Last time, the shop they blew up was on Island 2.
This time, they were on Island 3. It was still a lawless zone, and the atmosphere felt almost the same.
The edges of the town looked dilapidated, with many damaged houses left unrepaired for so long they were about to collapse.
Here, knife marks and bullet holes were the most common decorations.
The most outrageous sight was a corpse hanging in front of one house's door, still dressed in a Marine uniform. Next to it was a wooden sign, its faded writing roughly saying, "Marines who enter will die."
That tattered white uniform fluttered in the wind, standing out painfully in the surroundings. A Marine had died here long ago, and no one had even bothered to collect the body.
From what Zhang Da Ye knew of Rear Admiral Kadalu and Commander T-Bone of the Marine base in Grove 66, both were the kind of officers who cared deeply for their men. This must have happened before they were transferred here.
Most likely, the former commanding officer of the Sabaody Marines hadn't thought it worth the trouble for just a single soldier.
"The atmosphere here feels so suffocating," Rui Meng Meng whispered.
"This is the lawless zone," Zhang Da Ye said quietly.
"It hides most of the filth and ugliness of the Sabaody Archipelago."
Since the street was empty, they could speak softly to each other. But raising their voices wasn't safe—who knew if someone was hiding inside those broken-down houses.
Artoria didn't say a word. She simply held onto Zhang Da Ye and Rui Meng Meng, making sure they didn't get separated.
Tom crouched on Zhang Da Ye's shoulder, peering nervously around. It wasn't his first time here, but he still hated the atmosphere. His claws dug tightly into Zhang Da Ye's shoulder.
"Ow—Tom, easy, those claws are sharp!" Zhang Da Ye winced, rubbing his shoulder.
He turned to the trembling cat.
"What's with you? Did you see something scary?"
Rui Meng Meng leaned closer.
"Boss, don't you think the wind blowing through these old houses sounds a bit like ghost wails?"
"…"
Now that she mentioned it, the eerie wind howling through the ruins did sound a little creepy.
Zhang Da Ye chuckled awkwardly.
"Relax, it's just the wind. Compared to the ghost stories I told you, this place is nothing."
Tom thought of those ghost stories—
and trembled even harder.
"Boss, that just made it worse…"
"…."
Fortunately, the moment they reached a more populated area, the sinister atmosphere faded, and Tom calmed down a little.
Most houses here had their doors and windows tightly shut. Ordinary people hurried along the streets, heads down, afraid to look around—like even one stray glance might get them killed.
Only those with dangerous auras strode boldly and openly. Sometimes, even the smallest bump of shoulders turned into violent brawls.
So this was the chaos Helce had spoken of. At least in the past, ordinary people hadn't needed to live this terrified just walking outside.
Before long, they found a slave shop. They slipped inside quietly, closed the door, and even politely flipped the sign to "Closed."
Compared to the last shop, this one was bigger. Over thirty slaves were displayed behind glass. And this time, there was already a customer inside.
"I'll take this one. He looks the strongest—should last the longest."
The customer was a young noble with a butler-like servant at his side. He pointed to a tall, muscular man.
The shopkeeper grinned, bowing and flattering him:
"Excellent choice, sir! That's one of our finest slaves. Our appraisal suggests he may even have long-leg tribe blood. Very rare indeed!"
Of course, it was nonsense. If the man really had long-leg blood, he'd already be at the auction house, where rare races always sold for a fortune.
But the noble believed it.
"I just thought he looked sturdy. But if he's got rare blood, that explains his height."
The slave, dragged from the display case, wore a face of utter despair. He had no idea what torment awaited him, but he still had ties in this world, and that was the only reason he hadn't ended his life yet.
Those not chosen sighed in relief, only for worry to return—they knew their turn would come eventually.
Bang!
A heavy crash echoed. The shopkeeper, his clerk, the noble, and his butler all went sprawling onto the floor at the same time.
All four fell in perfect unison—arms out, legs up, flat on their faces. A standard pratfall, except not funny in the slightest.
Clang, clang. Chains clattered to the ground. The chosen slave staggered forward, then steadied himself, staring in shock.
It looked almost comical, but he didn't dare laugh. He didn't even dare move, terrified of being punished in retaliation.
"Ahh!"
"Damn it!"
"That hurts!"
"What happened?"
The four groaned, clutching their heads as they struggled back up, trying to see what had tripped them.
Hidden from view, Tom lifted his chin proudly. His paw stretched out, toes wiggling playfully. Tripping people was his specialty.
Then, broomsticks and chairs flew into the air, each one smacking down squarely on a head.
Three dropped unconscious instantly. Only the clerk was left, clutching his head in pain.
The chair that had hit him hovered for a second, then dropped again, finally knocking him out with stars spinning around his head.
The slaves were silent for a few seconds. Then they realized—this had to be a rescue. The room erupted.
"Save us!"
"Please, help us!"
"Savior!"
…
Hearing the noise, Zhang Da Ye grabbed pen and paper from the counter and scribbled: "Quiet down." He handed it to the slave who'd just been dragged out.
The man froze for a second, then understood. He held the note high and gestured for silence.
"Stay calm. If we draw attention, it'll only cause trouble for our savior."
Meanwhile, Rui Meng Meng had already taken the shop keys off the unconscious boss. Following Zhang Da Ye's instructions, she carefully unlocked the chains of certain slaves after checking their identities.
The money on the young noble was enough to cover their travel expenses.