Chapter 83

Chapter 83: First Hearing of Dark Forces

"Blurp blurp blurp... Kacha."

Adrian answered the phone, "Hello, this is Adrian's bar. May I ask who's calling?"

"Ah! It's really talking!" The Den Den Mushi's eyes bulged, its mouth wide open, and its tongue curved like a wave, producing Camie's voice.

Adrian was helpless; this girl was still so jumpy: "Is this Camie?"

"Yes, yes! I'm Camie!" The Den Den Mushi dutifully imitated Camie's appearance and tone, "You scared me. Since just now, the Den Den Mushi has been taking on Adrian's appearance!"

"You're using a Den Den Mushi for the first time, huh? By the way, how did the Den Den Mushi take on my appearance?" Adrian asked, curious about what features the Den Den Mushi would choose.

"Um... how do I put it?" Camie thought for a moment before answering, "The hairstyle and eyes are exactly the same, and it looks like it's holding a folding stool in its hand?"

"Heh... what's a folding stool? And does a Den Den Mushi even have hands?" Adrian looked and noticed there seemed to be short little arms on both sides of its body. He felt like his image was irretrievably ruined.

"Never mind, that's not important. Have you returned to Fish-Man Island by now?"

"Yes! I've safely returned to Fish-Man Island, and I haven't been eaten by sea monsters!" Camie spoke proudly.

The latter part of her sentence sounded bittersweet. Adrian said, "That's good then. You sure made it back quickly."

"It's only ten kilometers, and I just had to dive down. It's pretty close for me."

"Seems like it." Ten kilometers was just around six miles, and when merfolk dived, they didn't seem to have to worry about changes in water pressure. It wouldn't take them much time.

"In that case, if I haven't been grounded by my family recently, I'll come visit you guys in a few days."

Little Camie seemed to have plenty of experience sneaking out, and she was well aware of the consequences of sneaking out to play. She was even prepared to be scolded.

"Alright." Adrian said helplessly, "But it's better to let your family know when you plan to come out and play."

Camie happily agreed and hung up the phone, but kids around her age often remembered the fun but not the punishment. She might just sneak out again next time.

After hanging up, Adrian also gave a call to the owner of the seafood shop, asking if they could check whether the sea monster was willing to buy the rest.

After all, Adrian and the others only consumed less than a hundred pounds of meat. Before coming back, they had stored away a fridge full of meat, and it would be a shame to waste the rest.

...

"Boss, we're all done showering." Rui Mengmeng wrapped herself tightly in a bathrobe and peeked downstairs, calling out, before returning to her room to change.

"I got it." Adrian responded. To be honest, from his perspective, Rui Mengmeng, who hadn't tied up her hair, looked like a tomboy.

Tom had properly wrapped a towel around his body, and there was a towel on his head, making him look like an Indian person. He walked down the stairs slowly.

He didn't need to change clothes; he just had to wait for his fur to dry.

"Tom? Doesn't the water on your body dry up just with a wipe?" Adrian asked in confusion.

Tom removed the towel from his head and showed Adrian his damp "hair" before covering it up again.

"..." He really had no way with this philosophical guy. Adrian went to take a shower, "Just open the door when they both come down; no need to wait for me."

It was time to open up, and Adrian estimated he would take around fifteen minutes to shower, so he didn't want to keep the customers waiting for too long.

When Adrian finished showering and changed into his clothes to come downstairs, there were already two tables of people in the bar.

Tom's towel and bathrobe seemed to have disappeared somewhere. He probably felt that his fur was dry enough and then dried it.

After serving drinks to the two tables of customers, Rui Mengmeng joined Tom at a table, reading a book about the world's geographical knowledge and such.

Artoria was as usual sitting quietly in front of the bar. However, today her hair was down, not tied up behind her head, making her appear much gentler.

The customers in the bar also felt the same way, but they shook their heads immediately, thinking it must be an illusion. Miss Artoria was someone who could easily take down several strong men with a broomstick. She wasn't weak at all. We must have had too much to drink.

