Edward Ike and Edward Newgate discussed back and forth.
In the end—
The two brothers simply couldn't come up with a good solution.
So…
They decided to stop thinking about it for now.
And just head to the black market to buy more princesses.
"Master!"
Selina looked at Ike, who was sitting in the study, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"Selina?" Ike looked at her helplessly. "It's already the middle of the night. Why aren't you resting?"
"Hehe~~~"
With a gentle laugh, Selina said warmly, "Master, I'm nurturing a pregnancy, not turning into a little pig. I can't just eat and sleep all day, can I?"
"That's true." Ike smiled and rubbed his head. "That's my fault."
It was his first time being an expectant father, after all.
There were many things he didn't fully understand yet.
Selina had been eating and sleeping every day—fortunately, her physique was good, or she might've really gained a lot of weight by now.
"Master!" Selina sat down, taking fruit from the maid behind her and placing it in front of Ike. "Is something bothering you? You're still in the study this late."
"Well…"
Ike thought for a moment, then explained the situation to her.
"I see."
"Hehe~~~"
Selina nodded in understanding, then said with a soft smile, "We really should thank big brother. But if we're talking about a safe island or sea… I might have an idea."
"Hm?"
Ike raised an eyebrow. "What idea?"
"Hmm~~~"
Selina blinked playfully. "Master, let me keep it a secret for now, alright? There are some things I don't fully remember. Once I confirm it, I'll tell you."
"Alright."
Seeing her adorable expression, what else could Ike say?
Of course he agreed.
The matter was temporarily set aside.
As for whether Selina really knew something—
Honestly, Ike didn't mind either way.
If she did, great.
If not, it didn't matter.
At least it gave her something to do, instead of just eating and sleeping all day.
Otherwise…
She really might turn into a little pig.
The next day—
The pirate ship headed straight for the black market.
Of course—
The black market under the control of the Underworld Emperors wasn't limited to just one island.
In fact—
There were eight such islands in the New World alone.
And as the underworld expanded, that number would likely increase.
As for the Four Seas and the Grand Line?
No need to even mention it.
The Four Seas had over a hundred black market islands combined.
The Grand Line had eighteen.
From this, it was clear—
The New World actually had the fewest.
Why?
Because the New World was simply too chaotic.
Every day—
War, conflict, destruction.
If some lunatic powerhouse decided to wipe out a black market island—
What could the Underworld Emperors do?
Nothing.
They could only accept the loss.
But abandon the New World?
Impossible.
This was the core of the underworld.
Moving operations to the Four Seas or the Grand Line would just get them devoured completely.
So—
Buying fallen princesses from black markets?
That was extremely easy.
"Fallen princesses—do you have any?"
Ike and Newgate walked into a slave shop and asked directly.
"Two lords!"
The shop owner hurried over, bowing deeply before speaking respectfully, "Of course! I currently have ten princesses. Each one is 17–18 years old—prime age!"
"Are they clean?" Newgate asked casually.
"Absolutely!"
The owner nodded immediately. "That's the minimum standard! I would never pass off inferior goods. If there's any issue, you can find us at any black market island—we guarantee it!"
Seeing the owner nearly pounding his chest in assurance, the brothers had no further doubts.
After all—
In the underworld, you could rob and kill freely once you left the island.
But within the black market—
Everything relied on one thing: reputation.
Competition was too fierce.
Without credibility, survival was impossible.
"You have ten princesses in total?" Ike confirmed.
"Yes! Yes!"
The owner nodded repeatedly. "If you need more, I can transfer them from other shops. At most, it'll take ten days."
"No need." Ike raised his hand. "These ten will do. We'll take them all."
"Yes!"
The owner's smile widened instantly.
Aside from giants and mermaids—
Fallen princesses were among the highest-quality slaves.
Their price was comparable to rare races.
And now—
All ten at once?
Definitely a big spender.
Of course—
The Edward brothers, rising supernova pirates, being wealthy was only natural.
"Two lords!"
"The total for ten princesses is 7 million Beli. Please confirm?"