The thought of the large sum of money he was about to receive brought a smile to Colonel Nezumi's face, and he was already planning where to enjoy himself after returning.
However, just then, the waves suddenly grew larger, and the entire ship began to shake violently.
Colonel Nezumi, caught off guard, stumbled and had to grab onto the railing to steady himself.
"Colonel, the waves are getting bigger.
Should we let those guys in the bottom of the hold out for some air?
If they die..."
A Marine rushed over to report, and Colonel Nezumi's face immediately darkened.
"It's just a few waves!
It's not that easy for something to happen!
Wait ten minutes; if the waves haven't calmed down by then, let them out—"
"Colonel! Look at what's in the sky!"
Before Colonel Nezumi could finish his command, the Marine looked up at the sky with a terrified expression, his voice urgent and tinged with fear.
Colonel Nezumi was startled and instinctively looked up, only to see a man with dark blue, almost black hair and a pair of bat wings on his back flying directly towards the Warship.
"Enemy attack!
Quick! Sound the alarm!"
Colonel Nezumi frantically shouted, and the alarm immediately spread throughout the entire Warship.
The Marines who were preparing to rest rushed out of the cabin, some even without time to put on their clothes.
However, everyone held their weapons, clearly indicating that they usually trained for such situations and knew what to prioritize in an emergency.
Facing the guns pointed uniformly at him, Luo Yan showed no signs of backing down.
He landed heavily on the deck, and before the Marines could react, Luo Yan, moving with a speed that left afterimages, knocked all their weapons away.
"Damn it!
You, who exactly are you!"
Colonel Nezumi instinctively drew his gun, but before he could aim it at the newcomer, a cold, sharp dagger was already at his throat.
The faint sting he felt made him realize that if he made even the slightest move, he would die.
"You... have, let's talk this over.
What do you want?"
As a Marine Colonel who could collude with pirates, he knew very well when to back down, and now was the time to do so.
Luo Yan's lips curved into a smile.
He first glanced at the Marines who hadn't fully reacted, then finally fixed his gaze on Colonel Nezumi.
"Colonel Nezumi?
It seems there are more people on your ship than just these.
Call everyone out."
Luo Yan's previous glance seemed casual, but it was actually to identify potential crew members.
However, there was no one among these Marines, and his divination results pointed to this ship, meaning there were still people who hadn't appeared.
Colonel Nezumi's body trembled slightly, a struggle flashed across his face, then he looked at the Marine closest to him.
"Quick, go, bring everyone out!"
In the face of life and death, he didn't hesitate.
Although he didn't know how the other party knew he had slaves on his ship, nor what the other party intended to do, he knew he had no right to bargain now.
The Marine, receiving the order, did not dare to delay and quickly ran into the cabin.
Luo Yan's curved lips became more pronounced.
After scanning left and right, he returned the dagger to its sheath at his waist.
"I'm a bit tired.
Get me a chair."
Luo Yan casually ordered a Marine, who, without the slightest hesitation, immediately ran to fetch a chair.
Although Luo Yan had put away his weapon, no one on the ship dared to resist, including their leader, Colonel Nezumi.
Just from those few moves, they knew that all of them combined were no match for the opponent.
Moreover, they hadn't forgotten that this person had flown here, which meant he could fly away at any time.
It seemed they hadn't reached the point of a complete fallout yet; at least, the other party hadn't injured anyone so far.
If they initiated an attack, the consequences would be unpredictable.
"Please, may I ask your name?"
Colonel Nezumi, with a slightly fawning demeanor, leaned forward to ask.
Firstly, he wanted to use a friendly attitude to reduce the other party's hostility towards them, and secondly, to gather information to seek revenge in the future.
Luo Yan glanced at Colonel Nezumi but did not answer.
He naturally couldn't reveal his name; otherwise, there would be no need for the disguise.
He still hadn't retracted his bat wings or used illusion to change his hair to a dark blue, almost black color, precisely because he didn't want to be wanted by the Marines so quickly.
This was also why, despite his powerful entrance, he hadn't harmed any Marines.
"Where are you all heading?"
Luo Yan counter-asked, and the smile on Colonel Nezumi's face stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.
"The next stop is Cocoyasi Island.
Our Warship is on patrol."
"Oh~~ Cocoyasi Island, huh..."
Luo Yan drew out the sound, showing little outward emotion, but feeling very pleased internally.
The fact that Colonel Nezumi still dared to go there meant that Arlong had not yet fallen, and Luffy had not yet arrived.
Since Luffy had already set sail, it meant he would arrive here soon.
As long as he waited at Cocoyasi Island, he could ambush Luffy, and it wouldn't be long.
Not long after, the Marine who had been ordered to bring the people returned to the deck.
He was holding a rope, behind which three people were tied.
Two men and one woman.
One man was well-built, unremarkable, and the other was muscular, nearly two meters tall, a true "Da Kuai Tou (Big Guy)".
The woman was a White-haired girl who looked under twenty, her body somewhat slender, even stumbling a bit when walking, appearing somewhat sickly.
"Hey!
Who are they?
They don't look like Marines, nor like prisoners."
Luo Yan asked Colonel Nezumi in a very casual tone.
Colonel Nezumi's face twisted slightly, he hesitated, then finally gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Th-they are, sl-slaves."
"Slaves?
Heh!
You, a Marine Colonel, also moonlight as a slave trader?"
Luo Yan made no effort to hide his mockery.
Colonel Nezumi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to defend himself, but nothing came out.
Luo Yan suddenly smiled mysteriously, flipped his palm, and as if by magic, pulled out a very ornate-looking crystal ball from his embrace.
"Hey!
I have something interesting here; I'll show you."
Luo Yan's face suddenly wore a friendly smile.
Colonel Nezumi's gaze instinctively fell on the crystal ball, which flashed with light, and an image appeared.
The scene began with the Marine pulling the three slaves from the ship's hold and ended after Luo Yan asked who the three people were, and Colonel Nezumi replied that they were slaves.