Although there was no pain at all, watching one of his hands turn into shattered stone right before his eyes had already driven the junior manager to the brink of a mental breakdown.
The surrounding onlookers began whispering among themselves when they saw this scene.
"Too arrogant. He's not giving the Underground Kings any respect at all."
"If you had a bounty that high, you wouldn't give them respect either."
"The Loan Shark King and the Slave King were always figures of the underworld anyway. Against a Great Pirate like this, they really don't have much of an advantage."
Numbers could be an advantage. Unfortunately, once people realized their opponent was a Great Pirate, anyone who still dared to stay and cheer for you could be considered a friend. Anyone who dared to keep fighting for you? That was someone who'd stake their life on it.
"Hancock, if he can't answer properly later, just kick him to pieces."
Vane dragged a chair over and sat down in front of the underling.
"How many slaves do you have, and where are they being held?"
The man who had been so arrogant before now looked like a dead dog, his voice weak as he replied,
"Some… some are in the basement of the casino. The rest… the rest are in the Slave King's warehouse."
Vane: "Release them."
"N-No, we can't release them! Captain Vane, please give the Loan Shark King and the Slave King some respect!"
Releasing them was absolutely impossible. Those two Underground Kings might not be able to deal with Vane, but handling a small-time manager like him would be easy.
"Hancock."
Bang!
An ice-cold kick shattered the manager into fragments across the ground.
Vane stood up. Cold air surged from beneath his feet, freezing and solidifying into an elevated ice platform.
"Everyone, the casino is closed today."
He flipped like a windmill atop the ice platform, feet pointing upward as he grabbed the edge with both hands. With a fierce heave, he hurled the massive block of ice like a projectile straight into a wall.
Boom—
Behind that wall was the casino's surveillance room. The people inside had realized something was wrong and were about to flee, only for the flying ice platform to smash through the wall. Many were knocked unconscious on the spot, and the unlucky ones were crushed beneath the heavy mass.
"Uncle, come take a look. See if anyone you're looking for is here."
Vane called out to Fujitora.
At this point, Fujitora should have been between thirty-eight and forty years old. In terms of strength, he might not yet have reached the level he would later attain as an Admiral, but he was undoubtedly already a powerhouse among powerhouses.
He was also Vane's favorite Marine. Compared to the others, Fujitora's sense of justice aligned most closely with Vane's own values. This was a man who truly dared to take advantage of chaos right in front of the Celestial Dragons to release slaves.
At the same time, he was also ruthless enough to drag a meteor down from the sky in a place filled with Celestial Dragons.
"Then I shall accept your kindness."
Fujitora sheathed his cane sword.
He had long heard of Vane's name. Charging into the place where the Celestial Dragons lived and rescuing over a thousand slaves—though he didn't know Vane's motives, judging purely by his actions, the man was very much to his liking.
The hateful institution of slavery should not exist at all.
...
Inside a luxurious building on Octagon Island, the Loan Shark King—who looked like an obese goblin—received a call from his subordinate.
"What nonsense is this? A Great Pirate with a bounty of 1.1 billion Belly attacked my casino?"
What kind of disaster had fallen from the sky?!
Because of slaves… damn it. That lunatic dared to storm Mary Geoise to snatch slaves—how could he possibly care about me?
Are those slaves his relatives or something, rescuing them so enthusiastically?
Without wasting much time, the Loan Shark King dialed the Slave King's Den Den Mushi.
Today was somewhat special. On Octagon Island, three Underground Kings were present. The Shipping King was basically always around, while both he and the Slave King had arrived on the island at the same time to handle affairs.
"You damn slave trafficker, you've dragged me into this mess! That lunatic who attacked Mary Geoise is tearing down my casino just because of the slaves you stored here!"
"I don't believe for a second he'll spare your warehouse either!"
From the other end of the Den Den Mushi, the Slave King let out a sinister chuckle.
"Interested in making a deal, Feld?"
"These newcomers nowadays have no manners."
Lu Feld—the Loan Shark King—naturally burned with anger toward Vane. But that 1.1 billion Belly bounty made him extremely wary.
"Are you serious? There's news that he just entered the New World and defeated two Vice Admirals. With that kind of strength, his 1.1 billion bounty is probably no exaggeration."
Slave King: "He and his subordinates defeated two Vice Admirals. Don't forget, the former Great Pirate Gecko Moria is still on his ship."
Right. Moria was in his fleet. If you counted it that way, then he'd only defeated one Vice Admiral personally. If it was just the combat power of a single Vice Admiral, the two of them joining forces might not be incapable of taking him down.
"My men report that he only has a woman and a blind man with him."
"The woman is somewhat troublesome, but not too serious. As for the blind man, he's no stronger than an average man."
No one would think highly of a blind man who had never shown his strength.
"He'll definitely head to my slave warehouse next. It's far from his fleet. If we can deal with him quickly, the Celestial Dragons might even grant us some special rewards."
"I've got a fighter worth 400 million Belly and agents from the World Government. Add your people to the mix, and we have a good chance."
After hearing the Slave King's proposal, Feld curled his lips. So this guy really did have cooperation with the World Government. His recent large-scale slave acquisitions were probably meant to fill the shortage of slaves in Mary Geoise.
People from the World Government. A fighter worth 400 million Belly. A large number of subordinates.
If he added his own forces, this operation really did seem promising.
"Should we try pulling the Shipping King in?"
"That quail doesn't want to offend anyone. Unless Vane storms his home directly, he won't make a move."
Losing the Shipping King was a pity, but the other side only had three people—and one of them was blind. With careful preparation, the chances were still high.
"Fine. I'm in. I'll contribute my share."
...
"So she's not here either?"
Outside the casino, Fujitora examined the dozens of rescued people. The girl he was looking for was not among them.
"Hancock, take them back to the ship. I'll make another trip to the Slave King's territory."
These people had either been sold by their families or kidnapped because of debts. Even if they still had relatives, going back would only mean being sold again. Better to take them along instead. The target location wasn't far from here, and he also needed manpower.
"Do you want me to call everyone over to help?"
"No need. You and the others guard the ship. In case someone gets desperate and tries something reckless."
Help? What help? With Fujitora here, that alone was equivalent to at least two Pillars under Vane—if not more. It was more than enough.
Besides, this was also a good opportunity to grow closer to Fujitora.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo