Chapter 63: Looting the Treasure House of the Celestial Dragons

If Saint Charmarco had continued to live, he would undoubtedly have used all his power to cause trouble for Wood. While his death would also send shockwaves through the sea, a dead man—no matter how noble his status—was obviously less of a threat than a living one.

Wood also discovered a large bunch of keys on the deceased Saint Charmarco, which included the keys to the slaves' chains and to Charmarco's private treasury.

As everyone knows, among the Celestial Dragons who receive "Heavenly Tribute" from various countries, none are paupers.

So, when Wood opened Saint Charmarco's private treasury, he was quickly overwhelmed by the dazzling collection of treasures.

In a room spanning several hundred square meters, various rare treasures were piled up. Gold objects and Bailey were the most inconspicuous items, scattered carelessly on the ground.

Well-crafted Seastone weapons, fist-sized pearls, and even famous swords and Devil Fruits were among the treasures Wood found.

Faced with this immense wealth, Wood realized that even if he took half of it, he could easily find an island to live a life of luxury.

Unfortunately, despite having his abilities, he lacked the portable space that some otherworldly travelers possess.

Though there were plenty of treasures here, he couldn't carry them all. Besides, he would need to flee soon, and carrying too much would hinder his escape.

He picked up a long sword from the rack beside him and read the inscription on the wooden stand.

The sword was Frost and Dew, one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords. Its scabbard was made of white birch wood, and the entire blade was snow-white, with the handle wrapped in light blue cotton thread.

The blade was 1.23 meters long, with a heavy-duty small flower pattern. The edge was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the blade wouldn't frost or dew in summer, hence the name Frost and Dew.

"This is a great find—this sword belongs with me! One for Tianku, and now Frost and Dew. With the combination of dry and wet, I'll be able to wield two swords in the future."

Since it was impossible to take all the treasures, Wood naturally focused on selecting useful and easy-to-carry items.

Gold and Bailey were the least valuable here—heavy and not worth much.

A Devil Fruit, on the other hand, could be sold for hundreds of millions, and it was only the size of a melon, making it easy to take.

Fist-sized pearls? Good stuff—he pocketed those.

A Seastone pistol? Although it wasn't particularly useful to him, Seastone's manufacturing process is extremely difficult. This could fetch a high price. He decided to take it.

…

After selecting his haul, Wood finally left, satisfied.

Although he had exchanged the weight on his body for a collection of priceless items, the value of what he took still accounted for less than one-tenth of the total value of the treasury.

As I said, it's a pity there's no system space.

However, Wood made a significant gain this time, effectively ending his poverty. Once he sold these items on the black market, he would easily acquire hundreds of millions of Baileys.

When he emerged from Saint Charmarco's mansion, the Holy Land of Marijoa was still ablaze, indicating that the rebellion of the fishmen and slaves had not yet been suppressed.

As the sky gradually brightened, Wood knew his time was running out. After choosing a direction, he began moving quickly using "Soru."

Wood knew exactly where Hancock and the others were being held. After all, when the slaves were handed over, he had carefully observed the surroundings and left markers.

The only thing Wood worried about now was whether Hancock and the others had taken advantage of the chaos to escape.

You have to remember that the slave rebellion in the Holy Land of Marijoa happened three years earlier than it should have.

Hancock and her friends didn't have much combat power at this point, and they weren't even Devil Fruit users. In such a chaotic situation, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't encounter danger.

Fortunately, when Wood found the dungeon where Hancock and the others were held, it seemed the chaos hadn't yet spread there.

In front of the thick iron gate, likely due to a shortage of manpower on the island, there wasn't even a proper guard. Wood approached the gate and kicked it open with a powerful strike.

The slaves imprisoned inside looked surprised and confused when they heard the noise. The commotion on the island had been loud enough that even they, in the dungeon, had noticed.

But they had no idea what was happening outside.

Compared to the slaves held in the private residences of the Celestial Dragons, those in this dungeon were actually fortunate.

These slaves had just arrived in Marijoa and hadn't yet been subjected to the Celestial Dragons' torture. Some hadn't even been branded with the "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon."

The three Hancock sisters had been in this dungeon for two days, whipped daily in an attempt to break their spirit.

They were about to be branded with the "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon" when a sudden uproar erupted in Marijoa.

The guards who had been overseeing them whispered among themselves before hurriedly leaving.

Just as everyone in the dungeon began to wonder what was happening outside, the iron door was kicked open, and a figure with a sword at his waist slowly entered the dungeon.

"Don't panic or shout. I am not one of the Celestial Dragons—I'm here to rescue you. The entire Holy Land of Marijoa is in chaos. Once you leave here, head toward the chaotic areas to escape."

As soon as Wood finished speaking, to prove his words, he drew Tianku and sliced through the iron bars of one of the cages with a brilliant flash of his blade.

Seeing the iron cage broken, everyone in the dungeon instantly became excited.

No one wants to be a slave, let alone a slave to the Celestial Dragons. When they saw that Wood was truly there to rescue them, everyone present naturally rejoiced.

This was because they had just been transported to Marijoa and hadn't yet lost hope for the future. Some slaves, after enduring torture at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, chose to commit suicide even after being rescued by Tiger.

"I have some keys here. Try to unlock the chains on your hands and feet first—it'll increase your chances of survival."

Wood could cut through iron bars, but he couldn't break the Seastone chains.

However, the number of slaves imprisoned here was far fewer than those escorted by Wood and Gion.

The keys he had now were from Saint Chadlis and Saint Charmarco. As for the other slaves purchased by the Celestial Dragons, Wood could only hope that Gion would bring back more keys.