The Merman Empire

Luo Ze's ready agreement shocked Yulis somewhat. Could it be that Luo Ze was truly one hundred percent confident he could help him kill Kashal? Otherwise, why would he agree so readily?

However, since Luo Ze had agreed to his terms, Yulis did not intend to ask any further questions. He was genuinely afraid that his loose tongue might make Luo Ze regret his decision.

Thus, Yulis discussed the departure time with Luo Ze, as well as the reason he had to kill Kashal.

Luo Ze had no interest in Yulis's affairs. Before Yulis could finish explaining, he left outright.

After listening to Yulis for half the day, Luo Ze only remembered a few key details.

According to Yulis, this fish-man pirate crew led by Kashal had originally been a band of pirates that committed all sorts of evil and plundered everywhere in the South Blue.

Unlike other pirates, who were obsessed with obtaining the Pirate King's treasure, these fish-men had no such ambition. They hated labor and detested restraint; they became pirates simply because they enjoyed violence and plunder.

A few years ago, Kashal's pirate crew happened to pass by Boke Village, Yulis's hometown.

The sea where Boke Village was located was one of the few areas in the South Blue not governed by the Marines. The people there were weak, utterly incomparable to those from other seas.

The fish-men led by Kashal quickly took a liking to that land.

The people there had already been weak to begin with, while fish-men were naturally powerful. Taking advantage of their innate strengths, Kashal quickly established himself as the tyrant of the region.

They occupied countless islands and enslaved the people of that sea as laborers, squeezing them dry through forced work.

People had risen up to resist before, but the fish-men were exceedingly cruel, and every rebel was killed.

The Marines had dispatched troops several times as well, but the South Blue Marines were all useless drunkards. Moreover, fish-men were extremely formidable at sea. When the South Blue Marines crossed several waters to campaign against them, many warships were attacked by fish-men and sunk to the ocean floor. Once the Marines entered the sea, they would be mercilessly slaughtered by the fish-men.

After several such attempts, the Marines stopped bothering with the matter.

It was not that the Marines lacked the ability to eliminate the fish-men. That sea was simply relatively barren and outside the Marines' jurisdiction; it had long been regarded as abandoned waters.

Although the Marines only needed to send some people from Headquarters to deal with the fish-men there, they could gain no profit from that sea. Thus, the matter was quickly suppressed.

In the end, the fish-men settled down in Boke Village within that sea.

Boke Village lay at the center of the entire sea, and settling there made it convenient for them to reach any island under their rule.

As the fish-men's residence, Boke Village became the most miserable village in those waters. The fish-men tore down the original villagers' homes, seized their land, and built palaces on a massive scale, intending to turn Boke Village into a small fish-man paradise.

As for the original villagers, they became the fish-men's slaves, worked to the bone every day. All who resisted were killed, while those who obeyed lived worse than pigs and dogs.

Yulis and Monya were both villagers from Boke Village. An accident had allowed them to escape, but many of their relatives had been killed by Kashal's pirate crew. Revenge had become their most important goal.

After hearing the story, Luo Ze felt no ripple in his heart. This was a world where the strong devoured the weak, with no rules and no laws. Most Marines were hypocrites, while pirates like Luffy who stood up for justice were even rarer. Therefore, weakness was a sin. If one wanted to live like a human being in this world, one could only grow stronger without end.

Still, Luo Ze felt that Boke Village's plight was very similar to Nami's Cocoyasi Village. Both had been invaded by fish-men; Kashal's methods here were simply a little more brutal.

Since this trip was to Boke Village, Yulis intended to have Monya travel with them. Luo Ze had initially refused, but considering that Boke Village was Monya's hometown, bringing her along should save them a great deal of trouble. In the end, Luo Ze agreed.

Early the next morning, Luo Ze left the house at dawn.

He had discussed it with Yulis the day before: they would depart for Boke Village today. So he headed out early in the morning.

Luo Ze did not have much luggage, only a few changes of clothes and a sword. As for Beli, Luo Ze had always stored it in the system, which was safer than keeping it anywhere else. Yulis had long since prepared the food for him, so Luo Ze did not need to concern himself with any of that.

When Luo Ze arrived at the Ghost Sword, Yulis and Monya were already waiting beneath the ship. Ghost Sword was the name Luo Ze had given his new vessel yesterday. He felt that his ship was quite high-class, so he had chosen a matching name for it.

Seeing that the two had already arrived, Luo Ze chuckled. It seemed there was another benefit to trading with Yulis: they were punctual. Luo Ze was not exactly patient, and he could not stand waiting for people.

"Mr. Luo Ze, you're here." Seeing Luo Ze arrive, Yulis smiled kindly. He had waited for this day for far too long. At last, someone capable of avenging his family had appeared.

Unfortunately, Yulis had no fighting ability. Going along rashly would only make him a burden. Otherwise, he truly wished he could watch Kashal die beneath Luo Ze's sword with his own eyes.

"Let's go now." Luo Ze nodded indifferently. He had nothing else to say. As long as he brought Kashal's head back, that would be enough.

"May you have a smooth journey." Yulis sincerely wished Luo Ze well. He certainly did not want anything to happen to Luo Ze on the way.

"Let's go." Luo Ze turned to look at Monya. Today, she wore a red outfit that added a few touches of charm to her already peerless beauty, giving her a distinct allure.

Luo Ze's gaze lingered on Monya for one extra second before he quickly looked away. He was the first to head aboard, and after giving Yulis one look, Monya slowly followed him.

The ship soon set sail. Watching the Ghost Sword gradually vanish into the distance, Yulis prayed in his heart, I hope everything goes smoothly.

Almost at the same moment Luo Ze's Ghost Sword left Dog Town, Luca of the Dog Town Marine branch received the news.

Brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr.

In his office, Luca was handling documents concerning the town. Halfway through, the blue Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly began making a series of brrr sounds.

He slowly set down his pen and picked up the Den Den Mushi's receiver with one hand.

"This is Luca."

Upon hearing Luca's voice, the Marine on the other end quickly began reporting. "Rear Admiral Luca, the surveillance target, Luo Ze, just left Dog Town from the western dock aboard a large ship. A woman accompanied him; she is shipwright Yulis's guard. Just now, Yulis also came to see Luo Ze off."

The Marine's voice came from the other end of the line.

Luca pondered for a moment before asking, "Do we know Luo Ze's relationship with Yulis?"

"Not yet, but they should be partners. According to our investigation, the large ship Luo Ze is traveling on this time was built by Yulis." The Marine answered quickly, and the intelligence was very precise.

"Find a way to follow Luo Ze in secret. Also, send several Marines to keep an eye on Julian. If anything happens, report it immediately."

Luca gave his orders and quickly hung up.

He remained seated where he was, rubbing his temples with his hand as he muttered to himself.

"Luo Ze, Luo Ze... my friend. Did you kill Yate or not? And where exactly are you going this time?"