Chapter 63: Looting the Celestial Dragon's Treasury

If Charlmos Saint had survived, he would undoubtedly have used all his power to make Wood's life difficult.

But if he were dead, while it would still cause ripples across the seas, a deceased figure, no matter how noble, wouldn't hold as much value as when they were alive.

From Charlmos Saint's corpse, Wood also found a large set of keys. Among them, besides the keys to the slaves' chains, there was one that opened Charlmos Saint's private treasury.

It's well known that the Celestial Dragons, who receive the "Heavenly Tribute" from various nations, are far from being paupers.

So when Wood opened Charlmos Saint's private treasury, he was quickly dazzled by the countless treasures on display.

In a room spanning hundreds of square meters, various rare treasures were piled up. Gold objects and Beli were the most inconspicuous items, casually stacked on the floor.

Among the treasures were finely crafted Seastone weapons, pearls the size of fists, and even renowned swords and Devil Fruits!

With such vast wealth in front of him, Wood knew that even if he took just half of it, he could easily find a small island to live out his days in luxury.

Unfortunately, while Wood had certain advantages, he lacked the spatial storage that other travelers might have.

Although there was an abundance of treasures, there was no way for him to pack everything up, and given that he would soon be on the run, carrying too much would only hinder his movements.

Picking up a long sword from a nearby rack, he read the inscription on its wooden stand.

Great Grade Sword, Frost Dew, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. The scabbard is made of white birch, making the entire sheath snow-white, and the hilt is wrapped in light blue cotton.

The blade length is 1.23 meters, with a unique 'heavy ding small flower' pattern, the edge as thin as a cicada's wing. The blade neither frosts nor dews, hence the name Frost Dew.

"This is a great find. This sword and I are meant to be! With one sword named Heavenly Wither and another named Frost Dew, I can even try out a dual-wielding style in the future."

Since he couldn't take everything from the treasury, Wood naturally started selecting useful and easy-to-carry items.

Gold and Beli were considered the trashiest items here—heavy and not particularly valuable.

A Devil Fruit could fetch several hundred million, and it was only the size of a melon, so he took that.

Fist-sized pearls? Those were good items. He pocketed them immediately.

A Seastone pistol? While it wasn't particularly useful for him, the craftsmanship of Seastone was extremely difficult, so it would probably sell for a decent amount. He took it.

…

After a thorough looting, Wood finally left the treasury, fully satisfied.

Even though he had replaced all the weights he usually carried with a large haul of priceless items, the value of what he took still didn't even account for one-tenth of the treasury's total.

Once again, Wood lamented his lack of a system space. It was a real pity.

Still, this trip had been exceedingly profitable, lifting him far above his previous state of abject poverty. If he sold these items on the black market, he could easily pocket several billion Beli.

As he exited Charlmos Saint's estate, the Holy Land Mariejois was still ablaze, indicating that the Fish-Men and slaves had not yet been subdued.

Seeing the sky gradually brighten, Wood realized that his time was running short. After confirming his direction, he began to rapidly traverse the area using consecutive Soru techniques.

Wood knew exactly where Hancock and her sisters were being held, as he had specifically scouted the area during the slave transfer earlier, leaving marks to guide him back.

Now, Wood's only concern was whether Hancock and her sisters might have already escaped in the chaos.

After all, the slave uprising in Mariejois had occurred three years earlier than in the original timeline.

At this point, Hancock and her sisters didn't have much combat strength and weren't even Devil Fruit users yet. In such a chaotic situation, there was no guarantee they wouldn't encounter any mishaps.

Fortunately, when Wood found the dungeon where Hancock and her sisters were imprisoned, it seemed that the area had yet to be affected by the spreading conflict.

In front of the heavy iron door, likely due to a shortage of personnel on the island, there wasn't even a single decent guard. Wood walked up to the door and with a powerful kick, sent the entire iron gate flying.

Upon hearing the noise at the entrance, the slaves imprisoned inside the dungeon showed expressions of uncertainty and suspicion.

The commotion on the island had been massive, and even within the dungeon, they had sensed it.

However, they had no idea what exactly was happening outside.

Compared to those enslaved in the private estates of the Celestial Dragons, the ones locked up here were relatively fortunate.

These slaves had just been brought to Mariejois and hadn't yet suffered at the hands of the Celestial Dragons. Some hadn't even been branded with the "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon."

Hancock and her sisters had been thrown into this dungeon two days ago, and every day since, they had endured whippings meant to crush their will to resist.

They had been on the verge of being branded with the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon when the chaos suddenly erupted in Mariejois, just as the heated branding iron was about to touch their backs.

The guards who were watching over them had hurriedly left after a brief whispered conversation.

Just as everyone in the dungeon was growing curious about what was happening outside, the iron gate was kicked open, and a figure with a sword at his waist slowly stepped into the dungeon.

"Everyone, stay calm and don't make a fuss. I am not with the Celestial Dragons; I am a man of justice here to rescue you.

The entire Holy Land Mariejois is in chaos now. Once you leave here, try to escape through the most chaotic areas."

As Wood spoke, to prove his words, he drew Heavenly Wither and in a dazzling display of swordsmanship, sliced through the bars of one of the iron cells.

Seeing the bars fall, everyone in the dungeon immediately grew excited.

No one wanted to remain a slave, especially not to the Celestial Dragons. Upon realizing that Wood was truly there to rescue them, everyone present was instantly overjoyed.

These slaves had only just been brought to Mariejois and hadn't yet completely lost hope for the future. Some slaves, after enduring a period of torture at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, had even chosen to end their own lives after being rescued by Tiger.

"I have some keys here. Try to see if you can unlock your chains. It will increase your chances of survival."

Wood could slash through iron bars but not Seastone chains.

However, the slaves locked here were far fewer than the ones he and Gion had escorted.

The only keys he had were those he had taken from Charloss Saint and Charlmos Saint. As for the other slaves purchased by different Celestial Dragons, Wood could only hope that Gion managed to retrieve more keys.

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 160 at patreon.com/Betek.