Shaska woke up the next morning, still with tears in her eyes. She looked around, and there was no sign of Korla.

As she stretched, she thought back about the day she had yesterday. How she had so much fun looking at the lights and smoking cigars, which inevitably led to thoughts of how Korla was gone, kidnapped, killed, or worse by those crab pirates. And who were those crab fishmen, anyway? Why did they just now show up?

But, at the front of her mind, above all…

"I need another cigar…" she thought.

She swam out of her and Korla's room to find her parents, passed out drunk after another night of fighting. She started carefully digging through her parents' room, making sure to leave everything as she found it. After searching for a while, she found what she was looking for: waterproof cigars. And lots of them.

She swiped a few, as well as a lighter, and began to swim away, but then, she got an idea.

"When Daddy was able to sell these, he made a lot of money…"

Her stomach grumbled.

"Maybe… if I sell these without anyone knowing… I can get some food without having to steal or hunt for myself!"

And she did. She swam to the surface of Fishman Island, and hid in the alleys of Coral Hill. When someone, usually a homeless person, wandered down an alley, she would try to sell one for a thousand berries each. And she was often successful, offering her clients a light and a place to smoke when there were none (legally) on the island. And people were so desperate for a smoke that they'd accept it from a nine-year-old girl selling on the black market.

Shaska made five thousand berries on her first day, and used that money to buy herself some food. She went to the Mermaid Café to get the clam pizza she missed so much. The staff were confused by the fact that a little girl with a black eye was eating and paying by herself. As the waitress picked up the check, she had a look of concern on her face.

"Um… miss? Where are your parents, exactly?" she asked.

"I…" Shaska began. She thought for a second about how her parents beat her, then said "I don't have parents."

"You poor thing!" the waitress exclaimed. "Hmm…"

The waitress floated off to the back, where Shaska could see her speaking with the manager. The manager came out. He was a purple shark fishman with perfectly coiffed dark purple hair in a fine suit.

"Little girl, may I have your name?"

"Uh…" Shaska tried to think of a fake name, but couldn't. She winced and said "Shaska…"

"My name's Gyoro. Now, Shaska, where did you get this money if you don't have any parents?"

"Uh…" Shaska subconsciously covered her chest where she was hiding cigars in her shirt.

"Shaska… we don't serve criminals here. You need to leave and come back when you have some clean money," Gyoro explained.

"But Mr. Gyoro, how do you clean money? I had this! It's not muddy or anything," Shaska said.

"No, you don't understand. When adults say 'clean money'… y'know what? Forget it," Gyoro said, realizing he was talking to a child. "What do you have under your shirt there, Shaska?"

"Uh…" Shaska once again tried to think of a lie, but couldn't. She shamefully pulled out the cigars she was carrying.

"Shaska! Where did you get those?! Tobacco is illegal here!"

Shaska began to cry, and in her heightened emotional state, tried to float away on her bubble, but Gyoro stopped her.

"Shaska, listen. I can help you," Gyoro said with a reassuring smile. "The waitresses here have fallen on hard times at some point. And I've helped them get back on their… Well, they don't have feet, but I guess I helped them get back on their fins. A cute little girl like you will make a great waitress here. Even if you are a bit… big. How old are you, Shaska?"

"Nine," she replied.

Gyoro shook his head. "Nine years old and selling drugs on the black market. This island's fallen into hard times under King Ryuji… How about this, Shaska? If you can stay out of jail by the time you're sixteen, I'll give you a job here and you can start earning real money instead of having to constantly be on the lookout for police."

"You… you mean it?" Shaska asked, wiping her tears away.

"I do. And tell you what, you can come by once a day to get yourself something to eat too. You're a growing girl after all."

Shaska cracked a smile, and said "thank you, Mr. Gyoro…" before floating off on her bubble.

—-

Days turned into weeks, which turned into months, which turned into years. Shaska saw neither hide nor hair of Korla, and dealt with constant beatings from her drunk parents. She stayed away from the main part of the Fishman District for fear of running into Rackham and his pirate gang again. But she still held a grudge against him, for whatever he did to Korla. She made a promise to herself that she would get stronger so she could beat him and find out exactly what happened to her sister.

In the time between her meeting with Gyoro and her sixteenth birthday, Shaska spent much of her time in the Sea Forest on the northeastern corner of Fishman Island. She honed her strength by challenging sea creatures (which she usually ate), and punching down trees with her bare hands. In the afternoon, she would swim back to the Mermaid Café for dinner, and then back to her ramshackle apartment near the Fishman District for bed at night. Her parents really didn't care where she went, and were mostly focused on hating each other.

When Shaska was thirteen, the beatings her parents gave her stopped, because they were too weak to hurt her anymore due to her training in the Sea Forest. It also helped that she stood eight and a half feet tall by that point, making her quite intimidating. She fully emancipated herself and moved to the Sea Forest full time, still making daily trips to the Mermaid Café on the other side of the island.

