Chapter 47: The escorted slaves turned out to be mermaids

When the other human traffickers hiding nearby saw Gion dragging Wood away, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. Just moments earlier, when Wood had contemplated attacking them, his sharp gaze had made them hold their breath.

Though they didn't know who Wood and Gion were, it was clear that they were not to be trifled with. When Wood had fixed his eyes on them, they hadn't even dared to turn and run. Their instincts, honed by years of surviving in the underworld, told them that running at that moment would only hasten their deaths.

"Who are those two kids? Powerful people like that show up in the Sabaody Archipelago, and we didn't get any advance warning?"

"Who knows where these two monsters came from, but they can't be pirates. With that kind of strength, they'd be at least a supernova, and there's no way they'd land in the Sabaody Archipelago without making a splash."

"They don't look like navy, and the guy's demeanor is more like that of a bounty hunter."

As they watched Wood and Gion leave, the other human traffickers began discussing them. Being local bigwigs, they had access to various intelligence networks. However, they were certain that the young man and woman were strangers to the island and not infamous bounty hunters or pirates.

"No matter who they are, they're out of our league. Make sure everyone on the island knows their descriptions and warn them not to provoke these two."

A pirate with a 33 million Berry bounty had been taken down with ease, and the attacker hadn't even drawn his sword. Whether they were pirates or bounty hunters, these two were clearly not to be messed with.

"What about the 33 million Berries lying on the ground? Are we just going to leave it there?" one of the younger traffickers asked, eyeing the unconscious pirates.

"Idiot! If there's money lying on the ground, pick it up! Didn't you hear what those two said? They don't care about the 33 million Berries. They're after bigger prey."

"Right, I'll have them tied up and sent to the naval branch on the island to collect the bounty," the young trafficker responded eagerly, thinking his initiative would earn praise.

But instead, his boss kicked him and scolded, "You fool! We're not in the business of delivering people to the navy. We may not be pirates, but we're not exactly on the right side of the law either."

"Do you understand what it means to maximize profits? Sending these pirates to the navy will get us, at most, 33 million Berries, and that's if they're feeling generous. But if we sell them at the slave auction, that pirate captain alone will fetch at least 50 million Berries. Even the ordinary pirates, worthless to the navy, can be sold for hundreds of thousands of Berries each because of their youth and strength."

"Boss, you're a genius!"

"Of course! That's why I'm the boss and you're just the lackeys. It takes brains to be in charge."

Soon, the fifty or so pirates who had attacked Gion and Wood were tied up by the human traffickers. Ironically, they had come to capture slaves but ended up as slaves themselves.

If a pirate is handed over to the navy, his fate isn't the worst. If his crimes aren't too severe, he might see the light of day again after ten or so years. But as a slave, his life is effectively over.

The treatment of slaves in this world is far worse than that of prisoners. Prisoners at least retain some human rights, but most slaves live lives more miserable than animals. The rich, especially the Celestial Dragons, rarely keep slaves alive for more than a year. Those who do survive often go mad, unable to endure the endless torment.

Of course, there's no sympathy for the pirates who attacked Wood and Gion—they intended to do the same to them. If Wood and Gion hadn't been strong enough, they would have ended up as slaves themselves.

In the No. 1 mangrove area of the Sabaody Archipelago, though Doflamingo hadn't yet risen to power, there were still numerous slave auctions and markets. When Wood and Gion arrived at the largest slave auction and presented their credentials, they were shown the "goods."

Ten large iron cages stood in a row, each holding several people—men, women, and even children. The men were mostly of special races, like mermen, giants, and long-armed tribesmen. The women were predominantly human, each with a voluptuous figure and beautiful features.

"My Lords, these are the lesser goods. Even if some died during transportation, the Celestial Dragons wouldn't notice. But this batch here is different. The cargo is too valuable, and the Celestial Dragons have taken a special interest in them. We didn't dare escort them ourselves."

The auctioneer, in charge of entertaining Wood and Gion, was extremely deferential. Though he didn't know exactly who they were, he knew enough to be careful. Anyone connected to the Celestial Dragons was not to be trifled with.

The auctioneer led Wood and Gion to a massive spherical water tank. When he pulled back the curtain covering it, Wood understood why the auction house was so worried about this cargo.

Inside the tank was a mermaid—a young, female mermaid.

Mermen and mermaids, both half-human, half-fish species, are highly prized in slave auctions, but mermaids are the most coveted. Unlike the more rugged mermen, mermaids are delicate and, due to their rarity, fetch incredibly high prices.

Mermaids are also incredibly fast, making them difficult to catch. And don't forget, this is before Whitebeard's death—Fishman Island is still under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates.