Not long ago, Coral Hill.
Located in the southeast of Fishman Island, this area is the most prosperous area in the Dragon Palace Kingdom, and there is also a mermaid cafe.
It's not the mermaid cafe opened by Charlie in the original timeline, the owner of this shop is a male mermaid.
Due to its excellent dessert craftsmanship, this cafe is quite famous in Fishman Island, but the main consumers are mermaids, and Otohime is also a frequent visitor here.
"I'd like a cup of coral coffee. How about you? The food in this restaurant is pretty good, but they don't have fish or meat. Miss Kate, would you like to try the grilled scallops? The oyster soup is good too."
Mermaids do not eat meat or fish, and the shops do not operate them either. This group's protein intake mainly comes from shellfish. In the minds of mermaids, shellfish are edible animals.
"Let's have one each. We'll also take all the desserts in the store. Miss Otohime, you don't have to pay. Meow will pay, otherwise you'll go bankrupt."
Kate stopped Yiji from wanting to pay. Oran's various research projects accounted for the largest part of their financial life, and sometimes the funds for purchasing new equipment were in the billions.
The technology tree on the sea is not balanced. If you want to purchase this kind of equipment, you have to look for industrial islands and future islands. Add to that the cost of sea transportation, and the price has not been low.
Most of the share of Orlan's earnings from Feld was reinvested in new research.
The second most expensive thing is Terra and Leliana's food. With a sub-dragon and a big eater, the amount of food eaten by one person and one dragon is shameful.
In other words, the situation of the BIG MOM Pirates is special, otherwise if Leliana had eaten to her heart's content, the banquet would have been forced to end halfway.
After looking at her wallet, Otohime gave up the idea of paying the bill. There was no other way; she couldn't afford it.
"Sister Kate, can I buy some of this candy? It tastes different from the ones on land."
Leliana also became interested in the sugar cubes on the table. They were also white cubes, but they had a unique and delicious flavor.
"You have good taste, my customer. That's algae sugar, a specialty of Fishman Island. If you want it, I'll give you all the rest of the store."
The boss just put up a sign saying the business is temporarily closed. With the amount of purchases made by Kate and her friends, he no longer has the energy to do other business today.
After hearing what Leliana said, some gifts were also given.
Due to geographical reasons, Fishman Island does not have sugarcane, beets and other raw materials for making sugar. Instead, it uses a special kind of seaweed. It is the sugar made from this seaweed that gives the desserts of Fishman Island their unique flavor.
"Thank you, boss. You're welcome."
It wasn't just this one shop. All the dessert shops on Fishman Island had experienced this kind of looting. In the end, the things that were purchased were gradually collected by Orlan into a book, creating a book of desserts.
Otohime was drinking bitter coffee and thinking about a philosophical question in life.
Leliana's smile was very sweet. Perhaps in her eyes, mermaids and merpeople were just some strange uncles and aunts, but if someone spread evil ideas to her at this time, her cognition would probably be distorted.
"This is a good start. The future will definitely be better. Races should not live with hatred."
What Otohime struggled for was never the present, but the future. Just when she thought she had taken a good step, she was suddenly poured a bucket of cold water.
[Help! It's so dark, help me.]
Otohime suddenly felt a cry for help.
Ding-ling-ling~
The doorbell at the entrance made a series of rings. First, Otohime disappeared, then Leliana followed, and finally it was Kate who protected Leliana.
When the boss returned to the front desk again, there was no one in the store.
If Kate hadn't paid the deposit in advance, the boss's mentality would have collapsed.
"Please wait a moment!"
Otohime opened her arms and blocked the way in front of a small cart carrying supplies, causing several people and a fishman who were transporting the goods to stop, and also attracted the attention of people around.
A man sitting on a cargo box looked over here impatiently, reaching out his hand to grope for something behind his back, but was held down by someone next to him.
"Don't be so impatient. This is a busy city. It will be troublesome if we attract the Sea King's army."
Both Fishman Island and Sky Island have so-called entry inspections. If you enter the country illegally, you will be hunted down by local forces.
However, the entry inspection at Fishman Island is somewhat useless. Pirate ships will indeed enter from the entrance as required, but that is because breaking in from the outside can easily cause the bubble membrane of the hull to break, ultimately causing damage to the ship.
Moreover, after entering the country, it is not certain what these people will do. Usually, before leaving the country, they will do whatever it takes to make a fortune.
The chaos on Fishman Island at this time was not as severe as the chaos that would mark the beginning of the Great Pirate Era. The pirates were still somewhat restrained and unwilling to make too much noise, otherwise they would not be able to withstand the pursuit of the Sea King's Army if they were really caught in the deep sea.
"Nuno, send her away. We're leaving now and don't want any more complications."
"Okay, Master Chris, but let's keep our promise."
"We'll give you the money when we leave, so cut the crap and hurry up."
"yes."
A fishman, driven by Chris, walked towards Otohime.
"Hey, little girl, get out of the way."
"Let the people out of the box first. I've already notified the Sea King Army. If you let them out now, there's still time to escape."
