Chapter 204: Gloriosa and the Kuja Pirates
As a human trafficker who burned, killed, robbed, and committed every conceivable crime, Jaku had done many terrible things. Though every day people told him he'd eventually face retribution for his actions, Jaku didn't care at all. If there was truly retribution in this world, he'd deal with it when it came.
As long as he had his fun, he wouldn't lose even if he died.
However, when death truly arrived, Jaku couldn't help but feel unspeakable terror in his heart. He didn't want to die!
That distinctive white hair, a mature and handsome face, and a sturdy, upright physique—across the entire Sabaody Archipelago, Jaku could only find one person who matched these characteristics.
"Master Silas, please spare me! I swear I'll never do it again!"
Jaku collapsed to his knees with a thud. He never even considered resisting. A small-time thug like him didn't even dare venture out to sea. How could he resist Silas, the tyrant of the New World? Even Celestial Dragons would be dead the moment they appeared before him.
Others might be cautious around Celestial Dragons. But Silas had actually killed Celestial Dragons. More than one!
What qualification did his worthless life have to compare with Celestial Dragons?
Jaku was still composed compared to the other human trafficker beside him, who was so terrified upon recognizing Silas that he fainted outright. Silas hadn't even used his Conqueror's Haki yet.
Originally still somewhat dazed, but hearing Jaku's voice, Shakky finally regained consciousness. She looked up at Silas.
"You're the pirate everyone says is so strong?"
"Yeah, I am." Hearing the little girl's crisp voice, Silas laughed heartily. "These two guys kidnapped you. How do you want to deal with them?"
Hearing Silas's words, Jaku felt a glimmer of hope. Looking at Shakky's age, she was at most eleven or twelve years old. At this age, a child wouldn't directly demand his life, right?
"Should we kill them directly?"
"No." Shakky shook her head. Before Jaku could even sigh in relief, he heard Shakky continue: "That would be too lenient for them."
"Oh, so what are you planning to do?"
Silas was somewhat surprised. Although he'd overheard those two riders discussing him and discovered that Shakky had been kidnapped, which was why he had specifically come, he didn't know Shakky's name or identity. Though he'd asked Shakky questions, no matter how she answered, he definitely would have killed those two riders engaged in human trafficking.
Everyone makes mistakes. But some errors can be forgiven, while others cannot. In Silas's mind, human trafficking was among the unforgivable errors.
"Your Majesty Petrea once said that there are three supreme evils in this world that cannot be forgiven: rape, betrayal, and human trafficking!" The black-haired little girl stood beside Silas, her hands on her hips, assuming a pose of fake authority. "I'm the most adorable girl in the world, belonging to no one. If someone tries to kidnap me, that's committing the most unforgivable sin in this world!"
"So I've decided to execute them with keelhauling!"
Keelhauling was indeed a torture considered severe even in this world. The condemned was tied with a rope and dragged from one side of the ship's hull down through the water along the bottom, encrusted with barnacles, then dragged to the other side, causing dual injuries from cutting by sharp objects and suffocation. Even some pirates with considerable strength couldn't endure this punishment for long, let alone a few thug riders.
"Alright then, let's do that." Though Silas thought human traffickers like these deserved flaying rather than keelhauling, keelhauling was essentially no different from flaying anyway, so Silas directly agreed with Shakky's method.
Only, Silas hadn't expected that a little girl like Shakky could speak of keelhauling without changing expression. Clearly, she wasn't an ordinary little girl. However, Silas didn't mind Shakky's identity. Though Shakky was indeed cute and would surely be a beauty when grown up, she hadn't grown yet, had she?
"Alright then, where's your family? I'll take you back." Saying this, Silas put on his hat.
As the saying goes, a good deed done completely, sending Buddha all the way to the west. If he just turned and left, what if Shakky got kidnapped again in the next moment? Such a cute little girl—which lolicon could resist the temptation?
"I don't know!" Shakky puffed out her chest, speaking without solid logic but with confidence. "So, can I stay with you for now? You definitely won't refuse such an adorable beauty like me, right?"
