[Three days ago, the royal merchant vessel of the World Government member nation "Nismael Kingdom" received a threatening letter while returning from the Sabaody Archipelago. The contents indicated that pirates had marked them as a target.]
[Therefore, they docked near the Marine G-51 Branch at Master Port and requested an escort from a Marine warship.]
[Shortly after arriving at G-51, they successfully captured a pirate attempting to infiltrate the branch. Initial assessment confirmed the intruder was the one who had sent the threat letter.]
...
"Interesting."
Lounging on a deck chair on the warship's deck, Roy took a sip of his iced cola as he read through the detailed mission intel.
"Sir? What's interesting?"
Hans, who was steering the ship, asked curiously.
Not just him—other marines of the Detention Unit also gathered around, equally curious.
"The criminal we're escorting this time is interesting. …Another cup."
Roy handed his empty glass to Fal while speaking calmly.
"No bounty, no name. That means he's a nobody."
He pointed at the documents in his hand.
"But this nobody actually dared to raid a royal merchant ship from a World Government member nation—and even sent a warning letter ahead of time."
Roy rubbed his chin, intrigued.
"Now that you mention it, sir… that is unusual,"
Fal said as he handed Roy a fresh iced cola.
"But the fact that he was caught so easily… maybe he's just a rookie pirate who just set out and doesn't know any better?"
"Maybe…"
Roy nodded, then sat up from the lounge chair and took off his sunglasses.
"Oh—there it is."
Far off on the horizon, the outline of a large island began to come into view.
The first thing that caught the eye was the massive white structure standing proudly near the coastline.
The great Marine emblem gleamed brightly under the sun, and at a prominent spot on the tall building, the black lettering "G-51" and the seagull-and-scales flag were clearly visible.
It was the Marine G-51 Branch of the Grand Line—their destination.
As the warship continued to approach, more details of the island became clear.
A bustling port city spread across the island.
The huge harbor was crowded with all kinds of ships. Merchant vessels of all sizes came and went constantly.
"So lively…" Hans muttered in amazement.
"Well, it is Master Port—one of Nismael Kingdom's most important harbors," Fal replied matter-of-factly.
As mentioned earlier, the Nismael Kingdom was one of the 170+ member nations of the World Government, under direct protection from the Government and the Marines.
Just like Master Port itself—with a Marine branch stationed right here.
Because of this, most pirates wouldn't dare attack this place.
And most nations' merchant ships preferred to dock here.
Even if the docking fees were steep, it was still far better than being plundered by pirates.
"It's certainly prosperous, but…"
Roy nodded, though his gaze drifted toward the opposite side of the harbor.
There lay a town.
Compared to the bustling and lively port, this town seemed far quieter—its buildings low, and at first glance, even rather run-down.
It wasn't hard to guess: that was likely where the island's original inhabitants lived.
Just like in most countries across this world—the prosperity of the harbor and the wealth of the nation had little to do with the actual lives of its people.
"Let's go. Head for the branch's harbor."
Roy didn't intend to look any further. He simply ordered the warship to sail toward the Marine branch's designated port.
But upon arriving at the G-51 Marine Branch harbor, Roy paused for a moment.
Because besides the branch's own warships, there was clearly a merchant ship docked there.
And it was far larger and far more luxurious than the typical merchant vessels in Master Port—the golden hull and grand figurehead radiated nobility.
The crown flag on its mast indicated exactly what it was.
"That must be the royal merchant ship that received the threat letter?"
Roy chuckled.
"To actually dock directly inside the branch's harbor… looks like the Captain here gets along quite well with the Nismael Kingdom."
As he said this, the warship pulled into the branch port.
"Is that Headquarters Detention Unit!?"
A Marine stationed at the harbor called out.
After confirming Roy's identity, he saluted.
"The prisoner handover is already prepared. Captain Aster is waiting for you in his office!"
"Got it."
Roy nodded, but then scanned the surroundings.
"Where is everyone else?"
He had already noticed something off.
The number of guards at the harbor was clearly wrong.
Most of the Marine sentry posts were empty—only a few scattered individuals were present.
"They're all at the branch preparing for tonight's banquet!"
the Marine replied.
