look more monstrous than you. No, they are actual monsters."

Wano Country used to be xenophobic. Kawamatsu, Nekomamushi, and Inuarashi were treated as monsters and almost burned to death.

Before Kawamatsu's mother died, she told him to call himself a kappa, which shows that for humans in the outside world, even a monster called kappa is more acceptable than Fish-Man.

But now everything has changed. With the Beasts Pirates becoming the actual rulers of Wano Country, more and more Pokémon have appeared here, and each Pokémon was a new lifeform. In such an environment, discrimination had naturally become a taboo in Wano Country.

Over the years, as Pokémon became more integrated into people's lives, Wano Country gradually got used to intelligent beings with different appearances. Pokémon had transformed from monsters to guardian deities.

As they were talking, Tiger felt a slight tremor from the ground. A giant humanoid boar, over ten meters tall, was walking towards them, carrying a massive boulder.

This helped him understand what Mandrell meant.

[There are many here who look more monstrous than you.]

Fish-Men might look like monsters, but the giant Emboar was a real monster. Yet, people didn't scatter in fear. They waved at Emboar, even shouting "Mountain God-sama."

"This is..."

"You can call him Emboar. He was a giant wild boar before Lord Arceus modified him. Looks like another bridge needs repairs."

"That's amazing. This is probably what Queen Otohime most wants to see."

No discrimination, people of all races walking freely in the streets, basking in the sunlight. He seemed to see the country that exists in Otohime's dreams.

"I wouldn't know about that. Wano Country is big; you can take your time exploring later. Follow me, Sister Misu has been waiting for you."

Mandrell didn't mind being a tour guide for his wife, but he didn't want to bring Tiger all the time. While he was communicating normally now, he dreaded the religious discussions that would come later. So he headed straight for the monastery.

In the monastery, Sister Misu was leading the children in cleaning the place. There were no tuition fees, and the monastery also provided food, lodging, and education.

However, everyone studying here had to work within their capabilities, and Lami was no exception. This was to train them early and teach them that there was no free lunch in the world.

But the monastery provided top-tier facilities, on par with the Shogun's provisions for Hiyori in the Flower Capital. Even ordinary people in Wano Country wanted to send their children here, but the monastery didn't accept them.

This could be seen as the "noble" academy of the Beasts Pirates, accepting only orphans and the children of Beasts Pirates members.

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