Bepo docked the Polar Submarine at the harbor.
With the help of the dockworkers, they secured it at the designated berth.
“This place is really lively.”
“I want to look around for sure.”
“Do you have any money?”
“Do I need money to look around?
I’ll look, I’ll look!”
Shachi and Penguin were bickering.
Bepo gripped the railing, leaning more than half his body over the side.
But he quickly pulled back, looking dejected.
“There’s only five of us.
Someone has to stay and watch the ship.
I guess I’ll stay.” Bepo blinked, then added pitifully, “But Bepo wants to go ashore too…”
“Then we all go.”
Bepo’s eyes lit up, but he still looked confused, turning to Kane: “What about the ship?”
“Leave the ship to me.”
The moment he finished speaking, eighteen tall ghosts emerged from the shadows beneath Kane’s feet, spreading out across the deck and into various corners of the cabin.
Only then did Bepo and the others relax.
They passed through the bustling harbor and entered the town.
A scene of prosperity beyond their imagination unfolded before them.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, with all kinds of people moving through them.
Laughter, hawking, and arguments intertwined, making Kane doubt his own understanding of the world.
This place was so prosperous, yet he had never known about it.
Whenever he chatted with merchant ship captains in the past, none of them had ever mentioned this place.
When they occasionally passed through nearby waters, the captains and sailors would hem and haw, leading Kane to believe it was barren wasteland.
He had never come here before.
The pedestrians on the street were interesting.
They largely fell into two categories.
One group walked quickly, heads down, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
Occasionally someone would look up, their gaze sweeping over Kane and his group before quickly retreating back into their hoods.
The other group was blatantly arrogant, swaggering down the street.
Their clothing and demeanor screamed trouble — either pirates or gangsters.
These people stared without restraint, sizing up Kane’s group with malicious grins.
“This place…” Shachi muttered, trailing off without finishing.
Penguin didn’t respond, simply gripping his baseball bat tighter.
Just then, a group of people came from the harbor and passed by them.
The old man at the front and the burly men surrounding the escort had bloodstains on their clothes.
Swords and guns were in hand, not even properly stowed away.
In the middle of the line, people with shackles on their wrists and ankles walked with numb expressions.
Slave traders!
Kane frowned.
This wasn’t the Grand Line.
Slave traders this brazen in the Four Seas?
Out in broad daylight, freely entering and leaving town — there was something seriously wrong with this island!
The old man leading the group paused, turned around, and squinted hard.
“Am I seeing things?
Is that a Mink?”
“Boss, you’re not seeing things.
The group of slave traders quickly and deliberately surrounded them.
Kane stepped forward, placing himself in front of Bepo.
Ghostly aura surged.
An invisible killing intent erupted, sweeping toward the approaching slave traders.
The scene instantly went silent.
The slave traders stopped in their tracks, their expressions uncertain.
The surrounding pedestrians also fell quiet, quietly retreating into the shops on both sides.
“Look at his hand!
He’s that bounty hunter — Ghost Hand Kane!” One of the slave traders recognized him, crying out in surprise to warn his boss.
This threw the bystanders into chaos.
Many who had already hidden inside the shops, disregarding the risk of drawing attention from both sides, turned and fled into the dark alleys, disappearing from sight.
“So it’s the famous Ghost Hand.
My apologies!” The old man immediately sheathed his sword and raised his hand in salute, showing full respect.
His underlings also instantly put away their weapons, putting on ingratiating smiles.
“We were rude just now.
Please accept this as an apology.
We’ll take our leave.”
The old man tossed out a cloth pouch.
Shachi caught it before Kane could, opened it and checked, confirming there were no dangerous items inside, then said in a low voice: “About 2 million Beri.”
Seeing Kane withdraw his aura, the old man clasped his hands and quickly led his people away.
After they had gone, Law came up beside Kane: “You’re letting them go just like that?
What about those people?”
Kane knew he meant the poor souls who had been reduced to slaves.
“I’m really not happy about it.
I wanted to fight them just now.”
“But looking at how the bystanders reacted, the slave trade isn’t uncommon here.
The ruler of this island is a big problem.”
“I’m going to tear down all the darkness in this place.”
Law and the others drew closer silently, offering their wordless support, waiting for the next order.
Kane’s eyes were sharp as he scanned everything around him.
“First, gather information.
Then we’ll talk about what comes next.”
“I’ll move alone.
The four of you stay together at all times.”
“I’ll find out who’s in charge.
You find the slave auction houses and the slave traders’ hideouts.
Don’t go too deep — just get a general idea of the locations.”
“Oh, and if you spot anyone with a bounty, write them down.”
Penguin and Law nodded.
“Among the ones who ran away earlier, two had bounties.
We’ve already recorded them.”
“Then let’s move!”
The group split up.
Heads poked out from the shops on both sides of the street.
Seeing the group had gone, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The street became lively once more.
The morning had passed, and it was now midday.
Using his advanced Observation Haki, Kane found the others waiting at a street corner and made his way over.
The moment he arrived, he saw Law’s face burning with rage, killing intent practically shooting from his eyes.
Bepo and the others were trying to comfort him.
Penguin spotted Kane approaching and waved him over.
“You saw it.” Kane’s voice was soft, but his tone was certain.
“Yes.” Law gritted his teeth, each word forced out.
“It’s the Donquixote Family’s symbol!”
“Don’t worry.
I said I’d do it.
The path of revenge starts here.”
Kane spoke firmly, without a trace of hesitation.
He glanced at a nearby tavern and headed toward it.
“Come on.
Let’s eat first.”
“Law, we’ll help you!”
Bepo and the other two showed their solidarity, then walked toward the tavern.
Law hung his head, his expression conflicted.
“Wait!” Law shouted, running over and grabbing Kane’s sleeve.
“Maybe we should hold off.
Dofla…
that bastard might be here.
There’s no rush.”
Kane looked into Law’s eyes, which were filled with worry.
He smiled.
The fact that Law was thinking about everyone else made him happy.
“Let’s eat first.
You can’t do anything on an empty stomach.”
Kane ruffled the fluffy snow leopard hat and turned into the tavern.
Law had no choice but to follow.
“Boss, five seafood fried rice plates, one glass of sherry, four glasses of orange juice.”
“Coming right up!”
Kane sat at the counter, scanning the countertop.
“Any big news at sea these past few days?”
The bartender poured Kane a glass of sherry and chimed in: “Of course.
The famous actress Cindry had a stage accident — heard it was an accidental death.”
“Also, Red-Leg Zeff entered the Grand Line.
Made quite a splash.”
“But if we’re talking about the hottest topic lately, it’s got to be the Donquixote Family from the North Blue.
The Heavenly Yaksha’s name is spreading like wildfire across the Grand Line!”
“Oh?”
Seeing Kane’s interest, the bartender was about to chat more, but a customer called him away.
He could only pull a newspaper from under the counter.
“Take a look, sir.
I’ll be back in a bit.”
Kane opened the newspaper.
Law and the others crowded around.
[Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo Attacks Gunpowder Kingdom, Assassinates King Valegus — Bounty Rises to 184,000,000 Beri.]