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Chapter 136: The Fate of Scum, a World of Ice and Fire!
🕑 Added 2025-08-18 14:31:17 +0000 UTCChapter 136: The Fate of Scum, a World of Ice and Fire!
Thump, thump, thump!
Screams echoed across the deck in the night.
After giving the group a sound beating, Nojiko shook her wrists and looked down at the bruised and swollen nobles and wealthy merchants on the floor.
She bent down and picked up the shackles that had just been removed from the slaves. With a few deft movements, she had them all tied up.
Shackles locked, chains wrapped, ensuring they couldn't even move a finger.
"You like to chain people up, don't you?"
Nojiko grinned, holding the set of keys, and casually tossed them into the sea. "Now it's your turn to experience it. How does it feel? Comfortable?"
"N-No!"
Are they going to throw them into the sea? Garde was terrified. He struggled desperately but couldn't move. He could only cry and beg for mercy.
"Spare me! You two, I have money! I have a lot of money! If you let me go, send me back, I'm willing to pay two hundred… no! Three hundred million Berries as a reward!"
"Three hundred million Berries?"
Nami sneered, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "Who do you think I am?! Do you think I care about money?"
"What should we do with them, Big Bro?" Nojiko asked, turning to Shane.
"Whatever you want. You can kill them directly," Shane said casually, roasting meat.
Slave traders. No matter how they were dealt with, they deserved it.
"Of course we're going to kill them, but we can't let them die so easily," Nojiko snorted. She activated her Snow-Snow Fruit ability and created a hollow cube of snow around them.
And in the center of the bottom, she left an arched fire pit.
Nami immediately understood. She flicked her finger, and a large cluster of flames landed in the fire pit, erupting into a roaring fire.
Nojiko kicked the large block of ice into the sea.
"NO—!!!"
Garde watched in horror as he was thrown into the sea, screaming desperately at The Curtain Call.
Those two bastard girls! How dare they do this to him!
This is no different from a sealed iron cage! Is he really going to die in such a ridiculous way, just like those lowly slaves?
Sizzle!
Inside the cube, the flames in the fire pit roared, scorching their skin. At the same time, the six ice walls began to melt at a visible rate under the intense heat.
A world of ice and fire.
Extreme cold and extreme heat tormented them in turn. The melted ice water dripped down from above, soaking their clothes.
But it was quickly vaporized by the flames into scalding steam, which, in this nearly sealed space, burned their respiratory tracts.
"Aaaah! It's hot! It's so hot!"
"No, I'm freezing to death!"
"Help! Someone save us!"
"I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please let me go!"
The few nobles and wealthy merchants struggled wildly inside the ice coffin, but the shackles and chains held them fast. They couldn't even roll over, and could only endure the inhuman torture.
Fear, despair, pain!
And they were helpless!
In that moment, they finally understood what the slaves, who they had locked in iron cages in the bottom of the hold and sent to the bottom of the sea, had felt before they died.
…
On the deck of The Curtain Call.
The few burly men who had just been freed stared at the large block of ice floating away on the sea, listening to the piercing screams from within the flames, a little dazed.
"They… are they really dead?" one of them murmured.
"Dead?"
Nojiko crossed her arms and sneered. "Not so easily. They can last for at least another twenty minutes. Plenty of time for them to enjoy themselves."
"They got off easy,"
Nami said. "If I wasn't afraid that they might be lucky enough to run into a rescue ship, I would have let them despair for a little longer."
"..."
The burly men were silent for a moment. They exchanged a look and then suddenly all kneeled on the ground, kowtowing to the crew.
"Thank you all!"
"Thank you, Lord Shane!"
"You not only saved us, but you also helped us to vent our anger…"
"We will never forget this kindness for the rest of our lives!"
Shane glanced at them and grinned. "Get up. No need for that."
He casually pushed a large iron plate of freshly grilled skewers toward them. "I saw you all earlier, you were too timid to fight for food with the others. You must still be hungry. Here, eat up and get your strength back."
The burly men were overwhelmed. They cautiously took the skewers and began to eat ravenously.
"Eat slowly, don't choke,"
Zeff said with a hearty laugh, bringing over a few bowls of hot soup. "There's more where that came from! As long as I'm around, no one will go hungry!"
"Thank you… thank you…"
They were speechless, eating and sobbing quietly.
How long has it been?
How long has it been since they were treated like "people"?
…
Shane watched them silently for a moment, then let out a long sigh.
Damn this shitty world.
But at least…
He had long since passed the stage of "looking out for himself" and was steadily moving toward "helping the world."
Just keep sailing. One day, with his own fists, he will change this world from the top down!
Of course, there was still one matter at hand.
Shane's gaze shifted to the group of survivors huddled in the corner, his expression gradually growing indifferent.
The main culprits were dead, but their accomplices were still here.
Among them were ordinary sailors who were powerless to resist, and passengers who didn't know the truth. But there were also the lackeys of the nobles and wealthy merchants, or their co-conspirators.
He wasn't good at telling them apart.
But there was someone on the ship who was an expert.
Shane turned his head, his gaze falling on Smoker. He tilted his chin slightly and gave him a look.
Smoker, a cigar between his teeth, narrowed his eyes. He immediately understood the boss's meaning.
"Tsk, what a hassle,"
he muttered, but he still stood up without hesitation and strode toward the group of survivors.
Before joining The Curtain Call, he had been an elite from Marine Headquarters. He had learned everything: interrogation, screening, and dealing with criminals. He was all too familiar with this kind of work.
Shane also looked away. He was confident in leaving this matter to Smoker.
But, with this, the planned barbecue feast would have to be postponed.
