One-piece black diving suits, helmet-like masks, and bulky scuba tanks and buoyancy-control equipment strapped to their backs.
Anyone who loved diving would think these slave traders had decent equipment. People from technologically backward islands in the Grand Line might even find it strange and fascinating.
But in the eyes of Fish-Men and Merfolk, the only thing all that equipment did was to make them laugh.
“Pfft… I can’t hold it in anymore. Do they seriously think wearing that stuff means they can beat us underwater?”
The deeper the water, the greater the advantage Fish-Men and Merfolk have.
But the moment humans entered the water, even if they were only an insignificant millimeter below the surface, the water would cut off their ability to breathe. Fish-Men and Merfolk, who possessed two respiratory systems, were completely unaffected.
Hody Jones from the original timeline was a clear example. Without the environmental advantage of the deep sea, someone with poor physical skills, no command of Haki, and a fighting strength forcibly boosted through drugs could never have fought Luffy.
Even with such an enormous gap in strength, Hody Jones had still managed to hold out for so long by relying on the environment.
When there was no significant difference in strength between the two sides, Fish-Man and Merfolk warriors simply would not lose underwater.
“Shut up, don’t waste time and finish this quickly! Move!”
Karma’s voice sounded somewhat muffled underwater, but the Neptune Army soldiers could still understand him. They immediately spread out to both sides and moved forward to encircle the enemy.
The human traffickers had no such convenience. Even though their sophisticated diving equipment allowed them to move underwater, the breathing apparatus clenched between their teeth made effective verbal communication impossible. They could only communicate with nearby companions through sign language.
Hand gestures could convey plenty of information, but they were not as precise as speech. Before they had even finished making a few signs, the Neptune Army soldiers had already closed in.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several spearguns fired from the human traffickers’ hands. The sharp iron bolts carved ripples through the seawater, but the Neptune Army soldiers dodged them with ease.
Water resistance slowed the bolts considerably. Attacks launched within their field of vision could never hit the swiftly moving Neptune Army.
By the time the human traffickers drew the daggers at their waists and prepared for close combat, the fastest Merfolk soldiers had already reached their sides.
Slash!
Rip!
Glug, glug…
Several muffled sounds rang out. The Merfolk soldiers struck once and immediately withdrew, making no attempt to remain entangled with them.
Upon closer inspection, these people had no visible wounds, but the oxygen hoses on their breathing equipment had been destroyed.
Large amounts of mixed gas poured out, sending countless bubbles drifting toward the surface.
Although it appeared that no effective damage had been inflicted, these people immediately panicked.
With their oxygen supply cut off, many of them inhaled seawater directly into their lungs. Their bodies instinctively forced them to cough, trying to expel the water.
But in this environment, that only made them inhale even more seawater. Even if they were not dead yet, they had already lost the ability to fight.
Those who managed to hold their breath were temporarily better off, but how long could a person hold their breath?
Especially while fighting, when the body consumed oxygen even faster.
Driven by their survival instincts, they immediately turned and tried to flee—either swimming to the surface or returning to the submarine. Even though the submarine was damaged, there was still some oxygen left inside, which was better than drowning out here.
But before they could act, the Neptune Army’s second echelon had already arrived in front of them.
The first echelon consisted of Merfolk with superior speed. Their objective was to harass the enemy, pierce their bubble membranes, and destroy their underwater breathing equipment.
The second echelon was made up of Fish-Men with greater frontal combat strength, who would deliver lethal blows to enemies choking on seawater. This was now the Neptune Army’s established procedure for naval combat.
Not only was it highly effective, but it also minimized casualties as much as possible. Unless some undetected officers were hidden among the enemy, the Neptune Army could usually win battles like this without suffering a single injury.
Inside the submarine, the emergency repair team was overwhelmed. The moment they patched one hole, another hole would be torn open on the opposite side of the hull.
The sounds of fighting outside the submarine gradually weakened, but the sounds of destruction against the vessel itself did not stop. Everyone inside understood what that meant, but no one was willing to say it aloud.
Creak… groan…
The submarine’s hull continuously let out groans, echoing in their ears like a funeral bell. The Neptune Army outside had no interest whatsoever in communicating with them.
If submarines had not been so rare, leaving them unfamiliar with the proper dismantling process, this vessel would have fallen apart long ago.
But that would not change the final outcome. Some time later, the expensive-looking submarine ultimately became wreckage beneath the sea, and the cleanup team began its work.
No matter who they were, bring them to the surface first. Rescue them first, then identify them and decide how to handle them.
In a world where the average person possessed a relatively strong constitution, people could endure quite a bit. A little drowning was not fatal as long as rescue came in time, and handling things this way better ensured the safety of their own people.
As for the slaves, drowning was certainly painful, but compared to losing their freedom and enduring countless torments, it was hardly worth mentioning.
“Someone with good eyesight, come over here! Check whether these are the people His Majesty Nereus is looking for!”
“Can’t you just look yourself?”
“I’m face-blind! They all look the same to me! Hurry up and verify them. If there’s no mistake, report it!”
“Black hair, green hair, yellow hair… It should be these three, right?”
“You idiots, get out of the way! We have portraits right here! Can’t you compare them properly?”
Fishman Island produced a type of waterproof paper that would neither tear nor fade even after being soaked in water.
After driving away those with face blindness who were using bizarre methods to verify the captives’ identities, Karma’s team finally confirmed who they were.
…
“Gloriosa, we found them. They’ll be sent to the Sabaody Archipelago shortly. You shouldn’t need my help bringing them back to Kuja, right?”
“Thank you. I can take those children back myself.”
Even though Gloriosa had already become a hunched old woman in appearance, her foundations remained. She usually appeared harmless on Kuja only because she believed herself guilty and had no desire to involve herself in anything.
If a real situation arose, anyone who treated her like an ordinary old woman would suffer greatly for it.
“It was an equal exchange. You gave me what I wanted, so neither of us owes the other anything.”
After having someone escort Gloriosa away, Nereus began reading the follow-up report.
Simply put, the human traffickers have begun upgrading their means of transportation. Fishman Island did not know much about submarines, so they could only destroy them through brute force.
In theory, submarines were difficult to popularize, but as a precaution, Karma personally hoped that additional training courses could be introduced.
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