Otohime spent most of her time advocating for her ideas. The residents of Fishman Island could hear her speeches, but humans on land could not.
Compared to the five million residents of Fishman Island, the total number of humans was overwhelmingly larger. Especially in history, both the Fishman Race and the Mermaid Race had been regarded as fish, and racial discrimination had been long-standing.
Apart from relying on the World Government's publicity, Otohime couldn't think of any way to change this perception on a global scale. Many well-known fishmen, such as Tiger, Namur, and others, were infamous pirates.
This was absolute negative publicity in the eyes of ordinary people. Coupled with the appearance of fishmen, many believed that fishmen were naturally vicious villains.
In Tesoro's view, making a film was a perfect opportunity.
The entertainment industry in the world of pirates was lacking and very limited. Films could still circulate on the Red Earth Continent, but it was different for the island nations, as most people had no channels for such things.
Films from ten years ago might just be premiering on some islands, let alone those without the facilities to screen movies.
Only when basic needs were largely met did people have the time and money to pursue mental entertainment.
In the world of pirates, it was a society where the upper classes dictated the lower classes. A kingdom's king had the power to restrict what the citizens could see and hear. If a kingdom's king and nobles smeared something, the lower classes wouldn't accept it.
If a highly influential film could indeed be made, these people would be the first to see it. Otohime hoped they could see positive portrayals of fishmen and mermaids and subsequently make some changes.
She was willing to take on roles herself, not just cooperate with them.
Tesoro had no objections to Otohime's level of cooperation and immediately began revising the script, as he was already juggling roles such as screenwriter, director, lead actor, and investor.
There weren't many professional actors, considering they were deep underwater, and filming a movie here wasn't easy.
So, the acting skills of the other extras might be a problem. Tesoro solved this by going for authenticity. If acting was hard, they simply wouldn't act.
The plot of the film wasn't complicated, or even somewhat clichéd. For example, when the male lead was caught in a storm at sea, he fell into the water and was saved by a mermaid.
Initially, he was also afraid of the mermaids and fishmen, but as they got to know each other, he realized it was all societal prejudice, and they smoothly fell in love.
However, the male lead was a prince, and the king opposed this relationship, even bribing a group of pirates to kidnap the mermaid.
But the pirates' ambitions went beyond that; they even kidnapped the king for a large ransom. In the end, the mermaid, bearing no grudge, helped the king escape the clutches of the pirates, and the male lead appeared at the last moment to defeat them, allowing everyone to live happily together.
The villains had to be pirates, or the World Government wouldn't allow it to be screened. The prince's identity was to cater to popular demand, as that was the current mainstream on the Red Earth Continent.
Prince and princess stories were far more popular than those of commoners, whether royalty by birth or commoners, audiences could relate more easily to such a setting.
After all, the film also incorporated a lot of opera, which was also a current trend.
Tesoro's method of staying true to reality manifested here. They didn't need actors to play pirates; instead, they casually found some pirates without bounties to play the film's pirates.
He could even find someone to cameo as a king. Some kings had paid heavily for the Hundred Beasts' flag for their safety, so they wouldn't mind such a matter. There, the Hundred Beasts were the uncrowned kings.
As for the fight scenes, that was no problem either. After all, the Hundred Beasts' training involved infighting, making real combat practice feasible later on. Injury was the only concern if done too early.
Mermaids and fishmen appeared when the male lead lived on Fishman Island, showcasing its beautiful side, which was enough for Otohime. However, Tesoro made a request that the mermaids needed to be fair-skinned and beautiful.
This time, he was promoting a whitening product; using dark-skinned mermaids would simply not sell well.
The film's production required time, and Kojiro had already pinpointed some mineral locations during his investigation.
To further ascertain the environment there, Otohime and Neptune decided to accompany them to see where the mineral was while also checking out the machinery Tesoro mentioned that aided in mining.
To express their friendliness, Neptune's whale mount, Howl, carried a bubble on its head, bringing them to the location marked on the Nautical Chart.
As they gradually left Eve's protected area, the surroundings became dark. Mermaids could still see in this environment, but humans couldn't. Tesoro and his team could no longer see their surroundings.
Even fishmen didn't like living in such a dark environment long-term. Otohime and Neptune weren't heartless capitalists, and as they were about to inquire about any solutions, Manaphy acted.
He waved his hands, the surrounding seawater seemed to feel something and suddenly emitted a golden glow. The light's influence expanded, and soon, the once desolate deep sea became as bright as daylight.
The Sea Prince wasn't exaggerating; this was his mastery over marine life. It involved a type of deep-sea microorganism that naturally glowed. Under Manaphy's influence, they gathered in large numbers, using their ability to illuminate the deep sea.
A portion of Manaphy's internal energy was released as sustenance for them.
But seeing the sudden brightness of the deep sea, Otohime and Neptune were startled.
"No, don't make it this bright!"
Many creatures are drawn to light. Bright light suddenly appearing in the deep sea could attract Sea King Types. Inside Fishman Island, there was no fear of such matters because a Mermaid Princess chosen to be the Sea King would be born periodically.
Due to the presence of the Sea King, Sea King Types wouldn't attack Fishman Island, but outside, it wasn't certain.
That was one reason they came to inspect the environment. They were worried there might be a Sea King Type's nest nearby. Encountering a large Sea King Type in the deep sea meant that even fishmen and mermaids would have to flee.
But it was too late. In Otohime's field of vision, an enormous eye suddenly appeared. Beneath them lay a gigantic Sea King Type, making the whale Howl appear diminutive by comparison.
"Don't be afraid, don't move recklessly, or scream. I'll try communicating with it..."
Mermaids could communicate with fish, but Sea King Types weren't included in this ability. Otohime wanted to use her Observation Haki to communicate with it. The accompanying guards remained still, knowing that trying to run from such a monster was futile.
Otohime was worried Tesoro and his team might do something to provoke the Sea King Type, yet she noticed that neither of them appeared scared. Moreover, the Sea King Type seemed unusual, as if communicating with some other creature.
"Good child, we didn't mean to disturb you, you can continue sleeping."
Looking at Manaphy on Stella's shoulder, Otohime was incredulous.
In the eyes of ordinary people, Sea King Types were incomprehensible monsters. But Otohime knew they simply chose not to communicate because communication with them was a privilege of the Sea King...