Chapter 97: Players Enjoy Delicious Food Behind the Orange Tree...
"Vie, Violet, please talk to me again. Don't you like Berries? When I return to the Holy Land, I can give you as many Berries as you want..."
With a bang, Violet slammed the door shut. Still not entirely at ease, she pulled out a rope from her backpack and wrapped it tightly around the doorknob several times to ensure that the terrifying creature behind the door wouldn't come out.
Violet stared intently at the door, which was vibrating and emitting a suspicious voice that seemed to say, "Are you going to lock me up? If it's your request, I won't wander around, but could you cook dinner yourself tonight?" She slowly and cautiously backed out of the cabin.
"puff……"
Violet slowly turned her head and saw Namuel, who was covering her mouth tightly but still laughing out loud.
"Pfft, hahaha!"
After enduring it for so long, Namur finally couldn't hold back any longer and leaned on the railing, laughing wildly: "Hahaha, finally, there's someone in this world who can handle you, Violet!"
This is absolutely gratifying!
Violet glared at Namur, regretting that her title was [Dog Training Master] instead of [Fish Training Master], otherwise she would have definitely made Namur, who dared to mock the player, taste the bitterness of social death.
“We’re almost there.” The honest Jinbe stepped in just in time to stop the fight. “Haku can’t control Arlong and the others by himself. For now, with the help of the local villagers in Cocoyasi Village, we’ve set up an area to keep them in custody.”
Fortunately, while the crazed dragon and his gang were incredibly destructive due to their tireless nature, their intelligence had also essentially plummeted to zero. Haku made the fences holding them a little more intricate, so the dragon and his crew could only endlessly circle around in that area.
“That’s it.” Haku, dressed in a white training uniform and looking quite like a master, looked at the dragon and his companions spinning in place. “Can you help them detoxify?”
"Although they deserve whatever fate befalls those who attempt to attack innocent villages, no matter what, the dragon and his companions, as fish-men, should still be brought back to Fish-Man Island for trial."
"Whether Queen Otohime and King Neptune decide to imprison or execute them, it is the price they should pay for having those wicked thoughts. But I think they should at least not be allowed to wander here like wild beasts in a daze."
In Haku's view, living without dignity is a far more cruel end than the death penalty.
Violet crossed her arms and looked at the mad fishmen. Thinking about what they had done, she threw a few pieces of cooked green mushrooms at them.
Smelling the food, the mad fish rushed forward to grab the mushrooms. Each ripe green mushroom could increase sanity by 15 points, while the corresponding side effect was only a negligible deduction of 1 point of health.
Given how thick-skinned and tough the merfolk are, this amount of health is nothing at all.
The slowly increasing sanity gradually brought the dragon's previously chaotic mind to its senses, though the tough black fur that had pierced its skin wasn't so easy to remove. Before the dragon, still in a terrible state, could recover from the sudden surge of muscle soreness, it was easily stunned by Haku, who had entered their confinement area, with a single, decisive strike.
Violet and the others watched as Haku knocked out the bewildered mermen one by one, like whack-a-mole.
Haku: "Then they're yours, Jinbe."
Looking at the black-haired monsters lying on the ground, Jinbe had reason to suspect that even if Haku hadn't unexpectedly arrived on this island, these guys wouldn't have tarnished the image of fishmen to the outside world—they could barely be recognized as fishmen anymore!
After thinking for a moment, Violet said with certainty, "I estimate that legends about water monkeys will circulate on this island for the next few years."
"Is this Mr. Shping?"
A voice filled with surprise and disbelief rang out, awakening Jinbe's past memories.
He turned around and saw Kera holding the hand of an adult woman wearing a light blue plaid shirt.
Koala's eyes met Jinbe's, and she flashed an extremely bright smile, waving excitedly at him: "Mr. Jinbe, it's me, Koala!"
Jinbe still has a strong impression of the little girl who was once rescued by them and lived on the Sun Pirates' ship for a period of time.
Kella: "Aunt Bellemere, may I pass through?"
The tall woman took a drag of her cigarette, squinted at Jin Ping and the others, and finally fixed her gaze on Violet beside them. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and released Kerr's hand.
Koala lunged at Jinbe, so excited that she stumbled and fell forward uncontrollably, startling Jinbe.
