Devil Fruits sell for over a hundred million berries on the market. The Celestial Dragons have nothing else, but they certainly have money.
"This fun fruit, when fed to lowly slaves, will produce some interesting changes. My brother and I went through great trouble to buy it at the auction!" Saint Charmond said proudly to Noyer, seeing that everyone's interest had been piqued.
Noyer picked up the fruit curiously, "What does this fruit do?"
Saint Charlmont smiled lecherously and whispered into his ear, "I heard it's called the Suke Suke no Mi — the kind of ability that lets you turn invisible."
Noyer pushed away his fat face in disgust. Isn't this Absalom's ability?
The Suke Suke no Mi doesn't provide much combat power. He didn't need a fruit with auxiliary functions, and it would require time to train.
Right now, any enemy who could threaten Noyer had to be at least at the level of a Warlord of the Sea. The power increase from the Suke Suke no Mi was too negligible.
Although it would be pretty good for doing naughty things… But he is a person with pure thoughts!
Noyer poked Wyper's arm and whispered, "Sorry to trouble you again, but pretend to be a slave and bring that wager over here."
He didn't need it himself, but it wouldn't be good if it fell into someone else's hands…
Wyper stared at him speechlessly. Didn't we agree it was just pretending to be a slave?
This kind of humiliating competition — I, the great "Berserker," will absolutely not attack these injured slaves!
This would insult his reputation and character!
"Oh right, I also found a treasure at the auction. I heard it's from a mysterious ruin on an ancient sky island, called something like Super Impact Dial."
Hearing Saint Charmond's words, Noyer happily turned to look for Wyper, only to find the man was already gone.
Wyper stood in the gladiator arena below, his heart surging with emotion as he shouted excitedly, "Come on! No matter who it is, Berserker won't show any mercy!"
Noyer stared dumbfounded at Wyper. Is this guy really that pragmatic?
That's not berserker rage — that's Black Friday energy…
The Celestial Dragons watching Wyper charge up were caught off guard. That speed — it's like the cafeteria serving lunch…
However, seeing that he was "Saint Rolwiff's" slave, the Celestial Dragons became excited again.
"Worthy of a child from a great family — even his slave looks so robust!"
"Go, beast! Defeat that guy and I'll reward you with a few bowls of food."
"Useless livestock, charge down there and tear him apart!"
The Celestial Dragons' inner cruelty erupted at the slightest provocation. Their bone-deep bloodthirst burst forth as they hurled filthy insults at the slaves beside them.
Seeing the gladiator arena descend into chaos, Noyer's expression grew heavy.
These Celestial Dragons wore expensive clothes and precious jewelry, feasting on delicacies day after day. But no amount of extravagance could disguise what lay beneath — their insides were crawling with maggots. Their spiritual filth could not be concealed by outward appearances.
Slavery should never have existed!
Wyper looked at the slaves released by the Celestial Dragons, feeling uneasy. Though he was here for the rare Super Impact Dial, he was still a man of principles.
At first, he thought these slaves — whipped by their masters — would be crazed and aggressive. But when he saw them, he realized he was wrong.
Their miserable state went beyond "emaciated and sallow".
Even more terrifying was their mental state. The slaves were cursed and whipped by the Celestial Dragons, yet their faces showed no pain — not even a furrowed brow. It wasn't that they didn't feel it. Wyper sensed they had simply grown numb to the suffering.
Looking at the lifeless eyes staring back at him, Wyper sighed and closed his eyes. He charged forward without activating his abilities, using only physical techniques to swiftly defeat all the slaves.
The gladiator arena filled with curses. Many Celestial Dragons berated their useless slaves, while others looked at Wyper with envy.
A slave with such personality and spirit — it had been so long since they'd seen one!
Though his Observation Haki training had been brief, Wyper could clearly sense the anger and ugliness radiating from everyone present.
Noyer said coldly to Saint Charmond, "He won. Give the prize to the victor."
Seeing his possessions fall so easily into someone else's hands, Saint Charmond said resentfully, "Didn't expect you got yourself a new dog. Just my bad luck."
Noyer took the Devil Fruit and Super Impact Dial, then said to the returning Wyper, "Let's go."
Wyper didn't turn around. He looked at the slaves, complex emotions in his eyes, "They shouldn't have to be like this."
Noyer glanced back and sighed, "Weakness itself is a sin."
