"Normally, pirates wouldn't dare attack a ship flying the World Government's flag. They don't want to invite the government's wrath. Likewise, World Government ships usually won't take the initiative to attack pirates — that's the Navy's job. As for CP agents, they would never travel in such flashy vessels; they'd use a Navy warship if anything. Yet here we are, being attacked by a ship flying the World Government's colors... So who would do something like this?" Arlan explained calmly with a smile, then turned to look at the two standing beside him.
"Slave hunters!" Aeridar and Dimitri blurted out in unison, sudden realization flashing across their faces.
Officially, the World Government had abolished slavery. However, the Celestial Dragons, who considered themselves the "descendants of the creators," still lived under an archaic and oppressive slave-based society. Enjoying unchecked privileges, they clung fiercely to the notion of bloodline superiority, harboring extreme racial prejudice against all non-Celestial Dragon beings.
Simply put, they didn't view anyone else as human. They deemed it beneath them to even breathe the same air, hence the bubble helmets they wore. They enslaved people from other races as they pleased. Should anyone dare offend them, the Marine Admirals were duty-bound to mobilize the full might of the Navy to protect them.
Every year, nations around the world were forced to offer the "Heavenly Tribute" to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. With wealth and power beyond imagination, the Celestial Dragons attracted sycophants eager to curry favor. Many turned to capturing humans and other species to sell to them, earning hefty profits and the Celestial Dragons' patronage — a win-win, as they saw it.
With the Celestial Dragons' backing, these slave hunters could flaunt the World Government's flag, operating under a near-legal guise. As long as they didn't cross a Marine's direct path, even the Navy often turned a blind eye.
Thus, underworld organizations, pirates, and criminal syndicates were all involved in the human trafficking business. Even Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, secretly ran an illegal Human Auctioning House, supplying slaves to Celestial Dragons and corrupt nobles alike — kidnapping beings of all races.
In the original canon, it was Doflamingo's Human Auctioning House on the Sabaody Archipelago that featured heavily during Luffy's assault on a Celestial Dragon. Afterward, the auction house's manager, Disco, had even called Doflamingo for help — only to be coldly rejected.
"Heh... So they're treating us like easy prey, huh? How insulting." Aeridar sneered coldly, now fully grasping the enemy's intentions.
"I'll go get everyone ready for battle," Arlan said with a shrug before turning on his heel and striding off.
Aeridar turned sharply and growled, "Slaughter every last one of those bastards. Leave no survivors."
"Uh... Understood. No survivors," Arlan replied, pausing for a heartbeat before a bloodthirsty grin curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Leave it to me~" came a lazy voice. Oliver, with two swords strapped at his waist, had just strolled up and caught the last part of Aeridar's order. In an instant, his laid-back demeanor vanished, replaced by a feral, vicious smile.
Moments later, the Chris erupted into activity. Crewmates swarmed the decks, ripping the oilcloth covers off the cannons. On the lower deck, gunports swung open with heavy creaks, and rows of massive cannons were rolled out, their black muzzles glinting ominously. At the bow, the triple-mounted turret whirred mechanically as it adjusted its firing angle.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Simultaneously, the Chris and the Saint Florent unleashed their opening salvoes from their bow-mounted triple turrets.
Solid iron cannonballs punched into the roiling sea, sending geysers of water spraying sky-high as the great ships rocked amidst the surging waves.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Another thunderous volley from both ships.
A black cannonball hurtled toward the Chris's bow, howling with deadly force.
"I'll take care of this one!" Oliver declared. Stepping forward, he drew his blade Nagamitsu in a fluid motion, leaping high into the air.
A flash of pale, dazzling light.
SPLASH!
The cannonball, cleaved cleanly in two, lost all momentum and plummeted harmlessly into the sea.
"Steel-slicing swordsman...!"
Aboard the Saint Florent, Paradi, stationed at the bow with a spyglass, stiffened in shock. On the Grand Line's first half, swordsmen capable of cutting through solid cannonballs were rare — even within the Navy, only the best could achieve such feats. Such warriors were often well-known figures at Marine Headquarters. For a rookie pirate to demonstrate this... they had to be someone with the potential to become a Supernova.
"Keep firing!" Paradi barked, quickly rushing back to the main deck.
Thump, thump... thump-thump-thump... thump-thump-thump-thump...
Hearing the urgent approach of footsteps, Elver put down his teacup and looked up lazily. "Oh? Paradi, what's the rush?"
"Elver-sama," Paradi reported respectfully, "the enemy has a swordsman capable of cutting cannonballs."
"What?!" Elver yanked his sunglasses down dramatically, his entire pudgy body jiggling from the movement. He knew exactly what that meant: a newcomer capable of such a feat was no ordinary pirate. His face twisted in alarm. "Don't tell me... we've stumbled into a crew with Supernova potential?"
"Don't embarrass us like that, Elver-sama," Paradi replied, frowning slightly. "I can't say for sure yet. But... their flag looked familiar. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before."
Elver furrowed his brow, his round face full of suspicion. "Could it be an infamous crew that's been lying low for a while? Most of our intel only covers activity from the past four months, after all."
Thunk.
Paradi's eyes lit up as he smacked a fist into his palm. "That's it, Elver-sama! I remember now!"
Elver grabbed Paradi's arm eagerly. "Oh~? Out with it, out with it!"
"Judging by the flag, they're the Chris Pirates — the ones who came from the East Blue half a year ago! Their captain, Golden Ring Aeridar, debuted with a bounty of 30 million berries. He's a Paramecia-type — a user of the Impact-Impact Fruit. His record includes killing Pirate Slayer Nodori Mori, a Captain who had offended Saint Sharlia. At the time, he held the highest bounty among East Blue pirates!"
Paradi's expression turned grave. "Their second major feat was at the Battle of Loguetown, where they nearly overturned the tide. Even the fearsome 'White Devil' — Evans, a Rear Admiral and Zoan Ancient Zoan Snowfang Wolf user — fell to Aeridar's hands."
He continued solemnly, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally raised Aeridar's bounty to 80 million berries. Both times, it was Sengoku himself who issued the bounty — a rare thing. A pirate who garners that level of attention before even reaching the Grand Line... they're not to be underestimated."
Normally, Fleet Admiral Sengoku only concerned himself with the major pirates of the New World. Even for promising rookies, unless they committed a major crime, their bounties wouldn't warrant his personal intervention. After all, with countless pirates setting sail every day, not every upstart could attract the Fleet Admiral's direct notice.
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