He quickly stepped forward and caught her.
Koala hugged Jinbe tightly, feeling the cold, abrasive texture of his skin beneath her palms, unlike anything she'd ever seen: "Mr. Jinbe, sob, Mr. Jinbe..."
Koala clutched Jinbe's clothes, looked up, and revealed a face full of tears: "I'm so sorry!"
"Waaaaah, Mr. Jinbe, I'm so sorry... Everyone on Forshat Island has told the Navy about you..."
Jinbe couldn't help but sigh. He looked at Koala, who was sobbing, and then at the Arlong Pirates crew members lying on the ground. He was not good with words and didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Don't cry. Let's put an end to what's past and focus on the future."
A gentle, motherly voice rang out, and at the same time, a fragrant, soft handkerchief was pressed against Kerr's face.
Seeing Princess Otohime appear there to comfort Koala, Bellemere, who had been scrutinizing this group of non-human beings with a critical eye, couldn't help but open her mouth wide, and the burning cigarette fell directly to the ground.
Good heavens, she is so beautiful.
Although almost every culture teaches people not to judge by appearances, just as people can't help but imagine a blue elephant, the fact that something needs to be repeatedly forbidden only shows that people are still doing it with great enthusiasm.
Arlong and his crew didn't look like good people at all. Although Haku, Jinbe, and Namuri didn't look that evil, their size and physique were still enough to instill fear.
But Queen Otohime is different; who could resist a beautiful and gentle mermaid?
Bellemere knew, in any case, that her proud sense of vigilance was no match for Princess Otohime's expectant gaze.
Bellemere sighed, "I lost to you."
"If you want to taste the food of ordinary humans, then come with me. But Your Highness, I can only make the simplest food, which is probably no match for the special food you eat in the palace."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Bellemere. I will eat them with a grateful heart."
It wasn't until Queen Otohime walked up to her that Bellemere noticed that this seemingly delicate mermaid queen was much taller than she had imagined.
Violet's resentful voice rang out softly: "Princess Otohime is over two meters tall."
Bellemere gasped.
Otohime pursed her lips shyly: "When I was little, I didn't like sports much, so I didn't grow taller." As a result, she now has some difficulty even hugging Shirahoshi.
Bellemere twitched her lips. Well, another example of the vast difference between merfolk and humans. At least among humans, someone over two meters tall would never regret not exercising more as a child.
Having already succumbed to Queen Otohime's "gentle trap" and agreed to let her come to her house for dinner, Bellemere simply waved to Jinpei and the others who were unsure of what to do behind her: "You all come along too."
"However, you will have to pay for the meal."
It was just a small meal cost, nothing to either Verjinping or Namuel.
Haku: "..."
Haku: "Why are you all looking at me? As a member of the Revolutionary Army, I don't have funding from the Dragon King's Palace like Jinbe, nor do I have income from shady dealings like Namuri. Isn't it normal that I don't have any money?"
Anyway, he's a fish-man, surrounded by oceans. When he's tired, he can just dive into the sea to sleep; when he's hungry, he can just dive into the sea to catch fish to eat; when he needs to clean himself, he can just dive into the water to take a bath; when he needs to use the toilet, he can just dive into the water...
In short, there's no physiological need that can't be solved by diving into the water; if there is, then dive in a few more times.
That tone, that poor yet proud air, made Vera sigh, "No wonder he's a subordinate of the dragon."
Fine, for Ginny's sake, Violet handed five gold coins to Bellemere: "It's my treat today."
Jinbe quickly said, "You've already helped Fishman Island so much, how can I let you spend money?"
Moreover, Violet works so hard to make money in business, even bringing a lot of fruits and vegetables to the sales staff when she comes here to help cure the evil dragon's poison. This makes Jinbe unable to help but imagine her as someone who works hard from dawn till dusk to raise the island's residents.
It wasn't until he actually became the captain of the Sun Pirates that Jinbe realized how difficult it was to be a leader, to support and manage a crew. The busy scenes he witnessed while working under Tiger were just the tip of the iceberg of the responsibilities he truly bore.
Namuel nudged Jinpei with his elbow and laughed, "It's alright, let her treat. Vera is a very wealthy woman."
