Chapter 207: Boiling Extreme Killing Intent! The Mermaid's Bad News and the Shadow's Brutal Execution
The devastating aftermath of the bomb collar gradually dissipated under the magnificent sunset of the Sabaody Archipelago.
The thick smell of gunpowder, mixed with a sickening scent of blood, instantly overwhelmed the sweet fragrance that had previously permeated the air.
That slave, who had attempted to escape in pursuit of freedom...
...had now turned into a mangled corpse, lying quietly in a cold pool of blood.
Blood snaked its way along the smooth stone pavement.
It reflected the colorful, beautiful soap bubbles still floating in the air.
However, the well-dressed passersby and civilians nearby, after their initial shock...
...did not show a hint of sadness or sympathy for the lost innocent life.
Instead, they covered their noses in disgust and voiced cold complaints.
"How disappointing, to have an explosion in a place like this."
"Exactly. It's dirtied such a clean street. The splattered blood has completely ruined my mood for shopping."
Soon, several cleanup workers dressed in full-body sealed black suits emerged from a dark alleyway in the corner.
Without even a second glance, they pulled out a black body bag with practiced efficiency.
Like dragging a dead dog, they roughly stuffed the mangled corpse inside, leaving a long, dark red bloodstain on the ground as they dragged it away, as if they were merely clearing away a trivial piece of street trash.
Witnessing this human tragedy, Nami covered her mouth tightly, her face as pale as paper.
Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and her stomach churned so much she nearly gagged.
Standing beside her, Robin clenched her fists so hard that her nails nearly dug deep into the flesh of her palms.
This disregard for life struck a chord with the deepest pains buried during her twenty years of living as a fugitive in the shadows.
In this sickened sea, the lives of the weak are sometimes truly cheaper than grass.
Tatsuya remained in a protective stance, holding the two ladies close in his arms.
His deep eyes silently stared at the startling pool of blood on the ground.
Tatsuya's voice was cold, without a single ripple of emotion: "Swine who call themselves gods..."
In the midst of this suffocating, oppressive silence...
...the Den-Den Mushi Nami carried suddenly emitted an exceptionally sharp "Bulu Bulu" sound.
The small Den-Den Mushi actually mimicked a wailing expression, its eyes brimming with tears.
Nami's hand trembled as she pressed the answer button, and Chopper's near-collapsing cries immediately came through from the other end:
"Waaaah... Nami! It's bad!"
"Something terrible has happened!"
"Camie... Camie was suddenly kidnapped by a group of masked men while we were at the amusement park!!"
"Hachi said those people are slave traders who specialize in capturing mermaids."
"Camie will definitely be sent to the auction house to be sold as a slave!!"
Hearing the word "slave" and then looking down at the fresh blood of the slave on the street before her...
...Nami's eyes instantly turned red.
Always money-minded, she now gritted her white teeth, her eyes flashing with unprecedented anger and anxiety.
"Absolutely not!! How could they do that to Camie..."
Nami shouted into the Den-Den Mushi.
"Where is Luffy?! Everyone, go look for her! We can't let Camie suffer something so terrible!"
A broad hand reached over as Tatsuya calmly took the Den-Den Mushi from Nami.
"Chopper, calm down."
Tatsuya's voice instantly steadied the panicked little reindeer on the other end.
"Tell Luffy not to go searching blindly through the amusement park like a headless fly."
"Wait for definite news from me first."
After hanging up, Tatsuya slowly turned his head.
His icy gaze pierced through the gradually dispersing indifferent crowd, locking onto several suspicious figures in a dark alley across the street.
Although he didn't know their specific identities...
...judging by their shifty eyes and the way they were covertly observing the Straw Hat crew's reactions...
...they were likely local thugs who provided information to the slave traders on the island.
Without any hand signs...
...Tatsuya's expression remained cold as he focused his mind.
Stretched by the fading glow of the sunset...
...the pitch-black shadow at his feet suddenly seemed to catch the scent of blood like a black viper, hugging the cold stone ground as it transformed into an elusive blur and shot forward!
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
The hair-raising sound of flesh being pierced echoed one after another in the dim alley.
The moment the black shadow touched its prey, it defied logic by rising up, transforming into several razor-sharp, physical black spears!
These spears, composed of pure shadow, erupted violently from the darkness on the ground.
With thunderous force, they directly impaled the thighs and shoulders of those lookouts!
"Aaaaaahhhh—!!!"
Incredibly shrill screams tore through the darkness of the alley.
Before those thugs could even react, they were pinned firmly to the mottled red brick wall deep in the alley by these shadow spears.
Their feet dangled in the air as blood flowed continuously down the wall, staining the moss on the ground red.
Tatsuya released his hold on Nami and Robin, stepped forward with his long legs, and slowly walked into the blood-scented alley.
He walked expressionlessly to the man who was clearly the leader.
Tatsuya reached out a single hand, gripped his neck tightly, and roughly hoisted him into the air with one arm.
Within his normally calm, pitch-black eyes, a dense killing intent that made the soul tremble was now churning.
"I will only ask once."
"On this island, where are newly captured mermaids taken for trade?"
"Dared to speak a single lie... and I will have my shadow crawl through your veins and crush your heart, piece by piece."
Feeling the extreme, evil aura emanating from Tatsuya, as if he had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood...
...the psychological defenses of that small-time leader, who usually bullied the weak and feared the strong, completely collapsed.
A warm liquid flowed down his pant leg; he had literally pissed himself in terror.
He had no idea how he had offended this monster in human skin.
He could only scream in a breakdown under the fear of death:
"At Grove 1!! It's the Human Auctioning House!!"
"Top-tier goods like mermaids caught by the 'Hound Pets'..."
"...are all sent there immediately to be auctioned off as the grand finale items for a high price!!"
"I've told you everything! Please, I beg you, let me go!!"
Having obtained the exact information, a cold glint flashed in Tatsuya's eyes.
He gave a cold snort and casually withdrew his control over the shadow.
The shadow spears impaling the thugs' bodies instantly vanished, retracting back beneath Tatsuya's feet.
Losing their support, the lookouts collapsed onto the filthy ground like piles of mud.
Clutching the puncture wounds in their thighs as blood gushed out, they could only retch and scream frantically on the ground, lacking even the strength to flee.
Tatsuya didn't spare them another glance. He took out a Den-Den Mushi and directly dialed Sanji and the rest of the crew on the thousand sunny.
"Sanji, contact that iron-masked Duval immediately. Have the Flying Fish Riders take our people to Grove 1."
"Target—Grove 1, Human Auctioning House."
With the arrangements made, Tatsuya turned and walked out of the alley.
Returning to the street, he looked at Nami, who was standing there with red eyes.
Tatsuya reined in the terrifying killing intent surrounding him, his gaze returning to its deep and gentle state.
He stepped forward, tenderly reaching out his broad hand to gently wipe away the tears falling from the corners of Nami's eyes due to her anxiety.
"Don't be afraid," Tatsuya's voice was steady and powerful. "No one can touch our friends."
He took the hands of Nami and Robin, turned around, and looked toward the direction of Grove 1 in the distance.
"Let's go."
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