Cheng Xiaoyu returned to his hotel room, lit a cigar, and slowly sat down on the sofa.
It was an ordinary room, without any luxurious decorations, but it was enough for a temporary one-night stay.
His thoughts drifted to the auction scene just now, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Three hundred thousand Berries for a mermaid, supposedly a 'virgin' at that—it was quite an interesting matter.
Cheng Xiaoyu didn't have much concept of the term 'virgin', as he didn't know much about the Fishman race.
But he knew that mermaids and Fishmen were different.
Mermaids had human faces and were beautiful; Princess Shirahoshi was a mermaid.
Fishmen had fish faces; Jinbe, Arlong, and others were Fishmen.
Speaking of which, this was his first time seeing a real mermaid.
However, it didn't seem to hold any special meaning for him; it was purely out of a desire to spend money.
It was an impulse purchase.
Suddenly, there were rustling sounds outside the room, seemingly approaching footsteps.
Cheng Xiaoyu extinguished the cigar with his fingertips, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes slightly, appearing to rest, but in reality, his ears were catching every movement.
"Knock, knock, knock." The door was gently knocked.
"Come in," Cheng Xiaoyu said indifferently.
What came into view was a slender mermaid with skin as smooth as water, her long blue fish tail gently swaying on the ground, as if speaking of her elegance and mystery.
Her face held a hint of nervousness, and her eyes flickered with unease.
She seemed to have already anticipated what would happen next…
"Come in and give me a massage to relax," Cheng Xiaoyu pointed to the sofa, then lay down on it.
He thought to himself, having spent three hundred thousand Berries, he certainly had to enjoy it thoroughly.
"Massage?" A hint of confusion flashed in Ai Li's eyes, and then her expression became tense, as if she was thinking about something.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to?"
"No…"
She trembled slightly but did not resist, merely lowering her head in silence and beginning to massage Cheng Xiaoyu.
As she massaged, Ai Li's hand suddenly trembled, and she pulled out a small, gleaming knife from behind her back, thrusting it straight towards Cheng Xiaoyu's heart.
Cheng Xiaoyu's Observation Haki had long reached an advanced level, and he instantly perceived her attack.
He subtly shifted his body, swiftly grabbing her wrist with such force that Ai Li couldn't break free.
"I spent three hundred thousand Berries just to have you massage me, and you're trying to kill me?"
Ai Li's face instantly turned pale, and the small knife in her hand dropped to the ground with a crisp sound.
"Humans… none of them are good!"
Ai Li suddenly said coldly, her tone imbued with anger.
"Although I'm not a good person, what you said is too absolute. Are there no bad Fishmen among your Fishman race?" Cheng Xiaoyu said.
"I don't want to argue about this," Ai Li's voice lowered, as if she was thinking about something.
"Then what do you want to do?" Cheng Xiaoyu leaned closer to her, his gaze sharp, looking directly into her eyes.
"I… I just want to live," Ai Li's voice was weak, her eyes shimmering with tears, as if conveying her helplessness and despair.
This Ai Li was also captured by pirates and sold here; she looked quite pitiful, making it hard for one not to feel sympathy.
"Live?" Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled softly, "Then you have to listen to me."
"What do you want me to do?" Ai Li's voice held a hint of unease, her slender fingers unconsciously intertwining, and her blue fish tail gently tapped the ground.
Cheng Xiaoyu leaned lazily on the sofa, a playful smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Didn't I say? Just a massage. If the service satisfies me, I'll give you a good review and then have someone send you back to your territory."
"Send me home?" Ai Li's eyes suddenly lit up, but then dimmed again, "You're lying to me, aren't you? Humans never keep their promises."
Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled softly, pulling a dark shadow from his own shadow, which instantly transformed into the shape of a Fishman.
"Arlong, I'm entrusting this task to you. Any problems?"
Arlong grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth: "That's great! I also want to go back and see my brothers!"
Ai Li looked at the suddenly appearing Arlong, her pupils contracting sharply, but she still watched them with wary eyes.
Cheng Xiaoyu waved his hand, signaling Arlong to temporarily withdraw, then turned back to Ai Li.
"Now, do you understand? As long as you cooperate, I will keep my promise."
Ai Li was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the current situation, then finally nodded and slowly walked behind Cheng Xiaoyu, gently beginning to massage his shoulders.
He hadn't expected that the fish oil secreted by mermaids could be applied directly to the body; this fish oil was extremely slippery and very effective at relieving fatigue…
Cheng Xiaoyu, however, closed his eyes, enjoying this tranquil SPA moment…
And it was a gentle technique…
In a word, exquisite!
He never would have imagined that one day he would have a mermaid massaging him…
So satisfying!~
If he could open a spa someday and hire only mermaid technicians, business would surely be booming!
Of course, he would hire them, not force them with violence.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted downstairs, accompanied by low curses and crude laughter.
"Butler, you actually had your hand broken by an outsider? You really are useless! Hahaha!"
"Boss, that person was very strong, not an ordinary person! I suspect he's a pirate!"
…
Cheng Xiaoyu frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Why are there so many idiots in this world?!"
"Arlong, take Ai Li back to Fish-Man Island," a hint of displeasure flashed in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes.
Arlong nodded and immediately escorted Ai Li away.
Cheng Xiaoyu put on his clothes, his heart burning with rage, and walked towards the stairs, ready to investigate.
When he reached the first floor, he saw a group of people gathered at the entrance, with a burly man with a scarred face at the very front.
It was the local gang leader, Kast.
Behind him followed a group of subordinates, all with fierce looks, and among them was Butler, whose hand he had broken in the tavern!
"You bunch of good-for-nothings, let me see which blind idiot dares to cause trouble on my turf!"
Kast's voice was like thunder, making everyone around him involuntarily step back a few paces.
"Damn you!"
Cheng Xiaoyu roared, then slapped Kast across the face.
The immense force sent Kast's body flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.
Everyone around was stunned, completely unprepared for Cheng Xiaoyu's decisive action.
"You… you dare hit me?" Kast covered his face, angrily scrambling to his feet, his eyes flashing with disbelief.
"You interrupted my massage halfway through? Then don't blame me for breaking all your ribs!"
Cheng Xiaoyu, who had originally intended to keep a low profile for a few days, was now filled with murderous intent!