Meanwhile, our attention shifted to Gillian and his crew, who had successfully infiltrated Fish-Man Island aboard their ship, the Golden Dice.
Unlike the reckless slaver crews that relied on brute force, Gillian's group had acted with extraordinary caution ever since arriving at Fish-Man Island, flawlessly playing the role of an ordinary merchant vessel.
This was because, within the shady business of slave trading, every slaver crew guarded its intelligence with extreme secrecy. The purpose was simple: prevent rivals from stealing profitable targets. Valuable information was almost never shared, even among crews that all served under Spade.
As a result, Gillian actually knew very little about Fish-Man Island beyond the most basic intelligence, such as the fact that the island harbored an intense hatred toward slave traders.
Based on that single piece of information, he had overseen a series of meticulous modifications to the Golden Dice.
On the surface, it appeared to be nothing more than a slightly flamboyant merchant ship.
Hidden beneath the cargo hold, however, was a concealed secondary compartment that could only be accessed through a special mechanism.
Inside stood rows of reinforced cages, reserved specifically for the mermaid "cargo" they intended to capture.
After all, every vessel entering or leaving Fish-Man Island had to undergo rigorous inspections.
Without such preparations, they would never have succeeded in capturing mermaids—let alone escaped safely from the depths ten thousand meters beneath the sea.
Events had unfolded exactly as they had predicted.
When they entered the harbor, the guards thoroughly searched every compartment aboard the ship, including the main cargo hold, before finally granting them permission to dock.
However, infiltrating the island was only the first step.
Because of their lack of intelligence, Gillian casually moored the ship at the docks before dispatching men ashore to systematically gather information—mapping the locations and layouts of various towns, observing the patrol routes of the guards, and identifying where mermaids were most commonly found.
During that time, they witnessed more than one slaver crew exposing themselves and engaging in fierce battles against the Ryugu Kingdom guards.
Gillian remained a silent observer throughout.
He carefully timed the guards' response speed, evaluated the strength of both sides, and quietly incorporated every detail into the increasingly complete blueprint taking shape in his mind.
At that moment, inside the lavish captain's cabin of the Golden Dice, warm light filtered through luxurious coral lampshades, spilling across a plush velvet carpet.
Gillian sat with several of his trusted lieutenants on an oversized sofa inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
A scar-faced man spoke first, unable to hide the anxiety on his face.
"Boss Gillian, haven't we been lingering around Mermaid Cove for far too long?"
"The grand auction at Sabaody is only a week away."
"If we return without any merchandise..."
He drew a finger across his throat.
The meaning was obvious.
Leaning comfortably against the back of his chair, Gillian idly rolled a gold coin between his fingers.
"What are you panicking for?"
He didn't even bother opening his eyes.
"There's still a week left."
"That's more than enough."
He stood up.
Two subordinates immediately understood his intention and unfurled the map lying rolled up on the table.
Walking over, Gillian placed a finger on the section labeled Mermaid Cove.
"We're here."
His fingertip tapped the location.
"But this isn't where we'll make our move."
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
"W-Why not, Boss?"
the scar-faced man asked.
"It's true that there are plenty of mermaids there, and they're high quality."
Gillian spoke unhurriedly.
"But the guard patrol density is more than twice as high as anywhere else."
"The Ryugu Kingdom knows that's the prime target, so naturally they guard it the most heavily."
"Just look at those two groups of idiots we saw the other day."
"The moment they revealed even the slightest intention, they were surrounded by a large force of guards in less than half an hour."
"They're probably enjoying the hospitality of the prison tower by now."
"Then..."
"Boss, where are we going?"
asked a burly man in a deep voice.
Gillian slowly slid his finger southward across the map until it stopped at a place marked Coral Hill.
"Coral Hill?"
The burly man frowned.
"From everything we've learned, the defenses there might be weaker than Mermaid Cove's, but not by much."
"It's also right next to Mermaid Cove, so reinforcements would arrive quickly."
"And there are far fewer mermaids there."
"It doesn't seem like a very good target."
"You're right."
Gillian smiled.
"Those are all disadvantages."
"But it has one irreplaceable advantage."
His fingertip traced an imaginary escape route across the map.
"The harbor at Coral Hill is the closest to the island's exit."
"Once we've succeeded, we'll need to leave Fish-Man Island in the shortest time possible."
"Departing from there..."
"...will save us at least half an hour compared to leaving from Mermaid Cove."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
During a desperate escape, half an hour could easily mean the difference between life and death.
"Boss, then what are we waiting for?"
"Let's head to Coral Hill and scout the area!"
the scar-faced man urged eagerly.
"No."
Gillian shook his head.
His finger moved again until it rested on another location near the edge of the map.
Fish-Man District.
"Let's go here first."
"Fish-Man District?"
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Gillian slammed the gold coin onto the table with a sharp smack.
"I, Gillian, have spent years dealing in high-end pirate slaves worth over fifty million Beli."
"Do you really think catching just a handful of mermaids is enough to satisfy me?"
His gaze swept across the room.
"It's just that..."
"With our current strength, we can't safely transport dozens of mermaids in a short amount of time and still escape unharmed."
"So..."
"...filling out the numbers with a few fish-men isn't a bad idea."
He pointed at Fish-Man District on the map.
"This place is full of orphans and abandoned children."
"They're the outcasts of Fish-Man Island."
"The population is constantly shifting."
"Even if dozens—or even a hundred—disappear, no one will immediately notice on a large scale."
"Without question..."
"...it's the ideal place to strike first."
Picking up the gold coin again, he spun it effortlessly between his fingers.
"Even if they later discover fish-men have gone missing..."
"...the chaos in Fish-Man District can serve as a smokescreen."
"It'll distract everyone's attention..."
"...while we seize the truly valuable targets—"
"...the premium mermaids of Coral Hill."
He flicked the coin high into the air before catching it neatly in his palm.
"...all in one stroke."
Silence lingered in the captain's cabin for a moment.
Then every pair of eyes lit up.
"Brilliant!"
"Just what we'd expect from Boss Gillian!"
"You've thought of everything!"
"One move, two gains—and we'll throw the whole island into confusion!"
Listening to his men's praise, Gillian's face spread into a satisfied smile.
"Go make the preparations."
The smile vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
"Tonight..."
"...we're paying a visit to Fish-Man District."
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