"Bulu bulu bulu… kacha."
Zhang Da Ye picked up the receiver.
"Hello, this is Da Ye's Tavern. Who's calling?"
"Ah! It really spoke!" The transponder snail's eyes bulged, its mouth stretched wide, and its tongue wiggled like a wave. Out of it came Camie's voice.
Zhang Da Ye sighed helplessly. This girl was still as jumpy as ever.
"Camie?"
"Yes, yes! It's me, Camie!" The snail dutifully mimicked her expressions and tone. "You scared me just now. The snail suddenly turned into your face, Mr. Da Ye!"
"You really are using a transponder snail for the first time, huh. By the way, what do you mean it turned into my face? What does it look like exactly?" Da Ye asked, genuinely curious which of his features the snail chose.
"Hmm… how should I put it." Camie thought for a bit. "Your hairstyle and your eyes are the same, and it looks like you're holding a folding stool?"
"Pfft—what the hell? A folding stool? And wait, the snail has hands?"
Da Ye looked down. Sure enough, the snail did have stubby little arms on its sides. Great. His image was beyond saving.
"Forget it, not important. Did you call because you've already made it back to Fishman Island?"
"Yup! I got back safe and sound. No sea beasts ate me!" Camie said proudly.
That last part sounded more tragic than reassuring. Da Ye chuckled.
"Good. You were pretty fast, too."
"It's only ten thousand meters down, and I was diving. That's nothing for me!"
"Guess that makes sense." Ten kilometers under the sea wasn't far at all for a mermaid. They didn't even have to worry about water pressure.
"Anyway, that's all. If I don't get locked up at home, I'll sneak out and visit you in a few days."
Clearly Camie was well-practiced at sneaking out and knew full well she'd get punished for it. She even sounded ready to take the beating afterward.
"Alright," Da Ye sighed. "But really, you should tell your family when you go out."
She cheerfully agreed before hanging up. But Da Ye knew well—kids that age remembered the fun, not the punishment. She'd probably sneak out again next time.
After hanging up, Da Ye called the seafood shop owner, asking him to check whether the big sea beast they fought earlier could be bought up.
After all, they'd only eaten less than a hundred catties of meat themselves, and Da Ye had packed another fridge's worth before leaving. The rest would be a waste if left to rot.
…
"Boss, we're all done bathing." Rui Mengmeng, wrapped tight in a bathrobe, leaned over the upstairs railing and shouted down before heading back to her room to change.
"Got it." Da Ye called back. Honestly, with her hair down, she looked more like a tomboy than anything else.
Tom padded downstairs wrapped in a towel like a bathrobe, another towel tied around his head like a turban.
He didn't need to change—he just had to wait for his fur to dry.
"Tom? Doesn't your fur dry instantly if you just wipe it?" Da Ye asked, puzzled.
Tom pulled off the towel, showing him his still-damp "hair," then put it back down with a huff.
"…Forget it." There was no reasoning with this whimsical cat. Da Ye shook his head and went to shower himself.
"If the girls come down, just open the tavern. Don't wait for me."
It was already opening time. His shower would take at least ten minutes—better not make the customers wait.
By the time Da Ye came back downstairs, washed and dressed, two tables of guests were already seated.
Tom's towels had vanished somewhere. He'd probably decided his fur was "dry enough," and then it simply was.
After serving drinks to the two tables, Rui Mengmeng plopped down beside Tom to read—something about local geography.
Artoria sat quietly at the bar as always. Today her hair wasn't tied back but left loose, which made her look softer, almost fragile.
The guests noticed too, but quickly shook their heads. Illusion, definitely illusion. Miss Artoria could knock out half a dozen men with a broom—fragile, my ass. Must've been the booze talking.
One bold man did try to tease—not Artoria, but Da Ye.
"Boss, bathing before sunset? Isn't that a little indulgent?"
The speaker was Helsay, a notorious gossipmonger. He always drank alone but was a natural social butterfly, quickly befriending strangers. He often traded "exclusive news" for free drinks.
Da Ye glanced at him, already suspecting nonsense.
"And what's wrong with bathing in the afternoon?"
Helsay smirked.
"Hehehe, I noticed your waitress's hair is still wet too. So tell me, Boss—between her and Miss Artoria, which one's your 'special someone'?"
Da Ye sighed.
"I think I'll give you a twelve-percent discount today."
"Haha, spare me. I don't have much pay left this month." Helsay grinned wider.
"Tell you what, how about I trade you some juicy intel for a twenty-percent discount?"
As expected, this clown was after a cheaper tab.
"That depends," Da Ye said lazily. "If it's worth anything. Go on, let's hear it."
"Worth it, guaranteed! Here's the deal: in the next few days, your tavern's business might boom." Helsay leaned in, looking smug.
"Oh? Why's that?" Da Ye was interested—anything affecting his tavern mattered.
"If you're right, next time's on discount."
"Deal." Helsay drained his cup, set it down, and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"Word is, the big-time North Blue pirate, Donquixote Doflamingo, has quietly arrived on this island."
"I even heard Vice Admiral Tsuru's here chasing him," Da Ye said flatly, giving him a look that screamed: that's your 'secret'?
"Wait, wait, let me finish." Helsay pressed on.
"These past days, Doflamingo's been wiping out tons of crime bosses, throwing the lawless district into chaos."
That sounded off. A pirate running around dismantling crime syndicates? Wasn't that basically a superhero plot?
"Go on," Da Ye said.
"Of course, he's not doing it out of kindness. He's got his own goals. Probably trying to connect with the dark powers backing those gangs. That part's not really our business.
But mark my words—because of him, every gang is scrambling. With their bosses gone, turf wars are breaking out left and right. The lawless zone's gonna be in flames for weeks.
And you know what that means—loads of people who don't want trouble will be looking for a safer spot to hide. Places close to a Marine base, like GR-59, are prime. Boss, tell me—won't your business skyrocket?"
Da Ye nodded. This guy might be a clown, but he had a merchant's brain—turning scraps of rumor into sharp business insight. Shame he used that talent just to scrounge free drinks.
"If it really plays out like that, maybe." Da Ye opened a bottle and poured him a glass.
"Here, this one's on me. By the way—you mentioned those 'dark powers.' What exactly are they?"