Chapter 340 Human Traffickers
With a crack, the cup in Rosen's hand shattered even though he hadn't used any force. It was the result of Haki slipping out of control.
"What about Observation?" Hathaway wasn't surprised. This was typical when Haki was overused and control weakened.
"No problem there."
"No fatigue? No overwhelming noise?" Hathaway was puzzled. Observation wasn't supposed to be his strong suit.
"None." Rosen shook his head.
"In that case, your potential in Observation might be even greater than in Armament. You should train it more."
"Alright."
…
"Stay away from him! He's a monster!" Countless pirates surrounded MR.5 in fear. Everyone who tried to cut him down had not only failed to break through his Tekkai but had been blown black by explosions.
A large number of soldiers and cannon fire burst from inside Bege's fortress-body, landing on MR.5. Instead, he let out a pleased shout. These cannonballs had some punch.
This guy was basically invulnerable, and he was just an ordinary officer. Even Bege's fortress form was beaten bloody. His fortress simply wasn't strong enough yet.
MR.5's explosive power was terrifying—his punches and kicks were far stronger than cannon fire.
"What's wrong? Only defending? This is a pirate worth over a hundred million? Hahahaha!" MR.5 laughed wildly as he expelled a blast of air. It struck the fortress, triggering a massive explosion that engulfed it in flames.
"Arrogant." Bege's expression darkened. Numerous cannons extended from the fortress, bombarding MR.5. But aside from damaging his own ship, the attacks did almost nothing to MR.5.
Explosion after explosion rang out. The fight dragged on. MR.5's destructive power was immense, but Bege's defense and firepower were also impressive.
When Bege found explosions didn't work, he switched to swords, spears, and arrows. But MR.5 didn't rely solely on explosions—he had Rokushiki and Haki as well.
"This has gone on too long. At this rate, it'll be nighttime." Enel yawned, looking bored.
"He won! He retreated!" Natalie suddenly shouted. Bege had been blasted away and, seeing the enemy had many powerful officers and a captain on board, decisively ordered a retreat.
"No chase. Next time I'll beat him faster." MR.5's fighting spirit surged. He'd beaten Bege, but the man's defense was absurd. Killing him wasn't realistic unless someone else intervened.
But MR.5 wanted to deal with that enemy himself.
"Just an officer…" Bege bit his cigar, heavily wounded, surrounded by crewmen, unwilling to accept defeat. Was the gap truly that large?
According to intel, this officer wasn't even among the top three of the Dawn Pirates. Yet one man had defeated all of them. It crushed Bege's confidence.
Just how strong was their captain?
For Bege, this was a major failure. But for Rosen and his crew, it was just a small episode on their journey.
Daily sailing was dull but peaceful. The trip to the Sabaody Archipelago wasn't far, but the number of pirate crews they encountered was large.
Bones, Valentine, Natalie, and the others enjoyed ample chances to fight. Meanwhile Hathaway, Enel, and Rosen barely lifted a finger.
No enemies worth the effort. The Grand Line's weather was more dangerous than most pirate crews.
The seasons shifted wildly—sometimes within days, sometimes within a single day.
The Sabaody Archipelago was an island made of giant trees. The ground was formed from roots that secreted resinous fluid, producing bubbles. It was famous for its bubble culture and marked the gateway to the New World.
The archipelago consisted of 79 trees, each numbered. Different numbers indicated different zones; each tree had towns and facilities.
Trees 1–29 were lawless zones—human trafficking was the main trade. Trees 30–39 had parks. Trees 40–49 were tourist and specialty areas. Trees 50–59 were shipyards. Trees 60–69 were Marine stations. Trees 70–79 were hotel districts.
Sabaody was huge. Even the Marines couldn't fully control the coastline unless they paid a massive price.
Doing so would reduce the birth of New World powerhouses, but it came with a downside. If Sabaody were fully blocked, countless pirates would remain stuck in the first half of the Grand Line.
That would endanger the entire region.
So the fact that Sabaody wasn't sealed off wasn't accidental. The World Government likely wanted pirates to enter the New World.
The New World was like a nest of gu—chaotic and deadly. Pirates charged in, only to become prey.
From one perspective, it helped the Marines weaken pirate forces, letting them devour each other.
If a Marine admiral and several vice admirals guarded Sabaody, most pirates would never pass.
But then they'd stagnate in the first half of the Grand Line, and over time, that stable region could become another lawless New World.
That would be bad for the World Government's rule.
Near Sabaody, certain things became common. First, human traffickers. Second, mermaids and Fish-Men sometimes appeared. Third, pirate encounters increased.
But hardly any traffickers dared target Crocodile. Still—not none. Like the bio-weapon gas-using trafficker group Rosen's crew was currently wiping out.
As the Dawn approached, smoke-filled gas bombs shot up from underwater, knocking out many crew members. It was sleeping gas.
The traffickers intended to sell Rosen and his crew. Even capturing a pirate worth two or three hundred million berries could fetch five or six hundred million at auction.
But blinded by greed, they had overestimated themselves. After taking down a few ordinary crewmen, the traffickers surfaced—only to be blasted by lightning before they could even board the ship.
Underwater ambushes did catch Rosen's crew off guard. They rarely encountered such attacks. But even so, harming them was almost impossible.
Miggs took this matter especially seriously. He detained several traffickers and interrogated them. Rosen didn't object. Human traffickers deserved death, and Rosen didn't care how they died.
"Still no news." Miggs tossed two corpses into the sea, disappointed. They had finally arrived here, yet there was still no information.
He feared that even on the island, he would find nothing. Perhaps his daughter was already gone.
(End of chapter)