Shakky flirted right in front of Silas.
If it were someone else, Shakky probably would have obediently listened and returned to the Kuja Pirates. But who was the person in front of her? The strongest pirate in this world, the tyrant ruling the New World, the ruthless man who forcibly snatched the New World from the World Government's grasp.
This world's famous pirate crews, the Kuja Pirates, paid attention to all of them. But over the past decade, the one with the greatest influence was undoubtedly the White Wolf Pirates. This was a sea legend!
So thinking the legendary figure was right beside her—not only handsome but not fierce at all, and he even saved her—Shakky remembered what many seniors dreamed about before setting sail: wonderful chance encounters.
Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right before her eyes. If she wasted it, Shakky felt certain she'd be laughed at by others after returning!
"That won't work." Who knew? Faced with the world's number one adorable girl offering herself, the man simply refused without hesitation. "Staying beside me is quite dangerous. Let me see... your outfit resembles that female island pirate somewhat... found it. Not far from here. You're a newbie in the Kuja Pirates, right? Next time, be more careful. The outside world isn't safe."
The two human trafficker riders actually hadn't run far. With his powerful Observation Haki, Silas easily found the Kuja Pirates on the island's other side.
One could see that the Kuja Pirates' female warriors had already discovered Shakky's disappearance. They were currently searching the entire island for traces of her.
With the Kuja Pirates' strength in a place like the Grand Line's first half, they could crush virtually any rookie pirate crew. After all, the Kuja Pirates' captain basically possessed Conqueror's Haki, mastered dual-color Haki, and every crew member under her knew how to use Haki. Few pirate crews in the New World could achieve this.
However, if Silas hadn't stopped those two riders, even with the Kuja Pirates' considerable strength, they couldn't have turned all of Sabaody Archipelago upside down searching for Shakky. The Marines certainly wouldn't sit idle.
"Shakky!!!" Suddenly, a woman's voice reached Silas's ears. He laughed heartily. "Looks like your companions found you."
Saying this, Silas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Though in that one moment earlier, he'd considered potentially allying with the Kuja Pirates, borrowing their method of traversing the Calm Belt to spread the White Wolf Alliance's influence to the two sea regions adjacent to the New World. However, upon reflection, Silas decided to abandon this approach.
The Kuja Pirates could traverse the Calm Belt thanks to their unique method of taming sea snakes. Because these tamed sea snakes were highly venomous, the Sea Kings in the Calm Belt ignored them. But for someone else, wanting to tame those poisonous sea snakes clearly wouldn't be so easy.
Just one pirate ship was far from enough to expand influence significantly.
However, Silas wanted to leave, but someone didn't want to let him go.
"Damn human traffickers, daring to kidnap my people! Meet your death!"
Human trafficker? Me?
Silas looked at the two human traffickers frozen into ice sculptures restricting their movement not far away, then sensed the fragrant wind suddenly transmitted from behind.
Oh dear, oh dear.
With powerful Observation Haki, how could Silas not distinguish whether the attack aimed at him carried killing intent? The answer was no.
The so-called human trafficker was just an excuse. When Silas turned around, he saw a pink-haired, long-haired woman attacking him. Then, just as it seemed about to strike him, the moment she saw him turn, the woman suddenly went limp, as though she'd twisted her ankle running at excessive speed.
"Ah~, oh no, I actually messed up."
The woman gasped softly, and her entire body leaned toward Silas.
The one attacking Silas was naturally the Amazon Lily Empress, Kuja Pirates' current captain, Gloriosa.
Did Gloriosa recognize Silas? Of course she did. She wasn't an idiot. How could she mistake Silas for a human trafficker? Moreover, as the Kuja Pirates' captain, Gloriosa mastered Armament and Observation Haki. Though she hadn't reached the level of internal destruction or future sight yet, she was close.
So the moment Gloriosa saw Silas, it was like looking into a bottomless abyss—as if there was nothing, yet simultaneously a whirlpool firmly drawing her attention. Ordinary people struggled to sense the pressure Silas radiated. But Gloriosa wasn't an ordinary person.
