Chapter 189: Chapter 189
Chapter 189
"Of course. Before, I couldn’t bear to leave Madam Shyarly and all of you... but since even Madam Shyarly has decided to join, then I’m going to join Rorschach-kun’s crew too!"
Ishilly answered her friends with a firm tone.
"Wuuu... I’m so jealous. You can just decide to go without hesitation. If it were me, my mom and dad would probably scold me to death."
Some of the mermaid girls looked envious.
A few others exchanged glances. After a moment of thought, they seemed to make up their minds.
"If Ishilly is going, then we’re going too!"
The mermaids who had met Nami and the others earlier in the Coral District also spoke up together. Their names were Merou, Shirahoshi, Sayla, Karen, Luraz, Figas, Sora, and Maggy.
"Really? If so many of us sisters join together, we won’t feel lonely out there!"
Ishilly smiled happily.
"I... I want to join too..."
Even Camie, who had been hesitant earlier, raised her hand and spoke with determination.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of wooden clogs echoed, interrupting their conversation.
Everyone recognized the footsteps — it was Jinbe. They understood that the discussion inside had ended.
A few seconds later, Madam Shyarly, riding on a bubble, walked out together with the large and sturdy Jinbe.
"Looks like you’ve finished talking. So, Madam Shyarly, are you still planning to join us?"
Rorschach got straight to the point.
"If Rorschach-kun doesn’t mind having a burden like me, then I would be very happy to join your crew."
Madam Shyarly smiled as she replied.
"Of course I welcome a beautiful lady like you. I’m honored."
Rorschach shrugged and answered warmly.
"From today onward, we’re comrades. Please take care of me, Madam Shyarly."
Kalifa and the others stood up and greeted her enthusiastically.
Madam Shyarly responded to each of them one by one, then turned her gaze toward the mermaid girls inside the café.
"I’m sorry, girls. From now on, I won’t be able to keep employing you. This café will also be permanently closed in the future."
She looked at them with genuine guilt, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Once she boarded the ship, there would be no one left to manage the café. She could only close it or entrust it to one of the girls to reopen later.
"We should be the ones thanking you for taking care of us all these years. Thanks to you, we had stable income and a place to stay at Coral Apartments."
The mermaid girls shook their heads and spoke sincerely.
"Also... some of us want to go with you and board Rorschach-kun’s ship."
"I don’t think Rorschach-kun would refuse, right?"
Ishilly smiled mischievously and turned to look at Rorschach.
"Of course not. What I said yesterday still stands. Having so many beautiful mermaid ladies join us is my honor."
Rorschach gave a gentlemanly bow and spoke in a teasing tone.
"Ara, Rorschach-kun really knows how to flatter people. Compared to them, we’re nothing special."
The girls blushed and struck playful poses while teasing him back.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"In that case, let’s close the café for now. Would you girls like to come out with us this afternoon? Madam Shyarly, you’re coming too, right?"
Rorschach clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention and asked.
"Sure. Since I’ve already decided to follow you, there’s no point keeping this place open. I’ll handle the rest later and leave it to them to reopen if they want."
Madam Shyarly shrugged casually.
"Shirahoshi, you’ve been with us all morning. Is there anywhere you want to go this afternoon? We can go together."
Rorschach turned to Shirahoshi.
"A place I want to go...?"
"I want to visit Mother."
Shirahoshi murmured softly, then spoke with a determined look.
She had wanted to pay respects to her mother for a long time, but because of Vander Decken, she had never been able to leave. Since she had been accompanying Rorschach and the others all morning, she hadn’t wanted to interrupt their fun. Now she finally said it out loud.
"The Sea Forest, huh? That works. We were planning to go there anyway."
Rorschach nodded and agreed.
"Hm? The Sea Forest is the place you mentioned earlier where one of the Poneglyphs is stored, right?"
Robin’s eyes lit up.
"Yeah. I was thinking of taking you there when we had time. Since Shirahoshi wants to go too, we might as well head over now."
"Alright! Then let’s go for a walk! Ikusou!"
Rorschach stood up and shouted energetically, then led everyone out of the Mermaid Café.
"He really doesn’t waste any time."
"Probably because he can’t get used to the food here. He’s someone who can’t live without meat, but he’s been eating vegetables and sweets for two days straight. He’s probably at his limit."
Nami and Kalifa shook their heads and smiled helplessly.
Everyone stood up and followed Rorschach.
The Sea Forest wasn’t located on Fish-Man Island itself, but on the seabed outside it. It was a forest that grew at the bottom of the ocean, which was why it was called the Sea Forest.
There were two ways to reach it: swimming or taking a boat, or riding the Sea Train that traveled along a special ocean current.
Rorschach’s group chose to take the Sea Train.
"Ha~~~ This is really amazing! The view is so beautiful!"
Nami and the others pressed against the bubble, watching the colorful fish swimming alongside the current.
It was a completely different kind of beauty from the surface world.
"This is exactly why we came to the deep sea. You can’t see scenery like this on land."
Rorschach stood beside them, also admiring the view.
The mermaid girls, however, were already used to it and didn’t find it particularly special. Shirahoshi, on the other hand, looked around with genuine curiosity. It had been many years since she last saw the outside world like this.
"It’s strange. As the princess of Fish-Man Island, you’re still this curious about the scenery here," Nami teased lightly.
Shirahoshi lowered her head shyly.
"Because I’ve been living inside the Hard Shell Tower all this time... it’s been a long while since I’ve seen anything like this."
"You must have had a really hard time these past few years."
Nami and the others looked at her with sympathy.
Time passed quickly.
Before long, Rorschach and the others arrived at the edge of the Sea Forest.
Because of the ocean currents, countless sunken ships eventually drifted here. The outer area of the Sea Forest was known as the "Ship Graveyard."
Countless wrecked ships and skeletons lay silently on the seabed — all pirates who had failed to reach the island. Members of Fish-Man Street often came here to scavenge treasure from the wrecks.
Although there were many sunken ships, the scenery itself was surprisingly beautiful.
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