Sabaody Archipelago

Ten days had passed,

Nicholas and his companions finally reached the Sabaody Archipelago. The ship they sailed on casually docked at Yarukiman Mangrove, designated as Island No. 16.

"You know, no matter how many times I see it, the Yarukiman Mangrove is simply incredible," remarked Stussy, her gaze fixed on the vast expanse of red trees.

The world's largest mangrove, the Yarukiman Mangrove, shaped the Sabaody Archipelago, protruding from the water's surface. Its roots delved deep into the seabed.

Besides its sheer size, the most notable feature of the Sabaody Archipelago was the resin secreted by the Yarukiman Mangrove's roots. Due to its respiratory function, the resin expanded into bubbles upon exposure to air before soaring into the sky. However, once these bubbles ventured beyond the archipelago's climate range, the resin's potency waned, causing them to burst.

There were two ways to reach the New World. One involved seeking permission from the World Government to traverse Mariejois atop the Red Line—a route mostly reserved for the Marines and the World Government. The other option utilized the resin secreted by the Yarukiman Mangrove, enveloping the ship, diving ten thousand meters underwater, traversing a giant hole beneath the Red Line, and venturing into the New World through the "undersea route" to Fish-Man Island. Therefore, the resin's unique properties made it the sole passage for pirates to access the New World.

"Yeah, it's really hard to imagine how such a creation came to be," Nicholas added, marveling at the wonders of the pirate world. To him, the world of pirates was filled with fascinating things, whether it was the Yarukiman Mangrove connecting the sea bottom and the surface or the giant elephants roaming the sea with furry tribes on their backs.

While the massive size of the trees made sense, their ability to live for so long was beyond comprehension. After all, the larger the size, the more energy needed to sustain it. The Yarukiman Mangrove could rely on photosynthesis for energy, and even the Sea Kings in the ocean depths could prey on smaller Sea Kings for survival. But why that darned elephant could live for thousands of years and grow so large was something he couldn't fathom.

As Nicholas pondered the inexplicable nature of the elephant, a group of armed men approached.

Judging by their attire and weapons, they appeared to be a slave-catching team targeting pirate captains in the Sabaody Archipelago.

In the slave markets of the Sabaody Archipelago, pirate captains were always in high demand.

After all, those who could become captains stood out among the sea of pirates in terms of strength and charisma.

This was particularly appealing to the upper-class aristocrats who were fond of indulging in their perverse desires. In social gatherings, they would often flaunt the pirate captains they had purchased.

For the Celestial Dragons, the fact that their so-called elite were trampled upon or treated like dogs only served to emphasize the distinction between them and the rest. This provided a psychological boost for those who claimed to be descendants of gods, akin to a drug-induced high.

Such was their demand, and where there is demand, there is trade.

Moreover, catching civilians from countries might pose some difficulties since the joining countries of the World Government still had some power. To protect their underlings, the World Government would even issue warnings.

However, pirates didn't have such concerns.

The slave-catchers surrounded the pier aggressively, brandishing various weapons. A few ships also approached from behind Nicholas and his crew, effectively surrounding them. Their attention then turned to the flag flying from the pirate ship moored at the shore.

Since slave-catchers tended to look down on pirates, capturing them was a straightforward process: arrest, sale, done.

However, if they stirred trouble with some unapproachable pirate crew, the trouble would be immense, as even minor mistakes could cost them their lives.

"Never seen that pirate crew's flag before."

"Hey, as long as the captain of this pirate crew has a bounty, we can fetch a good price."

"Alright, boys, let's... huh?"

Suddenly, the leader of the slave-catchers spotted Nicholas and his group standing at the ship's rail.

"That is...?"

In an instant, the swaggering leader's expression turned from arrogance to shock.

"The infamous Albert Nicholas with a bounty of 700 million... Why... why is he here???"

Nicholas also noticed the commotion and turned to look. The sight of their feared expressions made the leader collapse to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

As for the rest of the slave-catchers, they were paralyzed with fear.

How could such an unfortunate incident, possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, happen to them?

At this moment, due to someone's nervousness, a gun went off accidentally, aimed directly at Nicholas.

Bang!

In the captain's horrified gaze, the bullet pierced through Nicholas's body, hitting a crew member standing on the other side.

Through the blue electric glow lingering around Nicholas, even the shooter could see the incredible look in his comrade's eyes.

Nicholas, staring at the shooter, raised his finger, and a bolt of lightning pierced through the pirate's body, leaving him petrified.

Witnessing this scene, the captain of the slave-catchers prostrated himself, and the rest of the members followed suit, throwing down their weapons.

"Sorry!!!"

"Sorry!!!"

"Sorry!!!"

Seeing the leader apologize, the other members of the slave-catcher group immediately followed suit. Petty people had their own ways of survival.

Nicholas looked at the trembling slave-catchers lying on the ground and felt speechless.

These people indeed knew how to handle situations. He couldn't help but think that with their actions, his initial intention to waste hundreds of lightning bolts faded. After all, using lightning to kill maggots felt a bit revolting.

As for the potential harm that letting these slave-catchers go might cause, what did it have to do with him?

This world was cruel. Just like the Celestial Dragons and those nobles had formed an established system, even if Nicholas were to wipe out all the slave-catcher groups in the Sabaody Archipelago, new ones would emerge soon.

Even the Fish-Man Island, with the protection of Whitebeard, Big Mom, and the Warlords of the Sea, was still a hunting ground for slave-catchers.