"Leader, cleanup is complete. Only a few of the ringleaders are still alive."
Rocket Team didn't kill everyone who resisted; they left a few who looked like management.
"We also checked below… probably these people…"
Vane nodded and walked onto the deck of the Navy warship.
"Rear Admiral Strawberry , and that… whatever Captain, bring fifty Marines and come with us to their ship to carry out justice."
Strawberry's expression hardened.
"Despicable pirates! You attacked a World Government vessel and want to frame our Navy! Your scheme won't succeed!"
Vane drew the Cursed Sword and, with two quick slashes, cut the chains on Strawberry, then unlocked the handcuffs.
Strawberry regained his freedom. The other Rocket Team grunts also moved, releasing fifty Marines—some ordinary soldiers, some with ranks.
"What do you mean by this?"
Strawberry didn't believe the chains were what bound him. If not for Vane watching him, he wouldn't have been a match even at his peak; now he was injured, so he was even less of a match.
So even after losing the chains, he absolutely couldn't act rashly.
"I've already done the dirty work for you. When it's time to play the hero, that's your turn. Heroes can't be tied up with chains."
With a puzzled look, Strawberry was led onto the merchant ship's deck.
The few managers left on deck saw Strawberry in a Navy uniform with a Rear Admiral's rank, and their expressions instantly changed from meek to ferocious.
"What is your Navy doing?! You actually dare attack a World Government ship! You should know we serve the noble Celestial Dragons!"
"Hurry up and release us. The cargo on this ship is all for the Celestial Dragons."
Seeing an unfamiliar ship and a warship attacking them, and that the people who boarded weren't wearing Navy uniforms, the managers thought they'd been attacked by pirates—and pirates don't reason.
At least, pirates who dare attack World Government ships usually only talk with their fists. He had just tried to "talk," and that long-armed guy gave him a punch.
Just when he was starting to resign himself, the Navy appeared.
According to his years of experience, the ones who appear first are just the path-clearing lackeys; the real leader always shows up later.
So he immediately changed his idea from "pirate attack" to "Navy attack." It must be because they fired two warning shots earlier. He hadn't expected the West Sea Navy to have such a hothead who dared stop a World Government ship.
But that was fine—just bring up the Celestial Dragons. Even a Vice Admiral would give the Celestial Dragons respect… In the Four Seas there are almost no Admiral-level Marines. This Rear Admiral opposite him must be from the Grand Line. In the Grand Line it's impossible not to know the Celestial Dragons' influence.
The manager seemed to already see the scene where the other side panicked and apologized to him.
"What are you yelling for!"
Dice slapped the left side of his face hard.
That side of his face swelled up immediately, forming a perfect symmetry with the already swollen right side.
"You dare hit me! You hit a servant of the great Celestial Dragons! When I get back, I'll tell the Celestial Dragons everything!"
"Your ass!"
Dice threw another punch and knocked the manager straight out.
Looking at the guy who'd been knocked unconscious, Strawberry felt deeply troubled. If this guy really was a subordinate of the Celestial Dragons, that would indeed be troublesome.
A Headquarters Rear Admiral more or less knows what the Celestial Dragons are like. In a sense, the Navy really can have their careers affected by them.
To avoid being controlled by the World Government, later on the Navy seemed to create some kind of "Blade" organization—basically an off-the-books Navy group with independent operational authority, separated from the regular Navy.
Vane had forgotten the details. After all, that organization appeared later, and by then Vane hadn't watched pirates for a long time.
"Don't worry about those few. What you're going to be is not their heroes… but the heroes in here."
Strawberry seemed to think of something; his body grew a bit stiff, but he was still forced into the ship's hold.
This hold was clearly specially modified. Inside, layer after layer were cages used to imprison people.
"Baccarat."
Hearing Vane call her name, Baccarat snapped her fingers, and many lightbulb phantoms appeared in the hold. The previously gloomy hold instantly became brightly lit.
"Th-this is… what kind of ship is this?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's a ship transporting slaves."
"Sl-slaves~"
On the surface, in most places in this world, the slave trade is prohibited. As the representative of justice in this world, the Navy's education of course also instills the idea of banning the slave trade.
That's actually pretty funny. According to Oda's world view, in many rotten kingdoms the common people live worse than slaves, and some places even have slave systems, including among the World Government's member nations.
Many in the Navy know this, but to maintain the Navy's image of absolute justice, the slave trade is still absolutely denounced in the Navy's education system.
That creates a huge split.
Up top, they protect the interests of the World Government and the various kingdoms; down below, they are the image of absolute justice in the eyes of the people.
No wonder there are so many different kinds of "justice" within the Navy.
"Everyone, all of you in the cages, don't hang your heads anymore. Our sea heroes, the Navy, have arrived. The keys are in the Navy's hands now. I believe the Navy will definitely rescue everyone!"
Blazing lights, noisy voices, and white Navy uniforms.
Now the would-be slaves finally reacted.
"Great, we're finally saved."
"Navy, I'm an acrobat from Orange Island…"
"I'm a musician from Lola Island… this is my wife, she's a dancer…"
All kinds of mixed voices rang out.
In fact, this ship wasn't entirely filled with innocent civilians. There were also some pirates and bandits. But in front of the Navy, how would they dare speak up and expose their identities? Either they hid in corners and stayed silent, or they fabricated a fake identity and cried for help.
This made the entire hold look like it was full of innocent people calling out to them.
Vane smiled as he looked at the scene before him, then turned around and said to Strawberry and the others in a voice only a few could hear,
"I won't hide it from you. I've already prepared an image Den Den Mushi and a photo Den Den Mushi."
"If you save these slaves, then the footage and photos will be edited into: the Navy, unafraid of the World Government's power, rescues slaves sold by the World Government."
"If you don't save them, then it becomes: the Navy fears the World Government's power, turns a blind eye to the slave trade, and tacitly allows civilians to be sold."
"At the same time, no matter which news it is, this batch of Marines who came with you will each have a clear-faced photo sent to the News Coo."
Vane spread his hands.
"Let the world see your justice!"