On the deck of the Eikjourn.
Alan was hiding in a corner of the deck, his eyes fixed on the battle unfolding.
Or rather, the word 'battle' wasn't quite accurate.
Because it was a completely one-sided slaughter.
"So... so strong..."
Alan had muttered this subconscious exclamation countless times already.
That's right.
For someone from a small fishing village on a small island, the power displayed by the mysterious figure in the rooster mask had almost shattered his worldview.
He had never imagined that a single person could be this powerful.
That figure showed him with his own actions—the power possessed by the strong on this sea far exceeded the limits of his previous understanding.
Alan saw it very clearly.
Almost every movement of the man in the rooster mask far exceeded the limits of what his eyes could follow. Often, he would only hear a whoosh of air before the man appeared in the distance.
Every punch thrown could blast a huge hole in the ship's side.
Every step taken could stomp a massive crater in the deck.
In contrast, the guards of the Nismael Kingdom, who he had considered incredibly strong, were completely unable to even put up a fight against him.
And now...
"Crack!"
As the man in the rooster mask grabbed the last guard and casually snapped his neck.
"Thud!"
The sound of the body hitting the ground seemed to be the final note of the battle.
Then, the man in the rooster mask turned and walked over to Alan.
He raised his hand and threw something—this action almost made Alan and his Slice Clones flinch in unison.
But then, he saw an object flying towards him. He subconsciously reached out and caught it, only to find it was a ring of keys.
"This is... the key to the cages in the hold?"
Alan's eyes instantly lit up.
"You're here to rescue these slaves, aren't you?"
The man in the rooster mask finally spoke. "Go on."
"...Yeah!"
Although Alan didn't know why this person was helping him, it didn't stop him from nodding vigorously.
And so, Alan led his Slice Clones and charged into the ship's hold.
Roy glanced around, then began to check the bodies of the guards one by one.
"Ooh, this jewel looks like it's of good quality!"
"Whoa, this thick wad must be at least a hundred thousand Belly."
"Holy crap, a check from the Feld Bank?"
Adhering to the principle that every little bit counts, Roy looted all the valuables from the guards' bodies.
And every time he touched a treasure, Belly, or any valuable item, the coins and treasures would instantly disappear.
In their place, the value within Roy's system continuously rose.
Until finally...
The value displayed on the screen of light had become [Current Belly Held: 45,230,000].
"Nice, a haul worth a full four million one hundred thousand Belly."
Seeing the change in numbers, Roy was delighted.
It could only be said that the guards of a royal slave ship were indeed wealthy.
In such a short time, Roy had earned almost more than a year's salary.
"Why does it feel like everyone is richer than me..." Roy lamented.
But then, he stood up, silently adjusted his mask, and walked into the ship's hold.
The scene inside the hold was even more depressing than Roy had imagined.
The light was dim, with only a few swaying oil lamps providing meager illumination.
The air was foul, a suffocating mixture of various stenches.
On both sides of the hold were densely packed, rusty iron cages, and in the distance, various torture instruments could be seen.
This merchant ship itself seemed to be like the Nismael Kingdom—beneath its prosperous surface lay a filthy ugliness.
However, at this moment, all the iron cages had been opened.
Numerous raggedly dressed slaves were helping each other out of the cages.
Their faces were still filled with disbelief and confusion. Some of the quicker ones were already hugging each other and wailing.
In their cries was the joy of newfound freedom, but also distinct pain.
Needless to say, Roy could see it.
The ones left in the hold were all either very old or had obvious physical disabilities.
Just as the guards had said—they were 'low-grade goods,' slaves that no one was willing to buy.
But it was conceivable that their families or companions were not necessarily 'low-grade goods,' and many had surely already been sold at the Sabaody Archipelago.
And the pain of being separated from the living is no less than that of parting with the dead.
"..."
Roy didn't speak, but quickly found Alan in the crowd.
At this moment, Alan was holding a huddled old man—the same old man Roy had glimpsed at the cannon port earlier.
He looked even more miserable than before, covered in blood, his messy hair stuck to his bleeding forehead.
But he still clutched the tattered piece of cloth in his hand, constantly muttering, "Keli... Keli... my Keli..."
"I'm sorry... Grandpa... I'm sorry... I couldn't get here in time..."