The story of Violet emptying the Moby Dick's treasure room, which caused the ship's treasure master Marco to later frantically plunder other pirates' treasures, has become a legend, passed down through generations in the Whitebeard Pirates as a little story for the elders to warn newcomers not to judge a book by its cover.
Bellemere, with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, took the five gold coins, weighed them in his hand, and his eyes lit up.
These are extremely high-quality gold coins, with a face value so large that there's simply no way they could be spent in the small village of Cocoyasi.
Bellemere, who had two growing children to support, looked at the three fishmen who had followed her and calculated in her mind how many Berries these gold coins could be exchanged for, and how long it would take her to accumulate those Berries by selling oranges... Her expression completely changed.
She carefully put the gold coins back into her pocket, proudly tilting her head back: "Don't worry, in the entire Cocossia Village, although my cooking skills may not be the best, they are still among the best."
Bellemere lived some distance from the center of Cocossia village, behind which lay a large, dense grove of orange trees. Bellemere picked the largest and freshest oranges and arranged them on a plate as appetizers.
However, compared to eating oranges, Violet was more interested in the orange trees.
Did you see that?
"I see it! Wow, it's completely different from those hairy black fishmen... What's that? Is that a fishman too? It's so beautiful!"
A rustling sound, like kittens huddled together and meowing, came from behind the orange tree. On a whim, Violet switched her character to [Fishman], then lifted her hair to reveal her fin-like ears and the scales on the sides of her face, and tiptoed around in the direction of the sound.
They were two young girls, one with bright orange hair as beautiful as the fruit on an orange tree, and the other with dazzling blue hair that was just as striking as the orange-red.
Like Bellemere, their clothes showed signs of fading from multiple washes, with frayed edges on the cuffs and hems, and loose threads growing out of their shirts and trousers at odd angles like branches of an orange tree.
Violet quietly peeked between the two of them and whispered.
"What are you talking about? Let me hear it too!"
Warninged by Bellemere not to show themselves, Nami and Nochiko, who were secretly observing the fish-men from the orange grove, were speechless!
The two turned around in horror and saw marks on Vera's face that were clearly not human.
Vera gave a child-eating smile.
"What, you're not going to continue?"
——
Queen Otohime held Violet's hand and bowed deeply to Bellemere: "I'm so sorry!"
Vera replied listlessly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
It was just a very occasional, but the player's mischievousness got the better of him, and he wanted to scare those two kids for fun. But who would have thought that the little girl with orange hair was so easily frightened? Violet only released a tiny bit of murderous intent at her, and the girl immediately rolled her eyes and fainted from fright.
Realizing she had caused trouble, Violet almost had a cardiac arrest and fainted as well. Fortunately, her strong sense of reason held her back. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Violet quickly grabbed one child and rushed into the room.
Fortunately, after examination, the little girl named Nami was found to be unharmed and slowly woke up amidst everyone's worried gazes.
Having done something wrong, Violet, led by Queen Otohime, pitifully apologized and presented Nami with a box full of pretty toffee as an apology gift.
Namuri remarked to Jinbe from behind, "What a lovable child."
When Violet was a bear, she was a real bear, but she was also genuinely lovable.
Given Violet's power, wealth, and status, no one would criticize her for being arrogant and willful, even if she acted domineeringly towards a powerless mother and her two daughters on a small island.
To put it bluntly, this world is always exceptionally tolerant of those who are powerful.
But Violet's apology was sincere. She realized that her joke had gone too far, so she lowered her ears like a dog that had done something wrong, sincerely apologized, and offered a gift in hopes of being forgiven.
Although she appears unrestrained and free to the point of being frightening, she possesses her own set of values regarding good and evil that are not easily corrupted. Thus, the destruction and trouble she causes become like popping candy on a delicious cream cake.
It might be a shock to eat something you don't check, but it's also a nice treat, isn't it?
Nochiko looked at the incredibly tempting candies that Nami was holding in her arms, exuding a sweet aroma, and hesitated before glancing at his foster mother.
Sugar is a craving ingrained in the instincts of living beings. Although Bellemere wasn't so poor that her two adopted daughters couldn't even fulfill their wish to eat candy, this kind of high-end candy, which looked extremely expensive, still made Nochiga hesitate.
Nami, who was the one being apologized to, hugged him without hesitation: "For the sake of these candies, I'll reluctantly forgive you. By the way, how much are these candies?"
