Naval Investigation, Lock Down the Entire Area!

Sabaody Archipelago, Area 1.

"Boss, can we really wait for a fish-man here?"

"Quit yapping. I saw it with my own eyes!"

"But we've been waiting so long..."

A few million Beli wasn't that easy to earn. Keep waiting."

Several pirates huddled in the shadows of an abandoned harbor.

Their leader wore a red headscarf, his face fierce and vicious. At the mention of fish-men, greedy light surged in his eyes.

Not long ago, he had spotted a sneaky fish-man and followed him all the way here, watching him disappear completely beneath the water.

He hadn't dared make any rash moves. He had immediately gathered his men and lay in wait—not for a person, but for a slave that could be sold at an astronomical price.

Female mermaids in particular could fetch nearly ten million Beli at auction if they were high quality.

Just then, the water's surface trembled lightly.

The pirates instantly perked up, rubbing their hands together as their breathing grew heavy.

The water broke open.

A little mermaid with long emerald-green hair poked her head out. She cautiously scanned the area, then broke into a delighted smile when she saw no one around.

The pirates were ecstatic.

A child was even better! The younger, the rarer—and the higher the price!

"Boss, should we move?"

"What's the rush? There might be a bigger catch."

The man in the red headscarf lowered his voice, his gaze nailed to the water's surface.

The next second, another figure indeed floated up from the water.

Everyone stared closely, only to find that it was a starfish.

"Camie, wait for me!"

The starfish flapped his short tentacles as he hurried after her. "Don't swim so fast, I can't keep up."

"Hahaha, Master, it's way more fun outside than under the sea!"

Camie swished her green hair, her tail lightly slapping the water as her eyes brimmed with curiosity.

"We can only play for a little while. It's dangerous out here." Pappag's tentacles were taut with worry. "A lot of our people went out and never came back. They were all captured and sold as slaves."

If Navy patrols hadn't become more frequent recently, making the pirates rein themselves in considerably, he never would have brought Camie ashore.

"I know, Master."

Before she could finish speaking, several dark figures suddenly shot out from behind the cargo containers!

Several enormous nets lined with sharp iron spikes fell from above, wrapping Camie and Pappag tightly in an instant.

"Ah!"

Camie screamed in fright and desperately struggled with her tail, but the iron spikes hooked into her scales. The intense pain instantly reddened her eyes.

Pappag immediately curled into a ball, shielding Camie with his body as he shouted sternly:

"Who are you people?! Let us go!"

"Hahaha, got them!"

The red-headscarf pirate strode forward laughing and kicked the fishing net.

"What great luck! Not only did we catch a little mermaid, we also got a talking starfish thrown in. We're going to make a fortune!"

"Boss is brilliant!"

The underlings swarmed forward and stuffed the net into a huge white backpack, then viciously yanked the zipper shut.

Only weak struggles, suppressed sobbing, and Pappag's furious but helpless curses remained inside.

On the way to the human auction house, the pirates chatted and laughed, their steps so light they practically floated.

"This is much safer than robbing ships at sea."

"Once we sell them, let's go have a good time at a tavern!"

"Strange. It's not unusual for mermaids to talk, but how can a starfish talk too?"

A freckled pirate scratched his head, his face full of confusion.

The red-headscarf man sneered and patted the backpack on his back.

"Who cares why? The stranger it is, the more it's worth! This starfish might even sell for more than the mermaid!"

Inside the backpack, Camie trembled all over in terror.

Pappag lowered his voice, trembling but resolute.

"Camie, don't be afraid... Someone will come save us. Lord Tiger will definitely come..."

Before his words had faded, the backpack suddenly jolted.

The impatient voice of the pirate carrying it exploded.

"You're so damn noisy! Keep struggling, and I'll rip out all your scales and tentacles!"

He raised a wooden club and viciously swung it down at the backpack!

At that very instant—

A cool voice drifted lightly into everyone's ears.

"Doing that right in front of me isn't very appropriate, is it?"

