Savage Sights of the Underworld
South Blue, Chiklis Island.
This island is a lawless area in the South Blue and is not under the jurisdiction of the World Government. This does not mean that the World Government is powerless to control this place. In fact, apart from the New World, the World Government has a very strong control over the other sea areas, especially the four sea areas in the east, west, south and north.
If the World Government wanted to, it could certainly control all the islands in the four major sea areas.
However, the World Government does not want to control this area, because the World Government also needs to blur the lines of darkness, making it a haven for filthy, evil, and despicable people.
That's right, this is where the Underworld of the South Blue is located. Many shady businesses are conducted here. The World Government also needs the help of the Underworld, so it will give them a certain space to survive.
Places like Chiklis Island are not uncommon in the South Blue, nor are they found all over the world.
For example, Minion Island, the most notorious Lawless Zone in the North Blue, as well as Baccarat Town in the First Half of Grand Line, the Lawless Zone of the Sabaody Archipelago, and Hachinosu Island in the New World, are all such islands.
At this moment, in a small stall in the port market street of this island, Ortolan, wearing a black vest and the work pants commonly worn by dockworkers, and high-top leather boots, was sitting inside.
His exposed arms were muscular and covered with grotesque patterns as tattoos (actually, they were just stickers). He wore black sunglasses that covered most of his face, and a fake mustache hung above his lips. Anyone who looked at him would think he was a thug on the docks, not a leper.
Because of his childhood experiences living on Tyrean Island with his grandparents, Ortolan's demeanor as a dock bully was natural; he didn't need to act it out.
He sat there, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his legs propped up on the table in front of him, a typical boxed lunch in his hand. He looked like a local native of the Underworld, and you would never guess that he was a renowned Rear Admiral in the Marines.
This is the third time that Ortolan has appeared in the South Blue's Lawless Zone. Ever since he left the Sorbeth Kingdom more than two months ago to rest, Ortolan has been doing this, roaming around various Lawless Zone in the South Blue.
His movements basically followed the clues from the Marines Intelligence Department's investigation of the scholars and the new intelligence provided by the CP Agency.
The reason for choosing to settle on various islands in the Underworld was that Ortolan believed that scholars were also human beings who needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. They couldn't just rely on their knowledge to go to sea; they needed to replenish their supplies.
If they replenish their supplies in legitimate places or ports, they may be tracked down by the World Government. Therefore, they will most likely choose to replenish their supplies in the Underworld.
So Ortolan set out to investigate, setting up operations in the trade areas of various Underworld islands to see if he could find any trace of the scholars.
To be honest, the people in the CP Agency and the Intelligence Department are not stupid. They have been using this tactic all along, but so far they have not discovered any useful information.
Ortolan approached these activities with a "whatever happens, happens" mentality. If he succeeded, all the better; if not, he'd consider it a learning experience. After all, he was going to party with Roger on Baterilla soon, so his mindset was rather relaxed.
What is the situation like in the Underworld? Through his long-term experience living there, Ortolan could clearly feel that survival in the Underworld was extremely cruel, and people were dying every day in these regions and islands.
Anyone who can survive in this environment, whether they are seven or eight years old or even younger, or fifty or seventy-year-old old men, is a ruthless character. This is a place where people eat people; if you don't eat people, you will starve to death. Therefore, in Ortolan's view, even if a demon-slaying operation were carried out in this place, there would be no accidental killings.
Holding a boxed lunch and sitting in a chair, Ortolan was enjoying this life experience when a dispute suddenly broke out at the stall across the street. Then, without saying a word, the owner took out a shotgun from his stall and shot his customer into a sieve.
His actions directly enraged the customer's two companions. One of them immediately pulled out a pistol, ready to retaliate. However, the boss seemed to be used to this situation and fired another shot, sending the man flying two or three meters before he crashed to the ground.
Ortolan silently watched the bits of meat fall into his lunchbox, his lips twitching slightly. He felt that this bunch of scum had ruined his mood.
