"Where is everyone else?" Jin asked.
"Our people are already bringing them in."
Hearing that, Jin nodded.
"Alright, got it."
Not bad. At least they had the sense to gather everyone together first.
That way, if anything unexpected happened, they could all move at once.
"Jin, you said you had a way, right?" Nami asked. "What are you planning to do?"
"Hm?"
Lyle glanced back at Jin in surprise.
Did this guy have some kind of special intelligence channel on Sabaody?
If that was the case… then why had Black Leg-boss bothered asking them for help?
"I do have a way."
"Nami, do you have a Den Den Mushi with you?"
"Of course."
Nami pulled one out from inside her clothes and handed it to him.
"Here."
"I just bought it in the commercial district."
Even though they had a communal Den Den Mushi on the ship, it was still too few.
So when she saw one for sale, she bought it.
"You… where exactly did you pull that out from…" Jin said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Did all these people come equipped with dimensional pockets or something?
Kalifa was like that before, and now Nami too…
For a moment, Jin didn't even know what to say.
"Quit wasting time and hurry up!" Nami snapped.
Was this really the moment to care about that?!
"Alright."
Jin took the Den Den Mushi, placed it in front of him, then pulled out the white Den Den Mushi from his clothes and set it beside the normal one.
"A white… Den Den Mushi?" Nami said in surprise. "This is the first time I've ever seen one in that color."
Lyle also looked back in surprise. He had never seen one like it either.
"What's special about that thing?"
"It prevents wiretapping."
Lyle: ???
A Den Den Mushi that could prevent eavesdropping?
This was the first time he'd ever heard of something like that.
"The Marines have black Den Den Mushi used for wiretapping." Jin explained. "This white one is for blocking that."
As he spoke, he started dialing the number, preparing to contact Shakky immediately.
"This thing has to be insanely expensive…" Lyle swallowed.
"Yeah. Worth a few hundred million berries, probably."
Whoosh.
The moment those words left his mouth, Nami's eyes changed instantly.
It was like the thing lying in front of Jin wasn't a Den Den Mushi anymore—
but several hundred million berries in cash.
"Jin…"
"You can't sell this, you greedy woman!" Jin said irritably. "This isn't something money can usually buy."
"There are barely any in the whole world."
But instead of calming her down, those words only made Nami more excited.
"If it can breed offspring…"
Jin: ???
"You seriously never stop thinking about money, do you?" Jin complained.
He shook his head.
"Forget it. If you want to mess with it, do it after we get back to the ship. There's no time for that now."
Finding Merry and Camie came first.
Nami nodded and said nothing more.
Just like Jin said, whatever she wanted to do…
could wait until they got back to the ship.
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"Hm?"
"Why is it taking this long to answer?" Jin frowned.
Could it be that Shakky was busy right now and didn't have time to pick up?
Seeing his expression darken, Nami's heart sank.
"Can't get through?"
"Not sur—"
Click.
Before Jin could finish, the call connected.
"Hello?"
"Bang!"
"Ahhh!"
Alongside Shakky's voice came the scream of a man.
Very clearly, she was in the middle of beating someone up.
Nami: ???
What the hell?
Why was there a man screaming in the background?
And it sounded like he was getting beaten badly.
"Shakky-neesan, it's me. Jin." Jin said. "Some idiots came looking for trouble with you again?"
That scream immediately reminded him of the first time he'd met Shakky.
She'd been beating someone up back then, too.
No matter how you looked at it, she really hit hard.
"Oh, Little Jin~" Shakky said with a smile. "Yeah, two disobedient brats came looking for trouble."
"Hold on a second. I'll throw them out first."
With that, she set the receiver down, dragged the two men outside, and casually tossed them off from the height.
After going back in and washing her hands, she picked up the receiver again.
"I was actually just thinking about how to contact you. Didn't expect you to call first."
Once she'd finished investigating why the Charlotte Family had come to Sabaody, she had immediately contacted Rayleigh.
After all, Jin was with Rayleigh, and with a white Den Den Mushi, there was no risk of being wiretapped.
But Rayleigh had said they weren't together.
That had left Shakky rather helpless.
"Shakky-neesan needed something from me?"
Jin paused. What for?
"Yeah. I found out why those people came here." Shakky said. "They really did come for you."
"You understand what I mean, don't you?"
If those people had come ashore looking for the Straw Hat Pirates, then their target had to be Little Jin.
"Yeah. I get it."
Of course Jin understood. She meant Katakuri and the others.
He hadn't expected Shakky to investigate it personally…
Thinking of that, Jin said gratefully, "Thanks, Shakky-neesan."
From this alone, it was clear she really did treat him as a friend.
That was a favor he had to acknowledge.
"Don't be polite with me." Shakky said with a smile. "Anyway… just be careful."
"They're not easy people to deal with."
After all, the Charlotte Family was one of the Yonko crews of the New World.
If they set their sights on you, one small mistake could lead to something irreversible.
