The Slaves Being Escorted Were Actually Mermaids

As the other slave traders hiding around watched Wood being dragged away by Gion, they breathed a huge sigh of relief.

When they heard Wood planning to attack them just now, his sharp gaze had them holding their breath.

Although they didn't know who Wood and Gion were, they were undoubtedly two tough characters.

Before, when Wood's gaze fell upon them, they didn't even dare to turn and run. Years of experience told them that if they ran at that moment, they would only die faster!

"Who exactly are those two brats? Why haven't we heard any news about such powerful figures arriving at Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Who knows where these two monsters came from, but they can't be pirates.

Otherwise, with such strength, they would at least be among the so-called Supernovas, and their arrival at Sabaody Archipelago wouldn't have gone unnoticed.

Their clothing doesn't look like Navy. Judging by the man's demeanor, he's more like a bounty hunter."

Watching Wood and Gion disappear into the distance, the other slave traders began to discuss. As the local snakes on the island, they had their own channels of information.

However, they could be sure that the young man and woman were absolute strangers to the island, and not any famous wanted pirates.

"No matter who they are, they are definitely people we can't afford to offend.

You guys remember their features and tell the brothers on the island to keep their eyes peeled and not to provoke these two jinxes anymore."

They easily took down a pirate with a bounty of thirty-three million without even drawing their swords. Regardless of whether those two were pirates or bounty hunters, they were clearly people they couldn't afford to mess with.

"What about the guy on the ground worth thirty-three million Beli? Are we just going to leave him here?"

Hearing their boss's order, the subordinate of the human trafficking group nodded repeatedly, then looked at the pirate crew lying on the ground and asked how to deal with them.

"You idiot, there's money lying on the ground, and you don't even pick it up?

Didn't you hear what those two big shots said? They clearly weren't interested in the mere thirty-three million Beli and were planning to hunt bigger prey at Gari."

"Then I'll immediately have people tie them up and send them to the Navy branch on the island for their bounties."

The human trafficking subordinate thought his clever action would earn him praise from his boss, but as soon as he spoke, he received another kick and a torrent of scolding.

"I told you to send them to the Navy branch... What business are we in? Although we're not chased by the Navy like pirates, we're not exactly upstanding citizens either.

Do you know what maximizing profit means? How much money can we get by sending these pirates to the Navy? Thirty-three million Beli at most, and we'd have to put on a smile for them."

"But if we use our professional skills and send these pirates to the slave auction, the captain of the Pirate Ship worth thirty-three million can be sold for at least fifty million Beli.

Even the ordinary pirates who are worthless to the Navy can fetch hundreds of thousands of Beli each in the slave market because they are young and strong."

"Boss is indeed wise!"

"Nonsense, why else would I be the boss and you guys be subordinates? Only those with good brains can be bosses."

Soon, the more than fifty people who had attacked Gion and Wood were tied up by these slave traders.

Perhaps they never imagined that they, who came to capture slaves, would end up becoming slaves themselves.

Being sent to the Navy as pirates was considered a relatively good fate. If their crimes weren't too serious, they might have a chance to see daylight again after serving ten or eight years in Impel Down.

But if they became slaves, their lives would be completely over.

The treatment of slaves in this world was far worse than that of prisoners.

Prisoners at least had some human rights, but most slaves lived worse than beasts.

Most wealthy individuals, especially those who bought slaves like the Celestial Dragons, rarely lived for more than a year.

Even if some survived, they would go insane due to unbearable torture and torment, leading to mental breakdown.

Of course, these pirates who attacked Wood and Gion were not worthy of sympathy, because this was precisely what they had intended to do to the two of them.

If Wood and Gion hadn't been strong enough, they would have been the ones tied up and taken to the slave auction.

In the first mangrove area of Sabaody Archipelago, Doflamingo, the clown, had not yet risen to prominence, but slave auctions and markets still existed in large numbers.

After Wood and Gion arrived at the largest slave auction and presented their credentials, they saw the so-called "merchandise."

Ten large iron cages, each containing several people, both male and female, and even children.

The men were mostly special races, such as Fishmen, Giants, Longarm Tribe, etc. The women were mostly ordinary humans, but each was curvaceous and beautiful.

"My lords, these are all cheap goods. Even if some die during transport, the Celestial Dragons probably won't notice anyone missing.

However, regarding this one item, please be cautious. It is because this commodity is too precious and the Celestial Dragons attach great importance to it that we dare not escort it ourselves."

The person in charge of entertaining Wood and Gion was the head of the slave auction. Although he also didn't know who Wood and the others were, it didn't stop him from obsequiously introducing his goods to them.

Wood and the two did not reveal their Navy identities, but they did produce the corresponding proof. The slave auction house knew that they could not afford to offend anyone who had connections with the Celestial Dragons.

The two were led by the boss of the auction house to a huge spherical water tank. When he pulled back the curtain, Wood and the others finally understood why the auction house was worried about the slaves being mishandled.

Because this spherical water tank contained a Mermaid! And it was a young female Mermaid!

As everyone knows, Fishmen and Mermaid are half-human, half-fish species. Compared to the ugly-looking Fishmen, Mermaid are highly sought-after goods at all slave auctions!

Unlike Fishmen, who possess some combat ability, most Mermaid have little fighting power, so they rarely leave the Fish-Man Island at depths of ten thousand meters.

Even if ships could pass through coating and dive ten thousand meters deep into Fish-Man Island, catching the fastest swimming Mermaid in the world would not be a simple matter.

And don't forget, unlike when Keimi was captured, Whitebeard is not dead yet, and Fish-Man Island is still an island protected by the Whitebeard Pirates!