Seeing Silas, the moment she wanted to further probe him, Gloriosa felt an enormous pressure, as if she had been spotted by a primordial behemoth, making her heart involuntarily accelerate.
This must be fate's encounter!
Seeing the two human traffickers frozen into ice sculptures not far away, Gloriosa thought this was definitely heaven's arrangement, giving her an opportunity to meet Silas through Shakky! So Gloriosa casually found an excuse to move in. In her view, faced with the world's number one most beautiful person's advances, no man could possibly maintain restraint.
Silas was no exception!
Who knew Silas would simply retreat one step, and Gloriosa would fall flat on her face with a thud.
Gloriosa, who'd fallen to the ground, was stunned for a moment, then immediately scrambled up, cursing.
"Damn old geezer, why didn't you catch me?"
"Haha, weren't you attacking me? Of course, I'd dodge an attack against me."
Silas said with a grin. Though he was lustful, he wasn't the type of man to lose control just seeing a beautiful woman. Besides, Gloriosa was beautiful, but he had so many women around him—none were inferior to Gloriosa.
"That's right." Seeing through Gloriosa's intention to take advantage, Shakky hurriedly blocked in front of Silas, stopping Gloriosa's further harassment. "Empress Gloriosa, please don't misunderstand! He rescued me from those two human traffickers. He's not a bad person!"
"He's not a bad person?"
Gloriosa's voice pitched eight octaves higher. "Killed Celestial Dragons, killed Marine Admirals, invaded Holy Land Mary Geoise, instigated alliance nations to withdraw from the World Government, triggered world-level warfare, destroyed the entire Acropolis Port, causing the world to split in two—the criminal responsible for all this."
Gloriosa's finger poked at Shakky's cheek repeatedly. "You call this big bad guy a good person?"
"Of course!" The little girl unhesitatingly countered: "What do Celestial Dragons and Marine Admirals have to do with me? We're not even a nation in a government alliance. Even if he's a big bad guy, as long as he saved me, in my heart, he's a good person!"
Though he was this world's most heinous pirate, having killed countless people, directly opposing the justice-representing Marines, attempting to overthrow the World Government, yet in some people's eyes, he was a good person?
Not bad!
Silas's mood inexplicably improved. He slightly released his pressure, immediately intimidating Gloriosa, who'd been about to pinch Shakky's cheek.
"So, you recognize my identity but still think I'm a human trafficker?"
Silas's eyes narrowed slightly. The sudden pressure radiating from him made Gloriosa break out in cold sweat.
Will die! Will die, will die, will die!
Gloriosa's Observation Haki frantically warned. The slightest hint of malice Silas revealed wasn't something Gloriosa, just recently becoming the Kuja Pirates captain and succeeding as Amazon Lily Empress, could endure. The Kuja Pirates might dominate the Grand Line's first half and rule one region of the New World, but facing Silas, this New World's tyrant, Gloriosa's title as Kuja Empress seemed ridiculously laughable.
"Lord Silas, please show mercy!"
Just then, a breathless voice called out from nearby.
Hearing that Gloriosa apparently attacked someone resembling Silas, Petrea nearly fainted from fright. That was Silas! Though Amazon Lily's empresses were always confident about their appearances, no one dared gamble on whether Silas would show mercy for beauty.
"I'll remember the Kuja Pirates."
Without acknowledging Petrea and Gloriosa, Silas picked up Shakky in front of him, hoisting her onto his shoulder, then grinned widely.
"Since you say I'm a human trafficker, I'll be one then. This little girl, I'm taking her!"
As Silas's words fell, Petrea and Gloriosa were startled.
Gloriosa reacted most intensely.
"Why?!"
Gloriosa puffed out her own chest. "How am I inferior to this little brat?"
"In every way!" Silas snorted coldly, carrying Shakky on his shoulder as he turned to leave. In the middle, he even winked at Shakky, immediately making her understand Silas wasn't actually angry.
She'd said earlier she wanted to follow him, so now he was fulfilling her wish.
Of course, only temporarily.