After questioning the attackers, Xie Wen finally understood what was going on...
Simply put, outside the Lawless Zone, members of the Mink Tribe were also "protected" by law. Slave traders and Bounty Hunters were both "legitimate professions" on the Sabaody Archipelago, so they would not break the rules. They would only act once Xie Wen and his companions entered the Lawless Zone or left the Sabaody Archipelago.
It was a reason that left him at a loss for words. Especially when the slave trader before him declared that they were "law-abiding citizens," Xie Wen had a scathing retort stuck in his throat, with no idea how to get it out...
Wait, that wasn't right! That mermaid in the manga was forcibly abducted outside the Lawless Zone.
Xie Wen suddenly recalled the general course of events leading to Luffy's clash with the Celestial Dragons in the original story.
"Huh?" Faced with Xie Wen's question, the slave trader looked baffled instead. "Merfolk and Fish-Men aren't protected by law. You can capture them anywhere... But Fish-Men don't fetch much, and they're pretty strong, so catching them isn't worth the trouble. As for merfolk, none have appeared near the Sabaody Archipelago for a very long time."
As he said this, he looked as though it were perfectly natural, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with classifying merfolk and Fish-Men as "merchandise."
What a... twisted world.
Although he had long known that beneath the One Piece world's somewhat lighthearted exterior lurked all sorts of sickening things, actually learning about and witnessing them felt completely different from reading the manga.
If Fish-Men as a whole were a very dangerous or obnoxious race, Xie Wen would not have had much sympathy for them.
But in reality, most Fish-Men and merfolk were gentle and friendly. Even the few with twisted