On the deck of the ship,
Alan hid in a corner, his eyes wide and unblinking as he watched the "battle" taking place.
Calling it a battle wasn't accurate, though.
It was nothing less than an overwhelming slaughter.
"So strong..."
Alan had muttered similar words countless times without even realizing it.
And he was indeed right in saying so.
For someone like him, born on a small island in a tiny fishing village, the power displayed by the mysterious figure wearing a rooster mask had completely shattered his understanding of the world.
He had never imagined that a single person could be so strong.
That figure was using his actions to tell him that the power of the strong in this sea far surpasses the limits he had previously believed possible.
Alan saw it very clearly.
Every movement of the rooster-masked powerhouse was beyond his ability to follow. Often, he would only hear a sharp whooshing sound before the man appeared in the distance.
Each of his punches could blast a massive gap straight through the ship's railings.
Each of his stomps left a large crater on the deck.
Yet the guards of the Nismel Kingdom, whom Alan had always believed to be incredibly strong, could not even confront him.
And at that moment...
Crack!
The rooster-masked man grabbed the last guard and casually twisted his neck.
Thud!
The sound of the corpse hitting the ground felt like the final punctuation mark signaling the end of the fight and it was only then that the rooster-masked man turned around and walked toward Alan.
He raised his hand and tossed something, a movement that made Alan and his Slice Clones flinch simultaneously.
But then Alan saw something flying toward him. He instinctively reached out to catch it. Only after looking closely did he realize that it was a set of keys.
"These are… the keys to the prison cages in the cabin?" Alan's eyes lit up instantly as he mutterd to himself.
"You're here to save these slaves, right?" At that moment, the rooster-masked man finally spoke.
"Go."
"R-right!"
Alan didn't know why the man was helping him, but that didn't stop him from nodding vigorously.
Alan led his Slice Clones and rushed straight into the ship's cabin.
Meanwhile, Roy checked the guards' corpses one by one.
"Whoa, these jewels look pretty high-grade."
"Damn, this bundle alone must be worth a hundred thousand Beli."
"Fuck... checks from the Feld Bank?"
Following the principle that "even a mosquito's meat is still meat," Roy robbed the guards of all their valuables.
And every time he touched something like Treasure, Beli, or anything valuable, he could see the coins or treasures instantly vanish into thin air and be replaced by the numbers inside his system that were skyrocketing upward.
Until finally...
The light screen displayed:
[Current Beli Balance: 45.23 Million]
"Good Lord! That's a total gain of over four hundred and ten thousand Beli."
Seeing the numbers climb made Roy feel deeply and blissfully satisfied.
One could only say that these guys were worthy of being the royal slave transport ship's guards, they were truly wealthy.
In just this short period of time, Roy had already earned more than a year's salary.
"Why does it feel like everyone is richer than me?"
Roy sighed.
Then he stood up, silently adjusted his mask, and walked into the ship's cabin. The scene inside was even more oppressive than he had imagined.
The lighting was dim, with only a few flickering oil lamps barely illuminating the space.
The air was foul, a suffocating mixture of various disgusting odors.
Row after row of densely packed, rust-covered iron cages lined both sides of the cabin. In the deeper area, torture devices of all kinds could be seen.
This merchant ship seemed to reflect the Nismail Kingdom itself... a nation affiliated with the World Government. Beneath its prosperous surface, however, lay filth and wickedness.
Now, however, all the cages had been opened.
Many ragged slaves supported one another as they walked out.
Their faces were filled with disbelief and confusion. Some, reacting more quickly, were already hugging each other and wailing aloud.
Mixed within those cries were the joy of regaining freedom and unmistakable pain.
Roy needed no explanation... he could see it clearly.
The ones left in the cabin were those who were either elderly or clearly physically disabled.
Just as the guards had said, they were "inferior goods," slaves that no one wanted to buy.
However, it was obvious that their family members or companions weren't necessarily "inferior goods." Many of them had likely already been sold at the Sabaody Archipelago.
The pain of being separated from one's family while still alive was no less cruel than death itself.
"..."
Roy said nothing. He quickly found Alan in the crowd.
At that moment, Alan was holding an old man who was curled up, the same one Roy had seen earlier through the cannon opening.
The old man looked even more pitiful now. He was covered in blood, and his hair was a disheveled mess, plastered to his bleeding forehead.
Yet he still clutched a torn piece of cloth in his hand with all his strength, muttering over and over,
"Cori... my Cori..."
"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I'm sorry. I didn't make it in time." Alan's face was streaked with tears and pain as he spoke.
All of his Slice Clones shared that same grief.
The other slaves lowered their heads, watching this scene. The atmosphere in the cabin became so heavy that it was difficult to breathe.
At that moment, Roy's footsteps drew everyone's attention as he approached.
When they saw the rooster mask, some slaves instinctively cried out. Alan had clearly already explained the situation to them.
They knew he was the man who had killed all the guards on the merchant ship and helped Alan rescue them.
"Cori?"
Roy asked softly from beneath the rooster mask.
He intentionally lowered his voice.
"Yes, she's my younger sister. She was bought." Hearing Roy's question, Alan wiped his tears and tried to calm himself as he spoke. "My grandpa tried to stop them, but he couldn't."
Roy glanced at the mentally shattered old man and nodded.
The situation was obvious, there was no need for further explanation.
"What do you plan to do next?" Roy asked softly. "You've already prepared an evacuation plan, haven't you?"
"Yes." Alan nodded, then realized he had forgotten to introduce himself. "Sir, my name is Alan. I've prepared a few small fishing boats and spare clothes at a small port near Master Port. According to the plan, once we leave the base, we can go there and escape by ship."
"Once we reach a nearby small island, we'll be safe, and naturally, we can go home."
At this, the slaves shivered. It was clear that Alan meant "go home."
But they all knew they couldn't.
Their villages had already been destroyed by beasts from the Nismail Kingdom.
Alan, however, was clearly a resolute person. He quickly composed himself and continued,
"After I take care of Grandpa, I'll try to find Cori. She's my younger sister, I must rescue her."
Saying this, he clenched his teeth and looked at Roy with determination.
"Sir...my lord."
Then, he knelt heavily before Roy.
But before he could speak, Roy interrupted him: "You want me to go with you to rescue your sister?"
He looked at Alan.
"Yes."
Alan's voice was dry. "I don't have the power you possess, my lord."
He wasn't afraid of death. When he came to this merchant ship, he had already prepared himself to die. But what he had just experienced made him painfully aware of the difference in their strength.
Some problems could not be solved by courage alone.
It was just like this time, if not for the rooster-masked man in front of him, he and all the other slaves would have met a tragic fate.
If only he could enlist the help of this powerful person.
"I refuse." Roy said without hesitation at that moment.
Then he looked at Alan while speaking.
"You've also heard this, the one who bought your younger sister is a Tenryubito. There's no reason for us or me to go to war with the World Government on your behalf."
He stated the facts calmly.
And it was indeed the case. Roy had boundaries and compassion. When it didn't interfere with his plans, he wouldn't hesitate to rescue slaves, as he did this time.
However, that didn't mean he would recklessly charge into Mary Geoise just because he felt sympathy.
"... "
Alan's face turned as pale as paper. His lips trembled, but he couldn't speak for a long time.
Even as a fisherman from a small island, he had heard of the title "World Nobles."
He knew Roy was right.
"I...I was presumptuous." He spoke in a hoarse voice.
But, once again, before he could finish, Roy interrupted him.
"I might be able to ask the Leader for help. If we ever have the chance to go to Mary Geoise or meet your younger sister elsewhere, we'll try to rescue her."
"At the same time, though, I need you to do something for us."
Roy spoke softly.
Upon hearing this, the sadness in Alan's eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.
When he understood Roy's request, he looked directly at the rooster mask.
To him, the mask represented hope.
He didn't know who the "we" Roy mentioned referred to, but he could tell that the person belonged to an organization. He could only guess that this organization had to be very powerful!
So even though the conditions Roy mentioned were extremely demanding and didn't guarantee that his younger sister would definitely be rescued, Alan did not hesitate to say: "I'm willing!"
"Sir, I'm willing to do anything, even if it costs my life, I…"
"I don't need your life." Roy raised his hand, cutting him off. "I only need you to do two things for me."
He spoke softly, roughly explaining the two tasks he needed Alan to carry out. The more Alan listened, the more astonished his expression became.
By the end, his face could almost be described as disbelief.
"Are you serious? You really want me to…"
"Naturally."
After receiving Roy's sincere answer, Alan's expression became resolute: "If it is your request, then I will do it."
(End of Chapter)
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