"D-damn it, the difference in power is too great!"
"Is this the power of a world-class fighter?! We can't win!"
"Damn it, why would a monster like this show up?!"
With the previous captains defeated in a few moves and the current vice captain knocked out in a single blow, the pirates of the Happo Navy were on the verge of losing all fighting spirit in the face of this overwhelming and terrifying power.
"Damn you, Aeridar! What grudge do you have against us?" Sai's knuckles were white as he gripped his long-handled blade, yelling angrily at Aeridar. "All we want is to get our people back from Kano! You, the esteemed master of the World Neutral Zone, aren't also involved in this dirty slave trade, are you?"
Aeridar scoffed, his voice filled with mockery. "Heh heh heh heh... A grudge? How ridiculous. Is this your first day as a pirate? To say something so absurd. Besides, as a Warlord of the Sea recognized by the World Government, shouldn't I be attacking pirates? The slave trade? What are you..."
Before he could finish, Aeridar's face changed. He cut himself off and asked, "The slave trade? Are you saying the Komodo Merchant Guild's ship is carrying slaves?"
"I don't know about anything else, but a slave-hunting group captured over a hundred of our people from the Kano Country and handed them over to them for consignment." Sai spoke with a tone of deep resentment.
Aeridar frowned and thought for a moment.
Then, without another word, he flew back into the air and headed toward the main ship of the Komodo Merchant Guild's fleet.
"Huh?" Sai was dumbfounded, watching as Aeridar suddenly flew off. He had no idea what was going on.
On the main ship of the Komodo Merchant Guild's fleet...
Parodi was overjoyed as he watched Aeridar effortlessly defeat the great pirate Chinjao, slice one of their warships in half, and then lay waste to their main ship. The scene was a perfect display of overwhelming power.
But then, Parodi felt something was wrong.
"Why... is he flying back? So..." Parodi was confused, watching Aeridar stop his rampage at a crucial moment and fly back to him.
"How should I know?" Golaru, who had returned to the main ship, said with a raised eyebrow as he wiped his wet hair with a dry towel.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept by, and Aeridar landed on the deck.
"Esteemed Aeridar-san, is there anything you need?" Parodi didn't dare ask why he had returned. Instead, he put on a fawning smile.
"Do you have slaves on your merchant ships?" Aeridar got straight to the point, no pleasantries exchanged.
"Uh..." Parodi's face paled at Aeridar's expression. He answered cautiously, "Well, there is a ship with slaves. There are eight hundred and thirty-seven of them, all given to us on consignment by someone else, so..."
"Is that right... I have a question for you." Aeridar's gaze turned cold as he looked at Parodi. "Are there any people from the Kuja on board?"
"That..." Parodi was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
"Answer me honestly, or I won't mind sinking all of you into the sea along with the others!" Aeridar's eyebrow twitched as his voice turned ice cold.
A trace of chilling Conqueror's Haki radiated from Aeridar, making the surrounding people feel as if a large stone had been placed on their chests.
"Y-yes, yes, there are Kuja slaves! There are Kuja slaves! Five children, so!" Feeling the suffocating pressure, Parodi's breath hitched, and he quickly responded.
The suffocating feeling disappeared in an instant. Aeridar grinned, reaching out to brush some dust off Parodi's shoulder. "Ah, and who consigned them to you?"
"That..." Giving up client information was a major taboo, which made Parodi hesitate.
But when he saw the cold, emotionless look in Aeridar's eyes behind his sunny smile, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately disregarded all taboos and confessed everything. "It was... the Grey Rat Slave-Hunting Group! They captured them on Amazon Lily and asked us to consign them, so!"
"Excellent. The Grey Rat Slave-Hunting Group, was it..." Aeridar placed a hand on Parodi's shoulder, his face still smiling. "Hand those five children over to me."
"This, this..." Parodi said, looking troubled. "I can't make that decision..."
If he could keep the client information a secret, losing the cargo for no reason would be a devastating blow to the Komodo Merchant Guild's reputation. Even as one of the Five Presidents, Parodi couldn't bear the consequences.
"I said, hand them over to me," Aeridar repeated, the smile now gone from his face.
"Aeridar-san, a great man like yourself, taking things by force isn't good for business. Besides, they're not our property; we are only in charge of the auction..." Golaru came over, carefully looking at Aeridar. The large man spoke in a hushed, timid voice, "Losing the cargo would be a heavy blow to the reputation of our Komodo Merchant Guild. If you could just pay a small fee, it would give us a way to account for the loss."
"Pay?"
Aeridar grinned menacingly. "Then I'll just sink all of you into the sea!"
Thump!
Suddenly, Aeridar struck out with a flash, hitting Golaru in the face. The terrifying force instantly sent him flying.
Rumble!
Golaru flew from the ship's bow, rolling along the deck, knocking over a dozen people before finally hitting a wall. Half of his body was caved in, and the wooden wall was covered in a dense, spiderweb-like pattern of cracks.
"Golaru!"
Parodi gasped in surprise and took a step back in fear.
"I promised Hancock I'd get her people back." Aeridar leaned close to Parodi, a hint of madness in his voice. "Are you going to make me break my promise, Dadanis Parodi?"
"I-I'm so sorry, Aeridar-san! So!" Parodi was sweating profusely, not even daring to look at Golaru as he practically pleaded. "Can't you make an exception, Aeridar-san? Just let us take them to Sabaody Archipelago, and then you can do whatever you want with them, so!"
Aeridar raised an eyebrow, slowly uttering two words:
"You talk too much!"
Seeing Aeridar's attitude, Parodi deflated like a punctured balloon. He lowered his head and muttered, "Fine, fine, I get it, so."
Stepping back, Parodi suddenly looked up and quickly pulled out the ivory flintlock pistol at his waist, aiming it at Aeridar.
"Do you know? I hate you monsters the most! You act as if you're above everyone else just because you're strong, disregarding all others. Do you know how much damage this will do to my guild?! You damned monster, so!" Parodi's face twisted in an excited rage.
"I can sense a certain loathing." Aeridar glanced indifferently at the ivory flintlock in Parodi's hand. "A Seastone bullet, is it?"
"You should know the rules of the sea. Since you drew your gun, you must be prepared to bet your life on it." A cold smile appeared on Aeridar's face.