"Hey! Mr. Fishman, excuse me, where can I find mermaids..."
"Hi! Friend, let me ask you something..."
On the edge of a relatively bustling district on Fish-Man Island, three beautiful women whose sizes far exceeded normal humans sat dejectedly on a giant coral reef by the roadside, appearing somewhat out of place with the fish-filled streets around them.
Gölz watched Kuri jump lightly off her shoulder and sighed in frustration: "So, what exactly is going on?"
Earlier, the three had decided to temporarily split up to ask local residents about the location of the merfolk settlement. However, no matter which of them tried to approach, those fishmen invariably cast looks of extreme disgust and loathing, quickly moving away as if avoiding a plague, giving them no chance to start a conversation.
"Those fishmen run as soon as they see us! And they make those disgusted faces! In their eyes, does This old lady look that scary?!"
Ripley rubbed her hair irritably, her tone full of anger.
Kuri, who had just come down from Gölz's shoulder, wasn't discouraged; she trotted off trying to stop a passing mermaid to talk.
"Sigh~" Charlotte Linlin also let out a rare sigh, rubbing her brow. "A miscalculation... I didn't expect the fishmen here to be so exclusionary towards humans."
She was a bit puzzled, "How did those two guys, Roger and Rocks, find Fishman partners willing to go to sea with them back then?"
This situation was indeed unexpected. She didn't expect the fishmen to hate humans so much; it was one thing to loathe ordinary people, but she hadn't expected that even the three of them, with features clearly different from ordinary humans, would also be loathed by the fishmen.
Even if a Fishman was occasionally attracted by her beauty and willing to talk, as soon as they heard her ask for the merfolk's residence, their expression would change instantly, as if seeing some filthy human trafficker, and they would hurry away without looking back.
They even have clansmen sent to Mary Geoise as Slaves, so why do fishmen loathe all humans? Have they renounced their humanity?
"I hope it won't be the same with the merfolk," Charlotte Linlin thought. Otherwise, even if she forcibly "recruited" mermaids, she wouldn't dare use them confidently; who knows if they would stab her in the back.
"Linlin, what should we do next?" Ripley looked at her Captain.
"Since asking nicely doesn't work," Charlotte Linlin's eyes sharpened as she turned her gaze toward the faint outline of the palace in the distance, saying fiercely,
"Then we'll do it the hard way! No matter what, This old lady must have a complete team of professional sailors on my ship! At worst, I'll just spend a few more years slowly 'training' them!"
She planned to change the plan: directly storm the Ryugu Kingdom, kidnap the royal family, and use "friendly negotiation" to exchange for people! The merfolk royalty should know where their subjects live.
As for why she didn't use this move before, it was mainly because Charlotte Linlin considered this to be the home of her future prospective Crew members and wanted to remain friendly.
Moreover, her target was ordinary merfolk, not those nobles. After all, what noble would give up their beautiful life to wander around with a group of pirates?
"Fine! Let's do it! This old lady has had enough of these fishmen looking at us like we're trash!" Ripley rubbed her hands together, eager to try.
The three stood up, ready to head straight for the palace.
While the three were discussing taking forceful measures, Kuri, who had run off to try communicating, had finished her conversation and trotted back to them.
"Alright! Let's go! Eh? Where's Kuri?" Charlotte Linlin only then realized that Kuri, who should have been on Gölz's shoulder, was gone.
"Oh, she said she wanted to walk around on her own just now, so I let her down," Gölz explained.
"otousan, I know where the merfolk live," a small voice came from beside Charlotte Linlin's feet. Kuri, who had returned at some point, spoke while looking up.
"How would a little kid like you know?" Ripley looked down at Kuri with disbelief.
"A Fishman uncle told me," Kuri replied, blinking her innocent big eyes.
"What? A Fishman was actually willing to talk to you?" Ripley was even more surprised. "Does that Fishman have some special preference for children?"
Hearing Ripley's words, Charlotte Linlin's brow furrowed instantly, and her gaze became extremely dangerous, a palpable murderous intent sweeping across the surroundings.
The fishmen who were still secretly sizing them up with disgusted looks were suddenly swept by this gaze, feeling as if they were being stared at by a prehistoric beast; the color drained from their faces, and they fled in terror.
"Kuri, tell Father, which Fishman was talking to you just now?" Charlotte Linlin's voice lowered as she continued very kindly.
"As your father, I feel it's necessary to have a 'friendly exchange' with him."
Which guy who was tired of living dared to eye her family's brat?
Kuri, frightened by the terrifying aura that suddenly erupted from Charlotte Linlin, shrank her neck and waved her hands to explain:
"No, otousan! It's because of my teeth! That Fishman uncle seemed to mistake me for a child of a mermaid and a human, so he was willing to give me the information."
Saying this, Kuri opened her mouth, revealing her sharp teeth that were quite mismatched with her youthful face.
"I see." Hearing this explanation, the suffocating aura around Charlotte Linlin slowly retracted, and her eyes returned to calm.
However, after her scare just now, let alone fishmen, not even the shadow of a seashell could be seen in the vicinity.
Although startled by the sudden eruption of murderous intent, a warm current quietly flowed through Kuri's heart. She could clearly feel Charlotte Linlin's genuine protection and care.
At the same time, she was somewhat happy. After all, in Punk Hazard, she was loathed by others because of these teeth. But today, she actually helped Charlotte Linlin because of them.
Relieved, Kuri quickly said: "otousan, the place we are in now is the outskirts of Fish-Man District, where most residents are fishmen. The 'Mermaid Cove' and 'Mermaid Dormitories' where the merfolk live are on the other side of the kingdom, near Coral Hill."
She thought for a moment and added: "By the way, Fish-Man District and the Mermaid Dormitories are just where ordinary fishmen and merfolk commoners live."
"Well done, Kuri!" A smile of approval appeared on Charlotte Linlin's face as she extended a giant index finger and gently rubbed Kuri's dark red short hair.
"Hehe." Receiving praise, Kuri laughed happily, feeling a great sense of achievement from being able to help.
"Alright! Target confirmed—let's go, Mermaid Cove!"
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