Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13 "Craftsman District"
Next door to the small coating shop run by the "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, a medium-sized submarine, painted entirely black and heavily disguised, was slowly being enveloped in a massive coating bubble.
"Fufufu, Lord Barricade, everything is ready."
Don Dorados rubbed his hands obsequiously as he spoke to the towering man beside him.
Barricade merely gave a cold grunt and stepped into the submarine first.
Dorados didn't mind. Turning to his three ace subordinates, he revealed a greedy grin.
"Trident Claw! Listen up!"
"Our destination is Fish-Man Island! The rarest, most valuable mermaids!"
Kama ran his tongue along the edge of his blade.
"Hehehe… Boss, don't worry. Catching 'fish' is our specialty. I guarantee they won't even get the chance to scream."
"I prefer when they struggle," sneered Kaji, flicking his barbed whip.
Kani simply clacked his enormous mechanical claws together with a grating metallic crunch.
"Move out!"
With a grand wave of his hand, Dorados gave the order. The submarine slowly descended, vanishing beneath Sabaody's bubbles and diving toward the deep sea ten thousand meters below.
Ten Thousand Meters Under the Sea.
This was a world devoid of sunlight, filled with oppressive pressure and deathly silence.
Only the submarine's searchlight could barely illuminate the twisted and rugged deep-sea trench ahead.
"Boss, we're almost there," Kama said, watching the sonar display.
"Fufufu…"
Dorados swirled a glass of red wine, his face alight with excitement. "I can hardly wait... The legendary mermaid princess, Shirahoshi? If I could catch her... Saint Jalmack would surely reward me with an island, wouldn't he?"
"Our target is only beautiful mermaids," Barricade's dull voice suddenly echoed from a corner, cutting off Dorados's fantasy.
"Lord Barricade…?" Dorados was startled.
"Saint Jalmack's order was beautiful mermaids." Barricade slowly opened his cold eyes.
"Do not create unnecessary complications. Do not touch the royal palace. That would invite…unnecessary trouble."
"Trouble?" Dorados sounded dismissive.
"That Haiiroyo."
Barricade spoke calmly.
"Though Saint Jalmack disregards him, the evaluation in the CP0 files on him is 'unknown' and 'extremely dangerous'."
"My mission is to fulfill Saint Jalmack's minimum demand, not to provoke a Marine Admiral."
Dorados felt a chill run down his spine.
'Even he was wary of Haiiroyo?'
"I… I understand."
Wiping cold sweat from his forehead, Dorados nodded quickly.
"Then we'll start with the Mermaid Cafe! That's where the 'goods'... I mean, the mermaids are most concentrated on the entire island!"
"Acceptable." Barricade closed his eyes again.
The submarine slowly passed through Fish-Man Island's giant protective bubble.
Unlike Nap-One open and legitimate visit, this black vessel moved like a venomous serpent in the deep, silently evading all shipping lanes and guards, quietly surfacing from the edge of the dim Fish-Man District beneath Fish-Man Island.
"Hehe… we're here…"
The submarine slowly rose and docked in the shadow of a massive, unnoticed coral reef.
And right in front of them, brightly lit, filled with laughter and chatter...
Was unmistakably the Mermaid Cafe!
"Prepare to move," Dorados whispered, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Kama, Kani, Kaji! Remember, swift and decisive! Move fast, grab the ten prettiest!"
"Yes!"
Three dark silhouettes, like phantoms, slipped out of the submarine and, using the coral reef for cover, crept towards that paradise brimming with "treasure."
...
Fish-Man Island, Coral Reef Shopping Center.
This was one of the busiest commercial districts on Fish-Man Island, second only to the Mermaid Cafe in popularity.
At that moment, three shadows lurked behind a massive, vibrantly colored fan coral, their cold stares fixed on the target not far away, the brilliantly lit, laughter-filled "Mermaid Cafe".
"Damn it, it's been almost an hour," Kama muttered impatiently.
"Those mermaids... either they're all clustered together, or they're surrounded by fish-man guards. Not a single one is alone!"
Clack… clack…
Kani's mechanical pincers opened and closed anxiously.
"The boss's patience is limited."
"What's the rush?"
Kaji toyed with the iron hooks on his hands, smirking slyly. "The prettier the 'goods', the more they're worth waiting for. But... honestly, I'm leaning towards just rushing in, knocking them all out, and packing them up for takeaway."
"Are you crazy?"
Kama shot him a glance. "Didn't you hear what Lord Barricade said? Swift and decisive, don't cause a commotion! Do that, and you want to bring the entire Ryugu Kingdom army down on us?"
Just as they argued, the miniature Den Den Mushi they carried buzzed to life.
"Sss… sss… You three useless idiots! What are you dawdling for?!"
Dorados's shrill voice, barely containing his rage, burst through.
"Where's the merchandise?! I've been waiting in this submarine for an hour! Saint Jalmack's patience is even shorter than mine!"
"Boss," Kama quickly responded, his voice fawning, "It's... it's too crowded here! Those mermaids seem to be on high alert; we can't find an opening!"
"On high alert?"
Dorados sneered, "That's because you're incompetent! Can't even handle a simple task like this!"
The trio endured the scolding in silence.
"Listen carefully!" Dorados growled. "I don't care how you do it! Rush in, cause chaos, I don't mind! Within ten minutes, I need to see at least five... no, three! Three A-rank or higher 'goods' brought into this submarine!"
"If you can't do it... you can swim back to Sabaody yourselves!!"
Click. The call ended.
Their faces turned ugly instantly.
"Damn it," Kama spat. "That fat bastard only knows how to rush us."
Kaji stood up, a murderous glint in his eyes. "Since the boss put it that way... we don't need to wait anymore. Let's do it my way, just straight-"
"Wait!"
Kama suddenly reached out, stopping the impulsive Kaji. His gaze was locked onto another side of the shopping center.
"Look over there!!"