Chapter 63 This is about to happen!

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Hina released a massive cloud of smoke, enveloping the Fang Pirates entirely.

The pirate ships became chaotic, like headless flies, unable to navigate in the thick fog. Some even crashed into each other.

Before long, the navy ship caught up.

With swift and decisive action, the marines subdued all the pirates within minutes, tying them up and piling them on the ship.

Smoker took a stroll around, his gaze landing on a group of female pirates—about a dozen of them. Some were strikingly beautiful.

Though fear filled their eyes as they looked at him, a faint, defiant glint still flickered beneath the surface.

Smoker wasn't one to show mercy to women, especially not in a place like this.

Women who survive among pirates aren't innocent.

"At least I don't need to worry about those enslaved girls anymore. This solves the problem."

Smoker casually walked over to Bend, the pirate captain.

"You seemed to have a lot of fun on the island, Captain Bend…"

Bend let out a bitter laugh, coughing as he spoke. "Heh... So I've fallen into your hands. Fine, I admit defeat. Go ahead, kill me. I've lived enough to make it worth it."

Smoker lit a cigar, taking a slow drag.

"Don't try to provoke me. You won't die. In fact, you'll live for a long, long time…"

"But in the days ahead, death will feel like a luxury to you…"

"Now," Smoker added, "let's start by collecting a little interest."

He raised his hand, white smoke forming into small spheres that he flung at the pirates.

The deck erupted in screams of agony.

Zephyr approached. "Smoker, what's next?"

Smoker didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned and shouted, "Marlow!"

A bespectacled marine with a scholarly demeanor stepped forward, saluting. "Yes, Captain Smoker!"

Marlow was in charge of intelligence and knew the bounties of every pirate like the back of his hand.

"Sort them out," Smoker ordered. "Keep the ones with bounties. The rest—send them to the Celestial Dragons."

"The Celestial Dragons?!"

At the mention of that name, all the pirates visibly flinched, terror washing over their faces.

Smoker pointed at Bend. "Send him too."

Zephyr couldn't help but silently applaud.

For defiant pirates, becoming slaves is worse than death.

He'd heard that Celestial Dragons favored pirate slaves because they were tougher to break.

Smoker, you devil. Well done!

The next morning.

The navy ship returned early to Primisoma Island.

Bancroft, a Celestial Dragon, had just woken up. Yawning, he sat lazily on his private vessel, looking bored.

"This is ridiculous... I'm a Celestial Dragon! Why am I waiting for a marine here?!"

"Guards! Go to the island and capture 100 slaves for me. I'm leaving—"

Before he could finish, one of his guards entered the room.

"Lord Bancroft, Black Arm Zephyr has returned!"

"Oh? He's back?" Bancroft paused, then waved dismissively. "Fine. Since he's here, help me get ready."

By the time Bancroft was ready, the navy ship had docked, towing a line of pirate ships behind it.

On the docks, hundreds of pirates lay sprawled on the ground, battered and bruised, but still visibly strong and muscular.

Smoker stood over Bend, slapping him repeatedly.

Each slap drew blood, leaving Bend's face swollen and bloody.

As the ship neared the dock, Smoker thought of Orl, and his anger flared again.

Zephyr stood nearby, not intervening.

If I stepped in, I'd probably kill Bend outright. Better to let Smoker handle it.

When Bancroft saw Smoker punishing Bend, his eyes gleamed with excitement instead of anger.

"Good, good!" Bancroft exclaimed.

"A slave who can endure that kind of beating? Excellent quality!"

Noticing Bancroft's arrival, Smoker stopped and joined Zephyr to greet him.

"Greetings, Lord Bancroft…"

Bancroft glanced at the marines. "So, this is your haul?"

"Yes," Zephyr replied. "Smoker, give your report."

Smoker stepped forward.

"Thanks to your blessing, we captured 447 pirates this time. Captain Bend and his officers are all among them."

"We've already sorted them—307 pirates without disabilities are here on the dock. You can select the finest for your slaves."

Bancroft burst into laughter. "Excellent work!"