Finally, Shaska's sixteenth birthday rolled around, and she spent it with the friends she had made in the Café. Gyoro even made her a special cake for the occasion.

"My… she's filled out quite nicely…" Gyoro thought as he eyed Shaska's rather large chest.

—-

Shaska moved back into the same complex of apartments she lived in when she was small, paid for with the money she earned from her job as a waitress, along with some extra from Gyoro. Training went smooth, and she became a popular waitress at the establishment due to her beauty and her… assets. There were many who wanted to be served by the ten foot tall, drop dead gorgeous mermaid.

Gyoro was no exception.

After a long shift one night, Gyoro approached Shaska as she was getting her money together to turn in for the night.

"So… Shaska, how was your shift tonight?"

"Oh, Mr. Gyoro. It was a slow night tonight, but I still made some decent tips," she responded with a smile.

"Good… good… say, how about you and I go out for some drinks together?" Gyoro asked. "Just you and me."

Shaska turned bright red. "M-Mr. Gyoro! I'm only sixteen!"

"It's a friendly thing, Shaska," Gyoro said with a smile. "I can get you into the bar across the street. I'm friends with the owner there. Surely you've always wanted to try some nice hard drinks?"

Shaska thought back to how her parents were raging alcoholics. "N-no… Mr. Gyoro, I…"

"One drink. Just one drink, Shaska," Gyoro said.

"I… I suppose. I guess one drink couldn't hurt."

The two went to Nakasa's sake bar across the street. As they entered, Gyoro gave the bartender a wink, and the bartender winked back, pouring two cups of sake for them.

Shaska took a sip from her cup, which looked absolutely tiny compared to her. She grimaced at the taste.

"It… it kinda burns," she said.

"Hehe, you get used to it," Gyoro responded.

And she did. Once a week, Gyoro and Shaska would go out for sake. On her days off, she would go to the forest to train some more, but she would come home to find flowers and chocolates from Gyoro. The two would talk on the transponder snail at night for hours until Shaska fell asleep.

Shaska was finally starting to find joy in her life again after her terrible childhood. She found herself falling for the man who took her in. And it seemed to be mutual.

That is, until one fateful day a year and a half later.

—

Gyoro approached Shaska after her shift as usual.

"You ready to go, Shaska?"

"Gyoro…" Shaska said. "We… we need to talk. I don't think I can go out for sake with you anymore. Could you… come out back with me?"

Gyoro obliged, worried expression on his face. The two stood together outside next to the dumpster for what felt like an eternity, until finally Shaska said what was on her mind.

"Gyoro…" Shaska said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I… I think… I think I'm pregnant."

Gyoro's eyes widened in terror. "I… see… And you're sure it's mine…?"

"Of course it is, Gyoro! You're the only man I've ever been with!" Shaska declared. "I… I… what are we gonna do?! I'm too young to be a mom!"

"Well… this is awkward, then," Gyoro began. "See… I'm actually already married… with a family. I'm not exactly able to help here."

Shaska felt her heart rip in half.

"W-what…? But… you never wear a ring…"

"Yeah… sorry. Look, I'm gonna go now. Have fun with motherhood. Consider yourself fired. Can't let this info spread to the other employees."

"I… HOW MANY OTHER WOMEN HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO?!" Shaska shouted, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, lots of them. You're just the first one who's gotten pregnant because of it," Gyoro responded. He pulled out a stack of cash. "Here's a hundred thousand berries. That should cover the cost of-"

"ARE YOU NUTS?! Of course I'm keeping it! I'm not… I…"

Shaska stopped. Then, with all her might, she punched Gyoro through the restaurant and across the street. The other waitresses poked their heads out, wanting to see what happened, but Shaska floated off as fast as she could, tears pouring down her face.

She dove into the water and swam back to her apartment, where she curled up on her bed and sobbed for days.

—

After three days of non-stop crying, Shaska sobered up.

"I… I got a lot to do… I just don't know what…" she said, sitting up in bed and rubbing her stomach. "I… I gotta go talk to Mommy and Daddy… maybe they'd know what to do…"

Shaska swam out of her apartment and back to near the Fishman District. She knocked on the door to her old, ramshackle house, and Oha answered, drunk and with a black eye.

"H-Hi, Mommy…" Shaska peeped.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't the prodigal BITCH…" Oha slurred. "Hey, DEADBEAT, look who it is!"

Maji swam up to see his daughter, and had a similar reaction.

"Well, you've grown into a fine young lady… TOO BAD YOU DIDN'T LET US SEE IT HAPPEN!" Maji shouted.

"Mommy… Daddy… I just… I just wanted to let you know you had a grandchild on the way…" Shaska said, rubbing her stomach. "I thought you might be able to help me."

"Pffft! I don't see no ring on that finger!" Maji shouted. "Good to know our daughter grew up to be a little whore! You'll never marry a fine businessman with a baby already!"

Shaska hung her head, said nothing, and swam away.

