Lara's POV;

The light coming from the surface was dimming by the time we arrived in the Main District. Spotting the rest of the crew inside the Mermaid Cafe wasn't hard. You rarely see a bunch of people as diverse as ours. They were swarmed by a group of young-looking waitresses, all of them were beautiful mermaids.

We sat down to the rest of us and I grabbed a plate of meat that has already been delivered for Yosaku. He was too busy ogling the pretty mermaids to eat, I'm only helping him, can't let the good food become cold.

“Lia? Lara?” Asked suddenly a surprised voice from behind. I turned around, the leg of a chicken still between my teeth, and saw a mermaid a couple of years older than us. She wore an apron and looked as she knew us.

“It's me, Jury,” elaborated the mermaid and it dawned who she was. The little mermaid I helped pointing out during the escape from Mariejois. She looked good, her dress was hiding the scars she has gotten as a slave.

“I'm sorry, but who?” Asked Lia before I could speak up. I looked at her to see if she really had forgotten the mermaid that often listened with us to the stories of Fishman Islands wonders.

The result was that she does know who Jury is, but she didn't want to admit it. “Ah, yeah, how silly of me. You were not even able to speak then. Let me introduce myself then, my name is Jury, you and your parents saved my life.”

“Mother and father have told us about a mermaid named Jury, she was with us before we got to the East Blue, we played together while we stayed on the same ship,” 'remembered' Lia. I played along, she probably doesn't want the others to find out that we are able to remember our early years as babies.

“Exactly, I got back to Fishman Island. Madam Shyarly took me in and since then I started to help out here in the Mermaid Cafe, I work as a cook here.” She smiled happily and floated over to us with her bubble ring. “And I have heard you two became pirates, the old guys from the Sun Pirates are all boasting how you two have been members of their crew first.” She laughed happily.

I was about to reply when suddenly my transponder snail began to ring. “Bulle bulle bulle... bulle bulle...gotcha. Lara?” The snail had transformed its face into one that resembled Jimbei and its voice matched his as well.

“Jimbei? Have you heard that we are on Fishman Island? I just met Jury again, why don't you come over and we have a party? We're in the Mermaid Cafe,” I replied with a grin. News of our arrival must have spread, maybe he's on the island too.

The snail looked panicked for a moment. “You're already inside the cafe?” It then forcefully calmed itself down. “Please don't panic but there is a high ranking officer of the Big Mom Pirates on the island. He was reported to go towards the Mermaid Cafe. I implore you not to fight him. Charlotte Oven is extremely strong and a fight between you and him would leave the city destroyed.”

“Why should I fight him?” I asked with a frown, sure Lia looked already ready to go and find him. But Nojiko, Nami and Jo were also already widely gesturing for Lia to not do it.

“Just a warning, can we meet up somewhere? I have something to discuss with you.” I thought about it for a moment, long enough to finish the chicken I was eating right now.

“Why don't you come over? The food here is great and this way Jury can speak to you as well. I can vaguely remember you telling us three stories about Fishman Island,” I replied and grabbed for another piece of chicken, only to see that Jonny had already taken the last one from the plate. I gave him a withering glare. A look around for more proved unfruitful, so I stood up to search for more.

“That's not a good idea. Oven will arrive shortly if he hasn't already,” replied Jimbei. He sounded as if he was running. Is he really so worried that I would start a fight with Oven? If I remember correctly he was one of Big Mom's officers. A guy that could create or control heat, something with his body generating heat? There are so many different Devil Fruits that do close to the same that it becomes hard to remember them all.

I reached the counter and stepped next to a guy that has just come inside. “A plate of grilled chicken please”, “A plate of your finest sweets”. We both have spoken at the same time, so the waitress couldn't understand either of us.

“I ordered first.”“I ordered first!” Again both of us spoke at the same time and I couldn't stop a frown forming itself. Some guy had the nerve to stand in between me and my chicken, the audacity.

“Listen here, fellow,” I began and turned around only to look at the knee of the guy, then upwards. Red clothes, slightly pink skin and a funny hairstyle, also in red. Jup, that must be Charlotte Oven.

He too has turned and was now looking at me. His eyes showed recognition, yet no sign of apologising. “Don't stand in the way of my chicken!”

