"Sanda, Mary, this is your first voyage, you need to be careful. Only the strongest warriors can become official members of the pirate crew."
On the deck of the Perfume Snake, Boa Hancock, in her role as the eldest sister, was instructing her two younger sisters, who, despite being only 12 years old, had earned the privilege to set sail, though they were not yet fighters.
This was the first trial by the Nine Serpents for them. They were mostly relegated to deckhand duties and lookout roles, to get accustomed to the vastly different life at sea.
But beneath the waters, a submersible was quietly approaching.
There are significant differences even among slave traders. Ordinary ones only operate on land, but these dared to make their move at sea. To be precise, their target was the Nine Serpents.
In the Shampodi population auction, the rarer the person, the higher the price they could fetch. This rarity doesn't only refer to race but also the uniqueness of their status, such as members from Women's Island being a plus on the price tag.
The poison of the serpent could deter Sea King Types but could not frighten away human greed.
Especially this year, Shampodi even offered higher prices for these populations, compelling these people to even use submarines to capture slaves.
Beneath the Perfume Snake, the slave traders' submarine had shut off its engine. Although the snake pulling the ship had dipped its head to observe below, the dark, metallic hull in the water didn't raise its vigilance.
To the snake, there wasn't much difference between a submarine and a reef.
Unlike conventional submarines, this one was clearly a product of black technology.
The people inside confirmed through viewing ports that the snakes hadn't focused on them. Then, the submarine opened a special hatch, and several people in diving suits came out.
The diving suits were coated with a special liquid that could linger in the water for a while. This was meant to help them evade the snakes, but they only had three minutes to complete their mission.
Although they were bold enough to kidnap slaves from the Nine Serpents' ship, they were not brave enough to fight the Nine Serpent Pirates head-on.
This was, after all, a country where Haki was common among warriors, and confronting them directly could result in a miserable death.
The operatives were quite tense inside, as rumors had it that no man who voluntarily entered the Nine Serpent territory ever survived.
So upon seeing several small figures on the deck, they didn't bother to look at their faces and took action immediate. The Boa sisters were thus kidnapped on their first voyage, and by the time people on the ship reacted, it was all too late.
...
Several days later, on the Shadow Fox, Olga had arrived in a sea region, and the Shadow Fox had vanished over the sea under her influence. She was waiting.
As for where this information came from, the Hundred Beasts fruit in the New World's underground market was king-level connections. These slave traders had intricate personal networks, always able to gather some intel.
This was also why Olga operated under a hidden identity. Occasionally, her hunts might run into familiar faces, and exposing her identity might affect other deals.
As for now, even if someone suspected, without concrete evidence, offending the Hundred Beasts was a highly unwise move.
"Olga, here's the auction information: Dragon Fruit Ancient ·Pachycephalosaurus Form, Dragon Fruit Ancient ·Spinosaurus Form; these are the two revealed fruits."
Elizabeth handed the compiled documents to Olga. Unlike Shaina and Mandfeish, who had vice-officers that were assigned, Elizabeth was Olga's assistant.
Although Elizabeth was a lizard, after her intelligence was enhanced, as an Inteleon with a knack for espionage, she was even more steady in her tasks than most people.
"We've such precise categorization? Looks like the budget needs to increase."
Defining types of Devil Fruits fetch a higher price than unknown types. As for fruits that influence price, the auction houses weren't fools.
They would categorize such fruits as 'unknown types,' or even mislead prospects to believe these were Logia-type fruits to sell at a higher price. Naming revealed fruits undoubtedly meant they were those that could increase value.
Though these were Zoan-type, the slightly rare Ancient types could also be sold at a premium.
However, according to the previous intel received from the Hundred Beasts, this auction was rumored to have not just two Devil Fruits but five; it was indeed a rare grand occasion, as gathering five Devil Fruits for an auction was quite the feat.
"Our total budget is 1.2 billion, securing these two fruits isn't difficult; for the others, it's uncertain. But Olga, there's intel that...Heavenly Celestial Dragons will be involved in this auction."
"Those parasites? No worries, as long as that woman isn't escorting them."
As the one among the Three Disaster with the strongest survival capability, Olga was confident she could slip away from anyone aside from Tsuru. According to Hundred Beasts' intel, Tsuru had been on a mission in the North Sea lately and shouldn't appear in Shampodi.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates from top to bottom have little regard for the Heavenly Celestial Dragons. Most of them are combat-inept nobodies, regarded by Kaidou as the absolute bottom of the food chain.
He had the least respect for those who held high positions without combat skills.
To Olga, as long as those Heavenly Celestial Dragons don't meddle in her affairs, whatever they do is fine.
"Big Sis, the Slave Capture Team's ship has shown up, but...there seems to be a small World Government ship beside them."
In the lookout tower on the high tower, the lookout observed the flags of the two ships, reporting the situation. The Slave Capture Team didn't have a dedicated flag but they did have their own company emblem.
On the Red Earth Continent, such companies were known as human recruitment mediation institutions, signs intended to deter competitors from snatching their spoils.
"What do we do, Big Sis? Should we wait for them to leave?"
"Leave? Of course not, we'll strike right away. Since they've come, let's leave them here. Gunners, you've already calculated the positions, right?"
The Shadow Fox had been stationed here for several days, and the nearby sea's ballistics should have long been calculated.
"Rest assured, Big Sis Olga, for every missed shot I'll clean up the entire Ghost Island for a day!"
Saying so, the gunner began adjusting the artillery. It wasn't howitzers this time, but specially-made cannons. Compared to howitzers' lethality, cannons were more effective against large vehicles.
Then the gunner, having sworn bravado, personally controlled the artillery, precisely blasting a large hole at the opponent's rudder area.
"Not bad, make your move!"
Once the enemy lost power, the Shadow Fox's silhouette emerged, but the gunner wiped the cold sweat off his forehead; he had clearly aimed at the bow...