That night, Caelan and his group were arranged to stay in Ryugu Castle.
After playing outside with the girls for half a day, Shirahoshi was reluctant to part from her new friends.
They agreed to meet at the Mermaid Café the next day, and then parted reluctantly.
"That's great. Shirahoshi finally has her own friends now."
Seeing this scene, Neptune was filled with relief and joy.
But Caelan couldn't understand why they were making such a big deal out of one night—after all, they'd be together from now on anyway.
The next day, he checked on the shipbuilding site once more.
Seeing the fishmen working up a sweat under Jinbe's supervision, Caelan was quite satisfied.
Then, Caelan turned and walked toward the Mermaid Café, where he met up with the girls.
Shirahoshi was still chatting happily with the others, and when Caelan saw that he couldn't get a word in, he instead struck up a conversation with the proprietress nearby.
Madam Shyarly, a blue shark mermaid, was Arlong's half-sister and possessed extraordinary powers of divination.
She stood five meters tall, with the face of a queen. Her dark blue eyes carried a cold temperament, her skin was pale, and her figure was well-endowed.
Compared to the pure and sweet Shirahoshi, this was a mermaid of a completely different allure.
She was like a mermaid version of Morgana.
In short, Caelan was quite intrigued by her.
"I heard your predictions are very accurate?"
Caelan asked casually as he took a sip of coffee.
When she was three years old, she predicted the birth of Poseidon. At four, she foresaw the coming of the Great Pirate Era. As she grew, she predicted many other major events. Because of this ability, she was honored with the title "Madam Shyarly."
Caelan was still curious about this ability.
"They used to be accurate… but now, I'm not so sure."
Madam Shyarly exhaled a puff of smoke, speaking somewhat ruefully.
According to her previous predictions, the New Fishman Pirates still had a role to play in the next two years.
But they were wiped out the day after Caelan arrived.
When Caelan displayed his power and defeated the New Fishman Pirates, she tried to revise her predictions.
The result she saw made her even more astonished.
"Really? Want to try again?"
"For example, can you predict whether I'll shake your hand?"
Caelan raised his palm and held it out toward Madam Shyarly.
"Aren't you afraid your girlfriends will get jealous?"
Madam Shyarly smirked, a seductive curve on her lips.
In the future she saw, Caelan would indeed take her hand.
If she said yes, he'd grab her hand and compliment her accurate prediction. If she said no, he'd still take her hand and praise how nice it felt.
No matter what, this hand would be shaken.
"Not worried. Just make the prediction."
Caelan shook his head and replied seriously.
Madam Shyarly didn't even bother making a prediction, because this man had already locked in the outcome.
She reached out and directly took Caelan's hand.
"Feels nice."
Madam Shyarly commented, using the very line Caelan was about to say.
"Wow, your prediction is spot-on!"
Caelan exclaimed and lightly hooked his fingers with hers.
Madam Shyarly's hands were cool to the touch, very pleasant.
This woman's even stealing my lines now...
"Sigh. I'm nothing compared to you."
Madam Shyarly withdrew her hand calmly.
But she had seen more than just this outcome.
"You really are something. Come with me."
Caelan said, as if he'd made up his mind.
It wasn't an invitation—it was a command.
This woman's ability was useful, and her appearance suited his taste. He had no intention of letting her go.
But if he asked too gently, she might just reject him.
So, it was an order.
She didn't have the right to choose her destiny—only to be chosen by it.
"So direct, huh?" Madam Shyarly smiled helplessly. Then she added, "I agree."
Even though she had seen this scene in her prophecy, facing it in person still made her feel conflicted.
"You don't resent me? I'm the one who killed Arlong."
Caelan frowned and asked.
"There's nothing to resent. We weren't close. And if you hadn't killed him after all the things he did, someone else would have eventually."
Madam Shyarly exhaled another puff of smoke and spoke calmly.
In truth, if Caelan hadn't brought it up, she wouldn't have even remembered it.
"We've only just met, and you're not even going to struggle?"
Caelan asked, a little surprised.
People who peek into fate usually react in two ways.
First: "Screw fate, I control my own life!"
Second: Believe in fate, lie down, and accept it.
But Madam Shyarly was lying down a little too fast.
"There's nothing to struggle over. I just want to find a man."
Madam Shyarly hooked her finger under Caelan's chin and smiled devilishly.
If it were a man doing that, it'd come off sleazy. But coming from her, it only added to her queenly allure.
In truth, she'd picked up this behavior from Caelan.
"Wow! So bold!"
Shirahoshi nearby was stunned.
If they remembered correctly, this was the first time Madam Shyarly had ever spoken with Caelan.
And they'd only met yesterday.
"Manager, are you going to leave with Caelan-sama?"
The mermaid waitresses saw the scene, exclaimed, and then became visibly saddened.
If the store manager left, they'd lose their jobs.
And if Madam Shyarly left, it was likely they wouldn't see her again for a long time.
"It's fine. If you want to come, then come along."
"I believe Caelan will agree."
Madam Shyarly looked at her waitresses and made the invitation on Caelan's behalf.
"Really? Caelan-sama?"
The mermaid waitresses immediately looked at Caelan, their eyes sparkling.
They also wanted to see the outside world. And if they could follow their store manager, even better.
Besides, he was the great hero who resolved two crises on Fishman Island. They admired him deeply.
"Of course. No problem. I welcome you too."
Caelan replied with a smile.
The mermaid girls at the Mermaid Café were all good-looking and had great attitudes.
It would be a shame to let them go. Better to bring them aboard the Wind Rider as daily maids. That way, Shirahoshi could also have companions of her own kind.
"Awesome! We can go to the surface now!"
"We'll get to see the blue sky, vast forests, and all kinds of amazing sights!"
The mermaids swarmed around Caelan and gave him their thanks quite enthusiastically.
For a moment, Caelan's mind went blank as he was buried in a sea of mermaids and couldn't breathe.
"Alright, stop crowding Caelan and go pack up."
Madam Shyarly knocked on the table and spoke sternly.
(To be continued.)
***
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