A hand appeared out of nowhere and firmly clamped around the pirate's wrist.

The grip was like an iron vise. The pirate instantly screamed in agony.

"Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in my busine—"

He spun around in fury, but the instant he saw the newcomer, every curse died in his throat, as though an invisible hand had strangled him.

The Navy?!

Several pirates stiffened from head to toe, their minds going blank.

The Navy? How could they run into the Navy here?!

This was Area 1, territory occupied by underworld forces!

Three seconds of dead silence passed.

With a clang, the backpack hit the ground. The pirate's legs gave out, and he collapsed, pointing at the figure before him as he shrieked:

"It's the Navy! The Navy's here! Run!"

The man in the red headscarf snapped awake as well, the greed on his face torn apart by panic.

He shoved aside one of his men and roared sharply:

"What are you panicking for?! He's just some young Navy brat! Get him together, kill him, and run off with the money!"

His roar jolted the others awake, and they looked closely.

The Navy man before them was indeed young, though he was tall and had an aura cold enough to terrify them.

But at the thought of the priceless prey in the backpack, their greed instantly overwhelmed their fear.

He was just a brat. What was there to fear?!

Beiyuan Heng slowly released his hand. Looking at the men closing in around him, his lips curled into a cold arc.

"Slave trafficking, kidnapping people... Your nerve is truly outrageous."

The next moment, he moved.

He was so fast that only a pure white afterimage remained.

The lead pirate had just raised his long blade. Before it could fall, Beiyuan Heng's fist had already struck his abdomen.

There was no earth-shattering boom.

Only a dull impact.

The pirate's entire body bent like a shrimp as though struck by heavy artillery, flying straight backward before slamming into a tree trunk and sliding to the ground.

Then blood burst from his mouth in a wild spray, one mouthful after another without end. It continued for several full minutes before gradually stopping.

Wasn't this a little excessive? They had only caught a child—how could one punch make someone vomit blood for minutes?!

That wasn't scientifically possible!

The pirates who had just been clamoring about murder and robbery all froze in place, forgetting even to breathe.

One punch.

Just one punch.

What young Navy brat was this...?

This was a monster!

The bustling crowd around them all stared wide-eyed as well.

Beiyuan Heng looked at the surrounding crowd and shouted sternly:

"CP—cough, Navy investigation! Lock down the entire area!"

As soon as he spoke, dozens of Navy soldiers appeared from nowhere and sealed off the entire surrounding area.

Some people saw that things were going badly and hurriedly tried to flee, only to be trapped by barricades and smoke, unable to move.

In an instant, Beiyuan Heng had complete control over the scene.

Inside the backpack, Camie gradually stopped sobbing and asked in a trembling voice:

"Master... Outside... did someone come to save us?"

Pappag held his breath as well. Listening to the deathly silence outside, his voice carried disbelieving hope.

"I think so... Camie, wait a little longer. We... we'll be out soon."

Beiyuan Heng stepped forward, grabbed the zipper of the huge white backpack, and yanked it open.

"Riiip..."

The bulging opening of the backpack was pulled apart, and two small figures immediately tumbled out, rolling awkwardly onto the ground.

The little mermaid with emerald-green hair panted softly. Faint red marks from the net's iron spikes still remained on her scales, and her once-lively tail now looked somewhat weak.

Beside her, a round starfish had been tossed about until he was thoroughly dazed, his short tentacles flailing wildly as he looked utterly shaken.

"A mermaid... and a starfish?"

Beiyuan Heng raised an eyebrow slightly, surprise flashing through his eyes.

It wasn't unusual for slave traders to capture mermaids, but this was the first time he had seen a talking starfish with his own eyes.

"Th-thank you for saving us..."

Camie rubbed her slightly reddened eyes and softly thanked him.

She looked up at Beiyuan Heng, her gaze holding both the lingering fear of surviving disaster and pure gratitude.

Pappag hurriedly cupped his tentacles together as well.

"Thank you for rescuing us, sir."