Wyper had inherited the genes of the great warrior Kalgara — an obsessive pursuit of freedom and life. He believed his life must be held in his own hands. Only by living could one complete life's pursuits.
But when he saw these soulless slaves who regarded life and death as nothing, his feelings grew complicated.
Wyper followed Noyer back. Halfway there, he said abruptly, "Captain, I want to save those slaves."
Noyer looked at him with surprise, "That doesn't sound like you. Misplaced compassion will only harm us. No matter how miserable they are, we have no responsibility to meddle in their affairs, right?"
Wyper shook his head, "It's not for the slaves. I just want to feel better inside."
Noyer scratched his head and sighed, "Just for that reason…"
Wyper nodded, "Save as many as we can."
Besides, kidnapping Celestial Dragons was already a grave crime. Freeing the slaves of Mary Geoise was nothing in comparison.
"Alright then, you handle it," Noyer said, turning his face away.
Wyper's face lit up with joy. Although the captain is usually unreliable and often foolish, he still cares about his crew's feelings.
Noyer watched the setting sun, its evening glow painting his face rosy. In the distance, curses from the gladiator arena rose and fell like waves.
A picture of beauty — yet this blood-red sunlight shrouding the arena was like the final revelry of sinners before descending into hell.
A mysterious smile appeared on Noyer's face. The many evils of Mary Geoise — let's put a stop to them tonight.
The household of Saint Rolwiff, whom he was impersonating, held some prestige among the Celestial Dragons. The evening banquet invitations were delivered to each family on time.
The Celestial Dragon patriarchs received the invitations and discovered this was an engagement banquet.
Saint Rolwiff and Saint Shalria are engaged?
The Celestial Dragons invited to the banquet were shocked. One of the few female Celestial Dragons who hadn't grown up ugly was getting engaged to that hideous creature?
Countless "handsome" Celestial Dragons felt distressed and resolved to embarrass Saint Rolwiff — preferably ruining this engagement banquet!
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Saint Rolwiff's house, Noyer dressed in black removed his disguise, revealing a face with powerful masculine charm.
He wiped his sword Rasetsuō, quietly waiting for the evening's spectacle to unfold.
◇◆◈◆◇
At the brilliantly lit mansion of Saint Rolwiff, many arrogant Celestial Dragons presented their visiting cards to attend the engagement banquet.
Though dressed magnificently, their faces were hideous. The banquet proceeded bizarrely against the backdrop of the Celestial Dragons' peculiar appearances.
Noyer didn't transform into Saint Rolwiff's ugly appearance again. He wore a black trench coat, holding Rasetsuō, and observed with interest at the entrance. At a Celestial Dragon banquet, the government's guards were their lifeline, but their arrogant nature wouldn't allow outsiders to share the same room during the feast.
All the guards were stationed at the perimeter of Saint Rolwiff's estate, leaving only a bunch of useless Celestial Dragons inside.
Enel curled his lip, pointing at the people inside, "These wastes — do we really need to work together on them?"
Noyer nodded, "Lucci and Blueno will cooperate with you. They know where the ship is. Wyper and I might cause some commotion, so you guys act quickly."
Lucci crossed his arms, "Do we really have to rescue those slaves? It'll be a huge burden on our operation."
Noyer said with enthusiasm, "The greater the difficulty, the more fun it is. Just think of it as finding some subordinates for myself."
Lucci often voiced contrary opinions, but in the end, he would never disobey his superior's orders.
This was what set him apart from the others — he had his own independent thoughts and way of thinking, but ultimately respected the captain's decisions. This was somewhat similar to Zoro and Luffy's relationship, though Lucci's obedience was colder and more rigid than Zoro's.
The plan began. Everyone started to move.
Lucci and Blueno were originally government CP9 agents responsible for assassination and kidnapping. With Enel's help, abducting the Celestial Dragons wasn't difficult.
The hard part was avoiding pursuit while taking the Celestial Dragons away from Mary Geoise.
Noyer led Wyper toward the darkest area of Mary Geoise — where all the slaves were kept, imprisoned like livestock.
The Celestial Dragon families feared contaminating their territories, so they imprisoned these slaves in batches across several prisons here — which saved Noyer from searching everywhere.
Before the tall gray walls, two drowsy guards at the main entrance leaned against the stone, practically ready to embrace each other and fall asleep. A cold, biting wind swept by. In their sweet dreams, the guards suddenly felt an unexpected chill at their necks — and then they closed their eyes forever.
Noyer held his blade, blood dripping from its tip, and swaggered into the prison with confident strides.