These high-end dishes, which require a cooking pot to prepare, not only possess some magical effects, but also require Violet herself to make them. Violet has never intended to sell them on a large scale.
However, speaking of toffee, she did sell it for a while in Tales of Hollows in order to catch a few little Charlottes.
...Although not a single one was sold, hmph, tasteless people from all over the world.
Violet: "Ten thousand Berries each."
Two large money symbols suddenly appeared in Nami's eyes.
Bellemere was also shocked by the price. Judging from the way Vera had given her gold coins as a reward, Bellemere had guessed that the child was quite rich, but she did not expect her to be this rich.
The price of a single candy, at 10,000 Berries, was far beyond Belleme's imagination.
Nami is no longer angry about Violet scaring them. If she could, Nami would love for Violet to scare them a few more times so that they could sell the candy at the market next time and save up the Berries.
That way, when the orange trees have a bumper harvest next time, and their oranges can't be sold at all, Bellemere won't have to give them food. She can then use the excuse of losing weight and taking care of her skin to fill her stomach by eating only oranges.
With more money, Bellemere could get a new set of kitchenware she had wanted for a long time, Nochigo could have new clothes to wear, and she could also buy a newer and more advanced book on nautical charts.
This family, whose members are not related by blood, is not wealthy, but everyone is working hard for a better tomorrow.
Bellemere ruffled Nochiko and Nami's hair, telling them to get along well with Violet and Koala, while she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for everyone.
Surprisingly, Haku was also quite skilled in cooking. He dragged Namuel to the coast next to the island. Although time constraints prevented them from going too far, thanks to the fish-man's unique talent, the two still managed to catch several fish that tasted quite good and were rarely caught by fishermen due to their cunning. Haku personally cooked them.
Even Queen Otohime showed off a little, making a secret dessert that the Dragon King's Palace doesn't share with outsiders.
Violet, who had always been in charge of cooking, finally got to enjoy the privilege of sitting at the table and waiting for the meal to be served.
Jinbe, being the only adult with nothing to do, seemed a little awkward.
Nami and Nokiko are both cheerful and outgoing, and at the age when their curiosity is at its peak. Although their foster mother and the village chief warned them about the dangers of the fish-men, the dragon's plan to destroy the village was thwarted before it even made an appearance. In addition, Jinbe and Violet seemed quite easy to talk to, and Koala spared no effort in praising Mr. Jinbe's kindness and strength.
This made the two children sitting at the table eager to try it.
Nami looked at the scales on the side of Violet's face: "So, Violet, are you a fish-man?"
Violet nodded affirmatively: "Yes."
Jinbe, the real fishman, who was awkwardly and frantically drinking tea: "..."
Nami and Nochiko's gazes swept back and forth between Violet and Jinbe, and the two recalled the black-haired fishmen they had seen locked up when they sneaked out.
Nami carefully chose her words: "You two don't look like..."
“That’s normal.” Violet nodded. “This ocean is very vast, so the fish-men are naturally not all cut from the same mold.”
Jinbe: "..."
Just like how there are differences in human beings, such as being short or tall, thin or fat?
Nochiko and Nami exchanged a glance, delighted to have discovered this small commonality between fish-people and humans.
Seeing that Violet and Jinbe were really easy to talk to, the two children immediately forgot about their foster mother's and the village chief's instructions and began to bombard Jinbe and Violet with questions.
When Bellemere and the others finished preparing the food and came out of the kitchen, Jinbe almost had his underwear pulled off by the two little girls.
The aroma of delicious food interrupted their conversation. Thanks to these guests, the meal was even better than what Bellemere and her friends had eaten during the holidays.
"Let's get started!"
Violet tried the dish closest to her, which should be braised beef with oranges. The sweet and sour taste of oranges and the aroma of beef fat blended together, creating a rich yet not greasy flavor. It was definitely a presentable main dish for entertaining guests.
In addition, there is orange sauce to cater to Queen Otohime's vegetarian habits, braised fish made by Haku, and Fishman Island cake made by Queen Otohime.
Just as everyone was engrossed in enjoying their meal, a hurried sound of footsteps approached rapidly. Then, the door to Bellemere's house was forcefully pushed open by a man with tanned skin, wearing a police uniform and a strange windmill decoration on his hat.
