Green hair, a pink fishtail—she looked no older than ten, yet there was no mistaking it: she was a real mermaid.
"Yes, my name is Camie. I'm a mermaid. Thank you for saving me," the little mermaid said politely. "Sometimes I get absentminded, and then it's easy for sea beasts to eat me. Just now I nearly got digested."
Even though Zhang Da Ye knew mermaids existed, seeing one with his own eyes was still startling. The three of them stood in silence, simply staring at her.
Two seconds later, Camie's eyes bulged, her mouth fell wide open, and she screamed in terror: "H-humans! You scared me half to death!"
Zhang Da Ye let go of her hand and rubbed his ear. Cute little loli, but way too jumpy. "You don't have to yell that loud. It's not like we're going to hurt you."
Camie dropped back into the sea, knocking Tom—who had just poked his head out—straight back under. But she didn't even notice. "You won't hurt me? That's great!"
Rui Mengmeng raised an eyebrow. "You believe that so easily?"
Artoria said seriously, "Feels like she'd get tricked very easily."
"What!? I've been tricked!?" Camie's expression was ridiculously exaggerated.
"No one tricked you." Zhang Da Ye facepalmed. Was she really a mermaid, or some kind of Tontatta? She was so naïve it made him want to sigh. "If you're that easy to eat, why are you swimming around out here alone?"
"Because… ow!!" Camie suddenly shot three meters into the air. Looking closely, they saw a cat hanging off her tail.
Zhang Da Ye lunged to catch them both. "Tom, let go! She's not a fish!"
Tom clung to her tail, his eyes practically saying, *You liar. This tail is definitely fish.*
"You really can't eat mermaids…" Zhang Da Ye groaned. "Come down, let's think about how to cook that sea beast instead."
Tom reluctantly let go. Zhang Da Ye apologized to Camie: "Sorry, my cat mistook you for an ordinary fish."
Camie's big eyes welled with tears as she hid behind Artoria, deciding that sisterly aura felt safe. "That hurt! Is that really what cats are like? So scary!"
Mermaids from Fishman Island lived in near isolation. They rarely saw land animals or plants, and apparently cats were among the unknown.
Artoria gently patted her head. "Don't be afraid. Tom's cooking is really good."
What kind of absurd comfort was that? Why would good cooking mean he wasn't scary? Zhang Da Ye nearly choked on his own thoughts.
"Oh, then it's fine," Camie said, patting her chest in relief.
Tom immediately plastered on a kind smile, and Camie relaxed completely.
That actually worked? Zhang Da Ye still couldn't understand their bizarre logic. He glanced at Rui Mengmeng and found her equally dumbfounded.
At least someone else was normal. That was comforting.
A few minutes later, they set up a grill by the shore, watching Tom roast sea beast meat and some shellfish.
Of course, Tom didn't forget the crabs he'd worked so hard to catch. He set up a pot to boil them separately, determined to get his revenge.
The sea beast meat was fresh from their battle. Out of curiosity, Zhang Da Ye had tested his strength with a sword strike—cutting a gash over a meter long and dozens of centimeters deep into the creature's hide. It wasn't enough to be fatal unless he hit a vital point, but against smaller beasts, it would definitely be effective.
Camie followed Artoria cautiously onto shore. For her, setting foot on the Sabaody Archipelago was nearly a dream.
From childhood, she had been taught never to go there. Fishmen and mermaids were subject to extreme prejudice here. Many people believed they carried diseases, and Sabaody was especially notorious for this kind of discrimination.
Though Fishman Island had joined the World Government nearly two centuries ago and prejudice elsewhere was slowly fading, on Sabaody, mermaids and fishmen were still treated as inferior—things to be bought, sold, and hunted.
That made this place a "forbidden zone" for her kind. If she'd been alone, she never would have dared to come ashore.
"It smells so good! Tom really can cook." By now, everyone had introduced themselves, and Camie, carefree as ever, had already blended right in.
Tom beamed, basking in the praise.
Zhang Da Ye returned to the earlier question. "You still haven't answered. With all those sea beasts outside, why were you out here alone?"
"I sneaked out to play. Actually, mermaids are the fastest swimmers in the ocean. If I don't space out, no sea beast can catch me," Camie admitted sheepishly.
Tom's ears twitched. Fastest in the sea? He made a mental note to challenge her later.
"And… this place is part of my dream," she added softly.
"Your dream? Just stepping onto this island?" Rui Mengmeng asked. She hadn't been around long enough to learn about the prejudice merfolk faced.
"Mm. I've floated up to the surface before. My dream has always been to ride the Ferris wheel at Sabaody Park." Her voice dimmed, and she flicked her pink tail. "But I know I can't."
Tom laid scallops on the grill. Soon the shells opened, releasing mouthwatering aromas as the meat cooked. He added garlic and vermicelli, the fragrance spreading in waves.
Oysters could be cooked the same way, or eaten raw, but Zhang Da Ye had no taste for the latter. He preferred them cooked.
Tom served a plate of grilled scallops to Camie, smiling—whether in courtesy or apology, Zhang Da Ye couldn't tell.
"Thank you." Camie cautiously tried one. The moment the flavor hit her tongue, all her gloom evaporated. "Delicious!"
Mermaids didn't eat fish, but Camie had a fondness for shellfish and seaweed dishes—roasted kelp, seaweed soufflé, scallop sandwiches, clam pizzas. Tom's scallops were exactly to her liking, and she happily dug in.
The others joined in, skewers in hand, devouring roasted meat. It was a pity the beast wasn't a Sea King—otherwise, even leftovers could have fetched a fortune.
Tom, however, was caught in his own dilemma. He stared at the pot of boiled crabs, frowning. Once cooked, the blue crabs all turned red. Now he couldn't tell which one had pinched his nose, and which one had pinched his butt.
How was he supposed to get revenge now?
As for Camie—well, she really was a miracle. As a child, she'd snuck to the surface, staring longingly at the Sabaody Park Ferris wheel. Along the way, she'd been swallowed by sea beasts over twenty times, kidnapped by traffickers more than thirty… and somehow survived.