NOVEL WEB Chapter 59 – Human Trafficking
Kuro, held roughly by his captors, was fitted with a collar and thrown into a cell.
His head hit the floor with a thud, and he groaned. “Ouch! Can’t you be a little more careful?!”
“Shut up… You’re being sold as a slave. Stay quiet, like the others.”
Looking around, Kuro saw nothing but despair. Those around him were slaves, waiting to be auctioned off. They had no hope for the future.
“We haven't had much luck this month… I hope you fetch a good price.”
“Nah, I doubt it.”
“You’re saying that yourself…?”
“What about the others who were with me?”
“They’re getting collars and handcuffs too. They’ll be sold as laborers, I guess.”
The auction staff, observing Kuro casually chatting with his captors, found him strange. He didn’t seem to have any sense of danger, almost as if this was someone else’s problem. He lacked the usual despair that most slaves exhibited.
“What will I have to do if I’m sold as a slave? Mop the floors?”
“Cleaning? Like a child?! Well, maybe, depending on the buyer…”
Human horses, cleaners, punching bags – the uses for slaves were varied. That’s what made them slaves – they could be used however the buyer pleased.
The trafficker, hoping to instill fear, painted a grim picture of Kuro’s potential future.
“If you displease your master, they might beat you. You could even become a punching bag, abused until you’re nothing but a rag. So, try not to anger them–”
“Hey, you’re a Fishman, right? That’s rare. Tell me about Fishman Island.”
“Listen to me!!!”
Ignoring the trafficker, Kuro approached a Fishman in the same cell.
The trafficker was half-angry, half-confused, but Kuro paid him no mind.
Perhaps it was because he was so different from the other slaves, but he seemed to be unaffected by their threats. The trafficker, telling the staff to “Sell him for a high price,” left the room.
Soon after, the rest of Kuro’s crewmates were thrown into the cell.
“Hey, is everyone here?”
“Of course we’re here… What are we going to do?”
“It seems we’re being sold as slaves.”
“Anyone who knows anything about Sabaody would have figured that out… We finally made it out to sea as pirates, and…”
“I don’t want to become a slave here!”
“Hey, don’t be so pessimistic. We’ll be fine.”
Despite being surrounded by despairing crewmates, Kuro remained cheerful.
“But…”
“Trust our captain. When a Celestial Dragon demanded she hand over her subordinate as a slave, she killed him. Besides, I’ll figure something out.”
He was used to hardships, considering his upbringing. And he was confident that Kanata would come and rescue them.
They weren’t wearing Seastone handcuffs or collars. If he had to, he could destroy this whole auction house. There was no point in worrying.
Apparently, the collars exploded if you tampered with them, but he figured he wouldn’t die. He was optimistic, to say the least.
“…I’ve never seen you fight. Are you even strong?”
“Nah, I’m the weakest one on the ship.”
“Captain! Help me!”
The youngest of his crewmates, barely a teenager, was being beaten by one of the auction staff.
***
Kanata, having parted ways with Gloriosa, arrived at the auction house.
Dragon and Tiger, who had finally been contacted, were on their way, but the auction had already begun. It would be faster to subdue the place herself than waste time waiting for them.
She headed towards the back entrance, where the staff entered, and was spotted by the guards.
“This is a staff-only entrance. If you wish to participate in the auction, please use the front entrance.”
“We’re not here to participate. A few of our crew members might be sold here. We’ve come to get them back.”
“That’s… impossible. Especially if they’re pirates.”
His tone was polite, but his words were firm.
He clearly looked down on them because they were pirates. She had no idea how much he was bribed by the Marines, but with the ‘Golden Lion’ involved, it was understandable that he wouldn’t want to make a move.
The World Government was turning a blind eye to the situation, for their own convenience.
“They’re not slaves. I’m telling you to return them.”
“Don’t be persistent… If you continue this harassment, we’ll have to take legal action.”