His chest heaved violently, and sweat from running clung to his face and neck: "Belmel!"
He looked at Violet and her group, who were sitting at the table with Nochgo: "You're here after all."
Bellemere looked up: "...What happened, Chief Inspector Jian?"
"Yes, it was that navy officer, that rat lieutenant colonel. He heard about the fishmen in the village and brought the navy here, saying that we should hand over all the fishman criminals we've been protecting!"
Bellemere frowned: "But didn't those merfolk go mad before they even had a chance to do anything..."
Although Bellemere was disgusted by the idea of the evil dragons attacking Cocoyasi Village, they did not do it, and no one can condemn someone based on some bad ideas.
"He doesn't care about that kind of thing. That scumbag lieutenant colonel must be after the bounty from those Mad Fishmen!"
Lieutenant Colonel Rat was cowardly and greedy. Even though the naval base he led was nearby, after hearing the news that Cocoyasi Village was being targeted by the fishmen, he covered his ears and cowered in the naval base as if he knew nothing.
Once he confirmed that the group of fishmen had indeed gone mad and lost most of their fighting strength, he immediately led his men to surround Cocoyasi Village in a show of force, attempting to pick up some of the mad fishmen to exchange for money and the means to advance his career.
Ah Jian said anxiously, "That rat colonel is sending men to surround the estuary near Cocosia Village. You need to leave here quickly!"
Nochiko, Nami, and Koala hadn't quite figured out what was going on, but they sensed something was wrong from the adults' serious tone.
Violet popped another mouthful of hot orange stewed beef into her mouth, chewed it carefully and swallowed it with great respect for the food, before looking at A-Jian: "There's no need to be in such a hurry, the food has just been served, let him wait a while."
"You won't have to wait much longer. Once Lieutenant Colonel Rat really blocks all the exits from Cocoysia Village, you won't have a chance to sneak out!"
Vera asked earnestly, "So why did you sneak out?"
Ah Jian was speechless at Vera's sincere question, and looked at Vera in disbelief as well: "Do you want to have a direct confrontation with Lieutenant Colonel Rat and his men?"
Vera continued earnestly, "...How big is the difference between a lieutenant colonel and a lieutenant general?"
Namur: "That depends on which vice admiral you're talking about. If it's Vice Admiral Garp, the naval hero, then it's a distance as far as the New World."
"Kuzan, where is Lieutenant General Kuzan?"
Namur paused, a bad feeling creeping over him. He looked at Violet, and after a few seconds, he shouted incredulously, "Don't tell me you fought with Kuzan, Violet?!"
It had only been a few days since he last saw Violet, and she had already gotten into a fight with Kuzan!
That familiar sensation of popping candy exploding in your mouth returned.
Violet retorted, "Why didn't you ask me who won?"
That proud tone made Namur exclaim in disbelief, "...Could it be you?"
“No, not at all,” Vera said honestly. “But I didn’t lose either, it was a draw… So, do you know anything about that, Muir?”
Oh, Violet, oh.
Namur sighed, accepting reality: "If it's Kuzan, then it's probably about the distance from here to R'lyeh."
Violet was speechless: "...It doesn't seem that much closer."
"So you heard that, right?" Vera gestured with her chin toward Ah Jian. "A mere lieutenant colonel of rats, I took him down easily."
If it weren't for Violet's dislike of interrupting her enjoyment of food, she could have given everyone a performance of a lieutenant colonel chopping a rat while eating beef stewed with warm oranges.
Ah Jian was taken aback by Vera's confidence, then quickly realized something was wrong: "No, wait, even if you can defeat Lieutenant Commander Rat, you'll be wanted if you attack the Navy!"
Wanted criminal Vera: "..."
Wanted criminal Namuel: "..."
Wanted criminal Jinbe: "..."
Wanted criminal Haku: "..."
The silence of the mermen frightened Ah Jian: "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Uh, don't be scared." To ease the awkward atmosphere, Vera made a joke.
"Actually, none of us are good people."
-----------------------
Author's Note: What? You say the bounty will increase after killing the rat colonel? You've covered the pros, but what about the cons? [Eating popcorn emoji]
In the original storyline, the character should have been Colonel Rat, but here, set before the original timeline, his rank has been lowered.
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