The moment Andy stepped into Mermaid Cove, before he could even properly savor the rich sea breeze, he was surrounded by a flock of beautiful women.
Because of his appearance, just like at the Mermaid Cafe, whenever Andy showed up at Mermaid Cove, there were very few other people around.
But it didn't matter.
Now, every mermaid in Mermaid Cove knew that Red Hawk had a lot of Berries and was generous; as long as they made Red Hawk happy, Red Hawk would make them happy!
Among the many mermaids, Andy had a particular fondness for Melo and Yixili.
Melo had long, light blue hair, like clear seawater, flowing freely, often adorned with a vibrant, dew-kissed flower, truly like a sea sprite.
Her face was sweet with a hint of allure, and as a Sillaginidae Fishman, every movement she made exuded a unique charm.
As for Yixili, her long, wavy black hair was meticulously tied into twin pigtails, playfully swaying with her movements.
As a Striped Beakfish Fishman, her black and white tail complemented the wild-looking lingerie she wore, and every flick seemed to tell a mysterious story from the depths of the ocean.
Coincidentally, both of them were also employees at the Mermaid Cafe.
What fascinated Andy the most was their exceptional dancing skills; Andy had enjoyed their performance for an entire night.
As soon as rhythmic music played, their bodies seemed to be imbued with magic, gracefully leaping and spinning, every movement full of rhythm and highly captivating.
Their extraordinary body flexibility was even more appealing to Andy.
"Red Hawk, we've been waiting for you for so long! We thought you weren't coming today!" Melo's voice was as clear as a silver bell, like a docile little bird, as she intimately linked arms with Andy.
"Hehehe~ Red Hawk, how about Melo and I go swimming with you today?" Yixili giggled, not to be outdone, embracing Andy tightly from the other side, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Red Hawk..."
Soft calls from other mermaids kept coming from all around.
Once in the water, Andy's ears were filled only with the vibrant and enthusiastic voices of the mermaids.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, these mermaids were all in the prime of their youth, full of aspirations for the future, and willing to strive hard for life.
They were working so hard, how could Andy remain indifferent?
"Alright, alright, alright~ Everyone gets a share, 1 million Berries each, and Melo and Yixili get 3 million each!" Andy announced grandly and loudly amidst the mermaids.
"Wow~"
"Thank you, Red Hawk!"
"Red Hawk, I love you~"
"Red Hawk~"
Andy's voice dropped, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of Mermaid Cove.
The excited mermaids in the water immediately tossed Andy up and caught him with their soft bodies; for a moment, the entire cove was immersed in a sea of joy.
Andy smiled very happily; happiness was that simple~
On the shore, Carifa turned and frowned, looking into the distance. Why was the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi here? She was followed by a team of guards and the Shichibukai Jinbe.
Carifa went to meet them; Andy was having a good time and didn't want to be disturbed.
But Princess Shirahoshi...
"Mermaid Princess, is there something you need?" Carifa walked up to Shirahoshi and asked directly.
She had to look up to see Shirahoshi, who was over eight meters tall at just eight years old.
"H-h-hello... I... I came to..." Shirahoshi nervously fiddled with her fingers, and in her urgency, she quickly turned a pleading gaze towards Jinbe behind her.
Seeing this, Jinbe immediately stepped forward, his voice deep and steady: "Miss Carifa, hello. It's like this, Princess Shirahoshi has been talking about wanting to meet Mr. Red Hawk for the past two days. I wonder if it's convenient now?"
"Meet Andy?" A hint of surprise flashed in Carifa's eyes, and her gaze fell on Shirahoshi again.
Shirahoshi was also looking at Carifa with great anticipation.
For the past two days, several mysterious voices had constantly echoed in Shirahoshi's mind, urging her to contact Andy and, if possible, to have Andy protect her in the future.
Shirahoshi was very scared at first.
Because her father, her three brothers, and even Boss Jinbe, couldn't hear these voices.
But those voices said she was their king.
After more than half a day of serious communication, she finally understood what those voices meant: she would likely encounter danger in the future, and those voices said only Andy could protect her.
Most importantly, after meeting Andy that day, she felt his voice was very pleasant.
So she asked Boss Jinbe to bring her.
"You two, come with me." Carifa pondered for a moment and decided to let them meet Andy.
Shirahoshi was immediately overjoyed.
Following that, Carifa led Princess Shirahoshi and Jinbe to Mermaid Cove, where Andy was playing with the mermaids.
"Princess Shirahoshi~"
Many mermaids, upon seeing Princess Shirahoshi and Boss Jinbe appear, immediately stopped playing with Andy and bowed to Princess Shirahoshi.
Andy looked at Carifa.
He hadn't used Observation Haki to sense the situation on Fish-Man Island for the past two days; with his current strength, there was no need to constantly sense his surroundings as he used to.
"It's like this, Andy, Princess Shirahoshi said she wanted to meet you. I think she seems to have something to talk to you about." Carifa explained to Andy.
Andy looked at Shirahoshi, his eyes filled with a bit of confusion.
Shirahoshi was very happy; she finally heard that pleasant voice again, but seeing so many people around, she suddenly felt too shy to speak.
Then, a blush spread across her cheeks.
"Melo, Yixili, you two can leave for now. We'll play again tomorrow." Andy noticed Shirahoshi's shyness and then dismissed the surrounding mermaids.
"Alright, Red Hawk." Melo responded obediently.
Immediately after, she and Yixili led the other mermaids away from the area.
"Little Shirahoshi, come down, let's chat in the water." Andy invited Shirahoshi.
"O-okay." Shirahoshi responded happily.
For over two years, ever since she moved into that dim iron house, she hadn't swum in the sea.
Now, swimming in the sea again, she was very excited.
Not long after entering the water, Shirahoshi was no longer nervous and directly unleashed her childlike nature, which greatly surprised Jinbe on the shore.
He didn't understand.
Why was Princess Shirahoshi so trusting of Red Hawk?
As a giant Sillaginidae Fishman, Shirahoshi had the fastest swimming speed among all mermaids. Eventually, while playing, she found Andy too slow and directly led him out of the Mermaid Cove area very quickly.
Gradually.
Through his conversation with Shirahoshi, Andy finally understood why she had come to find him.
Those mysterious voices should be the surrounding colossal Sea Kings; they were the ones who told Shirahoshi to find him. Did they sense something?
But Shirahoshi was only eight years old now...
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