He raised one of his red eyebrows and his skin changed into a slightly darker tone. “Or what? Only Mother is allowed to demand something from me. If you want your chicken then wait in line, I was first.”

“Is that whom I think it is?” Questioned Jimbei through the snail, it was rapidly losing colour.

I ignored the Fishman for a moment for a much more pressing matter. “Or I'm gonna show you that standing in between me and my chicken is not a good idea.” Suddenly, I felt how the molecules in the air and around me began to vibrate and move extremely quickly. They gained such a high speed that the air began to heat up and would have combusted if I hadn't put a stop to its movement.

My counter showed itself by the rising cloud of steam that began to come out of his body. His skin briefly lost its reddish-pink colour and turned back to a more normal pinkish, only to then turn into a deep red. The air began to shimmer around him and became quite hot.

It might have come to a fight if the waitresses weren't as quick as they were. Because a second one has come over to the one in front of us. “Please, we don't want any fights here. Can I please take your order?”

“A plate of grilled chicken please”, “A plate of your finest sweets”. We both have spoken at the same time again, only now there were two to take our order, so one has had focused on me, while the other focused on Oven.

“Of course, a plate of grilled chicken, coming right up.” “A sample of our finest sweets will be ready momentarily, sir.”

Both of us nodded in satisfaction, before giving the other a hard glare. Still, now that I will get my chicken everything is fine. He seemed to think the same, as he has already turned around to be led into a private both.

“So where were we?” I asked Jimbei on my way back to our table. Jury was in a conversation with Nami, so I don't have to speak to her. Just because I saved her once doesn't mean that I want to interact with her now. I have a crew for that.

The voice of Jimbei sounded way too urged. I know that Oven might be strong, but who cares? “What happened? Is Oven still there?! Please don't fight inside the cafe, I will be there in a moment.”

“Don't worry, I got my chicken.” It didn't look as if the snail has calmed down at all, but I didn't care overly much. Jimbei was always the worry ward of the Sun Pirates. 'Lara don't climb the sails here, don't look inside the cannons or grabbing the swords or touching the pan with chicken.'

“Don't do anything rash!” Pleaded the snail before he hung up. I shrugged and stole a bit of Jo's bread for the moment.

“What did he want?” Asked Nojiko from the other side of the table.

The rest also looked at me in interest. “Asked to meet us, then something about not fighting Charlotte Oven.” A second bite of the bread left me with no more bread and I wished the chicken would arrive sooner. It's probably this late because the cooks have to prepare these sweets first.

“Who's Charlotte Oven?” Asked Fiara.

“One of the high ranking officers of the Big Mom Pirate Crew, they are a Jonko crew and some of the strongest in the New World,” answered Jo swiftly while giving me the stinky eye for stealing his bread.

“He is also a line skipper. Thought he could order before me just because he is a bit taller than me,” I grumbled, but smiled upon seeing a waitress coming over to us with a plate of chicken.

Jo and Nojiko facepalmed, while Nami turned pale. “Please don't tell me you started a fight with one of the strongest pirate crews over who can order first.” Questioned Jo half-heartedly. “What am I asking? Of course, you would, so why is this cafe not already destroyed?” He then continued.

“A second waitress took his order.” I might have said more but the chicken was here and I had to get a taste.

Suddenly, I have only been able to take a single bite, the door inside the cafe got thrown open and an out of breath Jimbei came rushing inside. He looked around, maybe searching for a fight before he spotted us sitting around a table.

He sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead and came over to us. “I thought you would start a fight over some chicken.”

“” She would!“” Came from every single member of my crew. A massive sweatdrop formed on every none crew member around us.

I nodded proudly, they do know me so well. “A second waitress took his order,” I explained why Oven wasn't laying bleeding at my feet right now.

Jimbei looked relieved, even if he didn't seem to fully understand. “Anyway, I'm glad it didn't come to blows. I have something to speak with you about. All of you, can we change locations? Maybe your or my ship?”

“Sure,” I answered and finished the last piece of chicken. This time Jonny wasn't able to take the last one, my fork made sure of that. We waited for the rest to finish their own plates and then said goodbye to Jury.