Chapter 179: Prosperity Built Upon Flesh and Blood
In the spacious Dragon Palace hall, a solitary figure sat high upon the throne while Neptune stood quietly below. There wasn't a single guard present.
"Akatsuki is still the same, isn't she?" the figure on the throne sighed softly, voice filled with deep sorrow.
"Father, why not let her go? Just keep an eye on her. It's not like she'll simply leave on her own," sensing his father's grief, Neptune quickly spoke up for his sister.
The figure on the throne was none other than the King of Ryugu, a tiger-shark-type fish-man. He stood up—four meters tall, with a broad, muscular blue frame—and radiated an innate royal presence.
"Sigh. You all don't understand how cruel the outside world is… or how terrifying history can be. Now is still not the time to leave the ocean floor," the King said, walking over to Neptune.
"…" Neptune remained silent. He'd heard those same words too many times before. He was tired of it.
Heh… The King chuckled, not angry at having his thoughts seen through.
Returning to the throne, his expression turned cold. "The reason there's been a sudden increase in human traffickers these days has been discovered."
"What is it, Father?" Neptune asked quickly.
"A Celestial Dragon placed a 20 billion berries bounty on the black market to capture Akatsuki and make her his slave…"
"What? That bastard put a bounty on Akatsuki?! But we're a member of the World Government! Why would a Celestial Dragon do such a thing?!"
Before the King could finish, Neptune interrupted, unable to comprehend it. Akatsuki was the princess of a World Government member nation—it would be like targeting a royal ruler… The more he thought about it, the quieter he became.
"You understand now, don't you? The Celestial Dragons and the World Government are not the same. In a way, Celestial Dragons stand above the World Government. Posting the bounty through the black market is just a fig leaf—pure self-deception."
The King's cold words made Neptune realize, for the first time, the harshness and darkness of the world. He finally understood what his sister meant when she said, "We have to rely on ourselves."
"Don't worry, Father. No matter how many traffickers come, I'll drive them all away," Neptune said with determined eyes. He would never let anyone take his sister.
"Good. Take a portion of the soldiers and monitor the seas around Fish-Man Island. If a large fleet appears, return immediately. Do not engage in battle under any circumstances. Do you understand?" the King ordered sternly.
"Yes, Father!" Neptune replied and left the hall.
Twenty billion berries wouldn't attract just petty traffickers. The stronger ones hadn't even shown up yet.
"Let's hope those monsters never appear… or we'll be in trouble," the King murmured, his eyes heavy with concern.
…
Sabaody Archipelago — in the blink of an eye, it had already been three days since Luo Han and his group had arrived. Now, they were all gathered on Island 13.
"Wait, wait—Sister Spoon, are you serious?" Luo Han asked in disbelief. "There's not a single soul here. You're opening a bar here? You sure?"
He looked around. There weren't even roads, much less people. Sure, it was a small slope, but how would anyone find the place?
"Yeah! Boss lady, this spot's way too out of the way," Aishi chimed in.
"I'm not doing it to make money. No need to open it somewhere crowded," Sister Spoon replied with a grin. "Besides, I'm a wanted pirate. Being too flashy isn't a good idea. This place suits me just fine."
"Hmm… fair enough," the others blinked, then nodded in agreement. When seen that way, it actually made sense. This was an unregulated area, not far from restaurants, hotels, and amusement parks. When they were tired, they could wander outside. Not bad.
"Alright! Since we've settled on it, let's get to work. Let's try to finish building the bar within two days!" Luo Han declared.
"Wait, Luo Han, are you serious? Don't joke about this," Aishi scoffed. "Can a house built in two days even be livable?"
"It can! As long as we have the materials, I can build a house in just a few minutes!"
Luo Han was full of confidence—and it wasn't just talk. With his telekinesis and architectural knowledge from his previous life, he could erect a house in minutes. He could even stabilize it with psychic power for a few days until the materials hardened.
As for digging a foundation—in a world where a single punch could split the ground, how hard could that be? Luo Han could handle it with just a thought.
"Alright then. It's all yours, Luo Han. We'll head to Island 50—there's a shipyard and coating factory there. We should be able to buy some building materials," Sister Spoon said with a small smile.
"Okay! Let's go, Ellis!" Luo Han called upward.
"Coming!"
A graceful figure descended from the top of a Yarukiman Mangrove—it was Ellis, now dressed in a light green blouse and blue-black shorts that Aishi had bought for her yesterday, along with… dainty flip-flops.
"Sigh. Looks like Aishi 's fashion taste is rubbing off on everyone," Luo Han thought as he looked at his own feet.
After yesterday's shopping spree, everyone—except Cole—was now wearing flip-flops. No one knew when Aishi had fallen in love with them, but she insisted everyone wear them.
