Alan's Request!

Aboard the Ekyorn.

Alan was hiding in a corner of the deck, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the battle taking place there.

Or rather, the word "battle" was not entirely accurate.

It was a completely one-sided slaughter.

"Too... too strong."

Alan had already muttered similar exclamations of instinctive awe countless times.

That was right.

To him, a young fisherman from a small village on a small island, the power displayed by the mysterious figure wearing the Rooster Mask had nearly shattered his worldview.

He had never imagined that a person could become this powerful.

That figure had shown him through action that the strength possessed by the mightiest people on this sea far exceeded the limits he had previously understood.

Alan saw it all clearly.

Almost every movement made by the powerhouse wearing the Rooster Mask far surpassed the limits of what his eyes could follow. More often than not, all he heard was the sound of something tearing through the air before the man appeared in the distance.

Every punch could blast a massive hole through the ship's side.

Every step could stomp a huge crater into the deck.

By contrast, the guards of the Kingdom of Nysmal, who had seemed incomparably powerful to him, could not even put up a fight before their opponent.

And at that moment—

"Crack!"

The man wearing the Rooster Mask seized the last guard and casually twisted his neck.

"Thud!"

The sound of the corpse hitting the ground was like the final note signaling the end of the battle.

Only then did the Rooster Mask turn around and walk over to Alan.

He raised his hand and threw something—the motion nearly made Alan and his Slice Clones flinch in unison.

But then Alan saw something flying toward him. He caught it instinctively, only to realize that it was a string of keys.

"These are... the keys to the ship's cages?"

Alan's eyes instantly lit up.

"You came to rescue these slaves, didn't you?"

At last, the Rooster Mask spoke. "Go."

"...Yes!"

Alan did not know why the other man was helping him, but that did not stop him from nodding forcefully.

Alan immediately led his Slice Clones into the ship's hold.

Luo Yi swept a glance around him, then began checking the guards' corpses one by one.

"Oh, this jewelry looks like it's good quality!"

"Whoa, this huge bundle must be worth a hundred thousand Belly, right?"

"Holy crap, a check from Feld Bank?"

Following the principle that even the smallest gains were still gains, Luo Yi stripped the guards of all their valuables.

Whenever he touched jewelry, Belly, or anything else of value, the coins and treasures vanished instantly.

In their place, the values in Luo Yi's system continued to rise.

Until finally—

The value displayed on the Light Screen had become [Current Belly Held: 45.23 million].

"Good grief, that haul is worth a full 4.1 million Belly."

Seeing the number change, Luo Yi felt delighted.

As expected of guards aboard a royal Slave Ship—they were truly wealthy.

In such a short time, Luo Yi had almost earned more than a year's wages.

"Why does it feel like everyone is richer than me?"

Luo Yi sighed.

But then he stood up, silently adjusted his mask, and entered the ship's hold.

The scene inside was even more oppressive than Luo Yi had imagined.

The light was dim, with only a few swaying oil lamps barely illuminating the place.

The air was filthy, filled with various foul odors that made it difficult to breathe.

Rust-covered iron cages lined both sides of the hold, packed tightly together. Various torture implements could be seen in the distance.

This merchant ship itself seemed to resemble the Kingdom of Nysmal—the filth and ugliness beneath a prosperous surface.

By then, however, all the cages had been opened.

Countless slaves in ragged clothing helped one another out of the iron cages.

Their faces still showed clear disbelief and bewilderment. Some of those who reacted more quickly had already embraced one another and begun wailing.

Their sobs held the joy of regaining freedom, but also unmistakable pain.

There was no need for anyone to explain. Luo Yi could see it clearly.

The people left in the hold were either visibly old or suffered from obvious physical disabilities.

Just as the guards had said—they were all "inferior goods," slaves no one was willing to buy.

But it was easy to imagine that their families or companions had not necessarily been "inferior goods." Many of them had surely already been sold on the Sabaody Archipelago.

And the pain of being separated from loved ones was no less than the pain of death.

"..."

Luo Yi said nothing. He soon found Alan among the crowd.

Alan was holding a hunched old man in his arms—the same old man Luo Yi had glimpsed earlier beside the cannon muzzle.

He looked even more miserable than before. Blood flowed from his entire body, and his disheveled hair clung to his blood-streaked forehead.

Yet he still clutched the scrap of cloth in his hand and kept muttering, "Keli... Keli, my Keli..."

