Chapter 65: If There Are No Traffickers, Children Won't Get Lost
"Is the information accurate?"
"Absolutely no problem, Big Bro. We used news of a Merfolk slave as bait to fish this information out.
Those idiots really thought I would sell my own compatriot for money. They were all incredibly excited."
"Good job, Karma. But when dealing with those guys, remember to keep your guard up. Don't actually treat them like idiots."
"Yes, I'll remember."
Karma. An Octopus Merman. In the original timeline, he would become one of the pirate captains under Whitebeard.
Back in the Fish-man District, Nereus had conducted a purge. The targets were those Fish-men who made a living by selling their own compatriots.
If there are no traffickers, children won't get lost.
Although this statement might be a bit absolute, facts proved that without people engaged in human trafficking, most lost individuals wouldn't be far from where they went missing and could usually be found.
Fish-man Island was located deep under the sea. The fact that some traffickers succeeded frequently was due in no small part to the help of these "insiders."
After all, the Fish-man District was originally a lawless zone abandoned by Fish-man Island administration, breeding many illegal activities.
Karma had almost gone down that path. Back then, he was just a half-grown kid, his head full of ideas on how to make quick money.
He happened to encounter Nereus's great purge, which denied him the chance to walk that path.
This was actually Karma's luck. If he had gotten involved earlier and became one of them, he would have only been ruthlessly eliminated by Nereus.
This was the difference between what had happened and what had not yet happened.
And now, Karma was an undercover agent who had infiltrated them. On the surface, he was someone in Fish-man Island who sold his compatriots. In reality, he was responsible for passing intelligence to Nereus, allowing Nereus to grasp the situation of some slave transport ships and auctions.
"Is Kadar back yet?"
"Soon. Kadar knows this place well. He'll bring the coating materials back in thirty minutes at most."
"Prepare for coating. Have the combat personnel get ready for support. We dive immediately after retrieving the people."
After the order was given, the coating artisans on the ship immediately got busy with preparations.
If they were human artisans, they wouldn't be able to complete all this so quickly. However, for the Fish-man race, who were proficient in bubble craftsmanship, a few hours was plenty of time.
"Mr. Nereus, are we going to rescue other slaves? I can help too."
"No need, Kuma. This situation is different from God Valley. The risk isn't that high, so we don't need you to use your ability to send them away directly.
Amphe, you too. Just guard the ship this time."
Saying this, Nereus took out a map of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"The Human Auction House is located at Grove 1 (1 GR) in the west. That is the Lawless Area of the Sabaody Archipelago. Ironically, the area right below it, Groves 60-69, is where the Marines are stationed.
These Marines, who shout about justice, sit by and watch the atrocity of human trafficking happen right under their noses.
Once I make a move over there, the Marines will definitely act. To prevent slaves from escaping, they will inevitably send forces to the coastal areas to stop the slaves from leaving by boat.
You just need to take out those Marines.
As for the Human Auction House, we'll follow the old rules. Sebastian, take the crew members who look human and come with me."
Actually, Nereus didn't need to give the order; Sebastian had already prepared the personnel for the operation—either human crew members or Fish-men with appearances close to humans.
Mainly because Nereus was truly "notorious" in this vicinity. If their Fish-man identities were too obvious, it would easily scare off some people at the auction.
"I have a question. You arranged it this way probably for ease of movement, but Sebastian..."
Amphelite looked at Sebastian. His massive size and distinct Fish-man features didn't seem to fit the operational requirements at all.
If they were talking about being conspicuous, even Amphelite in her mummy getup was more subtle than Sebastian.
"Come to think of it, you haven't seen me fight yet."
Sebastian proved how he would infiltrate with actions—he vanished from Amphelite's sight into thin air.
If not for the hellish training she had undergone over the past few months, awakening Observation Haki, Amphelite wouldn't have been able to detect Sebastian's position at all.
"I can turn invisible. As for Big Bro, facial features mean nothing to him. By the way, Big Bro, you train Miss Amphe every day, but haven't you shown all your abilities?"
"Why use fruit abilities to train Haki? Besides, they're just little supplementary tricks."
Saying this, Nereus raised his hand and swiped it across his face. His appearance underwent a drastic change. Even in a world without face blindness, no one would be able to recognize his original identity.
Not just his face, even his body shape could change.
With some effort, Nereus could mold his face manually. If he wanted to save trouble, he could directly transform into the appearance of a soul from the River of Death.
It was just that he didn't rely on this ability much; otherwise, he would have earned a nickname like "Thousand Faces" on the sea.
...
Several hours later.
Inside the Human Auction House at Grove 1. The auction seating area was bustling with noise, packed to capacity.
The location of the Sabaody Archipelago had a special nature. In a sense, it could be called the crossroads of the Four Blues.
Slaves from the Four Blues, the Grand Line, and even the New World would be sent here for auction.
Plus, with Mary Geoise right next door, and Celestial Dragons coming down to visit from time to time, the human trafficking industry in the Sabaody Archipelago flourished despite repeated bans.
The entrance to the auction house had virtually no screening measures. Whether they were nobles from various places, black market merchants, or pirates, as long as they wanted to spend money to buy slaves, no one was refused.
It was only in recent years, due to Nereus's existence, that they would be wary of Fish-men groups.
Meanwhile, in the back of the auction house, the person in charge of this human auction was tallying the goods.
"Auction that musician from the North Blue first, then the maid from the West Blue. Use that Mink for the intermission. Didn't someone say a Mermaid was caught? Why hasn't she been delivered yet?"
"No news. But Mr. Zeko, even if a Mermaid is really delivered, should we still sell her? What if that monster comes knocking? I heard that at an auction in the New World before, everyone on the island was killed..."
The person next to him didn't see the huge profit brought by a Mermaid; instead, his tone carried a trace of fear.
"Don't exaggerate. Only the people in the auction house died, plus quite a few Marines who came to encircle him. Don't worry. That guy hasn't been heard from for almost a year. He probably died in the West Blue along with Rocks, right?
This is a Mermaid! If we had this news a few days earlier and advertised it more, maybe those wealthy Celestial Dragons would have graced us with their presence. The commission from such a deal might be enough for us to spend for a lifetime!"
Zeko was envisioning his future, completely unaware that an invisible person had already sneaked into the backstage area.
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