Another shot killed all three men. The stall owner, leaning on his shotgun, said arrogantly and menacingly, "Damn it, don't you guys even know who I'm afraid of on this street on Chiklis Island? A bunch of trash who came from who-knows-where, you dare to beg for food from me here? This is the Underworld, not a place for trash like you to act tough!"
The boss was being arrogant when he suddenly felt himself being shrouded in a shadow. Looking up, he saw that Ortolan's burly figure was already standing behind him.
"You..." The boss tried to raise his shotgun, but Ortolan didn't give him a chance to talk. He stepped on both of the boss's feet, pinning him to the ground, and then slapped him hard across the face without holding back.
What kind of power does Ortolan possess? Even Kaido, and even Red Count would give it a thumbs up!
This slap should have sent someone flying, but because Ortolan had stepped on his foot, the force of the slap landed squarely on the guy's head. His head, along with a section of his spine, was sent flying, his neck gushing like a fountain, blood spraying everywhere. In an instant, the once arrogant stall owner was a headless corpse.
Ortolan kicked the blood-spitting corpse away, then looked around. The jackal-like members of the Underworld around him were all somewhat frightened when his gaze swept over them!
I've seen too many ruthless people here. Who among us doesn't have a life on their hands? If you didn't have a life on your hands, would you dare open a shop here?
But they had never seen a scene where someone's head was slapped off like that before. It was brutal, absolutely brutal.
Ortolan slammed the lunchbox, stained with bits of meat and blood, onto the ground and said fiercely, "I'll only say this once: if anyone ever does this disgusting thing while I'm eating, I'll twist their head off and use it as a football!!!"
After cursing, seeing the jackals trembling with fear, Ortolan shouted again, "Speak! Did you hear me?!"
"I heard it! I heard it!"
"Sir, please calm down!"
Ortolan nodded, but was still furious and cursed, "You heard me and you're acting like you're dead? Come out and defend me, damn it, the market environment needs everyone to maintain it. If you see trash on the ground, clean it up. Don't you have any public spirit?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the stall owners around him quickly grabbed mops and brooms and came out to clean up. They swiftly cleared away the corpses and remains from Ortolan's sight, and used buckets of water to wash away the bloodstains on the ground. Afraid that Ortolan might not be satisfied with their work, Ortolan, they all breathed a sigh of relief, settled back into their stalls, and sat there like quails, not daring to breathe loudly.
Ortolan was sitting in his seat, feeling a bit annoyed, when a shrewd stall owner bought a new boxed lunch and respectfully placed it on Ortolan's table with a fawning smile, "Boss, would you like to try this?"
"You're not bad, kid." Ortolan nodded in satisfaction, then waved him away without mentioning any reward.
But that one word, "not bad," made that guy stand up straight, chest puffed out, as if he were something special.
As Xin ate his boxed lunch, Ortolan's mood gradually recovered. Before long, the commercial street returned to its original state, except that the stall owners seemed to be more polite than before, and their voices were much softer.
Two or three hours later, Ortolan looked at the darkening sky, stretched a little bored, and thought it was going to be another fruitless day.
Thinking about all this, he prepared to get up and pack up his stall, but just then, he saw a woman with silver hair appear in the commercial street.
Nicole Orbia!
Thanks to Robin, Ortolan recognized her at a glance. However, this woman didn't look like a scholar at all; instead, she seemed like a ruthless character who had been in the Underworld for a long time. She was wearing a hunter's leather coat, stained with blood, some of which had turned dark and black. She was holding a chicken leg in her hand, eating it without any regard for appearances. In her other hand, she was holding a revolver that looked like it had a large caliber, which hung by her side. Her eyes were scanning the surroundings without any restraint, and she would glare at anyone she didn't like.
This image completely baffled Ortolan. Why couldn't the CP Agency and the Marines's Intelligence Department find her in the Underworld? It's because this woman's disguise was so good. Anyone who looked at her would think she was a ruthless bounty hunter or a scholar.
Only someone with the foresight of Ortolan could possibly realize her true identity, right?