Some of the bolder ones stepped forward to joke—not at Artoria, but at Adrian.

"Boss, you're taking a bath before it's even dark? Isn't that not good during the day?"

The one who initiated the conversation was Herz, who liked to spread various random bits of gossip. He often came alone to drink, but he seemed to be quite the socialite. He could easily get along with people he wasn't familiar with and often used his "exclusive news" to exchange drinks with others.

Adrian glanced at him, feeling that this guy definitely had ulterior motives: "Is there a problem with taking a bath during the day?"

Herz grinned, "Hehehe, I see that besides you and Miss Artoria, that female server's hair still isn't dry either. Who's really the one you're with?"

Adrian sighed, "I think I will not give you a 20% discount on your bill today."

"Ah, spare me, I don't have much of my salary left this month." Herz continued to grin, "Hey, boss, let me tell you an interesting piece of information. How about giving me an 80% discount in exchange?"

Adrian thought, as expected, he's up to no good. He actually wants a discount. He said, "That depends on whether it's worth it or not. Tell me first."

"It's definitely worth it. I'll tell you, the bar's business might become really good over the next few days." Herz spoke mysteriously, looking like he had some grand revelation.

"Oh? Why?" Adrian was interested in any information that could affect him. "If you're right, I'll give you a discount next time you come."

"Deal." Herz finished his drink and put the glass on the bar counter. He lowered his voice and continued, "A few days ago, the notorious pirate Donquixote Doflamingo from the North Sea secretly arrived on this island."

"I also know that Vice Admiral Tsuru came to pursue him." Adrian looked at him with a teasing expression. The atmosphere was so mysterious; it must be something big, but then...

"Don't be so impatient, let me finish." Herz continued, "Over the past few days, Doflamingo has been taking out many crime syndicate leaders, causing a commotion in the underworld."

This sounded weird. A notorious pirate ran into the criminal underworld and took down

many crime bosses. Why did it sound like a superhero story?

"Go on."

"Of course, he's not doing it for good intentions; he has another motive. Maybe he wants to establish contact with the dark forces behind those syndicates in this way. This has nothing to do with us ordinary people."

"But what's certain is that due to his actions, many syndicates will take advantage of the chaos caused by their leaders being taken down to expand and seize territories. The underworld will be in turmoil for a while. And then, many people who don't want trouble will come out to avoid it. Places like 59GR, which is close to the Navy's base, are absolute gold mines. Boss, do you think the business will pick up?"

Adrian nodded; this guy seemed to have a knack for business. He managed to deduce an opportunity from so little information, and his reasoning was sound and convincing. But to use such talent to scam free drinks...

"If that's the case, maybe." Adrian opened a bottle of wine and poured it for him, "Here, I'll treat you this glass. What's the dark force you mentioned?"

"I also know that Vice Admiral Tsuru came to pursue him." Adrian looked at him with a teasing expression. The atmosphere was so mysterious; it must be something big, but then...

"Don't be so impatient, let me finish." Herz continued, "Over the past few days, Doflamingo has been taking out many crime syndicate leaders, causing a commotion in the underworld."

This sounded weird. A notorious pirate ran into the criminal underworld and took down

many crime bosses. Why did it sound like a superhero story?

"Go on."

"Of course, he's not doing it for good intentions; he has another motive. Maybe he wants to establish contact with the dark forces behind those syndicates in this way. This has nothing to do with us ordinary people."

"But what's certain is that due to his actions, many syndicates will take advantage of the chaos caused by their leaders being taken down to expand and seize territories. The underworld will be in turmoil for a while. And then, many people who don't want trouble will come out to avoid it. Places like 59GR, which is close to the Navy's base, are absolute gold mines. Boss, do you think the business will pick up?"

Adrian nodded; this guy seemed to have a knack for business. He managed to deduce an opportunity from so little information, and his reasoning was sound and convincing. But to use such talent to scam free drinks...

"If that's the case, maybe." Adrian opened a bottle of wine and poured it for him, "Here, I'll treat you this glass. What's the dark force you mentioned?"