Chapter 30

Sabaody Archipelago, Happy Street.

For pirates accustomed to burning, killing, and plundering, Happy Street—overflowing with alcohol, lust, wealth, and pleasure—was undoubtedly the perfect outlet for their violence and stress.

These death-defying outlaws always followed the creed: drink today’s wine, live today’s life.

After all, no one could predict whether tomorrow would bring overflowing riches or icy, biting death.

Better to live in the moment, savoring one day at a time.

When pirates came to Happy Street to indulge, they also exchanged their plundered wealth for Beri.

Where there is demand, there is a market.

Due to Happy Street’s red-light district nature, islands 1 through 29—explicitly designated as lawless zones—became the largest underground black market and slave market in the Sabaody Archipelago.

Especially the slave market—the human auction—was called the archipelago’s pillar industry.

Here, any race could become merchandise: humans, merfolk, fish-men, and rare species alike were all fitted with collars containing explosive devices.

The primary customers of the slave market were the Celestial Dragons.

The underground black market covered various illegal trades beyond human trafficking, such as weapons, Devil Fruits, and artificial Devil Fruits.

Beneath the glittering bubble of the Sabaody Archipelago.

Lay a complete industrial chain nurtured by the Celestial Dragons’ privileges, blending human trafficking, black-market trade, and luxurious indulgence.

Following the buyer’s address, Barzab Seven came alone to the slave market.

As the intermediary, Xia Qi only facilitated contact between buyer and seller; she did not participate in the actual transaction.

Had he just crossed over, Seven would have been driven mad by this scene—men and women of all races chained like livestock in cages, clearly priced.

The hollow eyes of women, dried blood on merfolk fins, bent spines of men…

Every detail exuded a nauseating stench of decay.

“This damn world.”

Seventeen years in the Pirate World, Seven thought he’d grown numb—but passing the cages again, he still couldn’t help cursing under his breath.

He knew better than anyone: you can’t save them all.

Today you smash open ten cages, tomorrow twenty new ones arrive.

As long as those pig-like Celestial Dragons wearing fish tanks still sit atop the world, slaves will never truly vanish.

Citizens of member states who cannot pay the Heavenly Gold, nations that have not yet joined, men, women, old and young whose homelands were reduced to ashes by pirates…

All would eventually become a tiny line in a catalog, chained and shipped out from here.

Weakness is the original sin.

On this sea, kindness and anger unsupported by power were as light as a sigh.

Precisely because he had seen so much of this, Seven pushed himself to become the strongest in the world, refusing to let anyone speak loudly to him.

Slave auction house, private room.

Seven finally met the gold buyer, known as the Shipping King of the Deep Currents: Umit.

In the Pirate World, beyond the obvious pirates, Marines, and Revolutionary Army, there existed a hidden world controlled by a few titans.

Shipping King Umit was one of them.

Umit controlled shipping and logistics, serving as the underground world’s transportation hub.

His fleet transported all manner of illegal goods, weapons, and even people across the globe, forming the vital link between the Sabaody Archipelago, various black markets, and the demands of the world’s nobility.

“Did you bring the goods?”

Perhaps due to two years of training on the Sky Island, Seven’s height had changed drastically; Umit did not recognize him.

Or perhaps, compared to giants like Roger, Rayleigh, Jia Ba, or Baret, Seven was unknown.

“Where’s the money?”

At this, Umit gestured behind him; two burly men in black robes entered the room carrying several crates, opening them one by one.

The man dared come alone—he must have had some backing. Umit only wanted to make money, not cause trouble.

Moreover, since entering, the man’s aura clearly marked him as no ordinary person.

Umit pointed to three crates, each containing a fruit with spiral patterns.

“I currently have only these three Devil Fruits. The left one is the Animal-Type Mouse-Mouse Fruit, Ground-Mole Form.”

“The middle one is the Paramecia-Type Slip-Slip Fruit.”

“The right one is the Animal-Type Fly-Fly Fruit.”

Saying this, Umit sucked on his cigar: “Sir, you don’t look like you’re carrying ten tons of gold.”

Through the intermediary, Umit had valued ten tons of gold at 3.6 billion Beri.

Such a massive sum demanded caution.

Seven waved away the smoke: “Before the deal, let’s settle the price of the Devil Fruits first.”

Of the three Devil Fruits, only the Paramecia-Type Slip-Slip Fruit was worth anything; the Animal-Type Ground-Mole and Fly-Fly were absolute trash.

At least the Ground-Mole could do construction work—maybe lead a building crew or be a tomb raider.

What use was the Fly-Fly Fruit? Eat shit?

“One billion!” Umit demanded.

“Three hundred million!” Seven slashed with his Dragon-Slaying Blade.

“Eight hundred million.”

“Four hundred million, final offer.”

Seven pointed at the dark purple Fly-Fly Fruit: “Don’t force me to shove it down your throat.”

Umit chuckled nervously: “Four hundred million it is. No need to get angry.”

“Next time I get a powerful Devil Fruit, I’ll contact you first.”

Next time, I absolutely won’t show up in person.

That white-haired bastard doesn’t look like a good man.

In truth, Umit knew the Fly-Fly Fruit was a joke—but who in their right mind would eat such a Devil Fruit?

What good would it do?

Produce fertilizer?

“Brother, these other crates contain 3.3 billion Beri. Count them?”

“The extra hundred million is a gift.”

Hearing this, Seven’s first thought: the price was too high.

Of the three Devil Fruits, only the Slip-Slip Fruit had any use—made skin smoother, better for beauty and complexion.

Slippery… no friction… tsk tsk tsk.

Seven first stored the three Devil Fruits in his system space, then randomly pulled out a few bills: a 10,000-Beri note bearing the skull of Yugi, studying it for a moment.

“I’ll leave you three hundred million as a deposit. Next time you try to fool me with this trash, I’ll carve a hole in your belly and shove the Fly-Fly Fruit inside.”

“Of course, of course!” Umit rubbed his hands.

“Brother, those gold coins…”

Seven tilted his head slightly; where the floor had been empty, several large crates suddenly appeared.

Seeing this, Umit rushed forward, opening each crate, eyes gleaming as he ran his hands over the golden coins.

“Brother, want to work for me?”

“Room and board covered, five insurances and one fund, free access to Happy Street—you want any kind of woman, I’ll get her for you.”

Umit was desperate; this man’s ability clearly indicated a Space-Type Devil Fruit user—the very ability Haiyun Company craved.

A natural-born smuggling prodigy!

The wealth he could generate would far exceed the conditions Umit had offered.

Yet, from the fact that this man casually left three hundred million as a deposit, he was clearly not short on money and utterly confident in his strength.

He had no fear Umit would renege.

In fact, Umit suspected: the man probably hoped Umit would renege—if he dared, the man would kill him.