Slave trading was illegal. Calling the Marines would lead to their arrest – but it seemed the Marines were hard of hearing when it came to the words ‘slave trading’.
Calling the Marines would only harm Kanata and her crew.
“Fufu… Please leave. We’d be happy to welcome you as a customer, Ms. ‘Dragon Slayer’.”
“…You’re sponsored by Shiki, right?”
“? …Yes, but what does that –”
Kanata grabbed the large guard’s face with one hand, pulling him towards her.
He stumbled, caught off guard by her overwhelming strength, forced to meet her gaze.
“He’s my enemy. We’ve already fought, almost to the death – you understand what I’m saying?”
“N-No… what do you –”
“Don’t you get it? I’m going to destroy this place.”
She kicked the guard, shattering his armor, sending him flying. The staff door, unable to withstand her power, crumbled.
Her subordinates, knowing how this would play out, raised their weapons, following her without hesitation.
“Subdue this place quickly. They’re not strong enough to make us wait for the others.”
She wouldn’t back down, whether her enemy was a Marine Admiral or a Great Pirate.
She effortlessly took down the guards, advancing without hesitation. Until now, mentioning the Marines or the ‘Golden Lion’ had been enough to make people back down. It had made them complacent, ill-prepared for this kind of situation.
Not that it would have made any difference. Kanata alone could wipe them out.
“Find the keys to the handcuffs and collars.”
“Aye, leave it to us. We can release everyone, right?”
“Yes. If they have nowhere to go, we can take them with us.”
They knew what to do. Without waiting for further instructions, they started searching for the keys.
Kanata, meanwhile, was casually destroying cages, searching for Kuro.
He shouldn’t have been sold yet, not until the auction was over – but as she thought this, a scream echoed from the stage.
She was about to head there, but a voice called out to her.
“Hey, you… are you looking for a kid with tattoos all over his body?”
“He’s not exactly a kid anymore, but… that’s probably him. Do you know him?”
“Yeah. He was different from the rest of us… so you really came…”
He had been taken as a slave, and couldn’t even dream of being rescued.
That’s why none of them had taken Kuro’s words seriously – but it seemed it wasn’t just a fantasy after all.
“He’s being auctioned off right now, on the stage. But there might be Celestial Dragons amongst the buyers.”
“No Celestial Dragons. The government has recalled them from the island.”
“What…? W-Why would they…?”
“They must have felt threatened.”
Kanata would have left them alone if they hadn’t been a nuisance, but the government couldn’t afford to take that risk. They didn’t want to risk an encounter with her in Sabaody.
Even Celestial Dragons, arrogant as they were, wouldn’t want to stay on an island where the ‘Celestial Dragon Slayer’ was present.
Garp, when informed, had admitted, “It makes our job easier.” Kanata chose to ignore his words. It was amazing that he wasn’t being punished for his actions. She found it baffling.
Anyway…
“The buyers are irrelevant. Just threaten them and disperse the crowd.”
“Aye. What about those who resist?”
“Shoot them in the arms and legs. That should make them behave.”
She only needed the crew members who had been captured with Kuro. The rest were irrelevant.
She doubted the buyers would be particularly attached to the slaves, so they would probably leave quickly.
A few moments later, gunshots and screams echoed through the building.
The sound of panicked footsteps faded, and a few of her subordinates returned from the stage.
“Oh, my lady. Sorry for making you search for us.”
“Honestly. I didn’t think this would happen, not so soon after arriving.”
Kuro, his chains rattling, raised his hand cheerfully. His subordinates, though pale, looked relieved.
It was heartwarming to see their trust in her, but she wished Kuro would avoid getting into trouble in the first place.
“Can’t you remove that collar?” she asked.
“I don’t know. It seems pretty sturdy, but… if you’re asking if I can swallow it, then yeah, probably.”
Darkness swirled around Kuro’s body, seeping between his skin and the shackles.
It required precise control, but once he reached this stage, the rest was easy – he simply had to swallow them.
The collar and handcuffs, crushed by the force of the darkness, disappeared, and Kuro was free.
