On a reef at the Red Line's surface, Nero and Fisher Tiger looked up at the endless cliffs.
"Hmm, are you sure you want to climb up from here?" Nero looked at the fully armed Fishman, wondering if this method was a bit unreliable.
"Don't worry! I've made ample preparations and I will definitely succeed."
Fisher Tiger looked at his large hand with red webbing, clenched it into a fist, and told Nero firmly.
He had come down from above, and he had calculated both the location and the length. At his climbing speed, he could reach the top in about three days.
He had also brought plenty of food, ensuring he wouldn't run out of energy before reaching the summit.
"Alright then, I'll give you a lift."
Her limbs transformed into beast claws, and the ruby horns on her head grew in a winding fashion, as Nero's tail swayed gently.
"Thanks. Are we just flying up like this?" Fisher Tiger didn't refuse, nodding in gratitude.
"Fly?" A smile flashed across Nero's face: "Hmm, then be careful not to fly too far!"
"Nani?" Fisher Tiger looked at Nero in confusion.
The next moment, his arm was grabbed by Nero: "Hmm, I need to go to Sabaody Archipelago first, so you just do your best!"
"Wait!!!"
Without listening to Fisher Tiger, Nero exerted a forceful swing after speaking, sending him flying into the sky with the immense power.
"Hmm, this should save about two days' distance, right? I need to speed up a bit too."
It wasn't until Tiger's figure disappeared that Nero lowered her head and muttered to herself... Kleine was a noble, her father Loerke was the Lord of Winter Island, and also Nicuss's Admiral.
As an active and lively girl, Kleine heard that Nicuss's Merfolk Paradise was nearing completion.
For her, who had never left Nicuss, Merfolk were creatures of fairy tales.
So, she secretly escaped her parents, eluded the servants, and finally, one night, found an opportunity to slip out of the mansion.
Taking a small speedboat from the shore, she set off alone towards Merfolk Paradise.
Then, as expected, she got lost, and even more unluckily, she encountered a pirate ship… In the backstage of the auction, Kleine buried her face in her legs. If she could do it again, she would never be so willfully mischievous.
"Ah~ good heavens, even a Little Dragon Person of this age has been caught and brought here?"
Rayleigh looked at the crying Little Dragon Person with some emotion. He decided to take her out with him when he left later.
Rayleigh at this moment was much older than he had been back then; his face hadn't changed much, but half of his hair had turned white.
He certainly wasn't captured; he was just short on cash and planned to sell himself for some drinking money.
He also had a commission from Kuja to help find their three royal sisters.
Most likely they were taken as slaves, but there had been no news of them for three years, and at this point, hope was very slim.
"Hey, Little Dragon Person! Do you remember where your home is?"
Annoyed by the crying, Rayleigh simply struck up a conversation with Kleine to distract her.
"...Ni... Nicuss..." Kleine stammered. As a young lady not yet ten years old, she hadn't learned to refuse an adult's questions.
Rayleigh, upon hearing the familiar place name, felt a touch of nostalgia. There were indeed Nicuss slaves in the slave market, but their prices, despite nothing special, were often ridiculously high.
Something like a pedigree certificate for cats?
It was something similar to that.
"How did you get here? Where are your parents?" Rayleigh continued to ask.
"I... I wanted to see... Merfolk, so I secretly ran out of the mansion... Wah—wah wah! Father!!!"
Mid-sentence, Kleine couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
Rayleigh, however, no longer found it annoying; the information in that sentence was quite significant.
Mansion… and Father… Sire?
This child is a noble?
He recalled Nicuss's founding history that Nero had once told him.
The first emperor was a very powerful swordsman, and the initial Nicuss was merely a violent gang.
Although they only had one island, they were very united, and everyone within Nicuss referred to each other as brothers and sisters.
It was a time of war, and many commoners gradually became dependent on them, eventually forming a nation.
These were the first emperor and nobles, and this pure bond of friendship was preserved as a tradition between the two sides.
For Nicuss, the relationship between the emperor and the nobles was more like family, while commoners were merely subjects to be ruled.
And now, a noble girl appeared in the auction house of Sabaody Archipelago.
No matter how you look at it, the problem is huge! From Rayleigh's understanding of Nero, anyone involved would likely not survive.
But what if it was a misunderstanding? Holding onto a last shred of hope, Rayleigh asked, "So, Little Dragon Person, do you know your father's name?"
"...Lo... Loerke! My... my father is the Lord of Winter Island, Uncle... do you know my father?"
Kleine answered with sniffles.
Loerke! A general carrying a greatsword appeared in Rayleigh's mind. The first time he met Nero, he had even fought him.
A beast-like fellow, has he even had a child now?
"Ah, I am an old friend of your father's, don't worry! I will definitely get you out." Rayleigh patted his chest and promised.
"But Uncle, you yourself are captured! How can you save me?" Kleine finally stopped crying upon hearing this, expressing doubt about Rayleigh's words.
"Haha, I was caught on purpose. Once I'm done with this little matter, I'll take you away." Rayleigh laughed heartily, but still intended to get his money first.
"Then, Uncle, do you know our Emperor?"
"Nero? Of course, we are old friends too!" A trace of nostalgia flashed in Rayleigh's eyes, thinking it had been nearly ten years since he last saw Nero.
However, this time Kleine didn't believe him. She pouted and squinted at Rayleigh: "Uncle, you're bragging! How could someone as beautiful and powerful as the Emperor know you, Uncle."
"She just sings badly!"
"That's not true! I heard that the Emperor's concerts are always packed, and no one ever leaves midway!"
"Is that so? That's truly pitiful…"
"What do you mean by that, Uncle?" Kleine tilted her head, feeling that something was wrong with their conversation.
As they chatted, Kleine's fear was temporarily cast aside… The auction stage.
"Next up is a rare gem, seldom seen on the high seas!"
"A noble from Nicuss!"
"And… a little girl…"
The auctioneer enthusiastically hyped: "In short, any slave collector cannot refuse this super, super, super rare slave!"
A lady beside him pushed a cage covered with a red cloth onto the stage.
Just then, the auction house's main door was violently kicked open from the outside.
A three-meter-tall red Little Dragon Person walked in with her head held high…
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