Still… they did go well with bubble bikes. Luo Han had even managed to make their newly bought bubble vehicles feel like race cars.
Whoosh! The group sped off toward Island 50.
On the way, when they passed Island 1, Luo Han suddenly stopped and frowned, glancing to the left.
"What's wrong?" Sister Spoon asked.
Everyone paused and looked at him curiously.
"Nothing. Just strange that there are so many fish-men slaves all of a sudden," Luo Han shook his head and kept moving, ignoring the slaves about to be auctioned off sensed by his spiritual awareness.
Everyone followed, their hearts heavy. The last two days had shown them the dark side of this island. The world wasn't as beautiful as it seemed.
"Sigh. This is the biggest stain on this so-called dream island. Every day, slaves are brought here to be auctioned off," Sister Spoon sighed.
"Boss lady, why are there so many traffickers here?" Aishi asked. It was something she just couldn't understand. The New World was survival of the fittest—yet it had no slave market. But here, on this beautiful island, it was rampant.
"…" Sister Spoon had no answer. There were too many reasons, and it was hard to say which mattered most.
"No buying, no killing," Luo Han said cryptically.
"What does that mean?" Aishi asked, as Sora and Ellis also looked curious. Sister Spoon, however, immediately understood.
Luo Han shrugged. "It's simple. If there are buyers, there will be sellers. It's all about profit."
Ah! That made sense. Aishi and Ellis nodded in realization—although their puzzled glances lingered on Luo Han a bit too long.
Heh. Sister Spoon chuckled and added, "It's like when we buy materials. If we want them, someone will try to get them. Same with slaves. If people are buying, others will find a way to capture and sell. That's also why we were constantly being watched on our first day here."
"So that's it!" Aishi and Ellis finally understood. Then came their fury. "Those bastards wanted to sell us into slavery?! And Luo Han, you knew and didn't do anything?! You let them stare at us the whole time?!"
Uh… Luo Han broke into a cold sweat. How had this turned into his fault?
"Wait—Ellis, isn't your Observation Haki range even wider than mine? Didn't you know?" Luo Han asked. Ellis had previously used her Haki to communicate with Amatsuki from afar, so she should be able to hear conversations too.
At that, Aishi turned her anger toward Ellis.
"Hehe, my Observation Haki only works for communicating with you and Amatsuki. I can't hear others," Ellis replied calmly, leaving Aishi 's glare hanging in the air.
"What the heck! You two can whisper to each other in secret?" Aishi huffed. Why didn't her own Haki work like that?
Ellis smiled without replying. Luo Han quickly lowered his head and marched forward, afraid they'd ask more questions.
The journey went smoothly. Soon, they arrived at Island 50, which—aside from being a shipyard—also served as a cargo port.
Several large rectangular warehouses stood beside the port, all tall and uniform in appearance. Each bore a different name on its signboard. One of them read "New World Construction & Home Furnishings Co., Ltd."
As Luo Han and his group approached the "New World" building, a man in a black suit with a perpetual smile walked up to greet them. Judging by where he'd been standing, he was clearly posted at the entrance to welcome guests.
The suited man gave them a quick once-over and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kuja-Les, sales manager of New World Construction & Home Furnishings. You may call me Les. If you need anything, I'm here to help."
"Alright. Show us around," Luo Han said without wasting time, and the group followed Les into the warehouse.
As they passed under the large sign reading "New World," Luo Han thought to himself: The New World has truly become ingrained in people's hearts. Even after the disbanding of the Rocks Pirates, their legacy lingers in the world.
"Come, dear guests! Since you're here, you must be in need of something. Judging from your refined attire, I'm sure you're looking for high-end building materials. This way, please!" Les gestured to the right as he led them on.
The group followed. Luo Han glanced at everyone's flip-flops and couldn't quite see the "refined" part.
Still, the warehouse was surprisingly well-organized. No chaotic piles—everything, from tiles and wooden planks to stone bricks, was neatly stacked into massive cubes with no hint of disorder.
Soon, Les led them to a specific area.
"We're here, dear guests," he said.
Luo Han's mouth twitched wildly as he looked at the neatly stacked blue rectangular stone bricks—and the label on them. Then he glanced at Les again, finally confirming that this guy really didn't recognize Cole—or him.
"Pffft…!" Aishi and the others couldn't hold back anymore. They burst out laughing. When Luo Han turned around, they quickly waved their hands. "It's not on purpose, we swear! We just couldn't hold it in, hahaha!"
Luo Han sighed in defeat, turning back just in time to see Les beam with enthusiasm.
"Looks like everyone's too excited to wait! Then allow me to introduce this revolutionary product!"
Les gestured dramatically at the blue stone bricks behind him.
(END CHAPTER)
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