Ambush

"Eight million Beli? Are you sure you didn't get ripped off?" Arlong stared wide-eyed at the Log Pose Sig had brought back.

"Obviously I got ripped off." Sig rolled his eyes.

Tiger hadn't been concerned about the price. He took it and, after confirming it was a Log Pose with its Record already set, let out a sigh of relief.

"There was no way around it. We had to keep our identities secret, send only Little Fei to the island, and avoid starting a fight. Getting fleeced was to be expected." Tiger took it in stride.

Well, on the Grand Line, it was strange enough to see a traveler show up alone!

Whether it was a legitimate fleet or a pirate crew, they were bound to travel as a group...

Someone like Sig, going alone to a black market and refusing to fight even after being tested, was practically a rare, fat sheep. Why would anyone at a black market on the Grand Line care about repeat customers?

Arlong had only wanted to get in a couple of jabs at Sig. The Sun Pirates weren't interested in money anyway; they'd simply helped themselves to whatever they could carry from the warships and slave hunters' vessels.

"I also found a slave-hunting crew at the black market that's heading to Vila Island." Sig's expression turned more serious.

"Hmm? Can you confirm which ship it is and when they're leaving?" Tiger was clearly planning to attack as soon as they left the Galadi Archipelago.

"No. I have another idea... I could pretend to be an escaped Devil Fruit user who was enslaved and let them capture me. That way, once we reach Vila, I can infiltrate their slave compound right away." As he spoke, Sig raised his wrist to show the Seastone Handcuff.

It was a little strange that it only cuffed one hand, but with the right disguise, he should be able to pass as a Devil Fruit user who'd escaped captivity.

If the slave hunters ran into a target like that, they'd definitely recapture him and sell him again!

Sig had also figured out that their next destination was Vila Island, a nearby "slave-trading center." If all went well, he could infiltrate it directly...

"No!" Tiger rejected the idea without a moment's hesitation. He smacked Sig's raised wrist aside with a downward swipe. Sig had grown quite a bit taller, but the difference in their heights was still enormous.

"I'll never let one of my people become a slave, not even for a few days!" Tiger said firmly.

"Boss Tiger, it'd only be a disguise... I can go with Sig!" Arlong thought it was a good idea, so he added a suggestion.

Sig didn't even wait for Tiger to stop him before he cut in. "No. There's a bounty on your head. If they recognize you, they'll try to claim it first! It should just be me..."

"Enough. There's no room for discussion. Once we reach Vila, we'll have a tough fight on our hands. Instead of wasting time on this, you'd better get ready." Tiger's tone was stern.

Jinbe spoke up from the side. "Boss Tiger's right. We can't put Sig at risk just for a little convenience. But... since we know there's a slave-hunting crew heading to Vila, we can not only ambush them, but also..."

Sea Circle Calendar 1506, May 27.

The Dadara Trading Company's fleet left the Galadi Archipelago.

"Dadara Trading Company" was the name they'd registered with the World Government, allowing them to sail legally.

Along with the flagship, they had three smaller escort ships.

But behind closed doors, they were usually known by another name—the Dadara Slave Hunters!

"We'll reach Vila in five days... Once we've unloaded the cargo, we can take a nice, long break."

"We've got some real prizes this time. Two Mermaids... Tsk, too bad we can't go to Sabaody Archipelago. We could get at least seventy million Beli for them there, right?"

"It's not that outrageous. Mermaids who've reached the age where their tails split into legs only fetch a starting price of a little over ten million at Sabaody Archipelago."

"Come to think of it, why are the ones who can split their tails into legs cheaper? Sure, they're a bit older, but..."

"Hahaha, this haul will keep us living it up for a while. We could even afford to switch to a legitimate merchant fleet for good! Lately, I've heard some Fish-Men have been attacking slave hunters all over the place. Things could get dangerous."

"Tch, isn't that great? More cargo coming right to our door."

"Too bad we still have to give the Giant Axe people a cut..."

On deck, the Dadara sailors were still dreaming of a bright future.

But just then, the surrounding waters began to churn. The ships lurched violently, and quite a few sailors who hadn't been ready for it started cursing.

"What's going on?"

"The Grand Line's weather is insane!"

"Wait! There's something under the water..."

Right beside the Dadara, the sea suddenly surged upward. A gigantic sea bream's head shot out of the water, and one of the escort ships was flipped over.

"A Sea, a Sea King? What's a Sea King doing here?"

"No! That's not a Sea King, it's..."

It was the Sea Bass!

It had stayed submerged and followed them, waiting for them to leave the Galadi Archipelago.

By then, the Fish-Man warriors on the Sea Bass's deck had already been sharpening their blades. The Sea Bass had just slammed down onto the surface, and the waves it had churned up had yet to settle. Before the flagship, the Dadara, could steady itself, countless grappling hooks tied to ropes were already flying toward it.

The slave hunters' methods overlapped a lot with those of pirates. They sometimes plundered merchant and passenger ships, so they were quite familiar with boarding fights.

But it had never crossed their minds that they'd be the ones getting grappled!

"Attack!" Willy shouted, leading the charge with his hammer.

They followed the principle of "not killing," but there was nothing wrong with shouting to boost morale...

Fish-Men raced and leaped over along the ropes.

Many of the larger Fish-Men on the Sea Bass's deck hauled on the ropes with all their might, dragging the ships closer together. The Sea Bass's bow slammed against the side of the Dadara and wedged itself there.

As the ship lurched, the Fish-Men were already swarming aboard...

Fish-Men were climbing aboard the two surviving escort ships as well.

Since the attack had come suddenly from underwater, there hadn't even been time for a cannon barrage. They'd gone straight into a boarding fight!

The Sun Pirates had little trouble. The Dadara Slave Hunters' fighters had survived on the first half of the Grand Line by picking on the weak and avoiding the strong. Even the One-Eyed Captain, with an iron hook in place of his left hand, was no match for Sig, who took him down one-on-one while leading the charge.

The ordinary fighters stood even less of a chance against the Sun Pirates, whose average strength was extremely high.

The ships had been locked together, and the battle was over in fifteen minutes. Large numbers of Fish-Man warriors were already heading belowdecks to free the imprisoned slaves and search for crew members in hiding!

Sig was gripping the One-Eyed Captain by the neck and lifting him up. Arlong, standing nearby, gave orders with practiced ease. "Round up all their officers! Kill anyone hiding on sight. Anyone who turns them in can leave on a small boat!"