"Gehehe~~ As expected of Captain, five ships have turned into six."
Moria stood on the dock, looking at the sixth ship Vane had brought back. No matter what kind of ship it was, it represented a considerable fortune. For any force, the more ships they had, the better.
Vane jumped down from the ship.
"Have those slaves who were almost sold been brought here?"
Moria replied,
"Most of them have. A small portion left midway."
Perhaps they had other options. Perhaps they didn't want to become pirates… People are like that. When they're slaves, they think as long as they can get out, they're willing to do anything. But once they regain their freedom, their thoughts start to multiply.
"It's not a big deal. There are still plenty of people on this ship. Let them know that anyone willing to leave with us can come along. Those who aren't willing can go. Don't force anyone."
With Fujitora by his side, Vane neither would nor could do anything by force.
"Oh, right. This is Fujitora Issho. He'll be joining our team for a while. He's extremely strong… And this is Moria. He used to be a great pirate, and now he's joined my team. His only goal now is to one day wage a full-scale war against the Beasts Pirates."
Vane felt the only person in his crew who might make Fujitora uncomfortable was probably Moria. A former great pirate who controlled zombies—no matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem like a good person. So it was better to introduce him in advance, to avoid any future friction.
Moria nodded. Since Vane said he was extremely powerful, then he was likely far stronger than himself.
The team was getting stronger and stronger.
Defeating Kaido was no longer just a dream.
...
Among the newly rescued group, a very small number still chose to leave. Vane fully respected their decision. If possible, he even wished them better lives ahead. Just don't get captured and sold again.
Next time, their luck might not be so good.
It would take two days to store the magnetic force. During that time, they simply held a banquet—to celebrate Fujitora joining, and to celebrate the hundreds who had gained new lives.
During this period, someone Vane hadn't expected came to visit him.
"Captain Vane, seeing you in person truly surpasses all I've heard. Your fleet is indeed formidable!"
The Shipping King had appeared. He was a middle-aged man dressed in a fur coat, adorned with glittering jewels.
Two of the Six Underworld Emperors had already been driven off by Vane. The third one actually dared to meet him face-to-face… Thinking about it, it wasn't impossible. Compared to titles like Loan Shark King and Slave King, Shipping King sounded like a completely legitimate businessman.
They simply shared similar identities—six people doing "business." Normally, they stayed out of each other's affairs. Occasionally they might cooperate. In reality, their relationships weren't particularly close.
So the Shipping King felt no sense of shared hatred over those two idiots' defeat.
There was another reason as well. A merchant may run, but the goods remains. Octagon Island was his base of operations. He couldn't run.
Since he couldn't run, he might as well pay a visit. What others saw as extremely dangerous might very well hold profit.
"And what business does the Shipping King have with me?"
"Business. Shipping business. Captain Vane is leading so many people—you won't be drifting at sea forever. Once you find a suitable island to establish as your fixed base, you'll definitely need my fleet."
With the newly rescued slaves included, their ships had reached six, and their numbers had grown to two thousand. Let alone pirates—even the Marines couldn't keep that many people drifting at sea indefinitely.
The Shipping King's fleet had channels throughout the Grand Line and the Four Seas. The fees were high, but the service was indeed convenient and efficient.
"I'm afraid the business I want, you might not dare to handle."
The Shipping King rotated the large gemstone ring on his finger.
"There's no such thing as daring or not daring. Only whether the profit is sufficient."
He was a pure businessman. With enough money, there was little he wouldn't do.
Vane thought for a moment and asked,
"Do you deal in Devil Fruit business?"
With his network spanning nearly the entire world, the Shipping King would surely have sharper intelligence regarding Devil Fruits.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I? I handle Devil Fruits in two ways. One is delivering the fruit directly to the buyer. For example, if it's a very ordinary Devil Fruit selling for 100 million Belly, I'd charge at least 200 million Belly."
"The other is selling information about Devil Fruits. That's cheaper."
"I can provide information on Devil Fruits from the Grand Line, East Blue, West Blue, and South Blue—all while staying in the Grand Line."
When it came to business, the Shipping King was wide awake.
Vane raised an eyebrow.
"Why is North Blue missing?"
The Shipping King explained,
"The North Blue business has been taken over by a clown."
He wasn't insulting anyone—because Doflamingo's underworld nickname could indeed be understood as "clown."
The pirate crew he founded, active in North Blue, was structured around playing cards.
He himself was the trump card. The Joker. The wildcard.
"In shipping, he can't compete with me. But in the Devil Fruit business in North Blue, I can't compete with him. North Blue is his primary territory. I can't get my hands in there. My subordinates can't outcompete him."
Doflamingo was the tyrant of North Blue, a true local overlord. Naturally, the Shipping King's men couldn't rival him in that field.
"I don't need you to compete. Providing information is enough… Help me gather some intelligence from North Blue."
In Vane's view, there were two pieces of information in North Blue worth paying attention to. One was Flevance shrouded in Amber Lead disease. The other was the Op-Op Fruit.
Combined together, these two could produce a certain chemical reaction.
Flevance? The Op-Op Fruit?
The Shipping King was slightly stunned by these two requests. The latter he could understand—but why the former?
He knew of Flevance—a place that produced beautiful gemstones. Sometimes his shipping business also handled local specialties from islands, and Amber Lead was quite a valuable product.
"Amber Lead mining will infect the locals with Amber Lead disease. Before long, the illness should begin to break out. As soon as you receive that news, notify me immediately."
Amber Lead disease? Although he couldn't understand how Vane knew such inside information, a customer's words were law. There was no point arguing over meaningless details—that would only drive business away.
"Alright."
"In addition, I may purchase large quantities of resources from you—ores, metals, food, medicinal herbs… I might also export certain goods. All of this will require fleets."
The Shipping King's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He felt that Vane's side would become a long-term major client.
This visit had not been in vain.