Ordinary people will not notice what is in the box, even those with strong Observation Haki. Normal people will not keep their Observation Haki on 24 hours a day to be alert to everything.
Even if she suffers from paranoia, it will only enhance her perception of crisis. However, Otohime's observation Haki is special, and her particularly strong emotional reactions cannot escape her perception at all.
She could sense the panic and cries for help coming from the box, as well as the nervousness of Nuno in front of her.
"Why would you do such a thing? They are your own people. What can you gain by betraying your own people? Stop it. There is still time."
"What are you talking about? What fellow tribesmen? I am just their guide."
Nuno's tone became a little flustered, and he was making up excuses to explain. At this time, an urging voice came from behind him again.
"Hurry up, our ship should return!"
"Get out of the way."
"no!"
The quarrel here has begun to attract the attention of other people around, but most of them choose to retreat to the surrounding area, and some shops have even closed their doors for fear of being involved in trouble.
This is the norm on Fishman Island nowadays. Only a few people fight with human traffickers like Shark. Most people choose to watch from the sidelines, or at most notify the Sea King Army. It is this kind of atmosphere that has emboldened the criminals here.
Nuno knew very well that if they delayed any longer, the Sea King's army would really arrive here. Seeing that only Otohime was there to stop them, a sense of murderous intent rose in his heart.
"Get out of here!"
Nuno grabbed Otohime's arm and pulled it to the side. If Otohime had not been moving in the air with the help of bubbles blown by bubble coral, she would probably have broken her bones. At this moment, Leliana, who followed out of curiosity, supported Otohime.
"Master Chris, let's go. The people who are in the way have been pushed aside."
Nuno glanced at Otohime and saw the human Leliana, and the guilt in his heart suddenly dissipated a lot.
"Isn't this the same as me? We're all interacting with humans. Why is she pretending to be so noble? Is she afraid that I'll steal her business?"
Nuno didn't notice that Leliana was looking at him unkindly.
Today, Leliana's ideas are still very simple and she has not yet understood the complexity of the adult world.
Her father is a good man, the person who treated her to food is a good man, and her father's friends are good people, that's all.
Nuo Nu also did not notice that there was a lot of mercury flowing in the cracks between the reefs and corals under his feet, nor did he notice that a finger flashing with electricity was pointing at their heads not far away.
"Olan, won't you intervene?"
"Let's see first. Riley needs to grow up, and some experience is necessary."
Flowers grown in greenhouses cannot withstand wind and rain. The environment of this ocean is very cruel. Living in this ocean, there are some things that you have to experience sooner or later.
Leliana has a very high ceiling and is undoubtedly someone who can stand at the top of the world, but before she grows up, she needs some help. The mercury that spreads through the cracks in the reef is an example.
Although that was Zach's ability, Orlan was able to accomplish this by manipulating Zach.
"Sister Otohime, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Riley, don't go over there. Just wait until the Sea King's army arrives."
Otohime had seen Leliana bend an iron rod with her bare hands, but she still treated Leliana as a child.
She hopes for racial equality and is willing to work for it, but she will not order others around. No matter what, she will be the first to do it, even if it is very dangerous.
At least the people of this country are still willing to believe in the Sea King Army. If a country's army loses the trust of the people, the existence of the country will become precarious.
But sometimes Leliana didn't listen to everyone else. The group didn't want to stay here and wanted to leave by pulling the cart, but in the end they found that the cart was stuck and couldn't move at all.
The man called Chris looked back and saw a little girl pulling the back of the car with one hand.
"Little devil, let go!"
While saying this, he looked around vigilantly. There were a lot of goods on the cart, and a mermaid they had just caught was locked in a box.
Chris and another younger brother sat on the box to act as guards, and there were three younger brothers in front responsible for pulling the cart.
How could a human child possibly hold such a weight? Even the giants could manage it.
So in his opinion, there must be someone hiding in the corner who took action, and the little kid in front of him was just a decoy.
But after looking for a long time, he didn't find any movement. Only Yiji adjusted the gas in the bubble, floated into the air and blocked his sight with her body.
"Assholes! Go ahead and arrest these two guys! You can't blame us if you're looking for death!"
Chris originally didn't want to make any noise here, which would lead to a fight with the Sea King's army. That would be a trouble after all. They had already captured a mermaid with the help of the fishman Nuno, a young female mermaid.
According to the current prices, as long as you send it to the auction house, you can earn at least 200 million Baileys, and even more if you meet a wealthy sponsor.
But he happened to be entangled with these two people, as if he had discovered something.
"This should have been done a long time ago, Boss. You were too hesitant before."
"Yeah, if we sell one, we sell two. We should have caught more before!"
The pirates in front had been pulling the cart and hadn't noticed what was happening behind. Now that Chris had new orders, they let go of the rope pulling the cart and wanted to go back and capture Leliana and Otohime.
It was just that the pirates in front could not see the situation behind because of the cargo blocking the carriage. They did not realize that it was because of Leliana that they could not pull the carriage.
Now he suddenly let go, but Leliana did not hold back.
Those who often play tug-of-war know that if one side suddenly reduces its force during the wrestling process, the other side will most likely lose balance and fall.
Leliana's situation was even more special. Not only did she lose her balance and sit on the ground, she also overturned the cart in her hand.
Chris was thrown to the side, and the cargo tied to the car was scattered all over the ground. The big box in the middle was broken by the impact, and the mermaid tied up inside fell out.
"So you are human traffickers!"
"Are you scared? It's too late, little brat. I don't know which idiot used a little fellow like you as bait, but he'll pay the price!"
Chris stood up from the side. He was very angry about the fall, but before he could finish his words, he found that Leliana was not even looking at him.
"Sister Otohime, where are the street lights on Fishman Island?"
Leliana looked around for traces of street lights. Oran had said that human traffickers should be hanged directly on street lights, but there was no such facility on Fishman Island, which made Leliana a little disappointed in the end.
"Little devil, you."
Chris had just picked up a chain when he suddenly felt a strange force in front of his chest. Leliana, who had just been looking for a street lamp, had come to him and grabbed his collar.
Sett's training method is not just a deliberate punch, but a whole set. In layman's terms, the current situation should be described like this.
Leliana didn't find the street light, and she was in a bad mood. She was itching to beat up this group of people to vent her frustration, and her speed in moving towards the enemy increased.
Then she grabbed Chris and another pirate at the same time, and with a pull of her hands she knocked them together.
Before Chris could even react to what was happening, Leliana grabbed his shoulders and threw him to the ground.
At this moment, his head was dizzy and all the bones in his body were in unbearable pain from the strange force, but Leliana's attack did not end.
Leliana had used his body as a weapon and threw it directly towards the remaining brothers. They were pulling the cart just now but were directly knocked out by Chris. After just one encounter, Chris was the only one who remained conscious among the five people.
Although he suffered the most direct attack, he was also the strongest among the group.
"Asshole, do you know who I am? My captain is a pirate with a bounty of 40 million berries, Bright, who never laughs! How dare you interfere in our affairs? You're finished.
Our captain has been to the New World before! Don't get too cocky!
Chris only said half of his words. Their captain did enter the New World, but he was scared after staying there for only ten days, and finally chose to escape back to the first half of the Grand Line.
The horrible weather and powerful pirates in the New World caused their pirate group to lose 90% of its members. After the remaining people fled back to Paradise in a panic, they changed their careers and became human traffickers.
A bounty of 40 million is neither high nor low in this day and age, but it still has a certain deterrent effect in the park.
But this was of no use to Leliana.
"I also know a pirate. Wait a moment."
Leliana looked for the number of the Den Den Mushi. Oran had been training Leliana in combat, and she also had some theoretical knowledge on how to determine whether a battle could be won.
For example, if what you are good at happens to restrain the opponent, then this is a battle with an advantage.
There is a more obvious situation where both sides use the same thing but their own is stronger, which is the purest crushing game.
All of Kesri's bones were aching now. He had only wanted to scare the other party. As long as the other party was afraid, he could find a way to slip away.
Unexpectedly, Leliana did not continue to attack him, but instead took out the Den Den Mushi.
"Hello, is this Sister Lingling? A pirate threatened me and said I was finished."
"Huh? Who's so bold?"
"He said his captain's name was Hello. What was your captain's name?"
"Bright Who Can't Smile"
Chris repeated it instinctively. At this moment, he suddenly had a bad premonition. He seemed to have seen the current appearance of the Den Den Mushi in Leliana's hand somewhere.
"Sister Lingling, call Brett who can't laugh."
"Well, well, well, I remember this, you little bastard, I'm Big Mom! What are you going to do to my cute sister?!"
Even through the Den Den Mushi, Chris felt a tremor at the soul level.
No, you knew BIG MOM, why didn't you tell me earlier?
In the current version of One Piece, T0 is Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Roger, and Charlotte Linlin is the T1 team following closely behind. Although she does not have the deterrent power of the Four Emperors era, she is still a terrible monster.
"How could this be fake? How could you be related to Big Mom? How could Big Mom have a sister?"
Chris didn't want to believe this fact.
"Huh? Are you really a pirate? Pirates do whatever they want. If I want to claim someone as my sister, do I need to report to you?"
When Charlotte Lingling said, "You are my sister," she was not joking. She was serious because she felt they had a good relationship. This was something that neither her sons nor Orlan himself had expected.
This number was also given to Leliana by Charlotte Linlin before Oran and the others left. If Charlotte Linlin were to go to war with Whitebeard and the like now, she would have to consider the pros and cons.
But it is easy to deal with those minor characters that no one has ever heard of.
"Little Riley, do you need my help? I can take down that pirate group for you in a few days."
"No, I can handle it myself. My dad is also very capable. I just want to tell him that I know people too."
"Mmmmm~ Mmmmm~ That's so cute. You should do your best then."
On the other side of the Big Mom Pirates, looking at their mother's happy smile, Perospero and the others wisely chose to keep quiet. They had no right to interfere with what Charlotte Linlin decided.
On this side, Leliana also shook her fists and prepared to fight again.