Whitebeard was in his prime, and it could be said that he was the strongest man on the seas after Roger's death.
Mermaids were already extremely difficult to capture. Combined with the deterrence of the Whitebeard Pirates, young female mermaids could be called the rarest of the rare!
When this mermaid was bought by a Celestial Dragon, the final price reached the astronomical sum of one billion Belly!
With such an outrageous price, it was only natural that the auction house didn't dare deliver her personally.
If the mermaid escaped for some reason during transport, the enormous financial loss would only be one concern. What they feared even more was that the Celestial Dragons would settle the score with them.
When the auction house sent Wood and Gion out, its owner also let out a huge sigh of relief.
Ever since the auction ended, he had been living in constant fear. After all, the Celestial Dragons had already paid, but they had yet to take their goods away.
Fish-Man Island was directly beneath the Sabaody Archipelago, and he was also worried that something might happen to the mermaid. For this reason, he had spared no expense to hire the island's experts to guard this shipment for the Celestial Dragons.
"Two lords, I've already prepared a ship for you. It has all the necessary supplies, and it isn't anything particularly valuable. Consider it a bonus and take it as a gift."
To send this batch of slaves out of the Sabaody Archipelago as soon as possible and avoid taking the blame if anything went wrong, the owner of the slave auction house had truly gone all out. He had actually offered them a medium-sized two-masted sailing ship as a gift.
"Thank you for taking care of the ship. We'll also have to trouble you to help us load these slaves aboard. After all, there are only two of us.
"As for food and other supplies for the slaves, please provide enough as well. You wouldn't want anything to happen to them before they reach Mary Geoise, would you?"
"Only the two of you are responsible for escorting them?" Hearing what Wood said, the auction house owner was clearly stunned.
He had originally assumed that Wood and Gion were merely in charge, but he had never expected that they would truly be the only two people handling the escort.
"There are indeed only the two of us responsible for the escort. Is there a problem?"
"No, no. Since the Celestial Dragons sent the two of you, that means you must be absolutely confident.
"I was only wondering whether you needed some crewmen or sailors. If you do, I'd be more than happy to help."
When he saw Gion looking at him with a fierce, emotionless gaze, the auction house owner was obviously frightened. He secretly cursed that the Celestial Dragons' lackeys were indeed a bunch of temperamental lunatics.
"No need. The two of us are enough. Just prepare sufficient food for us.
"Remember, the slaves' food must also be of the highest quality. We don't want them starving to death halfway there before they even reach Mary Geoise!"
After a busy morning at the auction house, the ship loaded with food and slaves was ready.
To avoid wasting time, Gion and Wood had no intention of lingering in the Sabaody Archipelago. They immediately set sail for the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
"Bah! What a pair of bastards. They're nothing but the Celestial Dragons' lackeys, yet they act so high and mighty!"
Watching the ship sail far enough away, the auction house owner's smiling face immediately fell. He even spat on the ground.
Those who could work for the Celestial Dragons were usually members of the World Government's special intelligence organizations. The auction house owner had originally wanted to build a good relationship with Wood and Gion.
He had hoped to curry favor with them and secure another backer for the auction house in the future.
Who would have thought that he would greet them warmly, offering both a ship and supplies, only for them to remain cold-faced throughout? The woman among them had even possessed a gaze cold enough to kill.
"Boss, do you think escorting those slaves with only the two of them might lead to an accident?
"You should know that quite a few Fish-Men have caused trouble at our auction house before. They may not have been very strong on the island, but once they reach the open sea..."
"What does that have to do with us? The goods have already left the Sabaody Archipelago, and they've officially taken possession of them.
"Even if something really happens, it'll be their problem. The Celestial Dragons can't blame us for it."
Aboard the medium-sized two-masted sailing ship, Gion steered and controlled the course, while Wood kept watch over the surroundings and guarded the slaves on deck.
Knowing where they were about to be taken, the people locked inside the iron cages were all filled with despair.
From their eyes, Wood could even tell that they had completely given up on their futures.
The Celestial Dragons' notoriety was no secret on the Sabaody Archipelago. If they became ordinary people's slaves, they might still have some hope of surviving.
But no one had ever heard of anyone surviving or successfully escaping after becoming a Celestial Dragon's slave.
Rather than die after suffering endless torment, it would be better to end their lives now. Unfortunately, they couldn't even do that at present.
Gion was at the helm, while Wood was alone on the deck and consequently rather bored. Before long, he tried speaking with the people locked in the cages again.
Unfortunately, among the people in the ten large iron cages, some had completely given up on life and ignored him entirely, while others knew he was a Celestial Dragon's lackey and glared at him or cursed him outright.
"Big sister, I'm hungry..."
"Mary, be good. Someone will come to save us soon. Once we return to the island, we'll be able to eat lots of delicious food."
"But, Big Sister, we're hungry now. We haven't had anything to eat for several days."
Inside the iron cage, a sweet-looking girl of around eleven or twelve with long black hair was comforting a blonde girl who looked even younger than her. Another green-haired girl of a similar age was crouching beside them.
Watching her elder sister comfort the youngest, Mary, Sonia sat obediently to one side.
She was a year or two older than Mary and more sensible as well. She knew that what her sister said was merely meant to comfort them.
So much time had passed since they were abducted from the ship of the Nine Snake Pirates, yet no one from the Amazon Lily Kingdom had come looking for them.
Or perhaps the people from the Nine Snake Pirates had no idea where they had been taken.
No, since the ones who had bought them were the Celestial Dragons, the Nobles, even if the Nine Snake Pirates knew they had been captured, no one could probably save them now.
Sonia understood all of this. She also knew that her sister was under even greater pressure, so the only thing she could do sensibly was avoid causing her sister more trouble.
"What? So you're hungry! No wonder you've all been so quiet. Just wait here—I'll get you some food."
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