"Rayleigh, I wonder what kind of expression you'd make if you heard Roger had a child?"
"Boss, something's going on down below."
Enel pointed to the area below.
"Oh?"
Doflamingo raised a brow with interest and cast his Observation Haki downward.
...
Below.
A large ship was racing beneath the Red Line.
Even though it was slightly disguised, anyone familiar with warships could tell at a glance—it was a warship model.
The deck was packed with slave traders and human traffickers armed to the teeth. They crowded around monitors, watching the feed with greedy anticipation.
Excited voices shouted over one another as bets were placed.
"Ohhh! This time, it's warrior girls from Amazon Lily! Let's see how long before they give up!"
"12 hours, 1:1 odds!"
"24 hours, 1:3!"
"48 hours, 1:5!"
"72 hours, 1:10!"
"..."
Bored crew members gathered together for entertainment.
The ship's first mate leaned in close to the captain, fawningly patting the hull beneath them.
"Captain, you really are something! You even got your hands on a World Government warship."
"Hee-hahaha! That's the power of the Celestial Dragons! As long as we satisfy them, we can have anything we want!"
Captain Alibn was visibly thrilled.
Being a slaver was far more profitable than being a pirate.
Pirates murdered, broke the law, and were hunted by the Marines.
But slavers? They raided non-World Government countries for slaves and enjoyed the World Government's protection. The Marines couldn't even touch them.
Now that he had three rare specimens, what kind of reward would the Celestial Dragons give him?
The Pirate King? Nobody needs it!
...
In the lowest hold.
Iron cages were crammed together in suffocating layers.
The air reeked of sweat, filth, blood, and rotting wounds—all fermenting into a choking stench.
Everyone inside was slowly spiraling into despair.
In one corner, three girls with manacles on their necks, wrists, and ankles huddled together tightly.
As if the closeness could offer even a sliver of vanished safety.
Their bodies were still damp, their skin glistening with lingering moisture.
The blonde and green-haired girls, both wearing barely-there clothes, clung desperately to the dark-haired girl in front of them.
Their wide, fearful eyes trembled like startled fawns.
"What do we do now...?"
"Sandersonia, Marigold... don't be afraid. Empress will come save us."
Boa Hancock bit her lip as she held her two younger sisters close, whispering words of comfort.
But her heart was just as full of fear.
Especially when she saw the dead, empty eyes of the other captives around them.
It made her own terror surge higher.
These damned slavers had crept aboard the ship while Empress and the rest of the crew were fighting another pirate group.
They took the three sisters without a sound.
But once Empres finished the battle and realized what happened, she would definitely come to their rescue.
"Damn it... it was only our first time aboard!"
Hancock cursed silently, clenching her fists.
They were minors—by all rights, they shouldn't have been on the ship.
This was supposed to be a training voyage, letting them experience life at sea as the next generation of Amazon warriors.
But the moment they set sail, they were given a cruel lesson.
"No... we can't just sit here and wait. Sandersonia, Marigold—grind the chains off."
If they stayed passive, they would truly become slaves.
Hancock raised her shackled hands and slammed the chains against an iron pillar beside her, rubbing them back and forth.
Sparks flew.
The slavers were probably too busy with their escape to bother checking the hold now.
If they could break the chains, escape the cages, and free the other captives...
If they could smash through the bottom of the ship and drop into the sea... they might have a chance.
"Don't bother. It's useless."
A dry, rasping voice—like gravel grinding—startled the three girls.
They turned toward the adjacent cage.
Inside, a figure bound in chains was slumped, its body covered in raw, torn flesh.
"He's still alive?!"
The three sisters' eyes went wide with shock.
The man didn't respond to their looks or words, simply speaking again in a hoarse voice.
"Look up. Toward the door."
The three looked up.
A strange seashell was mounted there like a decoration.
Before they could figure out what it was, the man continued.
"That's a Visual Den Den Mushi. They're watching you through it from the deck."
"They're probably betting on how long it'll take you to break."
"Even if you succeed, the moment you do, they'll be down here and shove you right back in."
The sisters fell silent, slumping hopelessly together.
If not for Queen... who could possibly save them?
Seeing their despair, the man gave a faint, bitter smile.
...
On the deck.
Watching the footage of the three girls suddenly falling still, the crowd erupted—not with cheers this time, but rage.
The deck filled with shouts and curses.
"What the hell! No way that's real!"
"Those Amazon sluts couldn't even last 24 hours?! Little girls are f***ing useless!"
"Bullshit! Total fake!!"
"RNIM! Refund!"
"..."
Given Amazon Lily's reputation on the seas, even with the three girls being so young, most of the slavers had bet on them lasting over a day.
But the game was over almost as soon as it began. Were they being scammed?
Captain Alibn pushed his way through the angry crowd with his towering frame, a sly smirk on his face.
The man in the hold? His plant, of course.
First, it crushed the slaves' will to resist—no need for extra guards.
Second, it earned him a tidy sum from his crewmates' bets.
"A bet's a bet, boys."
"This is a hell I personally designed to break people. Isn't it normal those girls couldn't hold out?"
Alibn swept all the gold, jewels, and Beli from the table into his own pockets, grinning wide.
"Fufufufufu~ I think that was a little unfair. Why don't I be the leader this time and open another round?"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg