Chapter 137: The Fate of Scum: Ice and Fire, a Dual Torment!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

On the deck in the night, screams rang out.

After beating these guys senseless, Nojiko shook her wrists and looked coldly at the nobles and merchants lying on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen.

She bent down to pick up the shackles just removed from the slaves, moved deftly, and within moments tied these fellows up tight.

The shackles locked shut, iron chains coiled around them, ensuring they could not move even a single finger.

"Didn't you like locking people up like this?"

Nojiko smiled brightly as she weighed the string of keys in her hand, then casually tossed them into the sea, "Now it's your turn to experience it; how does it feel, comfortable?"

"No, don't!"

Were they going to be thrown into the sea? Garde was terrified, struggling desperately but unable to move, able only to weep and beg for mercy:

"Spare me! You two, I have money, I have plenty of money; if you spare me and send me back, I am willing to give two hundred million... no! Three hundred million Berries as repayment!"

"Three hundred million Berries?"

Nami let out a disdainful snort, looking at him as if he were Bai Chi:

"Who do you think I am! Do you think I care about something like money?"

"What should we do with these guys, brother?" Nojiko turned to ask Siano.

"Up to you; killing them outright is fine too."

Siano answered casually while roasting meat.

Scum like human traffickers can never be punished too severely; they deserve to die.

"They must be killed, but we cannot let them die so easily."

Nojiko snorted, activated her Snow-Snow Fruit ability, and created a hollow cubic block of snow around these fellows.

In the center of the bottom layer, an arched fire pit was reserved.

Nami immediately understood, flicked her finger, and a large cluster of flames landed on the fire pit; with a whoosh, it spread outward and began to burn fiercely.

Nojiko lifted her foot and kicked the large ice block into the sea.

"No——!!!"

Garde watched helplessly as he was cast onto the great ocean, looking up despairingly and roaring at the Curtain Fall.

Those two damn little girls actually dared to treat him this way!

Wasn't this essentially a sealed iron cage? Was he really going to die in such a ridiculous manner, just like those lowly slaves?

Hiss! Hiss!

Inside the cube, the fierce flames in the fire pit burned, scorching their skin, while the six walls of ice, under the high temperature, began to melt at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Ice and fire, a dual torment.

Alternating torture of extreme cold and extreme heat, seawater from the melting ice layer dripped down from above with a pitter-patter, soaking their clothes;

but it was quickly evaporated by the flames into scalding steam, which in this nearly sealed space frantically scorched their respiratory tracts.

"Ahhh! Hot! It's burning me to death!"

"No, I'm going to freeze to death!"

"Help! Someone save us!"

"I was wrong! I was truly wrong! I beg you, spare me!"

Several nobles and merchants struggled wildly inside the ice coffin, but the shackles and iron chains tightly locked their hands and feet, preventing them from even rolling over, forcing them to endure this inhuman torture.

Fear, despair, pain!

Yet they were powerless!

At this moment.

They finally experienced the feelings of those slaves they had locked in iron cages in the bottom of the ship's hold and sunk into the sea just before death.

On the deck of the Curtain Fall.

Several burly slaves who had just regained their freedom stared blankly at the large ice block drifting away on the sea surface, listening to the piercing wails coming from within the flames, momentarily somewhat dazed.

"They... really just died like that?" one of them murmured.

"Die?"

Nojiko crossed her arms over her chest, gave a cold laugh, and said, "Not that easy? They can last at least twenty more minutes, enough for them to enjoy it thoroughly."

"They got off too easy."

Nami also said, "If I weren't worried that dragging it out might let these guys get lucky and encounter a rescue ship, I would have made them despair a bit longer."

"..."

The several burly men fell silent for a moment, exchanged glances, then suddenly knelt down in unison and kowtowed heavily to the crew.

"Thank you, everyone!"

"Thank you, my lord Siano!"

"You not only saved us but also helped us vent our pent-up rage..."

"We will never forget this kindness for as long as we live!"

Siano glanced at them, grinned, and said, "Get up, no need for this."

He casually pushed over a large iron platter of freshly roasted skewers, "Just now, I saw you guys shrinking back, too afraid to grab food from others; you haven't eaten your fill yet, right? Here, continue eating well and recover your strength."

The several burly men, overwhelmed with honor, carefully accepted it and began to wolf down the food.

