Chapter Text
Fisher Tiger brought down the hammer, driving the nail in with one hit. He gave the newly fixed railing a once-over. It had gotten hit by a cannonball earlier that day, and he had taken it upon himself to fix it, despite his crew’s protests.
He liked doing menial tasks from time to time, especially building things. On his first trip to the surface, he’d learned the hard way how to repair all kinds of damage to his ship. Unfortunately, most human shipwrights he met refused to help him.
Speaking of humans. . .
He glanced to his side and smiled. Koala sat near him single-mindedly eating a pear. Or, well, appearing to. When she thought he wasn’t looking she would glance up at him. He could see a question in her eyes, something she was building up courage to ask.
Fisher Tiger smiled to himself. She would get to it on her own time.
A couple minutes later, he moved on to the next piece of wood. Just as he positioned the nail in its place, the little girl finally spoke. “Fisher Tiger? What’s. . .what’s Fishman Island like?”
The fishman hums, slightly surprised. As he contemplated her question, he brought down the hammer on the nail. Then, he set the hammer aside and turned fully towards Koala. “What about it do you want to know?”
Looking a bit more confident, she said, “Is it true that the houses are made of corals of all colors? And that there are fishmen as big as giants? And mermaids that swim faster than a bullet?”
Fisher Tiger couldn’t help but chuckle at her youthful curiosity. “That last one’s the most accurate; mermaids are one of the fastest swimmers underwater. The king of Fishman Island is very large, and it looks like his daughter might one day surpass him in size. As for the houses, we try not to build our home into or with coral because it is part of the environment and isn’t structurally sound.” Seeing her disappointed look, he added, “We do have very colorful structures, though; especially in the tourist area.”
She smiled and thanked him. However, she seemed to hesitate a bit before looking away and biting into her pear.
Smiling, he asked, “Anything else you want to know?”
She brightened at the invitation and shyly asked him what the tourist area was like.
For the next couple hours or so, Koala peppered him with questions, which he answered dutifully, often accompanying them with a story or two. They continued speaking long after he finished the repairs. He found himself caught up with her excitement.
A couple times, one of his crewmates would swing by and say a couple words. Hachi dropped by at some point to give them snacks.
Fisher Tiger found himself enjoying her questions and enthusiasm, especially the sight of a genuine smile on Koala’s face.
That look is one he would treasure. Never would he have been able to picture this scene; a human child genuinely interested in Fishmans, completely unafraid to talk to him. Despite everything he had been through, and despite his deep-rooted hate of humans. . .Fisher Tiger held a soft spot for Koala. He sees in her a possible future in which their races hold no animosity towards each other, merely curiosity and a genuine desire for understanding.
This must be Otohime’s vision, he thought. It always begins with the children. . .
Their conversation petered out, leaving only a comfortable silence as they snacked on some onigiri. Fisher Tiger turned his gaze outwards onto the sea and watched as his tattoo’s likeness reflected across the water. Soon, the sun would set.
Koala broke the silence. “. . .Will I get to visit Fishmen Island?” she asked softly.
He glanced at her, then back at the ocean. “I don’t know. The future isn’t set in stone. I wish you luck in all you aspire to do.”
She said again, and more firmly. “I’d like to visit it with you guys.”
Fisher Tiger chuckled. He reached out and patted her on the head. She remained relaxed, unflinching, and smiled. He closed his eyes and said, “We’ll see.”