Chapter 23 An Unexpected Joy
While the one-eyed captain, the sailors, and the slave owners who had just rushed onto the deck were still reeling from fear, the massive sailing ship was already upon them.
"Thump..."
With a slight push from his legs, Shanks leaped from the bow of the ship, appearing abruptly before everyone.
With his hands behind his head, he lazily yawned and strolled past the crowd: "Good evening, everyone. I'm here to see a few people. You don't mind, do you?"
"Well..."
The aura of a Grand Magus made them sweat profusely and dare not even breathe when Shanks was just near them.
"Tap tap tap..."
Just as the sea breeze swept across the crest of the wave, a slightly hurried sound of footsteps approached from afar, and a graceful figure in cyan appeared before them.
The moonlight seemed to gild the girl's blue hair with a silver edge. She interlaced her fingers behind her back and walked barefoot across the blood-stained deck.
"The slaves on this ship were all nominated and requested by the various nobles among the great powers. Making a scene could easily attract the attention of the generals..."
With a tense jaw and a cold expression, she walked past Shanks and then kicked open the cabin door.
"oh..."
The sudden commotion startled Xu Daming, who could only turn his head in fear to observe the situation on the deck.
"This cargo ship has a fixed docking time. If it doesn't arrive on time, the people on the Munich Peninsula will notify the navy… We need to hurry…" The girl's steps stopped abruptly after stepping into the cabin, and she turned back to nod at Shanks.
Shanks casually waved in response, then smiled at everyone on the deck: "Well then, goodnight..."
"null--!"
He gave them a nonchalant glare, and the group, led by the one-eyed captain, instantly fainted, their clothes burning away with the overflowing magic...
"Sigh, Lovelet... finding someone is something I'll have to rely on you for." With a hint of helplessness, Shanks pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to walk into the cabin.
"Shanks!?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Xu Daming exclaimed in surprise, causing a stir among the viewers in the live stream, who hadn't seen Shanks in over 10 years!
"Holy crap! What are Shanks doing here?! Lexington is already quite close to the mainland; this should be a pirate-controlled no-go zone!"
"Holy crap, she's gorgeous! Who is this woman?! Could she be the mermaid Aokiji captured for navigation back then?!"
"Wow, this mature woman... I'm drooling! I could admire those legs for two years!"
"Old Chen's illegitimate daughter, Lovelet! She was born when he harmed the Queen of Atlantis during the struggle for the Heart of the Ocean!"
"Old Chen is awesome! How could he do that to a mermaid?! This game is amazing, there's no reproductive barrier (thumbs up)."
...
The moment viewers saw Lovelytie, they started taking screenshots from every angle and direction, while also discussing just how plump the Kia Jolie was…
"You know me?" A slight smile crept onto Shanks' face as he nodded, feigning surprise.
Shaking his head frantically, Xu Daming struggled a few times, but was quickly pressed back to his original position by the chains. "Red-Haired Shanks, he should be considered the personal disciple of that Pirate King, right?!"
"Are you here to rescue us? Quickly help me unlock these chains, they hurt..." Grinning, he swayed and showed off the chains behind him.
Staring intently at Xu Daming's shocking wounds, a long-absent ripple of emotion flickered in Shanks' eyes.
Scratching the back of his head, a hint of apology flashed across his eyes. "Ah...? I had no idea I was so famous. But I'm sorry, I can't save you."
"Huh? Why!" Xu Daming was taken aback at first, then blinked in confusion.
"We have no choice in the matter." Shanks sighed and shook his head helplessly.
"Alright... let's go."
Lovelet pulled out several unusual mermaids from the chains. These mermaids were sickly, with empty eyes, but they exuded an extremely strong aura of power...
Extremely well concealed were the rodent bite wounds on their tail fins; that familiar power seemed to bring back memories of the fateful sea battle 18 years ago…
"As expected of a god... even a few drops of blood can have such an impact. I can only try my best to control the extent of the disaster at sea..."
"That golden rat has escaped... I'm afraid there's going to be big trouble inland."
Lovelace frowned in thought, watching the black curse creeping from the chains up to her fingertips with wary eyes. She quickly gave Shanks a wink.
Shanks nodded and waved for her to go first, then leaned down and whispered in Xu Daming's ear: "Although this sounds a bit strange, I'll still tell you."
"A young girl told me to tell you that if your plans fail, go to the Verona River in the southern hills."
"If the orcs want to truly gain freedom, they must provoke a conflict between the North and South of humanity regarding the views on orc slavery..." Shanks lowered his voice, recalling someone's advice, and gave Xu Daming a look that emphasized self-respect.
"Her? Who is she?"
Xu Daming frowned in surprise, his brows furrowed with doubt. He was about to speak when he realized that the two had already left.
"Could it be Su Yao? Is she also plotting a rebellion? Dude, is the Civil War something you can just start on a whim?"
He shook his head, forcing himself to clear his mind, and then closed his eyes to ponder.
"Easier said than done. All three generals are players. With their overwhelming strength, it's impossible for them to provoke a conflict..." Xu Daming immediately deflated after thinking of the three high-ranking human Dharma Kings.
The monarchy held absolute power, with the king having complete control over the entire country. There was neither a church nor a pope to check or balance the power; it was entirely a one-man show by the king.
But in the current situation, what kind of disaster could make people place all their hopes in God, thus giving rise to something like the church?
"Sigh..." He sighed heavily, and a long-lost drowsiness came over him. He lay back on the cold bed and slowly closed his eyes.
...
"I have a bad feeling..."
"After what that woman said, I think I realized something..."
"Upstairs, are you talking about the Black Death?"
"Magic is above all else. What is the Black Death anyway?! It can't possibly be that stuff."
...
Xu Daming, who was already asleep, naturally didn't see the discussion among the viewers in the live stream.
Fortunately, this topic didn't last long, and the audience quickly shifted their focus to whether Su Yao was plotting a rebellion.
The moment the sun rose above the horizon, the cargo ship arrived at its destination, a port in the South China Sea.
Along with them were thousands of other ships also transporting slaves, and a large number of carriages and horses had been waiting at the port for a long time.
The one-eyed captain stood anxiously at the bow of the ship. He had just changed into new clothes, but his body was covered in charred marks from the fire.
A sailor scurried forward, bowed respectfully, and began to report: "Captain! We've counted them; we're only missing six mermaids, the rest of the slaves are still here..."
Shrugging, the one-eyed captain breathed a sigh of relief. "That's alright, we can just say it was damage during the journey!"
The sailor, who had intended to leave, suddenly remembered something. After swallowing hard, he looked at him with some confusion: "But Captain, why did that red-haired guy take away the sickly merman? Why the strong, healthy one...?"
"That's not something we should be thinking about! Do you want to be robbed by him again?! Now go and bring those animals down!" The one-eyed captain raised an eyebrow, a hint of anger squeezing out from under his charred eyebrows, and immediately burst into curses.
"Well…"
Seeing his captain get angry, the man immediately swallowed all his doubts and ran nimbly to the cabin