Gino collapsed onto the cobblestones as if his legs had given out completely. He pointed at Ace with a trembling finger and shouted in desperation:
"You're trying to get me killed! This is absolutely outrageous! This is fraud of the highest order!"
"What are you talking about? Isn't she exactly the same as the one in the photograph?" Ace replied with perfectly practiced innocence, following Jerry's lead in maintaining their absurd charade.
Unfortunately, they had little choice in the matter. Since this was an internal Whitebeard Pirates operation, Ace hadn't wanted to ask Carina to take such a significant risk by participating directly. That left Banshee as the only available female member of their group to play the role of their "merchandise."
Gino's hands continued shaking uncontrollably, and his lips quivered as he struggled to regain his composure. He slowly raised a trembling finger toward Ace and his friends, his voice becoming shrill with panic:
"You... you people are the most shameless liars I've ever encountered! You can lie without even blinking an eye!"
"I'm going to be murdered because of you idiots!"
"Boss, this has to be some kind of joke, right? Please tell me you have a way to fix this disaster..." one of the criminals who had accompanied Gino pleaded desperately.
The other gang members had finally gotten a clear look at the "mermaid" in the cart after their leader sat down, and they were immediately seized by the same panic that had overcome him.
"Making money Making money" came a peculiar, excited voice from behind the group of criminals.
Everyone turned their heads to see Corbett approaching, accompanied by his two middle-aged female assistants and several armed men. He was casually tossing gold coins in the air and catching them as he walked, clearly in an excellent mood.
"So! How's everything going? My mermaid has arrived safely, I assume?" he called out from a distance.
Upon seeing the scene unfolding before him, Corbett quickened his pace and continued speaking as he approached the group.
Hearing their boss's voice, Gino jumped up from the ground like a compressed spring and ran toward Corbett, desperately trying to block his line of sight and somehow salvage the situation.
"Yes, Boss! But there's a significant problem that I need to explain first..." Gino began frantically.
"What are you babbling about? Get out of my way!" Corbett snapped impatiently.
Due to their height difference, Corbett was more than a head taller than the gang leader. He could easily see over Gino's head to the cart beyond, and he roughly shoved the smaller man aside to get a better view.
"She... could she really be...?" Corbett began, his voice trailing off in wonder.
"Please, Boss! Just listen to me for one moment!" Gino continued his desperate attempts to explain, but he was interrupted once again.
Corbett suddenly pressed both hands against his chest, as if his heart was beating so rapidly that he couldn't control it.
"This is a genuine mermaid!" he exclaimed with obvious amazement.
"Oh! My heart has been pierced by Cupid's arrow! This divine beauty is beyond description!"
Not only Gino, but every single person present—including all the Whitebeard Pirates members, the criminals, Jerry, Ace, and even Banshee herself—stared at Corbett in complete shock and disbelief.
"Are you absolutely certain about this? There's nothing wrong with your eyesight?" Jerry asked from his position beside the cart, his voice filled with incredulity.
His question was immediately answered by Banshee, who reached through the cage bars and smacked him soundly on the back of the head.
"When a man is gazing upon his beloved, vision problems become completely irrelevant!" Corbett declared with passionate conviction.
"Ah! I have never laid eyes upon such an exquisite mermaid in all my years!"
After delivering this romantic proclamation, Corbett seemed to retreat into his own private world of infatuation. After several seconds of dreamy contemplation, he turned to address Ace directly.
"Young man, you hold the ownership of this magnificent creature, correct?"
"I must have her! There's no need to go through any complicated buying and selling procedures—she belongs to me now!"
Beneath his eager expression, Corbett's face displayed the serious determination of a man who had made an absolutely final decision. This domineering attitude left Ace and his friends feeling completely bewildered.
The entire scheme had been Jerry's idea, and everything had proceeded smoothly according to their plan—until this utterly unexpected development that no one could have possibly anticipated.
"Well, this is... I mean, you're not going to impose any additional conditions, are you?" Ace asked hesitantly.
"Don't give me any trouble about this!" Gino hissed urgently, running over to grab Ace's arm. "You should be grateful that his particular taste runs toward mature women!"
"Just smile and agree quickly! Do you understand me?" he whispered frantically.
This represented an incredible opportunity for Gino to both save his own life and make a substantial profit, and his excitement was reaching fever pitch.
Clearing his throat with a few artificial coughs, Ace addressed Corbett formally: "Ahem, Boss, please allow me to consult with her briefly about the arrangements."
"Of course, of course! Handle the transfer as quickly as possible—I can hardly wait to have a proper conversation with my beautiful mermaid!" Corbett replied, waving his hand impatiently.
"Just... give me a moment," Ace said, turning to walk toward the back of the cart.