"Eat slowly, don't choke."

Zeff laughed heartily as he specially brought over several bowls of hot soup, "If it's not enough, there's more; with old man Zeff here, no one will go hungry!"

"Thank you... thank you..."

They could no longer speak; as they ate, they silently shed tears, choking with sobs.

How long had it been?

How long since they had been treated like "human beings" in this way?

……

Siano watched silently for a while, then suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Damn it, what a shit-show of a world."

Fortunately...

He had long since passed the stage of "perfecting oneself in poverty" and was now steadily advancing toward the level of "bringing benefit to all under heaven."

Let the voyage continue; one day, relying on his own fists, he would change this world from the top down!

Of course, there was still one matter right before his eyes.

Siano's gaze shifted, sweeping over the survivors huddled in the corner, his expression gradually turning indifferent.

Though the chief culprits were eliminated, the accomplices remained.

Among these people were ordinary sailors powerless to resist, passengers unaware of the truth, but also lackeys of those nobles and wealthy merchants, or trading partners who had colluded with them.

He was not skilled at distinguishing between them.

But on the ship, there happened to be someone perfectly suited for the job.

Siano turned his head, his gaze landing on Smoker, and lifted his chin slightly, sending a signal with his eyes.

Smoker, cigar dangling from his mouth, narrowed his eyes and immediately understood his captain's intent.

"Tsk, what a hassle."

He muttered under his breath but stood up without hesitation, striding toward the group of survivors.

Before joining the Curtain Fall, he had been a product of the Marine Headquarters Elite Camp, where he had learned everything; interrogation, screening, and handling prisoners were tasks he knew better than anyone.

Siano also withdrew his gaze; leaving this matter to Smoker put his mind at ease.

However.

With this incident, the barbecue banquet originally planned would have to be postponed to another day.

So Siano did not linger on the deck; after simply filling his stomach, he went straight into the ship's cabin, headed to the training room, and facing the Poneglyph, began to vent his fury once more.

……

The next day, early morning.

Of the survivors remaining on the ship, only a little over twenty were left; as for where the rest had gone, it was obvious.

These sailors and passengers who were not accomplices mostly still had some spare change on them, so there was no need to worry too much about them; they thanked Siano and his group profusely, planning to disembark at the next island to find their own way back to their hometowns.

As for the few slaves who had been rescued, they seemed to have other ideas.

"Hmm? What is this?"

Having just finished breakfast, Siano turned his head in surprise, looking at the several burly men who had voluntarily approached him.

The burly men exchanged glances, and one of them, gritting his teeth, said, "My lord Siano, we... wish to follow you!"

"Yes! We are willing to follow you!"

"We are strong and can work; although we might not be of much help in combat, you can leave all the miscellaneous chores on your ship to us with peace of mind!"

"Follow me?"

Siano raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, my lord!"

The burly man in the middle nodded heavily. "Our hometowns have been destroyed, and our families are also... Now, apart from these lives of ours, we have nothing left."

"It would be better to follow you, my lord; even if we die fighting for you, we would have no regrets, which is far better than becoming slaves!"

Siano swept his gaze over this group of people.

Most of them were heavily built with determined eyes, clearly accustomed to enduring hardship.

As general laborers on the ship, they were indeed quite qualified.

But...

"I'm sorry."

Siano shook his head. "I can feel your sincerity, but I cannot agree; following me is simply too dangerous."

If he were truly a great pirate,

he would probably be eager to have such a group of die-hard, free laborers join him.

Even if the intensity of the upcoming adventures was beyond what these people could endure, it wouldn't matter; at worst, they could be treated as expendable materials, and once they were all dead, another batch could be recruited.

Unfortunately.

He was not the kind of guy cold-blooded enough for that.

Nowadays, the World Government's level of attention toward the Curtain Fall Adventure Group had increased; if they were to confront them directly again in the future, the enemy's formation would only become increasingly formidable.

Letting these ordinary people, who couldn't even defeat low-ranking marines, board the ship would be no different from sending them to their deaths.

Moreover.

His plans would not be easily changed.

The crew of the Curtain Fall followed an absolutely elite route, mimicking the "Iron Wall Royal Crew" model of Shanks, which left no openings.

If someone wanting to board the ship couldn't even defeat Nami, a non-combatant on the ship, then they might as well...