"I don't know what I expected…" she thought to herself.

She looked at the giant ship Noah in the distance and thought "while I'm here… I've got some unfinished business to take care of…"

Shaska cracked her knuckles and swam toward the ship. She was stopped by a large crab fishman.

"What's up, girl? Gotta pay the toll if you wanna swim in these waters."

Shaska grabbed him by the throat, held him up, and growled "tell me where Rackham is before I turn you into crab cakes."

The crab man nodded as best he could, and Shaska let him go. He ran over to the Noah, and she followed.

On the side of the gigantic ship was a small entrance, and the two walked and swam inside. Inside, they were greeted by a whole crew of crab fishmen… and at least a dozen bound and gagged mermaids.

Shaska held her hand up to her mouth, saying "good lord…"

The crab men all drew several pairs of swords. One of them stepped forward. "You've seen too much, girl. Shoulda just paid the toll and kept swimming."

"Who are these girls?!" Shaska shouted.

"Free money," Rackham said, coming out of the shadows with a crooked smile on his face. "Young, hot mermaids go for over seventy million a pop on the surface."

"So… that's what you did with Korla?!" Shaska shouted.

"If 'Korla' was a young mermaid, then probably. These girls don't need names where they're going," Rackham responded, brandishing his weapons.

"Korla was my big sister! And you… you kidnapped her eight years ago!" Shaska said.

"Kaaaaarararara!" Rackham laughed. "Eight years? Bit late to be getting revenge, don't you think?"

Rackham crossed his free arms and stared down at Shaska.

"Face it, girlie. Your sister's probably dead now. Made a fine pet for a World Noble before he or she got bored and fed her to a shark."

Shaska was seething, but she calmed herself.

"I probably shouldn't be doing this while pregnant," she thought. "But I'm too distraught after what Gyoro did to care!"

"KAAAAAAARARARA! You'll make a fine pet for a World Noble, too! Just like all these other girls!"

Shaska squared up with her fists raised.

"I'm going to start beating you now. I don't know when I'll stop," she said.

"Big talk for a squid!" Rackham shouted. He thrust his spear at her, but she managed to dodge.

It was then that the other crab men started to gang up on her, numerous swords slashing and stabbing at her. However, as they were all underwater, three dimensional movement was possible for Shaska. The crab men, on the other hand, had a much harder time, as none of them were a species of swimming crab. The crab pirates attempted to attack from all directions, but Shaska simply swam upward while spraying ink, causing them to run into each other in the confusion.

She came face to face with Rackham (who was literally twice her size) and delivered a mighty punch to his face, sending him into the wall of the ship.

"Huh. Kinda expected the wall to break," she thought.

Rackham spat out a tooth. "Karara… not bad, girl. But you're still just a mermaid. And I'm a hardened pi-"

Shaska swam down and forward and grabbed him around his abdomen, picked him up, then slammed him headfirst into the ground with a suplex.

"Just a what now?" Shaska asked as Rackham picked himself up.

"Don't just stand there! Get her!" Rackham ordered his cronies. The crab men charged forward, but Shaska once again swam upward and sprayed ink at them, causing them to run headfirst into the wall. The captive mermaids watched all this with bated breath.

Rackham tried to grab Shaska, but she dodged and grabbed his face with her tentacles, spraying ink in his face. As Rackham recoiled, Shaska swam down and grabbed him by the ankles, swam back up, and started swinging him around violently, knocking out the crab men who were trying to approach again. She then slammed him into the ground again, and finished the combo with a massive punch to the gut, causing him to cough blood and let go of his weapons.

Rackham struggled to get back up, but Shaska brought both her fists down on the top of his head, slamming him into the ground chin-first. Rackham struggled to get back up again, but this time, Shaska grabbed him by the throat and started repeatedly punching him in the face with the same force she used to punch down trees.

"STAY! DOWN! YOU! BASTARD!" she shouted, punctuating each word with a punch.

Eventually, Rackham and his men were out cold, and Shaska tied them all up with the same rope that they had used to tie up the captive mermaids. She then set the mermaids free, and they thanked Shaska profusely.

"Miss… please, what's your name?" asked one of the mermaids.

"Shaska."

"Shaska… Thank you so much. What can we ever do to repay you?"

"You can start by helping me haul these clowns in front of the king and getting him to explain why there's been a slavery ring operating out of the Fishman District for nearly a decade."

"Done," said the free mermaid.

"Also, you ever been to the Mermaid Café?"

"I have, it's delicious and the girls there are the prettiest on the island."

Shaska explained her situation involving Gyoro.

"He… he did what?"

"You heard me. I just did all this while carrying that creep's baby. So, I want him outta there."

"How awful…"

"So, let's get these guys thrown in jail. And then let's get that bastard kicked out of management. Because I'm not the only one he's done this to. I'm just the one who caught him."

The free mermaids nodded, and they worked together to bring the tied up pirates back to the surface.

TO BE CONTINUED