While the world reeled from the new bounties, and everyone searched for Grimm and Kel'Thuzad, there was no news of them.
Even the all-pervasive CP organization, infiltrating the Holy Land, only found Jaina, Yasuo, and Plank.
As for Grimm and Kel'Thuzad, not only were they nowhere to be found, there wasn't even a single clue about their whereabouts!
These two men should have immediately advanced into the New World, but days passed, and the master and servant who had turned the Red Line upside down remained completely silent.
---
Meanwhile, Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The Celestial Dragons cared nothing for the state of the world. Their only concern was when the slave arena, performance halls, and other slave entertainment facilities, destroyed by Grimm, would be rebuilt.
Fish-Man Jinbe once freed slaves in the future, a situation somewhat similar to this, but completely different in nature!
Tiger freed slaves; Grimm killed Celestial Dragons.
In a lavish room, a gentle knock sounded. A respectful voice came from outside the door: "Saint Epthelm, Saint Garbatia has returned from purchasing slaves outside. He has something for you and hopes you would like to make a selection…"
"Oh… currying favor, are we?" Since the room had no Den Den Mushi monitoring devices, Grimm was in his true form.
Upon hearing the guard, Grimm, after bathing in the Holy Light, quickly transformed into the Celestial Dragon and put on the characteristic "spacesuit" attire.
Saint Garbatia's efforts to win him over weren't due to Grimm saving his life.
Rather, it was because Garbatia had just become the head of one of the twenty Celestial Dragon families. His influence was weak, and he needed to win over other powerful families.
Even among Celestial Dragons, there were different stances and political views, and some were even bitter rivals. In that light, Garbatia trying to court other family heads made perfect sense.
"Heh, so they're not completely idiotic after all. They have some intelligence," Grimm mused, remembering the perpetual snot dripping from Garbatia's nose.
Grimm smiled, opened the door, and walked towards the palace garden.
"Come, come, my friend!"
In the inner garden, Saint Garbatia still called out to Grimm with his incredibly broken English.
After they both sat down, Garbatia grumbled, "They say the slave arena won't be rebuilt for another two weeks! Honestly, that means two more weeks of utter boredom!"
To be fair, Grimm's Holy Storm had nearly demolished the entire slave arena. For it to be rebuilt in just two weeks was incredibly fast.
But for Celestial Dragons, if they wanted something, they didn't want to wait two weeks, or even two minutes!
"So, why did you call me here? To observe your latest acquisitions?"
Grimm squinted. He knew Garbatia shared his father's fondness for mermaids and fishmen.
"Alas, mermaids are a rare species. Unfortunately, I couldn't acquire any this time. I plan to double the bounty to get my hands on one!"
After a sigh, Garbatia excitedly added, "However, this time I found some merchandise I believe you will like, my friend, and I bought them for you at a high price!"
With that, Garbatia turned to his servants. "Hey! Hurry up! Bring in the newly bought slaves!"
After giving the order, Garbatia turned back to Grimm with a smile. "They say pirate-born slaves are excellent. I haven't even had time to brand them with the Celestial Dragon mark; I brought them straight to you!"
The Celestial Dragon brand, the Hoof of the Heavenly Dragon!
It was the mark placed on Celestial Dragon slaves!
Some Celestial Dragons had a strange obsession with their slaves and insisted on personally branding them.
So, to prevent his friend from having such a desire, Garbatia didn't do it himself.
Clang… clang… clang…
Just then, the sound of chains clanking filled the air. Garbatia's face lit up. "Oh, they're here, they're here!"
Amidst dozens of bodyguards, three figures, their hands chained, their spirits broken, were brought forward.
Garbatia watched the three young girls approach, smiling as he turned to Grimm. "What do you think? Not bad, eh?"
Grimm turned to observe the three girls. They looked no older than fifteen.
As they noticed Grimm's gaze, the girl in red at the front, her eyes devoid of hope, filled with terror and hatred. She immediately shielded the two girls behind her!
The other two girls, one with orange hair and one with green hair, though sturdier than the black-haired girl, looked terrified.
They squeezed their eyes shut, cowering behind the black-haired girl, afraid to open them.
All three girls bore numerous bruises and scars, and their clothes were tattered, evidence of many battles.
"What do you think? Not bad, my friend!"
Garbatia was clearly used to such sights, a hint of boastfulness in his eyes. "Satisfied?"
Saint Epthelm was known for his depraved desires for young girls, even children. Since Grimm was using his face and body, he naturally had to bear this reputation.
Under the black-haired girl's trembling gaze, Grimm met her eyes for three seconds, then shifted his gaze to the style of their clothes.
After a few seconds, he spoke coldly to the bodyguards who had brought the girls. "What are you still doing here? Crawl out!"
"Y-Yes, sir! Yes, sir!"
The dozen or so men immediately dropped to all fours and crawled away.
Grimm calmly turned his head, his gaze returning. He slowly said, "Oh, little girl, looking at me like that… are you perhaps impatient?"
The black-haired girl in red immediately shut her eyes. Impatient for what?! What could I possibly be impatient for?!
"Well then, thank you very much. I like these three very much!"
"It's nothing, my friend! I can get as many of these as you want…"
Then, Saint Garbatia sighed again. "Ah, but I still haven't been able to get my hands on my beloved mermaids!"
For human traffickers to catch mermaids was extremely rare good luck. It was also incredibly difficult to get them out of Fish-Man Island!
"Getting mermaids isn't difficult for Saint Garbatia!" Grimm suddenly declared.
Garbatia's eyes lit up. He eagerly asked, "My friend, do you have a way?"
"The King of Fish-Man Island has always wanted to move their entire race to the surface. It's just that the people of Fish-Man Island disagree. Ultimately, it's because we haven't offered enough benefits!"
Mid-sentence, Grimm glanced at the trembling Boa Hancock. "Little girl, my wine glass is empty. Come, pour me some wine!"
Hancock's eyes clearly flashed with hatred, but then she remembered where she was: the center of the world, the heart of the World Government—Mary Geoise!
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