Rescuing the Slaves

Fisher Tiger was powerfully built, broad around the waist, with rough crimson skin all over his body, sharp teeth, and a protruding dorsal fin on his back. Yet he also had a humanlike physique, making him look somewhat strange and ferocious.

Examining the Fish-Man Fisher Tiger up close, Ye Qiong clicked his tongue in wonder. This was only the second time he had seen a creature of another race in this world. But he soon realized his stare was a little too unrestrained and apologized, "Sorry. It's my first time seeing a Fish-Man, so I was a little surprised."

"It's fine," Tiger said in surprise.

Having traveled across the world, he had long grown accustomed to humans' astonishment and contempt. What he found unfamiliar instead was Ye Qiong's sincere apology.

Throughout his life of adventure, all he had heard from humans were mockery and disdain that they considered natural. Apologies and gratitude had been almost nonexistent. That alone made him instinctively favor Ye Qiong.

"Are you here for the same purpose as me, sir? Do you already know what I'm about to do?" Tiger asked doubtfully.

Ye Qiong chuckled. "If we weren't planning to storm the Holy Land of Mary Geoise above, why would we go through so much trouble climbing the Red Line in the middle of the night?"

"Mr. Ye Qiong, you're going to storm the Holy Land too?" Tiger was moved. The polite honorific made Ye Qiong feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes. Someone important to me may have been captured by slave traders."

Ye Qiong nodded and clenched his fist, hoping he had not arrived too late.

Whether it was because Ye Qiong was an escaped prisoner, or because of the favorable impression from their first meeting, Fisher Tiger chose to believe him.

With Ye Qiong's Space Cubes serving as footholds, Tiger no longer needed to climb with his bare hands and could conserve his strength as he ascended.

The two crossed the sheer cliff face step by step. This time, Ye Qiong remained vigilant, continuously extending R across a wide area to monitor their surroundings.

Only when they reached the top of the cliff—the Red Line—did the sight before them suddenly open up.

Under the night sky stood resplendent towers and palaces. Every brick and tile was exquisite as a work of art, exuding extravagant luxury, while dazzling decorative lights shone everywhere.

Having grown accustomed to the crude, plain dwellings of commoners, Ye Qiong felt nothing but extreme disgust at the flourishing splendor before him.

"So this is the Holy Land of Mary Geoise."

Ye Qiong sighed inwardly. There was not the slightest trace of nobility or sanctity here. It was clearly a gathering place for nobles whose luxury bordered on obscenity.

The World Government had ruled for so many years; it was only natural that prosperity would eventually turn to decline. The extravagance and decadence here were the clearest signs.

"Mr. Ye Qiong, I'm going to rescue the prisoners from the slave cages."

Before Tiger had even finished speaking, he kicked off the ground and sped toward the cages.

After thinking it over, Ye Qiong followed.

Both possessed Observation Haki and were nimble enough that they reached the slave cages without alerting a single guard. Or perhaps centuries of comfort had made the guards lower their vigilance from the bottom of their hearts. Who would have thought anyone would dare challenge the Celestial Dragons' supreme authority?

Ye Qiong frowned, because Robin was not here.

Many years ago, he had left an indelible Space Mark on Robin's back. As long as he came within a certain distance, he would definitely sense it.

He was not sure whether Robin was inside the Holy Land, but she was certainly not in the slave cage area before him.

The iron cages holding the slaves formed an enormous corridor-like area. There were members of the Giant Tribe, Fish-Man Tribe, humans, and more, men and women, young and old. Compared to prison inmates, aside from their haggard, pale faces, they were relatively clean. The food provided to the women in particular was fairly decent.

Yet the slaves' eyes were nearly hollow. The extreme despair and shame of having their dignity trampled made death seem preferable to life. Every day here felt like a year of torment.

In a few days, they would be selected by the Celestial Dragons and sold like merchandise at whatever price was named. The men could become servants, dogs, or beasts, while most women would be reduced to playthings in bed.