"My lord."

The burly men lowered their heads; although deep down they knew joining wouldn't be easy and that boarding the ship carried significant life risks,

being rejected outright now inevitably left their expressions somewhat dejected.

"Hey, hey, hey, why is everyone so dispirited! Although your past lives were ruined by that scum, now that you've regained your freedom, there are countless possibilities for starting a new life anew."

Watching the disappointed expressions on the faces of this group of burly men, Siano softened his tone slightly and said with a smile:

"My ship isn't suitable for you, but I will give you a sum of money, enough for you to settle down on the next island, and then..."

"No, no need, my lord!"

Several of the burly men waved their hands in haste, their eyes turning slightly red from being moved by Siano:

"We have hands and feet; we can earn our own living!"

"That's right!"

The burly man at the head took a deep breath and nodded heavily:

"You have already helped us twice; if we continue to trouble you and take your money, what kind of men would we be?"

"Exactly!"

"Although we aren't as strong as you, we still have strength!"

"Worst case, we can carry sacks at the docks or do odd jobs at taverns; we can definitely support ourselves!"

"..."

Faced with such determined attitudes, Siano fell silent for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter, patting each of them on the shoulder.

It seemed he hadn't saved the wrong people.

They were all good men of the sea!

After another two days and two nights of sailing.

On the morning of the third day, the next mysterious island pointed to by the Eternal Pose finally appeared within sight.

It was an island of medium size.

From a distance, numerous merchant ships could be seen docked in the harbor, the town's buildings were arranged in an orderly yet varied fashion, pedestrians came and went on the streets, and the scene was quite lively.

On both sides of the road extending from the dock into the town, there were shops of all kinds.

From afar, it seemed the vast majority were restaurants; the sea breeze blew straight toward them, carrying rich aromas of delicious food that made one unable to resist a surge of appetite.

—"Puki Welcomes You"

"So it's Puki?"

Zeff gazed at the huge signboard at the harbor entrance, raising an eyebrow in some surprise, "This is not quite the situation I anticipated."

"That name sounds so familiar..."

Nami recalled for a moment, then suddenly struck her fist into her palm, her eyes shining with delight, "I remember now! So this is that city; when I was young, in a book my older brother bought for me, I saw it mentioned!"

"This is a city of cuisine famous throughout the entire Grand Line!"

She surveyed the distant town with eyes full of anticipation, repeating the description she had once seen in a picture book:

"The entire island is built like a pile of desserts, chocolate waterfalls cascade down from the cliffs, cream forests stretch in rolling waves, the chefs at the harbor are incredibly enthusiastic, and even provide free cake to guests from all directions... Eh? Why does nothing seem to match?"

The Puki Island before them, although boasting a bustling harbor and clean streets, differed far too much from the dreamy food paradise depicted in the book.

"Damn it, this is clearly just a very ordinary town; picture books really are just lying to children!"

Nami puffed out her cheeks in anger, swung her right fist, and turned her head, "Uncle Zeff, you also feel the reputation is undeserved and that you've been deceived by this fame, right?"

"No, quite the opposite."

Zeff shook his head: "This former city of cuisine did indeed possess the kind of brilliance depicted in the picture books, but before my first journey through the Grand Line, I had already heard that ever since the Great Pirate Era began, because this town lies on a popular shipping route, it has long suffered from harassment and plunder by pirates, and with no Marine branch stationed nearby, within a few years it became utterly dilapidated."

"Therefore..."

Zeff looked around, observing the currently bustling scene at the harbor, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes:

"The reason for my surprise is completely different from yours; I don't know what cause there is, but this town has actually recovered to such an extent nowadays."

"Although it doesn't compare to its peak period, it is already much better than its ruined state from a few years ago."

"I see." Nami also pinched her chin, lost in thought.

Siano stood to one side, his gaze sweeping across the harbor, when he suddenly noticed that the ships docked at the pier seemed to be in a stir.

Many merchant ships were hastily weighing anchor, and even several pirate ships that had been carelessly docked in the very center position were urgently retreating to both sides, clearing the way.

"It seems they have recognized our flag."

Siano shrugged, somewhat helplessly.

As his "notorious fame" continued to rise step by step, in the future, he would probably have to get used to this.

(End of Chapter)