Resist? Hancock couldn't possibly resist. Not only was she in shackles, but even if she miraculously managed to defeat these two Celestial Dragons, could she truly escape the layers of defenses?
To protect her two younger sisters, the girl in red swallowed her humiliation, picked up the wine bottle, and poured wine into Grimm's glass.
"Hurry up, you lowly thing!" Saint Garbatia snapped at Hancock, startling her so much that the bottle almost fell. He then anxiously turned to Grimm, "Tell me, my friend!"
"Heh…" Grimm waved a hand at Hancock, signaling it was alright. Then, he continued to the snot-nosed Celestial Dragon, "As a Celestial Dragon, you should express your agreement, and promise them the same treatment as ordinary allied kingdoms. The royals of Fish-Man Island will be eager to bring their proposal here, and then…"
Grimm didn't finish, but even Garbatia, dull as he was, understood Grimm's meaning. He exclaimed with sudden realization, "Brilliant! Brilliant! This way, they'll bring a large delegation to Mary Geoise, and on their way back, I'll send people to capture them. That way, we'll replenish our slave supply in one go, right?"
"Hehehe, of course. Isn't that the fastest way to get what you want?" Grimm offered an innocent smile.
He intended to utterly shatter Fish-Man Island's hopes in the World Government and the Navy, then find a way to control Fish-Man Island itself!
He would use Fish-Man Island for his own purposes, and this snot-nosed idiot was the perfect tool.
Sacrifices were inevitable on the path to equality for all!
The three girls overheard their conversation and instinctively clenched their fists. Though they were pirates and had no right to judge, this plan was utterly devilish!
To exploit Fish-Man Island's trust in the World Government, then capture them as slaves?
Of course, who's to blame? A pitiable person always has a hateful side! Who told them to trust even the World Government? And be so weak…
Garbatia frowned again. "But how long until the next Reverie? It will be three months, right? I can't wait that long!"
"Oh, is that so? Then there's an even better way!" Grimm smiled again. If that's the case, I'll keep messing with you!
"Oh? Tell me more, my friend!" Garbatia was excited!
"Send an envoy to Fish-Man Island, agree to let them live on the surface, and have them come to negotiate early. Set up an ambush, lure the fish-men and mermaids here, and capture them all in one fell swoop!" Grimm offered a very direct suggestion!
It was this brainless suggestion that made Garbatia clap his hands in delight. "Excellent, my friend! I'll have someone prepare it immediately!"
With that, Garbatia eagerly rose and left the garden. Halfway down the path, he turned his back to Grimm and said, "You can use those three slaves for now. If they die, you can ask me for more!"
"Ah… I'm truly, profoundly grateful!" Grimm narrowed his eyes, making the three girls, Hancock, tremble uncontrollably. Celestial Dragons aren't just "devilish"—even devils are more merciful than them!
---
"Someone!"
After Garbatia left, Grimm called out, summoning the bodyguards.
"Saint Epthelm, is there something you need?" Several of the black-clad bodyguards who had brought the three girls over quickly approached, bowing.
Grimm propped his feet on the table. In his current guise as "Saint Epthelm," he was a thirty-year-old bespectacled man with stubble, completely devoid of his usual dashing demeanor. "What are the names of these three slaves?"
The three girls in red startled. Ever since they were abducted, they had tried to hide their names. They believed that by keeping their identities secret, they would eventually escape!
"My Lord, slaves have no right to names! You may call them whatever you wish!"
"Oh…"
Grimm smiled at the three girls, but noticed they kept their heads down, a hint of secret delight in their eyes. Most likely, they were happy to have avoided revealing their names.
"Release their shackles!" Grimm ordered again.
The bodyguard paused, a slight worry on his face. "My Lord, these three slaves were formerly pirates and possess considerable combat prowess. Wouldn't it be too dangerous to release their handcuffs so rashly?"
"Do you want to die? Did you not hear what I said?" Grimm, fully in character, snapped coldly.
The bodyguard immediately lowered his head, pulled a key from his suit pocket, and unlocked the girls' handcuffs. He then added, "My Lord, if there is any danger, please press the alarm nearby, or… put a collar on them!"
The "collar" was the same type of explosive device used by human traffickers in Sabaody Archipelago, placed around a slave's neck to control them.
With that, slaves would never resist.
Grimm didn't answer the bodyguard. He rose and walked towards his own palace, saying to the three girls with his back to them, "Follow me!"
The three girls observed the palace corridor, heavily guarded every five paces. Such tight security meant that even with their handcuffs removed, they couldn't feel happy.
As Grimm reached the front of his palace, the guards at the door quickly opened it. When they saw the three girls in red had no shackles on their hands, feet, or necks, they couldn't help but echo the previous bodyguards' words, "My Lord, those three slaves wouldn't…"
"Silence! This is Mary Geoise!" Grimm entered the palace without looking back. The three girls had no choice but to follow.
The guards exchanged glances. Seeing that the three girls were only thirteen or fourteen, they figured there wouldn't be any trouble. Besides, as Saint Epthelm said, this was Mary Geoise!
Grimm sat in his usual chair, made of precious animal fur and inlaid with rubies. The three girls opposite him remained silent.
The black-haired girl stood in front of the other two, who were slightly taller than her. Though terrified, she still darted glances at Grimm.
Grimm crossed his legs, his hands clasped on his knees, and asked with the gentle smile of a middle-aged man, "What are your names, girls?"
"Eh?"
The black-haired girl's dusty, somewhat dirty face showed confusion. Then Grimm asked again, "You first!"
The girl in red gritted her teeth, her eyes flickering to her two sisters behind her. Through clenched teeth, she forced out a few words: "W-We have no names!"
Generally, Celestial Dragons never asked for slaves' names. Slaves were slaves, nameless.
Grimm adopted a thoughtful expression. "I think I've seen outfits like this somewhere before!"
The girl's face registered astonishment. Then Grimm continued, "It looks just like the kind of attire worn by an all-female pirate crew!"
"Hmph!"
The stubbornly defiant girl in red gasped, collapsing onto the floor. Afraid her identity would be guessed from her clothes, she wrapped her body in her white cape.
The two younger girls, one with orange hair and one with green, trembled even more violently than before!
"It really is you three…"
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