"I know their pain..." Tiger said hoarsely in a low voice. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the surging fury within him as his entire body trembled.

During his last adventure, he too had unfortunately been captured and made a slave of the Celestial Dragons. He had only escaped after narrowly surviving death, and that was why he was willing to risk his life to rescue the slaves.

"I'm in too!" Ye Qiong said firmly. If he had not seen it, that would have been one thing. But with such a horrific scene right before his eyes, how could he ignore it with a clear conscience?

"You need to think this through. Once you join me in rescuing the slaves, you'll be an accomplice. That means becoming an enemy of the World Government!"

"I don't mind." Ye Qiong grinned. With a bounty as high as five hundred million already on his head, he truly was not afraid of the World Government's wanted notices or pursuit.

A dead pig was not afraid of boiling water. That was exactly the kind of person he was.

Inside one of the iron cages in the slave prison.

Three young girls were curled up pitifully in a cold corner.

"Big Sister, are we going to die...?"

"Of course not. We'll be fine. Everything will get better." The dark-haired girl comforted her, though her own eyes were filled with despair. After the Celestial Dragons' slave mark had been branded onto her back, would she really be unable to escape this place for the rest of her life?

Just then, an urgent, piercing warning tore through the vast night sky.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"

The entire slave area immediately erupted like a pot that had exploded, descending into complete uproar.

Tap, tap, tap!

The disorderly footsteps of guards rang out as they rushed toward the direction of the attack.

The three girls widened their eyes in disbelief. Was someone truly challenging the Celestial Dragons' authority?

Was someone really going to challenge the gods?

Tiger took the lead, his two palms sending two guards flying with immense force. The powerful shockwave from his strike swept away the guards behind them as well, forcibly opening two paths through the crowd.

Standing amid the slave cages and watching rifle-bearing guards swarm in from every direction, Ye Qiong sneered. "You overestimate yourselves!"

A vast aura erupted from his body, almost tangible, causing the air itself to freeze before it crushed outward in a suffocating wave.

Before the charging guards could react, their bodies were still tilted forward when they stumbled, lost consciousness, and collapsed to the ground one after another.

The entire scene looked like wheat being harvested during the autumn season, with an enormous swath falling in perfect unison.

"Conqueror's Haki?"

Tiger was full of admiration. With the overwhelming presence of a kingly potential found in only one person out of millions, fighting ten thousand alone was no empty boast.

Enemies too insignificant to make the stage could not even withstand the pressure of Conqueror's Haki. Human-wave tactics were utterly useless.

Tiger and Ye Qiong took keys from the unconscious guards, opened the iron cages, and freed the slaves inside.

"Run outside! Hurry!"

"Follow the other prisoners and escape together!"

"Make it quick! The guards are coming!"

The freed slaves felt as though they had been reborn and fled outside in a frenzy.

In the end, Ye Qiong found unlocking the doors with keys too slow, so he simply used a hand strike to rip apart the iron cage doors and free the slaves.

Clang!

He violently tore open another iron cage door. Inside were three girls, clearly terrified by Ye Qiong's overwhelming method. They huddled together in the corner, trembling.

"It's all right now..."

Ye Qiong stepped into the cage and held out his hand to them. Perhaps his sunny, upright smile was infectious; the dark-haired girl raised her head slightly, hesitated, and finally placed her hand in his warm palm.

After bringing the three girls out, Ye Qiong glanced at the Seastone shackles around their wrists in surprise. He had not expected all of them to be Devil Fruit users.

After removing their shackles, Ye Qiong looked around. The slave cages had nearly all been liberated, but guards were beginning to emerge from deeper within the Holy Land's streets, shouting as they rapidly closed in to pursue them.

"We need to get out of here!"

Ye Qiong led them toward the exit, kicking aside the brazier in the passage that bore the slave-branding mark. Coals scattered from the brazier, and raging flames soon spread outward.