"Very good, very good! You marines are finally proving useful!" Bancroft said, his tone casual, but his gaze lingered with interest as he inspected the scene.

Smoker stepped forward. "Honorable Lord Bancroft, I noticed the slaves on your ship seem weak and frail. They don't match your esteemed status at all!"

"Why not take this opportunity to replace them with new slaves? That way, when you return to the Holy Land, you'll be the envy of everyone!"

At first, Bancroft didn't seem to care. But when Smoker mentioned the chance to show off, his eyes lit up.

"You're absolutely right. Guards!"

Gernika stepped forward. "At your service!"

"Kill all the slaves on my ship! Clear the space and prepare to house my new slaves!"

Smoker quickly interjected, "My lord! Please allow me to handle this. I can ensure they disappear quietly without staining your ship with their blood."

Bancroft waved dismissively. "Fine, you handle it."

With that, he turned his attention back to selecting his new slaves.

Gernika stepped closer to Smoker. "Captain Smoker, all slave disposals must be monitored by CP."

Smoker offered a polite smile. "Of course. I will carry out the will of the gods without fail."

Gernika nodded and began overseeing the transfer of slaves.

Under CP's watchful eyes, the old slaves disappeared into darkness, their muffled cries fading away. Meanwhile, the new slaves were fitted with collars, ready for transport.

However, there was a slight problem.

There were only 200 slave collars available, but over 300 pirates had been captured. Bancroft, of course, wanted them all.

Smoker and the others were momentarily stumped, unsure of how to proceed.

Fortunately, CP had experience in such matters.

They converted one of the pirate ships into a makeshift prison ship, cramming the extra slaves inside.

Initially, Smoker felt uneasy. If the pirates rebelled and caused a scene, it might anger the Celestial Dragon and get him into trouble.

But his concerns quickly vanished.

In his past dealings with pirates, he'd encountered stubborn types like Bend—pirates who never gave in.

But CP had their methods.

Two agents dragged Bend into a dark room. Half an hour later, they brought him back.

The once-defiant pirate captain was now utterly broken, sobbing uncontrollably.

CP applied the same treatment to a few other troublemakers, and soon, the remaining pirates were as obedient as rabbits.

Smoker couldn't help but marvel.

"Specialized skills really do make a difference!"

As Gernika stood nearby, stoic as ever, Smoker walked over with a sly grin.

"I heard Lord Bancroft call you Gern?"

CP identities were top secret. While Smoker knew exactly who Gernika was—the unlucky guy Kaido had smashed to death—he pretended otherwise.

Gernika glanced at him but didn't respond.

Unbothered, Smoker continued cheekily, "I wanted to ask you a professional question."

Gernika frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"How much does a typical slave cost?"

Gernika looked surprised but saw no harm in answering.

"Ordinary slaves are about 200,000 to 300,000 berries. High-quality ones, like dancers or pirate slaves, are around 500,000."

"Rare species, like Longarm or Fish-Men, are double the price of regular slaves."

"The most expensive are Giant and Mermaid slaves, costing over 100 times the price of a normal human."

Smoker nodded thoughtfully. "I see…"

He recalled that back when Luffy reached the Sabaody Archipelago, regular slaves were priced at about 500,000 berries. It seemed inflation had doubled prices over the years.

Then he asked what he really wanted to know. "What about bounty hunters? How are slaves with bounties priced?"

Gernika explained, "Their price is the market value of a slave plus their bounty. If they're famous pirates, the price goes up even more."

Smoker frowned. "Wouldn't that mean the higher their bounty, the less worthwhile they are as slaves?"

"It's about prestige," Gernika replied. "The gods don't care about the cost. What matters is the status of owning them."

Smoker's eyes lit up in understanding. "Ah, I see. Thank you for the lesson."

Then, with a grin, he added, "By the way, Gern-san, let's exchange contact information!"

Gernika was about to refuse outright but hesitated. Seeing that the Celestial Dragon seemed to have a favorable impression of Smoker, he reluctantly agreed.

Smoker thanked him and left.

As he thought about the captured pirates and their bounties, a gleam of excitement filled his eyes.

"This is going to be a fortune!"

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