"Sorry, Grandpa. I'm sorry... I couldn't get here in time."

Alan's face was also covered in tears and pain.

All of his Slice Clones shared that pain.

The slaves watched the scene and lowered their heads one after another. The atmosphere in the hold was so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

But then Luo Yi's footsteps drew everyone's attention.

When they saw the Rooster Mask, some slaves instinctively cried out. Alan had clearly already explained the situation to them.

They knew that this was the man who had personally killed all the guards aboard the merchant ship and rescued them with Alan.

"Keli?"

Beneath the Rooster Mask, Luo Yi asked softly.

He deliberately lowered his voice.

"...Yes. She's my little sister. She was bought."

At Luo Yi's question, Alan wiped the tears from his face and tried to calm himself. "My grandfather tried to stop them, but he couldn't."

Luo Yi glanced at the old man, who was clearly somewhat mentally unstable, and nodded.

The situation was obvious. No further explanation was needed.

"What are you planning to do next?"

Luo Yi asked quietly, "You must already have a plan to withdraw after rescuing everyone, right?"

"Yes."

Alan nodded, then realized that he had forgotten to introduce himself. "Sir, my name is Alan. I prepared several small fishing boats and spare clothes at a side harbor in Master Port. According to the plan, once we leave the branch, we can go there and sail away."

"As long as we reach one of the nearby islands, we'll be safe. Then we can naturally return."

At those words, the slaves trembled.

Clearly, Alan had wanted to say "return home."

But they all knew they could not go back.

Their villages had been destroyed by those beasts from the Kingdom of Nysmal.

Alan, however, was clearly determined. He quickly recovered and continued, "After I settle my grandfather, I'll try to find Keli. She's my little sister. I have to save her."

As he said this, he gritted his teeth and looked at Luo Yi.

"Sir... my lord..."

Then he knelt heavily before Luo Yi.

But before he could speak, Luo Yi interrupted him.

"You want to ask me to go rescue your little sister with you?"

Luo Yi looked at him.

"...Yes."

Alan's voice was hoarse. "I don't possess the strength you have, my lord..."

He was not afraid of death. He had been prepared to die when he came aboard this merchant ship.

But what had just happened made him understand the gap in strength even more clearly.

Some things could not be solved through courage alone.

Just like this time—if not for the Rooster Mask before him, the fate of Alan and all the slaves would have been utterly tragic.

If he could ask this powerhouse for help—

"I refuse."

But Luo Yi answered without hesitation.

After saying that, he looked at Alan. "You should have heard. The Celestial Dragons bought your little sister. We have no reason to go to war with the World Government on your behalf."

He calmly stated the facts.

That was right.

Luo Yi had a bottom line and compassion. As long as it did not interfere with his plans, he did not mind rescuing some slaves, as he had done this time.

But that did not mean he would charge into Mary Geoise for the sake of his compassion.

"..."

Alan's face instantly went deathly pale.

His lips trembled, but he could not speak for a long time.

Even as a fisherman from a remote island, he had heard of the World Nobles.

He also knew that Luo Yi was right.

"I was presumptuous..."

He spoke in a hoarse voice.

But once again, he had not finished speaking before Luo Yi interrupted him.

"However, I may be able to apply to our leader. If we have a chance to go to Mary Geoise in the future, or if we encounter your sister somewhere else, we'll try to save her."

"But in return, I need you to do some things for us."

Luo Yi spoke softly.

At those words, the sorrow in Alan's eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.

After hearing Luo Yi's question clearly, he looked toward the Rooster Mask.

To him, the mask seemed to represent hope.

Although he did not know who the "we" Luo Yi mentioned were, he could tell that the man seemed to belong to some organization.

But he could at least guess one thing—the organization this man belonged to was definitely powerful!

So although Luo Yi's condition was relatively harsh, and he had not guaranteed that they would retrieve his sister, Alan still answered without hesitation.

"I'm willing!"

"My lord, I'm willing to do anything—even if you want my life, I—"

"I don't need your life."

Luo Yi raised his hand and interrupted Alan. "I only need you to do two things for me."

He spoke softly, giving Alan a general account of the two tasks he needed him to complete.

The more Alan listened, the more astonished his expression became.

By the end, his expression could only be described as incredulous.

"Are you serious? You really want me to..."

"Of course."

After receiving Luo Yi's serious answer, Alan's expression turned solemn. "Since it's your request, then I... I'll do it."