Wyper followed close behind. A squad of guards behind the door saw the two strangers enter. They hastily raised their guns and shouted:
"Alert, there's — "
The voice came to an abrupt halt. Dozens of guards froze — mouths hanging open, guns suspended in mid-air — staring at Noyer with terror in their eyes.
Noyer smiled wickedly, raising one hand while placing the other near his lips, "Shh — keep it down."
Wyper looked at the strange scene in shock, his gaze turning toward the ground.
Among the shadows cast on the floor, one was particularly deep. From Noyer's shadow, several dark threads extended outward, connecting to the shadows of the guards opposite.
"Come on… let's have ourselves a shadow puppet show!"
Noyer's fingers trembled. The guards connected by shadows began to struggle violently, but before long, they all lowered their guns. Then they drew standard short knives from their waists, pointing the blades at their own comrades.
"No… don't!"
The guards desperately resisted their bodies' actions, struggling to force out a few syllables from their bleeding mouths.
But Noyer was no gentle person. His shadows moved like flowing water, and the guards brought their blades down on the teammates before them.
Thwip —
Thud! Thud!
Blades pierced flesh. Blood sprayed. The guards' eyes widened to their limit, their deaths sending chills through one's heart.
Wyper witnessed the entire terrifying process with his own eyes. Even he felt unsettled. Without realizing it, the captain's strength had reached a level beyond his sight…
"Well then, let's continue inside." Noyer smiled gently at him.
At any other time, Wyper would have found this smile warm. But now…
He quickly responded, "Yes!"
Noyer nodded with satisfaction and continued advancing toward the dim corridor.
Though the Kage Kage no Mi's ability was sinister, when used well, it possessed considerable power.
A Devil Fruit's practicality depended mainly on its functionality and combat effectiveness. Both the Kage Kage no Mi and Soru Soru no Mi could manipulate shadows and souls, and both could create living beings. Their combat effectiveness went without saying.
The two were highly compatible in every aspect — which was why Noyer planned to find the Soul-Soul Fruit to fuse with.
He also wanted to use the fusion ability to explore immortality. Among the three Devil Fruit types, Zoan represented the physical body, Logia represented elements, and Paramecia represented laws.
Paramecia abilities were supernatural powers that defied the world's natural order — creating new rules with one's own abilities, "My rules are the rules".
Both Devil Fruits could create life from nothing and take it away. Combined with research on the Yomi Yomi no Mi, true immortality might be achievable.
Of course, Noyer was still young — there was plenty of time for that. Right now, the priority was rescuing these slaves and luring the Marines here for support.
Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi represented light. Among Logia types, virtually no element could counter it. Like Kizaru himself, it was the most carefree element.
What about the Yami Yami no Mi's darkness? Sure, it could counter light — but that thing counters everything.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Noyer. If light and darkness were fused, what element would the system create?
Feeling his thoughts drift too far, he shook his head and led Wyper into the prison.
The dark, damp dungeon lacked the noise of typical criminals. Instead, it was terrifyingly silent. In sturdy cages lining both sides of the corridor, countless slaves were imprisoned.
They huddled in corners, the light gone from their eyes. They didn't even hear Noyer's footsteps, lying motionless on the ground.
The slaves didn't care who came — whoever it was would drag them out to be tortured. In this life worse than death, dying quickly had become something to hope for.
But today, happiness knocked on their door.
"Hello there."
A simple greeting — like a small pebble dropping into water that had been still for centuries.
A few slaves who still had strength lifted their heads. In their bloodshot vision appeared two silhouettes.
The man in front held a blood-dripping blade, and the smile on his face — how gentle it was.
Every slave in the prison struggled to lift their heads, looking at this young man — gentle as jade, mysterious and powerful. In their minds, they remembered that great fire at Mary Geoise years ago!
That was every slave's dream. A dream they didn't even dare imagine.
But now, they heard him say softly, "If you don't mind… I'm going to take you all to raise hell! To the vast ocean!"
Their shattered hearts were illuminated by a light called hope. Their extinguished spirits and willpower were rekindled!
All the slaves held back their tears, looking at this man who was like the sun, and sobbed in unison:
"Yes!!"
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $5 or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
Take a look at the new books I'm translating on my profile, Cyberpunk 2077: A God-Level Skill Every Day and Infinite Worlds: Building the Strongest Harem! They are also on my website for $5 and $1.5, respectively!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)