"Banquet?"
"Yes—since they captured that pirate, the Nismael Kingdom's steward, Mantal, organized a banquet and invited the entire branch to attend. I heard Steward Mantal even prepared gifts for every Marine as thanks."
The Marine from the branch sounded a bit excited as he spoke.
With extra income, who wouldn't be happy?
"So generous?"
Roy grinned. "You'll be going later too, right? What about the harbor's security?"
"Sir, you don't have to worry."
The branch Marine replied with confidence, "This is a port belonging to a World Government member nation. Normally, no pirate would dare attack."
"Besides, they're here too."
As he said this, he pointed not far away.
Roy turned his head and saw that near the berth where the royal merchant ship was docked, several guards in ornate court uniforms were moving about.
"Who are they?"
Roy didn't even need to ask—Hans had already voiced his curiosity.
"Oh, they're royal guards of the Nismael Kingdom."
Upon hearing the Marine's answer, Hans continued, "They're not attending tonight's banquet?"
"Of course not. They're guarding the cargo on the ship."
After getting the information in a few short exchanges, Roy didn't say more.
He simply turned to Hans. "Hans, head back to the ship and help Fal tidy up the temporary prison cell. I'm going to meet Captain Aster for the handover."
"Yes, sir!"
Once Hans received the order and returned to the warship, Roy declined the Marine's offer to guide him and walked toward the G-51 Branch headquarters building on his own.
But as he walked, his gaze kept drifting toward the royal merchant ship—the ship was simply too conspicuous in size.
And the closer he got, the more unusual details he noticed.
For example, along the ship's hull, he could clearly see numerous sharp iron spikes.
And the structure of the ship was strangely enclosed—other than the cannon openings, there were almost no visible gaps. Through those openings, he could faintly see something resembling holding cells.
"This ship…"
Roy frowned, silently thinking.
And right at that moment—
"Kōri! Kōri!"
He heard a chaotic voice.
Turning his head, he clearly saw someone struggling to squeeze through one of the cannon ports of the royal merchant ship.
It was an old man.
His body was hunched, his skin and clothes covered in blood. His eyes were sunken deep into their sockets, and his white hair was matted into clumps.
A rough rope hung around his neck, and shackles were locked around his ankles.
"Kōri… Kōri…"
He waved his hand weakly, muttering deliriously, holding something in his grip.
Roy's sharp eyesight let him faintly make out what the man held—it appeared to be a piece of cloth.
At that moment, the guards of the merchant ship also noticed him.
"It's that crazy old man again… get him back inside!"
"How did he get there? Where's the guy in charge of watching the cargo hold?!"
Through the gap of the cannon barrel, Roy soon saw a hand reach out from behind the old man, roughly grabbing him by the hair and yanking him backward.
"…"
Roy watched the scene silently.
But—
[Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit · Snow Rabbit Form LV1 – Equipped– Gain partial characteristics of a snow rabbit; full-body physical enhancement; additional boost to hearing and speed]
With his enhanced hearing, Roy could clearly hear the sounds coming from inside the ship—the old man's delirious muttering mixed with the noises of beating and insults.
"Kōri… Kōri…"
"Your daughter's already been sold! You worthless old thing—causing trouble when even you can't be sold off. If the steward didn't say your fresh organs were still worth some money and needed to be sold through another channel, I would've killed you already!"
And so, Roy understood everything.
"The spikes on the ship… the cage-like structures… I see."
"A slave ship."
He murmured, making the natural conclusion.
Slave trading.
One of the cancers of this world.
Though the World Government publicly prohibits the sale of human slaves…
In reality, because of the Celestial Dragons,
The slave trade exists in a protected gray zone—one the World Government doesn't truly control, and in many cases, even shields.
Just like right now.
The Nismael Kingdom, a World Government member nation, was clearly engaging in slave trafficking.
And their methods weren't even subtle. Roy could easily tell—the upper ranks of the G-51 Branch definitely knew.
And yet, they were still escorting a returning slave ship.
"Justice, huh…"
Roy clicked his tongue.
This was exactly why he scoffed at the Marines' so-called justice.
A tree rotten at the roots has no place for Justice to rest.