“One hundred thousand Berry?! This is robbery!!”
“We’re pirates! Since when do pirates have to pay taxes just to pass through?!”
When the pirates aboard the ship heard that the people ahead were actually trying to charge them money, they immediately showed their displeasure, shouting at Rachel outside through the bubble coating.
One hundred thousand Berry per person—there were over a hundred of them on this ship, which meant paying more than ten million Berry.
And the other side hadn’t even done anything. This money came in faster than being pirates themselves.
“ROAR!”
But a single roar from the Sea Beast instantly brought the pirates on board back to their senses.
“Captain! Calm down, a hundred thousand Berry isn’t that much…”
“Yeah, if those two big guys wreck our ship here, we’re completely done…”
Pirates were indeed a nuisance, but for Fishman Island, that nuisance also represented opportunity.
As long as they could handle these guys, passing pirates would provide Fishman Island with a massive source of income.
After all, Fishman Island was a mandatory route for pirates heading to the New World.
Even before Nereus took over, Fishman Island had relied on this position to earn quite a bit through limited trade.
It was just that in the past, Fishman Island hadn’t put much effort into transit taxes. Given their situation back then, they couldn’t even guarantee that pirates wouldn’t cause trouble, let alone anything else.
“Could you… make it cheaper? How about knocking off a zero?”
“Pay up, or turn around.”
Under the intimidation of the Sea Beast, the pirates ultimately chose to pay. After receiving a signpost from Rachel, they continued sailing toward the Fishman Island checkpoint.
Not all pirates were so cooperative. About half an hour later, the second pirate ship they encountered completely ignored Rachel’s words and even chose to attack directly.
Their coating craftsman seemed fairly skilled. Large numbers of bullets passed through the bubble coating without destroying it, and once those bullets entered the water, they couldn’t exert their proper power at all.
After flying only a few meters underwater, they sank toward the deep sea.
Seeing this, the Sea Beasts didn’t need any orders and had already begun attacking the pirate ship from the front and rear.
The pirates aboard knew full well that if those Sea Beasts rammed into their ship, the outcome would undoubtedly be total destruction—ship and crew alike.
The one who looked like the captain slipped a bubble ring over his head and plunged into the sea ahead of the others, seemingly intending to deal with the enemy in the deep.
In this world, there is air in space, and the impact of water pressure on the human body is relatively low; the phenomenon of being crushed instantly by water pressure essentially does not exist.
While it may not sound very scientific or aligned with physical geography, it is certainly “Oda” enough; after all, this is simply how this world’s rules are set.
“Rachel, be careful!”
Judging by his build, Tiger felt that this human pirate was far beyond what Rachel could handle.
But reality turned out to be completely different from what he expected.
Underwater, Rachel moved with incredible agility. After easily dodging attacks from multiple directions, her twin-pronged fork burst forth with crackling electric light.
Bzzzt!
The dim seafloor was lit up in an instant, and the electric currents dispersing through the seawater made even Tiger instinctively retreat.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself, Mr. Tiger. I am Scout Captain under Lord Nereus, an Electric Ray Merfolk, formerly in charge of the Sea Beast patrol team directly under Lord Barbell.”
“After the reorganization, I was put in charge of patrol duties along the outer perimeter of Fishman Island.”
For Nereus to dare send those girls out on patrol, it wasn’t because he trusted Tiger’s strength. Although Tiger wasn’t weak among the Fish-Men and could reach something like a Marine Vice Admiral’s level on the sea surface, it still wasn’t enough right now.
What he trusted were Rachel and the others. Being a scout is not just about running fast; as reconnaissance soldiers, they were already the elite among the ranks of the military.
Just like archers who set aside their bows often turned out to be ferocious in close combat, they all possessed special abilities.
In the sea, the swimming speed of Merfolk was something even Fish-Men couldn’t hope to match. Their figures were like phantoms, darting through the deep sea and crushing pirates who tried to fight underwater.
The Sea Beasts, relying on their massive bodies, smashed through the bubble coatings and put an end to those pirates’ ambitions.
“Tow the ship back! Take inventory of the treasures too. Keep the body of the leader, we can trade it in for bounty.”
At this moment, Tiger felt like a complete rookie. These Merfolk were far more kick-ass than the delicate Merfolk he had known…
Thanks to their speed, when they towed the pirate ship back to Fishman Island, they arrived even faster than the previous pirate ship had.
“C-Captain, it’s the Bandage Pirates… their captain’s bounty is twenty million higher than yours…”
“Yeah, good thing we paid up. Even pirates stronger than the captain couldn’t beat them…”
“Shut up! You don’t need to keep emphasizing that!”
Hearing his subordinates constantly talk about how the other side was stronger than him; although it was an objective fact, still made him extremely annoyed.
But it also served as a wake-up call. When they left Fishman Island, they’d have to pass through the deep sea again. If they offended these people on Fishman Island…
“Listen up, you brats! After some careful consideration, in order to keep you from becoming food for the fish in the sea, I’ve decided that we’ll swallow our pride and temporarily follow the orders of these Fish-Men!
We’ve got to reach the New World safely!”
At this point, their greed and desire toward Fishman Island had lessened, replaced instead by fear of this seemingly beautiful island.
But the moment they set foot ashore, a cloud blocked their path.
“Pirates from Paradise, congratulations on completing half of your voyage and safely arriving at Fishman Island. Next, you’ll be facing an even more dangerous journey.
Now, I’ve got a few little things I’d like to sell you. First up is this special umbrella! It can block the thunderstorms falling from the sky!”
Like a salesman, Hermes began pitching all kinds of strange items to the pirates.
And the “thunderstorms” it spoke of were the real deal—actual lightning. There was an island in the New World that was wrapped in such thunderstorms year-round, and only by opening specially made umbrellas could one survive there.
Under Hermes’s smooth talking, the pirates actually bought quite a few things they weren’t even sure they’d need. Only after Hermes’s belly was stuffed full of Berry did it start selling true necessities.
“This is a Log Pose that only works in the New World. The Log Pose you’re holding will become nothing more than scrap metal once you reach the New World.
I can tell you’re all sensible people. Just five million Berry, and this Log Pose is yours!”
Hermes took out a Log Pose with three dials and needles. Because of the chaotic magnetic fields of the New World, single-direction Log Poses would fail; only this reinforced version would work.
Back and forth like this, the pirates’ money ended up being squeezed dry by Hermes.
Few people at the Sabaody Archipelago understood these things. As the forward base for entering the New World, many essential New World supplies could only be purchased at Fishman Island. This was the advantage brought by Fishman Island’s geographical location.
When someone with enough strength was able to protect this place, what had once been a disadvantage became an advantage instead…
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