She herself wasn't especially afraid of them.
But for the Straw Hat Pirates, an enemy like that was still too early.
So if possible… it would be best to avoid a direct clash.
"We already met them."
"You met them?"
Shakky paused, then sighed.
"Then it looks like my information came a bit too late…"
So Jin had already come into contact with the Charlotte Family.
The question was what exactly had happened between them.
They hadn't fought, had they?
At that thought, a trace of worry appeared in Shakky's eyes.
"No, I'm still really grateful, Shakky-neesan."
Maybe because he didn't want her worrying, Jin added, "Don't worry. We didn't clash."
Hearing that, confusion flickered through Shakky's eyes.
They met, but didn't fight?
Did that mean Jin had agreed to become Charlotte Linlin's son-in-law?
No, that didn't sound right. Jin wasn't the kind of kid who would betray the Straw Hat Pirates.
Shakky trusted her judgment.
'Could it be… Yonko have become reasonable now?'
The thought only existed for an instant before she crushed it.
A Yonko crew becoming reasonable?
Only if the sun rose in the west.
Charlotte Linlin was infamous for being unreasonable. She'd kill people for skipping a tea party invitation, let alone when it came to taking in a son-in-law.
So… what exactly happened?
"Shakky-neesan, it's a bit troublesome to explain. I'll tell you later." Jin said. "Right now, there's something else I need your help with."
"Heh, go ahead."
Shakky smiled and lit a cigarette.
"Since Little Jin is asking his big sister for help, I'll definitely help."
If Jin asked her directly, then of course she'd get involved.
"Camie and Merry were kidnapped by traffickers."
Crack.
The moment she heard that, Shakky snapped her cigarette in half and her face went cold.
"They were taken by traffickers?"
"Yes."
Shakky fell silent, then rubbed her brow with a headache.
Looks like Little Monkey and the others had slipped up.
Thinking about it, the amusement park really was the easiest place for traffickers to strike.
"Shakky-neesan, can you get their location?"
"Give me your Den Den Mushi number. I'll contact you again in five minutes." Shakky said.
"Alright."
Jin didn't waste words. He gave her the new number written on the Den Den Mushi, and Shakky immediately hung up.
"Traffickers really are disgusting…" Shakky said darkly.
At the same time, her hands were already moving, rapidly dialing another Den Den Mushi.
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
"Bero bero bero~"
Click.
The man who answered spoke in a low voice.
"Your orders."
Clearly, he knew exactly who was calling him.
"I lost one young mermaid and one little girl. They were taken by traffickers. I want their location found as fast as possible." Shakky said. "You have five… no, four and a half minutes."
"Understood!"
The man didn't waste a single word. He hung up and bolted immediately.
After all… four and a half minutes was absurdly short.
Looking at the Den Den Mushi now munching food in front of her, Shakky murmured,
"I just hope they haven't been sent to auction yet…"
Otherwise, they might run into Celestial Dragons.
After all… a mermaid was an extremely popular species on land.
Thinking of that, Shakky quietly sighed.
…
"What do we do now?" Nami asked as she looked at Jin after he hung up. "Wait?"
"Of course not." Jin shook his head, then turned to Lyle. "Hey, Flying Fish Rider. You used to work this trade too, so you should understand how things operate here."
"Did your people go looking too?"
Shakky's network was one route.
The Rosy Life Riders were another.
"We only targeted pirates…" Lyle said. "And also, we changed our name."
Flying Fish Riders was their old name, alright?
They were the Rosy Life Riders now!
"Does that matter?" Jin said irritably. "Get to the point!"
Seeing that Jin wasn't in the mood for nonsense, Lyle nodded.
"Yeah, they're already searching."
"While gathering all of you together, we're also asking the other kidnapping groups whether they've heard anything."
Of course, their speed couldn't compare to the person Jin had just contacted.
'Just who did he contact…?' Lyle wondered inwardly.
Something happened on Sabaody, and that person only needed five minutes?
That intelligence network was terrifying.
Then again, a guy with a 400 million berry bounty knowing someone like that did make sense.
"Alright. Got it."
Just then, two more flying fish bikes came in from the distance.
"Hey~"
"Jin!"
"Nami!"
"Hm?"
Jin turned at the sound and immediately recognized the two figures.
"Chopper! Hachi!"
"Whoosh—"
Soon, the three flying fish bikes had converged and were flying side by side through the air.
"Jin…" Chopper cried. "Merry and the others are gone…"
Hachi looked miserable too, clearly drowning in guilt.
"If I hadn't let my guard down…"
"I already know what happened." Jin said calmly. "Don't panic. We'll get them back."
Seeing the two of them in this state, Jin really couldn't bring himself to speak too harshly.
"…Yeah."
"Hey, Hachi."
Jin glanced over at him.
"Did it seriously never occur to you to go to Shakky-neesan?"
"Did you forget what she does for a living?"
"Eh?!"
Hachi froze, then his face turned green.
