Ever since the incident involving Shalria, few Celestial Dragons had come to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Without the Celestial Dragons as customers, the human trafficking business here had suffered as well.
The Celestial Dragons were not fools. After receiving a warning from above, they were no longer quite as arrogant.
When they wanted to buy slaves, they generally had their subordinates act on their behalf and bid through Den Den Mushi.
Nothing happened to Straw Hat and his group on the Sabaody Archipelago. The current Sabaody Archipelago was no longer as prosperous as it had once been.
Traveling from Konoha Island to Fish-Man Island and then onward to the New World was much safer than coating a ship and sailing directly from the Sabaody Archipelago.
Moreover, Konoha Island had many unique goods, leaving the Sabaody Archipelago somewhat desolate by comparison.
They arrived at Fish-Man Island without incident, and the Straw Hat crew encountered no obstacles along the way.
Fish-Man Island could now directly reach Konoha Island through a portal. Within Konoha's sphere of influence, Fish-Men could also receive a certain degree of protection regarding their identity and status.
In truth, it was not particularly difficult for Fish-Men to travel from Fish-Man Island to the surface.
Whether Merfolk or Fish-Men, they could move freely through the sea.
Their greatest threat was actually humans, because both Fish-Men and Merfolk were extremely sought-after commodities, prized by slave traders.
Besides the Celestial Dragons, many nobles existed in this world. After all, there were so many islands and nations, and so many member states of the World Government had to pay Heavenly Tribute every year. That money was all obtained by exploiting commoners.
As long as Merfolk were sold to those nobles, they could fetch a good price. Selling just a few Merfolk could earn enough