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Among the Four Emperors, only Kaido showed no interest in the affair. He glanced at the news and went back to drinking. In his eyes, only the prophecy of the Kozuki Clan and Joy Boy mattered.
The most intense reaction, however, came unequivocally from the World Nobles and old aristocrats across the various kingdoms. For these utterly debauched individuals, owning a Mermaid slave was a considerable status symbol. It was why the price of Merfolk had always been astronomically high.
But as is well known, the nobility of the One Piece world are generally deranged.
Sure enough, moments after Auguro declared that no one was allowed to harm Fish-Men or Merfolk, some aristocrats contacted Water Seven.
"Haha! Your King Auguro is truly formidable, quietly taking a highly strategic location like Fish-Man Island! Congratulations!" This was an elderly noble from an unknown small kingdom.
His excited voice continued, "I want to buy a young mermaid slave. The one I kept before got old, so I threw her away! How much are you charging?"
"Don't worry! I understand the rules! I won't tell anyone I bought her from you!"
Iceberg received no less than twenty similar calls! There were even many calls requesting Fish-Men to be used as gladiators to earn them money.
In the eyes of these aristocrats, Fish-Men and Merfolk were nothing more than livestock, creatures they could dispose of at will. They saw Auguro's annexation of Fish-Man Island as merely a move to secure a monopoly on this "type" of slave trade!
The news quickly reached Auguro, who was both infuriated and amused.
He had to admit, the prejudice against Fish-Men and Merfolk was deeply ingrained in humanity. Even with his powerful stance, many still didn't take his declaration seriously.
Auguro's voice was icy as he spoke to Iceberg.
"Write down every name that contacted you and send the list to Rob Lucci. Have him personally visit these nobles and teach them a lesson in 'manners'!"
"Especially that scoundrel who admitted to owning and discarding a Mermaid slave! I was already giving these people a pass by not actively pursuing them!"
"Since that fellow didn't take my warning to heart and insisted on sticking his head into the noose, he'll serve as the perfect example to scare the rest of the monkeys!"
In the following days, a series of noble-targeted attacks occurred across the first half of the Grand Line.
Following Auguro's explicit instructions, the assailants made no attempt to hide their identities, openly announcing that this was a warning from the Divine Holy Spirit Empire!
The elderly noble who bragged about killing his Mermaid slave, in particular, was found dead in his study. His corpse was posed kneeling on the ground, facing the direction of Fish-Man Island.
On his desk lay a letter of repentance written in his own hand!
However, the shaky, illegible handwriting suggested that it was highly likely not a willing confession.
The actions of the Divine Holy Spirit Empire were a severe wake-up call to everyone! They finally realized that Auguro's words were not empty threats; he was genuinely willing to kill!
Within a few days, the number of slave-catching crews lurking around Fish-Man Island dropped significantly. After all, the strength of the Divine Holy Spirit Empire was well-known. They were not a force that these petty criminals could afford to provoke!
However, this also caused the price of Fish-Men and Merfolk in the global slave markets to multiply tenfold, or even more!
Greed drives the human heart. There were still those fearless few who were willing to gamble for such obscene wealth!
Auguro never expected a single declaration and a few executions to eliminate slave-catching crews completely. The only way was to kill them immediately upon capture, until their courage was utterly broken!
The Divine Holy Spirit Empire's actions also enraged many nations. These countries filed official complaints with the World Government, demanding revenge.
Unfortunately, while the World Government issued a stern condemnation of the Divine Holy Spirit Empire, threatening more aggressive measures if they didn't apologize, Auguro simply ignored them.
I'm not an affiliate of the World Government; what gives you the right to order me around?
Auguro paid no heed, and the World Government, acting as if they hadn't heard anything, suddenly went silent. The protesting nations were quietly informed by the World Government that if they wanted official intervention, their Heavenly Tribute (Tenryūbito Tax) for the next year would be doubled. This was because the current situation was not a mere suppression of pirates, but a national war!
It is worth noting that after Auguro's rampage at Marineford, his bounty had been frozen.
Yes, frozen!
Not canceled!
Canceling it would essentially announce that the Navy or the World Government feared Auguro. The Five Elders refused to suffer such a loss of face and opted for the compromise of freezing Auguro's bounty.
Auguro's commentary on this at the time was four words: Self-deception and delusion!
Upon hearing that their Heavenly Tribute would double, the kings immediately ceased their complaints.
Are you kidding me? The existing tribute was already terrifyingly high! If it doubled, how could their countries possibly survive?
Besides, only a few useless old nobles had died. Their deaths were convenient! Their fiefs and remaining wealth could be reclaimed by the state! A two-birds-one-stone situation!
The external environment gradually quieted down.
The work of relocating Fish-Man Island was also proceeding systematically.
Auguro had set up a World-Crossing Gate (Senkaimon) on Fish-Man Island. However, to avoid attracting the attention of the World Government, this gate was known only to a select few.
The majority of Merfolk and Fish-Men who wished to move to the surface still traveled by ship to Water Seven.
As expected, there were no less than ten groups secretly tailing them along the way. All were slave-catching crews hoping to grab some quick riches.
However, Auguro had long ago ordered Soi Fon to personally escort this first batch of Fish-Man Island residents. Anyone found with malicious intentions along the route was to be executed on the spot!
Soi Fon faithfully carried out Auguro's command.
"Run! 'Thousand Kills in an Instant' is here!"
One slave-catching crew was filled with terror, abandoning their ship entirely and leaping straight into the sea.
However, before their bodies could even touch the water, a white silhouette flashed across the air. These jumping slave catchers immediately slumped over, falling lifelessly into the ocean. But before they hit the water, they were already corpses!
Soi Fon stood in the air, gazing coldly at the empty slave ship. She had dealt with every slave catcher on the ship in a single instant!
"Thousand Kills in an Instant" (Yī Shùn Qiān Shā) was the moniker given to her by these terrified slave catchers.
Soi Fon was quite pleased with the nickname. It sounded like it belonged alongside Yoruichi's "Goddess of Flash" (Shunshin).
It seemed the bond between the former master and subordinate was truly profound!
Soi Fon casually fired a Sōkatsui (Pale Fire Crash).
Boom!
The slave ship was completely engulfed in fire and sank.
Soi Fon returned to her ship, greeted by the worshipful gazes of the Fish-Man Island residents.
"Lady Soi Fon, can we become as strong as you?" A rather tall Fish-Man asked respectfully and expectantly.
He was one of the recruits for the Fish-Man Army, chosen by Neptune and handed over to Auguro for training.
"Work hard! I truly hope that a few of you can become powerhouses equal to me!"