**Chapter 16: How Do You Want to Die**
As evening approached, Ren, Natsu, and Happy, having eaten and drunk their fill, walked toward the seaside.
"Ren, why are we going to the seaside?" Happy asked Ren curiously.
"Seeing that you guys are full, I'm taking you for a walk to digest."
They arrived at Harligeon Port.
They heard two girls chatting while strolling along the harbor.
One of the girls pointed excitedly at a large ship sailing away in the distance and shouted, "Look! That ship, it's Lord Salamander's ship."
"Ship? ...Ugh..." Hearing the word "ship," combined with being a bit too full, Natsu felt the urge to vomit.
"Salamander? That weird guy we met during the day?"
Happy had some impression of him. He had accompanied Natsu here because they heard a "Fire Dragon" had appeared in this town, so they came looking for it. Who knew it was just a mage who went by the name Salamander?
"Ah! I really wanted to go to that party too!"
"Salamander?" The other girl evidently wasn't familiar with who her friend was talking about.
"You don't know? A super powerful mage came to our town. It's the famous mage from Fairy Tail."
"!!"
Hearing this, Natsu and Happy's eyes widened.
They immediately turned their gazes toward Ren.
"Ren... that..."
Ren nodded. Natsu and Happy's expressions turned ugly.
Someone dared to impersonate a member of Fairy Tail. This was a major taboo in any Mage Guild.
At this moment, on the Salamander's ship.
*Smash!* Inside the cabin, Lucy waved her hand, knocking a glass of wine onto the floor.
Lucy stood up, her face looking grim as she spoke to the Salamander. "What did you put in the wine? What are you trying to do?"
"Haha, spotted it, did you? It's sleeping pills."
"You've got me wrong. I want to join Fairy Tail, I don't want to be your woman."
"This girl is really giving me a headache. If you had just slept obediently, you wouldn't have to suffer..."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the curtain behind Lucy was pulled open, and two large hands firmly grabbed her arms.
"Ah! As expected of Mr. Salamander!"
"It's been a long time since we had such high-quality merchandise."
Lucy shouted loudly, "What are you doing! Who are you people?! Let me go right now!!"
The Salamander lifted Lucy's chin and grinned ferociously. "Let you go? I went through so much trouble to get you on the ship, how could I possibly let you go?"
"Welcome to my slave ship. Behave yourself until the ship arrives in Bosco, little girl."
Lucy's expression changed. "Bosco... Wait?! What about Fairy Tail?!"
"Didn't I tell you? This is a slave ship. From the very beginning, I planned to take you away as merchandise. Give up."
"Let's brand you with the slave mark first. It's a bit hot, just bear with it and it'll be over." The Salamander took out a red-hot branding iron and spoke to Lucy.
Hearing these words, Lucy felt despair. She never imagined something like this would happen.
Abusing magic, deceiving people, human trafficking... was this a Fairy Tail mage?
Suddenly, a voice shouted from outside: "Who is it?!"
Immediately after, screams rang out.
"Waaahhhh!"...
The people in the cabin were stunned. The Salamander's face changed. "Go out and see what happened?!"
Soon, everyone ran out of the cabin.
They saw many of the girls who had attended the party lying unconscious on the deck because of the sleeping drug.
There were also some slaver minions lying on the deck, blood pooling beneath them, their status unknown.
Two unfamiliar figures appeared on the deck.
One figure stood in the center of the deck, dressed in white snow-like robes, looking extremely handsome.
The other was leaning against the side of the ship, vomiting.
Happy stood beside Natsu and said, "Natsu, if you get seasick, you shouldn't have come!"
"?!!"
The Salamander recognized Ren and Natsu as the two people he had met during the day.
"Ren! Natsu!"
Lucy, who was being held captive, also recognized Ren and Natsu and couldn't help but shout in surprise.
"Yo! Lucy, we meet again. But looking at your situation, things don't seem too good," Ren greeted Lucy casually.
Lucy immediately shouted at Ren and Natsu, "Ren! Natsu! Run! These guys aren't Fairy Tail mages, they are slavers! Go report them!"
"Not Fairy Tail?"
"Slavers?"
Hearing this, Natsu and Happy's faces turned extremely ugly.
Since when was Fairy Tail branded with the title of human traffickers?
The Salamander looked at Ren ferociously and said, "Since you know, I can't let you leave. You guys, kill them quickly!"
"Yes!!"
Two men charged toward Ren.
*Shwa!* A cold light flashed.
*Thump! Thump!*
The two men fell onto the deck.
Ren spoke in an icy tone: "Daring to use Fairy Tail's name to traffic humans... How do you want to die?"
A guild's reputation cannot be insulted; those who insult it must be destroyed. This is a conviction observed by almost all guild mages.
And in Ren's heart, there was a standard: human traffickers all deserve to die.