After approaching the cage with Jerry, he began whispering urgently with Banshee.
"Jerry, what in the world is happening here? Deuce never mentioned anything about this possibility in our planning sessions!"
"I have no idea, but let's proceed with the transaction this way for now. It shouldn't significantly impact our overall mission," Jerry replied after thinking for a moment.
He then turned to address Banshee directly: "So what do you think? Are you willing to consider this arrangement? It's obvious that he genuinely finds you attractive."
"Get lost, you troublemaker! There's absolutely no way I'd be interested in this kind of frivolous peacock! Just look at his face—it's covered in ridiculous feathers!" Banshee replied with obvious disgust.
"Even if I were looking for companionship, I'd prefer someone mature and dependable, like Whitebeard himself. That's exactly my type of man."
Jerry had to admit she had a point. Corbett was no longer wearing the elaborate peacock mask he had sported in the casino, but his face was indeed covered with thick, yellow facial hair that resembled plumage. Jerry thought his nickname might be more accurately rendered as "Lord Chicken" rather than anything more dignified.
"All right, then we'll just have to see how this situation develops," Jerry concluded.
"Actually, we've already gathered enough information to complete our primary objective, but it would certainly be beneficial if we could obtain additional intelligence."
After this brief conference, Ace returned to face Corbett and nodded his agreement to the proposed transaction.
"Wonderful! Pafafafa! My precious darling! Hello there, beautiful—we'll be together very soon!" Corbett laughed with obvious joy, greeting Banshee enthusiastically before signaling to his assistant.
Following the established pricing structure for premium 'young' mermaids, Corbett readily produced a large chest filled with Berries, not bothering to negotiate the price downward by even a single coin.
"This has been a truly wonderful transaction," Corbett declared with satisfaction. "If you acquire any more high-quality merchandise in the future, you're always welcome to return for another deal."
Seeing that the exchange had been completed successfully, Corbett extended his hand to Ace for a concluding handshake.
As they shook hands, Ace took the opportunity to ask: "If you don't mind me asking, what types of slaves do you typically trade in?"
"Oh? It sounds like you might have additional inventory available," Corbett replied with renewed interest.
"Most of our regular stock consists of slaves that can be circulated through legitimate channels—criminals such as captured pirates, or residents from nations that aren't members of the World Government."
"Of course, I always make special exceptions for rare specimens like mermaids and other exotic species."
With his excitement over the mermaid purchase still evident, Corbett explained his business model to Ace, then turned and began walking toward the circus performance area.
A short while later, the entire group entered a large performance hall. The space was initially pitch black, but there was something unsettling about the atmosphere that immediately put everyone on edge.
Jerry's eyes flashed with sharp awareness as his enhanced senses quickly assessed the situation. At the same time, he noticed that numerous local criminals and gang members had gathered outside the venue, apparently acting as security for whatever was about to be revealed.
Following Corbett's signal, his assistant activated the surrounding lighting systems.
Ace had sensed that something was wrong from the moment they entered the building, but only now could he see the full scope of what they were dealing with.
The large venue was filled with various circus equipment and props arranged in seemingly random configurations, but along the outer walls were layers upon layers of stacked iron cages in different sizes and colors.
There were hundreds—possibly thousands—of these cages, housing both ferocious animals used in circus performances and human slaves of varying ages and backgrounds.
To maximize the value of their human inventory, there were relatively few elderly slaves present. The vast majority of the imprisoned people were young adults and children.
These captives had clearly been beaten into submission and were malnourished to the point where resistance was impossible. They made no sounds at all, simply staring at the newcomers with dead, hopeless eyes that spoke of unimaginable suffering.
Ace suppressed his immediate impulse to act and forced himself to speak with feigned casual interest: "Is it really safe to keep them imprisoned so openly like this?"
"Absolutely no problem at all," Corbett replied confidently. "This is officially a legitimate circus operation. Having numerous cages and wild animals confined here is perfectly normal for our business model. No one ever comes backstage during performances to investigate what we're doing back here."
"But you're trafficking slaves in Whitebeard's protected territory," Ace pressed further. "Aren't you concerned that his crew might eventually discover what you're doing and come after you?"
"Pafafafa! I never personally shared drinks with any of those pirates," Corbett laughed dismissively. "That was entirely my father's arrangement, and it has absolutely nothing to do with me or my business."
"Besides, that old era of so-called 'honor among pirates' should finally come to an end! It's time for a new generation to take control!"
Showing off his criminal achievements to outsiders was clearly making Corbett feel talkative and boastful about his success in circumventing his father's agreements.
Jerry rolled his eyes at this display of arrogance. If you didn't know better, you'd think this delusional peacock had already personally defeated Whitebeard and taken over the entire New World.
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