"S-sorry… I didn't think of it…"
He had been too panicked. His mind was a total mess.
Right now that he thought about it, if they had contacted Shakky first, the problem might already be solved.
After all… she was an insanely capable information broker.
"Forget it. I already contacted her. Now we wait."
"Thank you, Jin…"
"Save that for after we find them." Jin said.
Nami glanced at him curiously. She really wanted to know who this person named Shakky was, but with the current situation so tense, she swallowed the question.
"Notify the whole team. I've already picked up Blood-Eyed Ninja." Lyle said into his receiver. "What about your side?"
"We still haven't found Pirate Hunter Zoro."
Jin: …
Jin's expression turned extremely complicated.
Where the hell had that guy wandered off to now?
Didn't he say he was going back to the ship?
Don't tell him the bastard got lost halfway there?
Or worse… had he never really remembered where their ship was docked at all?!
"Then keep looking!"
"Understood!"
Lyle nodded and continued, "Have any of you found information about Mermaid-sama or Miss Merry?"
"No." The bearded man sounded troubled. "We've asked several kidnapping groups already, but none of them have any information."
"Isn't it possible they're hiding it from you?" Nami suddenly asked.
"That's not possible." The bearded man explained. "Even though we only targeted pirates, we used to be in the same line of work. People in the trade don't really care about hiding that kind of thing from each other."
"If they'd managed to catch a mermaid, they'd definitely be bragging about it."
No one would ask where exactly the mermaid had been taken from, so there was no reason for them to hide it. On the contrary, they'd boast about it openly.
"I see…"
"Then keep searching." Lyle said. "There are only around a dozen trafficking groups across the entire Sabaody Archipelago. Even by elimination, we'll find them."
"Understood!"
"Is it possible there's some new kidnapping group?" Nami asked.
"No." Lyle shook his head. "Everyone here is territorial. If someone wants a slice of the pie, they have to beat people first."
"That's how we established ourselves too."
Sabaody wasn't small, but who would willingly let someone else steal their prey?
If their fists hadn't been strong enough back then, they'd have been sold off themselves.
"That's good…"
Nami let out a breath of relief. As long as the number of groups was limited, it would be easier to narrow it down.
"I just hope Camie and the others haven't been sent to auction yet…" Hachi said in a low voice.
"What do you mean?"
"I understand what he's worried about." Lyle said. "A high-class item like a mermaid… can easily attract a Celestial Dragon."
"A Ce—"
Chopper's mouth fell open. It could actually draw the attention of a World Noble?
At that moment, the image from the street flashed through his mind, and his face turned ugly.
Those horrifying World Nobles… truly didn't care about other people's lives at all!
If Camie and Merry fell into the hands of monsters like that, it would be worse than death.
"Celestial Dragons…"
Jin frowned.
Would those arrogant, overbearing pieces of trash really show up at auctions too?
If people like that entered an auction house, could normal proceedings even continue?
Would the staff just crawl on their knees serving them?
"Jin, what do we do?"
"We wait for Shakky-neesan's message first." Jin said.
Nami sighed. At this point… waiting really was all they could do.
Soon, five minutes passed, and Shakky contacted Jin with perfect timing.
Seeing the Den Den Mushi ring again, joy flashed through Nami's eyes.
"Quick, Jin, it's ringing!"
Jin gave her a helpless look. It wasn't like he was blind.
After answering, he immediately said, "Shakky-neesan, did you find them?"
"I found their location." Shakky said. "They're at the human auction house on Grove 1."
Her informants had moved fast. In just over four minutes, they had located the place where the mermaid was being sold.
Shakky was quite pleased with that.
"That's great!" Hachi cried in delight. "As expected of Shakky-neesan!"
She'd really found Camie and Merry's location that quickly.
That was an information broker for you!
"Hachi's there too?"
"Yeah, we regrouped not long ago." Jin said. "Thanks, Shakky-neesan. We're going to rescue them right now."
Now that they had the location, things were simple.
All that remained was to go save them.
"Little Jin, you need to prepare yourself."
Hearing that, Jin paused. Even the hand that was about to end the call stopped.
What did she mean by prepare himself?
Had Merry and the others already been sold?
Thinking that, his face darkened.
"Shakky-neesan… have they already been bought?"
"No. At least not when the message reached me." Shakky said seriously. "What I mean is something else."
"Say it."
"There's a Celestial Dragon at Auction House Number One."
The moment those words fell, the air went dead silent.
"A Celestial Dragon…"
Hachi's face instantly turned white. He knew far too well what that meant.
And in Chopper's eyes, terror appeared.
"The kind of Celestial Dragon… who can summon a Marine Admiral?"
Were they really about to face something that terrifying?
Jin was quiet for a moment, then said, "Alright. Understood."
"Thanks, Shakky-neesan."
"No need to be polite. Contact me again if anything comes up."
"Got it."
After the call ended, Jin silently placed the Den Den Mushi back into his clothes, his face heavy.
'Looks like… I need to be ready.'
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