"…Beautiful… beautiful?"
Kiana sank to her knees, tears welling in her eyes. If it were possible, couldn't someone just tell her she was handsome?
The three mermaids stared at her in stunned silence, captivated by the ethereal figure before them. She looked like a fairy, and their expressions froze, unable to process the sight.
In her Crimson Armor, her smooth, pale skin was glimpsed like a newborn's, framed by glossy black hair that cascaded to her waist. Her panicked, yet adorable expression struck the mermaids somewhere deep in their hearts, stirring both wonder and curiosity.
"…."
Kiana noticed their dazed gazes and felt a flush of embarrassment. What was wrong with them? Why weren't they saying anything?
Finally, the short-haired blue mermaid asked, "Are… are you the human Grandma spoke of?"
"…Well, yes. I'm human," Kiana replied.
"Wow! You're really human!"
The three mermaids squealed in excitement, their curious eyes scanning Kiana as if she were some exotic treasure. She froze, horrified at the intensity of their scrutiny.
Swish!
They leapt into the water, approaching her eagerly.
"I wanna poke!""Me too!""I want to poke too!"
Before Kiana could react, tiny fingers poked at her chest, causing her body to shudder in shock.
"…."
Kiana's mind went completely blank. She gripped her Pulse Taidao tightly. Poking… this was how they greeted someone?
"Well, so humans really look like this. The upper body is just like ours," the blue-haired mermaid commented curiously. Meanwhile, the red-haired mermaid reached toward Kiana's skirt.
Snap!
Kiana slapped her hands away sharply. "Stop that! If you touch anything else, I'll consider you a mission target!"
"Eh? You… can't?" the red-haired mermaid asked, tilting her head innocently.
"No!" Kiana declared firmly, her voice raised. There was absolutely no way.
"Well, stingy!" The red-haired mermaid pouted, her cheeks puffing adorably in protest. She was fascinated—after all, it was the first time she'd seen a human.
"Uh… eldest sister, second sister… this is a human? A deadly human? Grandma said humans hide when they see one," the green-haired mermaid murmured, clutching her chest. Kiana's eyes widened in shock.
"…That's huge."
Kiana fought the fleeting, absurd urge to reach out. No, she reminded herself firmly, this was a [-]-dimensional creature—strictly off-limits!
"Do you really believe what Grandma said? I think this human is fine, just… a little stingy," the blue-haired mermaid remarked.
"Not stingy! You're being rude!" Kiana couldn't help but complain. Was it normal for girls to poke at someone's chest or sneak hands under a skirt? She considered herself polite for not having drawn her sword yet.
Kiana then remembered something important. "Well… let me ask you something. Do you know which island this is?"
The eldest, red-haired mermaid tilted her head curiously. "You don't know?"
"I'm asking because I don't know!" Kiana sighed inwardly. Talking to mermaids was exhausting.
"This is part of the West Sea near the Windless Zone. The island is called Graf," Elis said, her fingers brushing Kiana's smooth hair. Kiana allowed it, still needing answers, but carefully controlled the area under her skirt.
"Don't you all live on Fishman Island? Why are you here in the West Sea?" Kiana asked, recalling the pirate plots she had studied. Most mermaids lived near Fishman Island; seeing them here was unusual.
"Our family has always lived here. Not all mermaids reside on Fishman Island," Elis explained.
"…Interesting," Kiana murmured. So the animation hadn't been entirely accurate; some mermaids lived outside Fishman Island.
"Is this your first time seeing a human?"
"Yes! You're the first human I've seen. Are all humans as beautiful as you?" The blue-haired mermaid poked Kiana's chest lightly before letting go, then grasped her arm. Kiana noticed how comfortable their touch felt but reminded herself this was off-limits.
"So, if this is your first human, this area must be largely uninhabited?" Kiana thought aloud. She realized she had been reincarnated on a remote island with no nearby human settlements. If anyone had been here in the past ten years, surely mermaids would have already encountered humans.
Her mind drifted to the future. She'd have to go to sea eventually to find Dragon Balls. Unless her elder sister conveniently placed all seven on one island, she'd have to sail—though she had no knowledge of shipbuilding. What if her makeshift vessel broke apart? The pirate seas were far more dangerous than Earth's oceans, filled with storms and sea kings. And as a Devil Fruit user, seawater could kill her.
"This habitat was carefully chosen by our ancestors. Reefs make navigation difficult, the beasts are fierce, and no ordinary person dares come here," Elis said.
"…Understood." Kiana accepted that the sea trip was impossible for now. She would build her strength first.
She gently withdrew her hand from the blue-haired mermaid's grasp and started walking toward the next cluster of red dots.
"Human, you're leaving? Won't you play with us?"
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No… it's just that the first human we've seen is leaving, and we feel… a little lost," the red-haired mermaid said, pouting softly. Kiana's heart softened at their reluctance.
"I live on this island. I can't stay long, but maybe I'll come back to play another day," she said kindly.
"Really?" The blue-haired mermaid's tail thumped in delight. She had taken a liking to Kiana, perhaps because of her calm, indifferent demeanor.
"Really. I promise… just like a puppy," Kiana thought with a small smile. One day, after a hard day's work, she might come here to relax.
"By the way, what are your names? I'm Elis, this is my second sister, Eliza, and this is my third sister, Elijah," the red-haired mermaid introduced, pointing to each in turn.
"My name is Kiana," she replied.
With that, she left under the mermaids' reluctant gazes, diving into the jungle and disappearing from sight.