Chapter 46: Wood and Gion, who were treated as fat sheep

"Wood, is this guy a bounty pirate?"

On Island No. 4 of the Sabaody Archipelago, a sparsely populated area, a fair-skinned, beautiful girl with long legs was holding a burly man in one hand, a man clearly much heavier than her. She looked at the black-haired boy beside her and asked.

The black-haired boy was half-crouched on the ground, holding a stack of wanted posters in his hand, comparing the faces of several other unfortunate individuals lying on the ground.

If you looked closely, you'd notice that many people were unconscious on the ground around this pair, most of them well-known figures in the Sabaody Archipelago.

The entire Sabaody Archipelago consists of 79 large mangrove trees, with different areas serving different purposes:

No. 1 to No. 29: Illegal areas, including human trafficking shops, human auctions, etc.No. 30 to No. 39: Soap Bubble Park, among other attractions.No. 40 to No. 49: Tourist areas, specialty shops, etc.No. 50 to No. 59: Shipbuilding plants, coating craftsmen, etc.No. 60 to No. 69: Naval bases, government entrances and exits, etc.No. 70 to No. 79: Hotel street, etc.

Wood and Gion had landed at Mangrove Area No. 7 and were heading toward Mangrove No. 1. Their path took them through the illegal areas of the Sabaody Archipelago.

Gion, tall and attractive even in casual clothes, with her proud figure and long legs exposed by her hot pants, quickly became the target of some slave traders.

Although both Wood and Gion had long swords at their waists, their young age made them seem like easy targets in this illegal area.

Their youthful appearance and outstanding looks made them prime candidates for the slave market, where they could fetch a high price.

The traffickers paid little mind to the swords on their waists, dismissing them as mere accessories. After all, in such chaotic times, even teenagers carried weapons. Why would these seasoned criminals be scared off by a couple of kids with swords?

With many human traffickers in the Sabaody Archipelago, competition for such "goods" was fierce. Believing that Wood and Gion were inexperienced, these traffickers decided to act quickly.

Within minutes, they were all lying on the ground.

"Aside from the one you're holding, who's worth 33 million Berries, the rest are worthless," Wood replied, comparing the bounty list in his hand. He was frustrated to find that out of the fifty or so people who had surrounded them, only the one in Gion's hand had a bounty worth anything.

Don't ask where Wood got the bounty posters. As soon as he heard Gion mention that the navy received commissions for capturing bounty pirates, he quickly found the latest and most comprehensive collection of pirate bounties on the island.

"Most of the human traffickers in the Sabaody Archipelago are either underground operatives or bounty hunters. Some pirates also dabble in trafficking while waiting for their ships to be coated. I just didn't expect a piece of trash like this to be worth 33 million Berries. The navy really sets bounties too hastily."

The pirate worth 33 million Berries—a somewhat significant figure in his sea—was tossed aside by Gion like a piece of garbage, her face full of contempt.

As Gion spoke, other human traffickers and pirates lurking nearby swallowed nervously. The competition in the Chabaody Archipelago was fierce, and many more had been eyeing Wood and Gion before the previous group made their move.

These latecomers, who had initially targeted Wood and Gion, quickly changed their minds after witnessing the earlier fight.

The Sabaody Archipelago, as the entrance to the second half of the Grand Line, was filled with novice pirates. Here, a bounty over 100 million Berries would earn the title of "supernova."

A bounty of 33 million Berries was significant for the Sabaody Archipelago, marking someone as a notable figure. But this pirate, who led over fifty men to attack the two youths, was defeated in less than three minutes.

What was shocking was not that the two young people—a man and a woman—were unharmed, but that the fifty-plus members of the pirate crew were quickly dispatched. The pirate captain with a 33 million Berry bounty fared no better than common trash, unable to last even two rounds against the long-legged beauty!

Witnessing this, the other traffickers realized that the pair they had mistaken for easy prey were, in fact, fierce tigers.

"There seem to be quite a few more of these guys hiding around here. Should we take them out? There might be some valuable ones among them," Wood suggested.

Based on the commission Gion mentioned, the navy could earn about 10% of the bounty for capturing pirates. The unfortunate pirate Gion had just taken down was worth 33 million Berries, meaning 3.3 million Berries for them—1.65 million each.

Having tasted the rewards, Wood realized how quickly money could be made. In just a few minutes, he had earned several months' salary. Now, he had his sights set on the others hiding in the shadows.

"Don't waste time on unnecessary things. Don't forget we have more important tasks. We've already spent too much time on these scum," Gion said. For them, finding the other human traffickers was too easy. But just as Wood was about to start cashing in, Gion grabbed his collar and pulled him away.

"Wait a minute! Even if we don't go after the others, we should at least turn in the guy with the 33 million Berry bounty to the Navy to claim the reward!" Wood protested.

"We don't have time for that," Gion replied. "And even if we leave him, someone else will take him to the naval branch on the island."

"That's nonsense! There are 33 million Berries just lying there, and you're telling me to leave them? This is why rich people don't understand how we common folk survive!" Wood grumbled, still struggling as Gion dragged him away.