A group of men were holding a banquet on the deck. The sounds of chewing and swallowing echoed constantly, and the air was filled with the aroma of charred meat.
Glug glug…
Someone seemed to be gulping down alcohol, and the stench of liquor was thick in the air.
"After this job, we can live it up for three months!"
"Yeah… hic…"
"We caught three top-quality goods."
"Hahaha, the Celestial Dragons will definitely love them…"
Junichi clung to the side of the hull, listening for a while until he got the gist of the situation.
This was the Red Hound Pirates.
The captain went by the codename "Hound," and because of his red hair, he was also called Red Hound.
They dabbled in the dirty trade of human trafficking. But their strength was weak, so they only dared to target defenseless civilians, women, and children.
The current banquet was to celebrate capturing three goods. They didn't specify what the "goods" were. But it sounded like they'd fetch a high price.
He didn't pay it much mind. Human trafficking was something that still existed in various corners of the world, even in his previous life in the 21st century as shown in the movie Sound of Freedom.
Let alone in the chaotic world of pirates?
There's too much of this to deal with all of it, Junichi sighed inwardly, then looked toward the inside of the ship.
As expected, the three valuable captives were being held inside the ship.
---
At the same time, in the depths of the ship, inside a dark prison cell, three girls, around twelve or thirteen years old, huddled together in fear and unease.
The black-haired girl in the middle, though clearly afraid herself, pretended to stay calm. She reached out her arms, hugging the other two, gently stroking them to provide comfort.
"Don't be afraid. We'll be okay…"
"They will definitely come to save us." The black-haired girl kept soothing her two younger sisters.
Even though she didn't believe her own words, she managed to lull the other two to sleep.
Sigh…
She carefully laid her sleeping sisters on a bed off to the side.
The strong front on her face finally crumbled. She slid down against the wall and sank to the floor. Tears welled up uncontrollably.
Mmm… mmm…
She bit her lip and cried silently. Everything she'd said before was a lie. The chances of being rescued were close to zero.
She and her sisters had been kidnapped from their ship in the middle of the night by the pirates.
No one even knew they were missing. By the time anyone realized it, the Red Hound Pirates would have already gotten far away.
There would be nowhere to even start looking.
Please… anyone… save us… She was full of despair, like a drowning person clutching at the last straw.
All she could hope for now… was a miracle.
---
Elsewhere.
At Grove 13 of Sabaody Archipelago, inside a bar called "Shakky's Rip-off Bar," a short-haired woman with black hair sat with a dark expression, fury in her eyes.
"..."
In front of Shakuyaku, over a dozen of Amazon Lily's warriors were kneeling in rows on the floor.
Heads hung low, faces filled with guilt. They had lost three important children—Hancock, Sandersonia, and Marigold.
"They were taken, and you only realized it the next day?" Shakuyaku's eyes blazed with fury, her voice trembling with anger. "How the hell were you doing your jobs!?"
After shouting, she stormed off in a rage.
She entered a back room, took out a Den Den Mushi, and made a call. Before long, the line connected.
"I've got a customer looking to buy slaves. Help me see if there's any good stock. Money isn't an issue…"
Shakuyaku made one call after another, keeping her tone intentionally light. She didn't dare let slip that the ones missing were Amazon Lily's children.
Amazon Lily was in the Calm Belt, nearly cut off from the outside world, and because the entire population was made up of beautiful, powerful women, it was a constant target. If people found out that three girls from Amazon Lily had been abducted, then it would become impossible to get them back.
"..."
In a corner, an older man with golden hair streaked with white shook his head with a sigh. Even someone like him couldn't help with this kind of situation.
There were too many ambitious men roaming the seas. Not even he could handle everything. Even the Celestial Dragons had things beyond their control.
---
Out on the vast ocean at night, the The Red Hound Pirates' sailing ship moved slowly through the waters. Junichi quietly climbed aboard from the rear of the ship and found a hidden corner, waiting patiently for the banquet to end.
About an hour later, the pirates, having eaten and drunk their fill, scattered to rest. Some went into the cabin to keep watch, some into the captain's quarters, and others just threw a blanket over themselves and slept right on the deck.
It's time… A cold light flashed in Junichi's eyes as he stepped out from the shadows. He pulled out a handful of senbon, and held them between his fingers.
He slowly began to walk across the deck. With each step, he flicked out a senbon.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two pirates on night watch were the first to be hit. The senbon pierced through their temples and into their brains, killing them instantly.
Junichi stepped forward quickly. Before the bodies hit the ground, he caught them and gently laid them down to avoid making a sound.
Then he scanned the deck. The pirates were snoring like thunder. After a big meal and booze, they slept like pigs—dead to the world.
I'll leave them for now. He thought to himself and didn't act against the rest immediately. Instead, he crouched down and examined the two corpses.
A moment later, he used a Transformation Technique and took on the appearance of one of the dead pirates. Then, wearing his disguise, he walked toward the helm.
At the helm, a pirate was steering, keeping a constant eye on their course.
"What's up?" The pirate asked when he saw Junichi appear.
"Come take a look. I think there's some fog ahead!" Junichi made a show of looking anxious and pointed forward.
"Fog?"
The pirate scratched his head and walked out of the helm, not suspecting a thing. After all, Junichi now looked exactly like his crewmate.
"Where's the fo—"
The pirate didn't even finish his sentence.
Thunk!
A cold blade pierced through his back and into his heart.
"!?"
His eyes widened in shock as he slowly turned his head, staring at Junichi in disbelief. He couldn't understand—why would his own crewmate kill him?
Was this the captain's order? Or was the first mate staging a coup? But why him? He wasn't a threat to either of them!
"Rest in peace." Junichi didn't care about the confusion in the man's dying eyes. He gently supported the pirate into a seated position.
Then pulled out the blade. As the blade came free, the pirate bled out from the heart, taking his final breath.
The entire process was completely silent.
The pain of a vital organ being pierced was beyond what a human could bear. Once it happened, the body would go numb, strength would vanish, and the mind would cloud.
All that was left was a quiet death.
Next… is the bunch on the deck.
Junichi wiped the blood from his blade using the dead pirate's clothes.
Then, he walked back into the helm and found tools to lock the steering wheel in place.
Meanwhile, the pirates on the deck, sleeping soundly, remained blissfully unaware.