At this moment, Alan's face was also covered in tears and pain.
All of his Slice Clones shared this pain.
The slaves watched this scene and lowered their heads, the atmosphere in the hold so heavy it was hard to breathe.
But at this moment, the sound of Roy's footsteps drew everyone's attention.
Upon seeing the rooster mask, some slaves cried out in alarm—Alan had clearly explained the situation to them.
So they knew that this was the person who had personally killed all the merchant ship's guards and rescued them with Alan.
"Keli?"
Under the rooster mask, Roy asked softly.
He deliberately lowered his voice.
"...Yeah, that's my sister. She was sold."
Hearing Roy's question, Alan wiped the tears from his face, trying to calm himself down. "My grandpa tried to stop them, but he couldn't..."
Roy glanced at the clearly mentally unstable old man and nodded.
The situation was obvious, no explanation was needed.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Roy asked softly. "You must have already prepared an escape plan for after the rescue?"
"Yes."
Alan nodded, then realized he had forgotten to introduce himself. "Sir, my name is Alan... I've prepared a few small fishing boats and spare clothes at a remote port in Master Port. According to the plan, we can go there and leave by boat after we leave the branch."
"As long as we reach a nearby island, we'll be safe, and we can naturally go back..."
Hearing this, the slaves trembled.
It was clear that Alan wanted to say 'go home'.
But they all knew they couldn't go back.
Because their village had been destroyed by those beasts from the Nismael Kingdom.
However, Alan was clearly a determined person and quickly came back to his senses, continuing, "After settling Grandpa down, I will try to find Keli's whereabouts. She's my sister... I must rescue her..."
As he said this, he gritted his teeth and looked at Roy.
"This gentleman... sir..."
Then, he knelt down heavily in front of Roy.
But before he could speak, Roy interrupted him directly.
"Are you asking me to go with you to save your sister?"
Roy looked at him.
"...Yeah."
Alan's voice was dry. "I don't have the power you possess, sir..."
He was not afraid of death; he had been prepared to die when he came to this merchant ship this time.
But his recent experience made him understand the gap in power even more clearly.
Some things cannot be solved with courage alone.
Just like this time—without the man in the rooster mask in front of him, the fate of him and all the slaves would have been tragic.
If he could ask this powerful figure for help...
"I refuse."
But at this moment, Roy said without the slightest hesitation.
After speaking, he looked at Alan. "You should have heard, the one who bought your sister was a Celestial Dragon... We have no reason to go to war with the World Government directly for you."
He stated the fact calmly.
That's right.
Roy had a sufficient bottom line and compassion. When it didn't interfere with his own plans, he wouldn't hesitate to save some slaves like this time.
But that didn't mean he would charge into Mary Geoise for the sake of his compassion.
"..."
And at this moment, Alan's face instantly turned deathly pale.
His lips moved, but he couldn't say a word for a long time.
Even though he was just a fisherman from a remote island, he had heard of the 'World Nobles'.
He also knew that what Roy said was right.
"It was presumptuous of me..."
He said with a hoarse voice.
But once again, his words were interrupted by Roy before he could finish.
"However, I might be able to apply to the leader—if we have a chance to go to Mary Geoise in the future, or see your sister elsewhere, we will try to save her."
"But at the same time, I need you to do some things for us."
Roy said softly.
And after hearing this sentence, the sadness in Alan's eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.
And after hearing Roy's question clearly, he looked at the rooster mask.
In his eyes, that mask seemed to represent hope.
Although he didn't know who the 'we' Roy was talking about was, he could only tell that the other party seemed to belong to some organization.
But he could at least guess that—the organization this person in front of him had joined must be very powerful!
So, even though the conditions Roy stated were relatively harsh and didn't guarantee he would find his sister, Alan still said without hesitation, "I am willing!"
"Sir, I am willing to do anything—even if it costs me my life, I..."
"I don't need your life."
Roy raised his hand to interrupt Alan's words. "I only need you to do two things for me."
He spoke softly, briefly telling Alan the two things he needed him to do.
And the more Alan listened, the more surprised his expression became.
Until the end, his expression could almost be described as incredulous.
"Are you serious? You really want me to..."
"Of course."
And after getting Roy's serious reply, Alan's expression became solemn. "Since it is your request, then I... I will do it."