Chapter 185: Betrayal Among Thieves
Fish-Man Island was enveloped by a massive double-layered bubble, shaped like a hemispherical dome.
Its entrance and exit were located within a colossal cannon-like gate, with a long barrel-like tunnel extending just beyond the shield.
Inside the massive corridor, a several-hundred-meter-wide waterway served as a dock for numerous ships. Walkways ran along either side, bustling with people. Behind each person floated a large bubble containing sack-like bundles.
It looked just like a busy shipping port—except the cargo was young female mermaids and fish-men.
Arthur, now reunited with his five subordinates, arrived at the passage.
"Whoa! Judging by the size of that sack, he's caught a giant female mermaid!"
"Arthur, that perv is really lucky!"
"Yeah! If he makes it out with that today, he's set for life."
As soon as they entered, murmurs spread. Everyone's eyes locked on Arthur—and more specifically, the enormous sack inside his giant floating bubble. Greed sparkled in their eyes.
"Boss Arthur… what do we do?"
His five men were visibly tense. They all knew the 20-billion-berry mermaid princess was in that bag. If the others found out, they'd definitely try to steal her.
"Relax, sweethearts. Keep calm. No one's gonna make a move today," Arthur said, pretending to be confident, though he was on edge inside.
"These guys aren't easy to fool," he thought, eyeing the greedy gazes trained on him.
It wasn't just about the 20 billion berries. This was a chance to get in with the Celestial Dragons—a golden ticket.
That's what everyone really wanted.
Get close to the Celestial Dragons, and slave sales become a breeze. No more fighting on the frontlines—just riches from behind the scenes. That was the ultimate goal of every trafficker.
Luckily, no one dared make a move today. These were "legit" traffickers, brought in by John more to distract Fish-Man Island's defenses.
There were still rules among traffickers: when working together, no stealing from one another. If everyone stopped hunting and just waited to poach others' loot, nobody would get anything.
Besides, there were plenty of mermaids on the island—better to go find your own.
But just as Arthur was trying to maintain his cool…
A man in a black suit approached with a professional smile. "Boss Arthur, looks like you scored big this time."
"Not bad," Arthur smirked, feigning pride.
"Would you mind if I took a look?" the suited man asked. "If the goods are top quality, I'm willing to pay handsomely right now. You'd have your hands free to go get more. Everyone wins."
Arthur didn't bite, but couldn't reject him outright either—it would draw too much attention.
So after pretending to consider, he shook his head. "If you'd asked earlier, I might've said yes. But not anymore."
"Why not?" the man pressed.
Everyone around leaned in, ears perked. In this line of work, timely intel was everything.
Even a second's delay could mean missing out—or death.
Seeing everyone watching, Arthur put on a grim, fearful face.
"That big shot from the New World is far too powerful. The Ryugu King is already on the verge of collapse."
"If he falls, those pirates won't let us keep looting. They'll want everything for themselves."
"They plan to rule this island. If we don't leave now, we won't get another chance."
He looked "apologetically" at the man in the suit. "So I won't sell, Kumbu. I'll take her to Sabaody instead—fetch a higher price. Sorry, sweetheart."
Then Arthur and his crew made their way to their ship docked in the central waterway.
No one stopped them. They were too busy digesting what he'd said.
"Wait… we're not part of that big shot's crew. Once he conquers Fish-Man Island, won't he come after us?"
"Exactly! He's obsessed with money. If he finds out we took young mermaid slaves—each worth billions—he'll kill us!"
"We need to get out of here—sorry, Kumbu! I'm taking my slaves to Sabaody too!"
"Me too! Sorry, Kumbu!"
…
In moments, everyone turned down Kumbu's offers and rushed to their ships to flee the island.
Only one man remained frozen in place—Kumbu, the man in the black suit.
His mind went blank: Who am I? Where am I? What did I just do?
Eventually, as he saw everyone boarding their ships in a panic, realization hit. His face went pale.
"Wait! Don't listen to that perverted lunatic Arthur! Captain John has an agreement with my boss! He won't touch you!"
Kumbu didn't care about saving face anymore. He shouted, desperate to stop the exodus.
But no one listened. They knew John wouldn't harm Kumbu's boss—after all, he wasn't the one stealing slaves.
But the traffickers who were stealing? They were expendable.
"We're doomed… I'm doomed!" Kumbu slapped himself in a frenzy.
His boss had finally secured a deal with John to get exclusive access to top-tier slaves—no competition, massive profits.
Now it was ruined. Everyone was leaving—and taking the slaves with them.
His boss would never forgive him. He'd be tortured to death.
"Brilliant tactic, Captain…" muttered one of Arthur's men aboard the ship, amazed by how well Arthur had manipulated the crowd.
"Let's get moving!" Arthur snapped.
"Uh—yes, Boss!" The crew scrambled to depart, still unsure why Arthur was angry.
Soon, their ship reached the outer gate of the tunnel, where it exited the bubble shield.
Just like a dam system, the internal door closed, the outer door opened, and seawater rushed in.
As the channel filled, the coated ships exited one by one, floating toward Sabaody Archipelago.
"Finally… we're out," Arthur sighed in relief—then immediately broke into a cold sweat.
"I've pissed off Kumbu's boss badly this time…"
He knew the fallout would be enormous—hundreds of billions in losses because of him.
But once he sold the mermaid princess, he planned to retire.
He'd go back to the South Blue, open a little "Injection Clinic," and give his sweet patients happy shots forever.
…
Sabaody Archipelago, Island 13, around 2–3 a.m.
After finishing construction and enjoying a hearty dinner, Luo Han and the others were fast asleep.
Not far away, on Island 18, in a rundown mansion by the coast—
Under dim orange lighting, two groups stood facing each other. One side had six people; the other only three.
Between them lay two sacks—one huge, the other average-sized.
Leading the three was a middle-aged man in a green suit, flanked by two black-suited bodyguards.
He eyed the large sack greedily but kept his tone steady. "Arthur, let me see. You asked me here in person—don't let me down."
"Haha!" Arthur laughed, stepping forward. "Take a good look. This is the legendary 20-billion-berry mermaid princess—Princess Akatsuki!"
He pulled open the bag, revealing Akatsuki's curled-up figure.
Around 12 meters tall, with crimson hair and a flawless orange tail, her stunning features glowed in the dim light—utterly breathtaking.
"It's really her… Akatsuki. Lord Roschel's long-cherished… slave!"
The man in green trembled with greed.
"Well? I wasn't lying, was I? So… how much are we talking?" Arthur asked eagerly.
The green-suited man's expression suddenly turned cold. He sneered, said nothing, and turned to walk away.
"…" Arthur was stunned and moved to follow—only to be blocked by the two black-suited men.
"What's the price?!" he shouted.
"Dispose of them."
The green-suited man's cold voice echoed back.
"Wait, what—" Arthur started, but one of the men struck.
Two fingers pierced his chest like bullets.
"Finger Gun…! You… you're… CP…?!" Arthur gasped. "You bastards—!"
He collapsed, groaning in agony.
"Boss Arthur!!"
"You monsters!!"
His five men charged the agents but were quickly dispatched—five piercing sounds, then five thuds.
Clang. The doors opened. The agents emerged, each dragging a bubble—one containing Princess Akatsuki, the other the little mermaid Shouji.
"Sir, it's done," one said respectfully to the green-suited man.
He waved casually and walked forward, eyes gleaming.
"Let's go. We have a grand transfer ceremony to prepare for… Hehehe…"
(END CHAPTER)
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