**Chapter 9: Aran's Request**
On the deck of the Aikeyon Ship.
Aran was hiding in a corner of the deck, his eyes unblinkingly watching the battle on the deck.
Or rather, the word "battle" wasn't accurately used.
Because it was entirely a one-sided massacre.
"So strong..."
Aran had already uttered similar unconscious exclamations countless times.
Indeed.
For him, a native of a small island fishing village, the power displayed by the mysterious figure wearing a rooster mask almost shattered his worldview.
He had never imagined that a person could be so powerful.
That figure's actions told him—the power possessed by the strong ones of this great sea far exceeded what he had previously understood as the limit.
Aran saw it clearly.
The strong man wearing the rooster mask moved almost every time far beyond the limit of what his eyes could perceive; often, after hearing a whoosh, he would appear far away.
Every punch he threw could directly blast huge holes in the ship's hull.
Every stomp could create massive craters in the deck.
Conversely, the guards of the Nismal Kingdom, who seemed incredibly strong to him, couldn't even put up a fight against the opponent.
And at this moment...
"Crack!"
As the man in the rooster mask grabbed the last guard and casually twisted his neck.
"Thud!"
The sound of the body hitting the ground was like a period marking the end of the battle.
Then, the rooster mask turned around and walked up to Aran.
He tossed something—this action nearly startled both Aran and his Clones at the same time.
But then, he saw something flying towards him, and after instinctively reaching out to catch it, he realized it was a bunch of keys.
"These are... the keys to the ship's cells?"
Instantly, Aran's eyes lit up.
"You're here to rescue these Slaves, aren't you?"
At this moment, the rooster mask finally spoke: "Go."
"...Mm!"
Although Aran didn't know why the other party wanted to help him, it didn't stop him from nodding vigorously at this moment.
So, Aran immediately led his Clones straight into the ship's hold.
Loy glanced around, then began to inspect the guards' bodies one by one.
"Oh wow, this jewel looks pretty good!"
"Whoa, this big bundle must be worth 100,000 Beli."
"Holy crap, a check from the Feierd Bank?"
Following the principle that "even a mosquito has meat," Loy completely looted the valuables from the guards' bodies.
And every time he touched treasures, Beli, or other valuables, he would see those coins and treasures instantly disappear without a trace.
In their place, the value within Loy's System continuously rose.
Until finally...
The number on the screen had already become: [Current Beli Held: 45.23 million].
"Good heavens, a haul worth a full 4.1 million Beli."
Seeing the change in the numbers, Loy's heart swelled with delight.
It could only be said that they were indeed rich, befitting guards escorting a royal Slave ship.
In such a short time, Loy had earned almost more than a year's worth of his previous salary.
"Why does it feel like everyone is richer than me..."
Loy sighed.
But then, he stood up, quietly adjusted his mask, and walked into the ship's hold.
The scene inside the ship's hold was even more oppressive than Loy had imagined.
The light was dim, with only a few swaying oil lamps providing faint illumination.
The air was foul, a suffocating mixture of various stenches.
On both sides of the ship's hold were densely packed, rusted and mottled iron cages, and in the distance, various torture instruments could be seen.
This merchant ship itself seemed like the Nismal Kingdom itself—beneath its flourishing exterior lay a filthy ugliness.
However, by this time, the iron cages had all been opened.
Many scantily clad Slaves were supporting each other as they walked out of the iron cages.
Their faces at this moment still bore clear disbelief and bewilderment, while some of the quicker ones were already embracing and weeping.
Their cries contained the joy of newly regained freedom, but also clear pain.
Without needing many words, Loy could also see it.
Those who remained in the ship's hold were either very old or clearly physically disabled.
Just as the guards had said—they were all "low-grade merchandise," Slaves no one was willing to buy.
But it was conceivable that their families or companions were not necessarily all "low-grade merchandise"; many must have already been sold off in the Sabaody Archipelago.
And the pain of separation was no less than that of death.
"..."
Loy didn't speak, he just quickly found Aran among the crowd.
At this moment, Aran was hugging a shrunken old man—it was the same old man Loy had glimpsed near the cannon earlier.
He looked even more miserable than before, bleeding all over, his disheveled hair matted to his profusely bleeding forehead.
But he was still desperately clutching the piece of tattered cloth in his hand, muttering incessantly, "Can Li... Can Li, my Can Li..."
"I'm sorry, Grandpa, I'm sorry... I didn't make it in time..."
At this moment, Aran's face was also covered in tears and pain.
All of his Clones also shared this pain.
The Slaves watched this scene, all lowering their heads, the atmosphere in the ship's hold becoming so heavy it was suffocating.
But at this moment, Loy's footsteps attracted everyone's attention.
Upon seeing the rooster mask, some Slaves instinctively cried out in surprise—Aran had apparently already explained the situation to them.
So they knew that this was the man who had single-handedly killed all the merchant ship's guards and, with Aran, rescued them.
"Can Li?"
And beneath the rooster mask, Loy asked softly.
He intentionally lowered his voice.
"...Mm. That's my younger sister; she was bought."
Hearing Loy's question, Aran wiped the tears from his face, trying to calm himself: "My grandpa... he tried to stop them, but couldn't..."
Loy glanced at the old man, who was clearly mentally distraught, and nodded.
The situation was very clear; no explanation was needed.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Loy asked softly, "You should have a plan for withdrawing after the rescue, right?"
"Yes."
Aran nodded, then realized he had forgotten to introduce himself: "Sir, my name is Aran. I've prepared a few small fishing boats and spare clothes at a secluded port in Marvent Port. According to the plan, after we leave the main port, we can go there and take a boat to leave."
"Once we reach a nearby small island, we'll be safe, and naturally we can return..."
Hearing this, the Slaves trembled all over.
Clearly, Aran wanted to "go home."
But they all knew they couldn't go back.
Because their village had already been destroyed by those beasts from the Nismal Kingdom.
However, Aran was clearly a determined person, and at this moment, he quickly composed himself and continued: "After settling Grandpa, I will try to find Can Li's whereabouts. She is my younger sister; I must rescue her..."
Speaking of this, he gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed on Loy.
"Sir... my lord..."
Then, he heavily knelt before Loy.
But before he could speak, Loy directly interrupted him.
"You want to ask me to go with you to rescue your younger sister?"
Loy looked at him.
"...Mm."
Aran's voice was hoarse: "I don't possess the power you do, my lord..."
He wasn't afraid of death; this time, when he came to this merchant ship, he was prepared to die.
But the recent experience made him realize the disparity in power even more clearly.
Some things couldn't be solved by courage alone.
Just like this time—if not for the rooster mask before him, his and all the Slaves' fates would have been tragic.
If only he could ask this strong man before him for help...
"I refuse."
But at this moment, Loy said without hesitation.
After speaking, he looked at Aran: "You should have heard it too; your younger sister was bought by a Celestial Dragon. We have no reason to directly wage war against the World Government for you."
He calmly stated the facts.
Indeed.
Loy possessed sufficient principles and compassion; when it didn't affect his plans, he wouldn't be stingy with rescuing some Slaves, like this time.
But that didn't mean he would directly charge into Mariejois for his compassion.
"..."
And Aran's face instantly turned extremely pale.
His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Even though he was just a small fisherman from a desolate island, he had heard of the "World Nobles."
He also knew that what Loy said was correct.
"I was rash..."
So, he said hoarsely.
But this time, his words were interrupted by Loy again before he could finish.
"However, I might be able to apply to our leader—if we have a chance to go to Mariejois in the future, or if we see your younger sister elsewhere, then we will attempt to rescue her."
"But at the same time, I need you to do some things for us."
Loy said softly.
And upon hearing these words, the sadness in Aran's eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.
And after clearly understanding Loy's question, he looked even more intently at the rooster mask.
In his eyes, that mask seemed to represent hope.
Although he didn't know who the "we" Loy spoke of referred to, he could tell that the other party seemed to belong to some organization.
But he could at least guess—the organization this person before him had joined must be very strong!
Therefore, even though the conditions Loy mentioned were relatively harsh, and he hadn't guaranteed that he would definitely find his younger sister for him, Aran still said without hesitation: "I am willing!"
"My lord, I am willing to do anything—even if it means my life, I..."
"I don't need your life."
Loy raised a hand to cut off Aran's words: "I only need you to do two things for me."
He spoke softly, giving the other party a rough idea of the two things he needed Aran to do.
And the more Aran listened, the more astonished his expression became.
Until the end, his expression could almost be described as incredible.
"Are you serious? You really want me to..."
"Of course."
And after receiving Loy's serious reply, Aran's expression hardened: "Since it's your request, then I—I will do it."
(End of Chapter)