Shane didn't stay on the deck for long. After a quick bite, he went straight into the cabin, to the training room, and began to vent his anger on the Poneglyph.
…
The next morning, only a little over twenty survivors remained on the ship. As for the rest, it was obvious what had happened to them.
These were not accomplices, but sailors or passengers. Most of them still had some money on them, so he didn't have to worry too much about them. They thanked Shane and his crew profusely and planned to leave on their own at the next island and find a way back home.
But the few slaves who had been rescued seemed to have other ideas.
"Hmm? What is this?"
Shane, who had just finished breakfast, turned his head in surprise, looking at the few burly men who had come to him.
The burly men exchanged a look, and one of them gritted his teeth. "Lord Shane, we… we want to follow you!"
"That's right! We're willing to follow you!"
"We're strong and we can work! We might not be much help in a fight, but you can leave all the chores on the ship to us!"
"Follow me?"
Shane raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, my lord!"
The burly man in the middle nodded heavily. "Our hometown has been destroyed, and our families are all… we have nothing left but our lives."
"We'd rather follow you, my lord! We wouldn't regret it even if we died in battle for you! It's better than being a slave!"
Shane's gaze swept over the group.
Most of them were burly and had a determined look in their eyes. They were clearly used to hard work.
They were indeed qualified to be handymen on the ship.
But…
"I'm sorry,"
Shane said, shaking his head. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm afraid I can't agree. Following me is too dangerous."
If he were a real pirate, he would have been thrilled to have such a group of loyal, free laborers.
Even if the adventures ahead were too much for them to handle, he could just treat them as consumables and recruit a new batch when they died.
Unfortunately, he wasn't that cold-blooded.
Now that the World Government was taking the Curtain Call Adventurers more seriously, the next time they had a direct confrontation, the enemy would be even stronger.
To let these ordinary people, who couldn't even defeat a low-ranking Marine, on the ship would be no different from sending them to their deaths.
And besides, he wouldn't easily change his plans.
The crew of The Curtain Call was an elite group, modeled after Red-Hair's flawless "Iron Wall" crew.
If someone wanted to join, and they couldn't even beat the non-combatant, Nami, then…
"My lord,"
the burly men lowered their heads. Although they knew it wouldn't be easy to join, and that there was a great risk to their lives, they were still a little disheartened by the direct rejection.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's with the long faces?! Your past lives may have been destroyed by those scum, but now you're free! You have countless possibilities to start a new life,"
Shane said, seeing their dejected expressions, his tone softening slightly. He smiled. "My ship is not for you, but I will give you some money. It should be enough for you to settle down on the next island, and then…"
"N-No, that's not necessary, my lord!"
The burly men frantically waved their hands, their eyes red with emotion. "We have our own two hands! We can earn our own living!"
"That's right!"
The leader of the group took a deep breath and nodded heavily. "You've already helped us twice! If we continue to trouble you and take your money, what kind of men would we be?!"
"That's right!"
"We may not be as strong as you, but we still have our strength!"
"If worse comes to worst, we can just work as porters at the docks or do odd jobs in the taverns! We can support ourselves!"
"..."
Faced with their firm attitude, Shane was silent for a moment, and then he laughed heartily, patting each of them on the shoulder.
It seemed he had saved the right 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 on the Eternal Pose finally appeared in their sights.
It was a medium-sized island.
From a distance, there were many merchant ships docked at the port, and the town's buildings were well-arranged. The streets were bustling with pedestrians.
On both sides of the road leading from the port to the town were all sorts of shops.
From a distance, it seemed that most of them were restaurants. The sea breeze carried the rich aroma of food, whetting their appetites.
—[WELCOME TO PUCCI]
"So it's Pucci?"
Zeff looked at the giant sign at the entrance of the port and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This is not what I expected."
"That name sounds so familiar…"
Nami thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped her fist into her palm, her eyes shining with surprise. "I remember now! So this is the city! I saw it in one of the books my brother bought for me when I was a kid!"
"This is the famous city of food in the Grand Line!"
She looked at the distant town with anticipation, reciting the description she had read in the picture book. "The entire island is like a pile of desserts. A chocolate waterfall flows from the cliffs, a cream forest stretches as far as the eye can see, and the chefs at the port are so enthusiastic, they even offer free cake to all the guests… huh? How come none of that is true?"
The Pucci Island before them, though the port was bustling and the streets were clean, was a far cry from the dream-like food paradise described in the book.
"Dammit, this is just an ordinary town! Picture books really are just for tricking kids!"
Nami shook her fist in a huff and turned her head. "Uncle Zeff, do you also feel that the name doesn't live up to the reality, that you've been deceived by its fame?"
"No, quite the opposite,"
Zeff shook his head. "This once-famous city of food did indeed have the glory described in the picture book. But before I first set sail on the Grand Line, I heard that after the Great Pirate Era began, because this town was on a popular route, it was constantly harassed and plundered by pirates. And with no Marine branch stationed nearby, it fell into ruin in just a few years."
"So…"
Zeff looked around, at the bustling scene in the port, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "The reason I'm surprised is completely different from yours. I don't know why, but this town has now recovered to this extent."
"Although it's not as prosperous as it was in its heyday, it's much better than the dilapidated state it was in a few years ago."
"I see," Nami also said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
Shane stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over the port. He suddenly noticed a commotion among the ships docked at the pier.
Many of the merchant ships were hastily weighing anchor, and even the few pirate ships that had been brazenly docked in the very center were now quickly moving to the sides, making way.
"It seems they've recognized our flag,"
Shane shrugged, a little helpless.
As his "infamy" grew, he would probably have to get used to this.
