Is that person saving the Fish-Men?

Chapter 32: That Person... Is Saving the Fish-Man?

Maud didn't know who fired the shot that provided the assist, nor did it seem particularly important.

Listening to the escalating sounds of battle from over there, he could imagine the brutal scene unfolding.

As the instigator, Maud expressed his regret.

What goes around, comes around.

Feeling no guilt towards the pirates, he circled around the buildings for a good half of the way until he reached the other side, then climbed onto the roof of a nearby structure.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Maud was astonished to find many people standing on the surrounding buildings.

At a glance, some of them were even holding food and bottles of alcohol.

Getting closer, he could hear cheers.

Looking at those people, Maud pondered for a moment.

Attacking them might also be a good option.

But there was a better choice at the moment, so he abandoned the thought.

Maud silently withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the battle unfolding in front of the auction house.

His attention was mainly focused on the Fish-Man slaves fighting valiantly.

Meanwhile, the pirates whom he had casually glanced at earlier inexplicably felt a chill, mistaking it for the evening's temperature drop, and quickly downed more strong liquor to warm themselves up.

At this point, the chaotic brawl below was reaching its climax.

Some people, sensing danger, wisely retreated from the fray.

But more people, due to their companions being injured and their bosses still inside the auction house, forcefully remained at the scene.

Originally, due to the explosion inside the auction house, these subordinates worried about their respective bosses and wanted to rush into the auction house to check the situation, but they were blocked by the auction house's armed team.

From the auction house's perspective, if so many people rushed in after an accident, it would not only worsen the situation inside but also threaten the goods that had already been purchased by guests that night.

Given the valid reasons provided by the armed team, these subordinates somewhat believed the auction house's capabilities.

Using this as a point of conflict, once the entire situation devolved into chaos, they let loose, killing indiscriminately in groups and pushing towards the entrance of the auction house.

In this situation, in just a few short minutes, over a hundred bodies lay on the ground.

But at least one-third of these bodies were killed by the Fish-Man slaves.

From the moment they escaped the auction house until now, the Fish-Man slaves were still a bit confused.

He didn't know how the explosion in the auction hall came about.

He didn't know who opened the cage that imprisoned him amidst the chaos.

He didn't know why a fight broke out in the auction hall.

All he knew was that an opportunity for freedom had presented itself.

So, clinging to a sliver of hope, he ran desperately through more than half of the venue.

What he couldn't understand was that the humans inside, including the one who had already paid a hefty price to buy him, didn't stop him, allowing him to escape the venue unharmed.

What the Fish-Man slave didn't know was that the guests attending the auction only saw him as a priced commodity, a commodity that could be bought with money.

Since it was something that could be bought with money, what right did it have to make them risk their lives?

Therefore, even Kazt, who was determined to get the Fish-Man slave, wouldn't risk stopping the fleeing Fish-Man slave at such a time.

It was merely a commodity that could be traded for money.

If anything went wrong, the auction house would be responsible.

This pure and deep-seated understanding was something the panicked and fleeing Fish-Man slave could not comprehend.

He finally managed to escape the venue, only to face a predicament in the next moment.

And just as he was slowly falling into despair, a scene unfolded before his eyes that he once again couldn't comprehend.

The humans suddenly began to kill each other again.

This gave the Fish-Man slave a glimmer of hope.

Arlong was right, humans are truly ugly creatures, they have no reason to exist!

With the pressure suddenly reduced, the Fish-Man slave madly unleashed a barrage of attacks.

He no longer bothered to guard against the sword strikes coming from behind, focusing solely on speeding up his escape.

This reckless approach resulted in him sustaining several deep wounds within seconds.

But the effect was also significant; he finally broke through to the edge.

What blocked his path was no longer a suffocating crowd, but a human wall that could be broken through with a wave of his hand.

"Get out of the way!"

The Fish-Man slave roared again and crashed through the last flimsy human wall.

After successfully breaking through, he, covered in blood, sprinted down the long street.

As long as I get to the sea, as long as I get to the sea...

At this moment, that was his only thought.

Seeing the Fish-Man slave break free, the pirates around who were watching the commotion were startled.

Several pirates immediately drew their flintlock pistols, treating the Fish-Man slave as a moving target for their amusement, and aimed their guns at him.

Bang bang...!

Gunshots erupted, and bullets sliced through the night, shooting towards the fleeing Fish-Man slave.

Their shoddy marksmanship meant most bullets missed, but a few grazed the Fish-Man slave's arms and sides.

Instantly, several streams of blood spurted into the air.

The Fish-Man slave endured the pain and did not stop.

"Haha!"

The pirates roared with laughter.

Following closely behind was another round of gunshots.

The hail of bullets made the Fish-Man slave like a small boat in a storm, precarious.

From an alleyway not far from the street, Clara watched the Fish-Man slave desperately fleeing through the hail of bullets. The only sounds reaching her ears were the gunshots and the pirates' grating, arrogant laughter.

Her brow furrowed deeply, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened, creasing a large section of the important blueprints she held.

It wasn't entirely out of pity for the Fish-Man slave, but rather disgust at the atmosphere.

Because of her childhood experiences, she deeply understood one principle.

There were good and bad Fish-Men, and humans were the same.

Good and evil were not determined by race.

Bang bang—!

More deafening gunshots.

But this time, they were followed by the dying screams of two pirates.

Two shots, fired from an unknown direction, killed two of the pirates who had been most enthusiastic about shooting.

Clara froze. With her excellent hearing, she isolated those two fleeting gunshots from the cacophony of sounds.

Following the sound, she saw a masked figure moving rapidly across the rooftops.

"Is that...?"

Clara's eyes widened.

She watched as the figure quickly put away his flintlock pistol, then drew a long-barreled smoothbore gun from his back with one hand. He abruptly leveled the gun, seemingly firing without even aiming.

As the gunshot rang out, Clara's gaze shifted, and she saw a pirate aiming a rifled gun at the Fish-Man slave fall to the ground.

"That person... is saving the Fish-Man?"

Clara looked back at the figure, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Who could it be?

Marines?

A bounty hunter?

It couldn't be a pirate, could it?

And definitely not a Fish-Man, right?

Staring blankly at the receding figure, Clara's thoughts churned.

She couldn't imagine who would bother saving a Fish-Man in such a dirty, lawless place.

The one firing the shots, however, was Maud, who had been closely observing the situation.

After seeing the Fish-Man slave successfully break through, he felt a surge of joy and quickly followed.

He then saw pirates emerging from taverns and gambling dens on both sides of the street, treating the Fish-Man slave as a live target to practice their shooting.

"Daring to touch my prey?"

Without a second thought, Maud drew his gun and took down the three pirates who were jumping around the most.

This led to the scene that Clara found so unbelievable.