“…That was easier than I expected.”
“Hmm…”
Picking up a spare collar from a nearby shelf, Kanata examined it. It was designed to be difficult to break, but the chain connecting the collar to the handcuffs was rigged to explode if tampered with.
“I see,” she muttered, then crushed it in her hand.
The collar, twisted and mangled, emitted a strange sound, and Kanata tossed it aside. It exploded with a loud bang.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“It can be broken. It’s sturdy, but only a little harder than usual.”
Using Haki, she could break it from the inside. She could even crush it with her bare hands, if she used Armament Haki.
It was something anyone with decent control over Armament Haki could do, she thought.
“Be careful from now on. I can’t keep bailing you out. You’re not a child.”
“W-Well, I can’t really argue with that, coming from you.”
“You sound like a kid being scolded by his mother.”
“Give me a break. My mother’s younger than me.”
Kanata, exasperated, gave each of them a knock on the head. “Let’s go,” she said.
Ignoring the men rubbing their heads, she watched as her subordinates brought the keys, releasing the remaining slaves. They were overjoyed, tears streaming down their faces. They had never imagined they would be rescued.
“Those who have nowhere to go, follow us. We’ll drop you off at some island.”
She hoped some of them would be useful and stay, but forcing them to join her crew wouldn’t be productive.
They couldn’t afford to keep useless freeloaders on board. If they wanted to join her crew, they had to work. If they didn’t, they’d be kicked out.
Most of them were ordinary humans, but there were a few Longarms and Fishmen. Some were even former pirates, with bounties on their heads. They must have some skills.
“Are you going to the New World?”
“Yes. We’ll pass through Fishman Island and head to the New World. Those who have unfinished business in Paradise should stay here. We won’t be responsible if you die.”
“No… I’m coming with you. I owe you my life.”
The Longarm man bowed his head deeply.
Most of them decided to join Kanata’s crew, but there were those who were attached to Paradise and those who feared the New World.
She let them go, not forcing them to stay.
“Contact Dragon and Tiger. We’re done here.”
“Yeah, we ended up taking care of this ourselves.”
They had raided the safe, securing a considerable sum of money. Building the new ship had drained their funds, so this was a welcome addition.
All they had to do now was stock up on medicine, food, and water before the ship was coated.
…Unless Kuro caused more trouble.
“Marine Headquarters is nearby, right? Is it really alright to be here so openly?”
Kuro, having swallowed the building with his darkness, they left the auction house.
Their crew had grown considerably. She wasn’t sure if she should be happy about having more people to handle chores. Those who were weak enough to be kidnapped by traffickers might become a liability in a naval battle.
It was something to consider later.
Their current crew was more than capable of handling simple battles…
“I doubt they’ll make a move. They know how much damage I can cause if they antagonize me.”
She was confident that she could at least fight Sengoku or Garp to a standstill. With her crew’s support, she was practically invincible.
Moreover, she had liberated slaves. They had no reason to reprimand her. Sengoku and Zephyr, being sticklers for the rules, might respond to a request for assistance, but she doubted Garp would lift a finger.
Not that this was a matter that would require the attention of a Vice Admiral or an Admiral.
“Well, they might still come after you, knowing you’re here.”
“Is that so? …You’re probably right.”
Considering she could fight the ‘Golden Lion’ and ‘Big Mom’, it was unlikely that the government and the Marines would leave her alone.
They would probably attack again, sooner or later.
They wouldn’t let her get away with harming a Celestial Dragon. The only question was when –
“…There’s no point in worrying about it. Let’s return to the ship and discuss it later.”
“I agree. I’m tired.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“I was kidnapped!”
“Wow, you’re going to say that? I was being considerate, you know.”
The initial tension had dissipated, and they walked back to the ship, the streets safe after they had wiped out all the traffickers and bounty hunters in the area.
The following day, the newspaper announced Admiral Zephyr’s resignation and Sengoku’s appointment as the new Admiral.
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