Arceus in One Piece - Chapter 75

“Ash, Captain Puliert, we’ve arrived.”

They were still not used to calling Ash that way; the original crew of Puliert had long gone somewhere.

But their faces had also been disguised. As long as the illusion remained, no one could recognize them.

On an unknown island in the New World, the members of the Beast Pirates arrived at the trading place.

Gray kingdoms like the Natahuo Kingdom were exceptions. The underground trading markets in the New World rarely appeared openly; they always had reasons to cover themselves.

For example, this island wasn’t even recorded on nautical charts. Only through particular pointers could one find this place.

Although the existence of underground markets was almost tacitly acknowledged by the World Government, they were also targets of the Marines’s crackdown. Not all gray transactions had the cover of an affiliated kingdom like the Natahuo Kingdom did.

They were illegal organizations; places where pirates gathered were always targets of the Marines’s crackdown.

They found a concealed corner nearby to hide their ship. Although theoretically, it wouldn’t be discovered here, the pirates still cautiously concealed their boat.

Encounters with pirates at sea were not unusual, nor were encounters with patrolling Marines. To prevent running into Marines who were so zealous that they’d try to arrest pirates on sight, nobody would boldly dock their ships in the harbor.

Without an Eternal Pointer, this place was basically impossible to find, but it couldn’t be ruled out that some people might pass by accidentally.

From the outside, this looked like an ordinary island. Even when you set foot on it, all you could see was legitimate business.

Olga’s security team ensured secrecy, and Ash handled the issue of force; his strength was enough to deal with most pirates, and even if something unexpected happened, it would be enough to take Olga and leave here.

The irradiation of the pure gold glow over the past century has caused some side effects. Although they had escaped the influence of pure gold, their appearance hadn’t changed much from two years ago when they had just left the belly of the Sea King.

According to Ashe’s analysis, this phenomenon might last for a considerable amount of time.

They naturally came here with sufficient information. There existed towns on this island, and it looked no different from an ordinary small town. However, when Ash and the others uttered a code phrase in a tavern, they arrived at the underground trading post.

The people inside varied in appearance. Some covered their faces with hats and masks, while others strolled around here grandly. The insignias of various pirate groups were their confidence.

Pirates valued their flags. If outsiders used a pirate group’s emblem without permission, it was an act of war.

However, only some people did so. Using someone else’s pirate flag came at a price. Although it could deter some weak pirates, it would also attract stronger ones.

Pirates who didn’t cover their faces were members of the Great Pirate Crews: Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Big Mom. Their signs can be seen here.

Now, the Beast Pirates’ flag also wielded a specific deterrent power. But to confuse the sight, all of them carried the insignia of Puliert.

And this underground market made Olga feel uncomfortable.

This is the real dark side of the world. When she stayed in the hotel during her time in the Natahuo Kingdom, she didn’t see those things, but now she saw them.

Minerals, trees, gold, and people.

In cages, people of various races could be seen: Longarms Fishmen. Whether it was minority races or ordinary people, they were shared here. There were also some bloody organs, which seemed to have just been taken out from the bodies not long ago.

Occasionally, there were screams and cries, but no one paid attention to them; they continued to talk business cheerfully.

“This is the dirtiest, or perhaps the most accurate, side of this world. These people were originally pirates or members of non-affiliated countries, or they were kidnapped from affiliated countries. But now, they are just commodities.

This is a cruel world. You’ve already embarked on this path. Only by continuously getting stronger can you survive.”

Shaina and Olga got along quite well. Seeing Olga’s expression not looking good, Ash said a few more words. He wouldn’t usually interfere with ordinary people.

Soroaik’s group illusion was very realistic, and the changes in their expressions would also be reflected in the illusion. With her mastery of her own ability, the consumption of the illusion became smaller and smaller.

“Put away your sympathy. You can’t help them here. Such expressions will only attract the hunting dogs in this darkness to you. If you want everything to go according to your own thoughts, at least you need strength to match it.”

Soon, Ash found their trading partner covered in a black robe from head to toe, making it impossible to see their face. Even though there were people maintaining security inside the underground market, too much exposure here would still attract attention, and it was never wrong to be cautious.

Real money was used in the transaction. This wasn’t a one-time purchase; they still needed to pay some attention to their reputation.

If the illusion were discovered, it wouldn’t end well.

Olga’s ability had a range limit when released, and if the illusion disguised itself as currency, it wouldn’t take long to be discovered.

The trading process went smoothly. The five billion bounty on Puliert still had enough deterrent power for some people. Although some pirates would forge their own bounties for particular purposes, the bounties that made it to the newspapers were natural.

With the money and goods settled, Ash and the others packed up and left.

With the cover of the illusion, there were no longer any Puliert people here, only the hands of the Beast Pirates. Nobody could imagine that the people who traded here before were this group.

But they took a detour. After hiding the goods with the illusion, they returned here. This time, they appeared here as members of the Beast Pirates.

The identity used to purchase those unique materials was Puliert’s, but for some regular materials, it was the Beast Pirates’ identity. After Puliert left here, they would disappear, so whether departing or arriving, the flag hung on the ship was that of the Beast Pirates.

Coming to such a place empty-handed was not sensible. The Adam Tree was one of their targets. The current Beast Pirates needed a true flagship.

Ships could be delayed in construction, but suitable materials had to be stored in advance.

Apart from trading, there were more.

Entertainment facilities here. After removing the disguise, they had no more restrictions and got some free time for themselves. They also got a fair share of loot from the previous battle.

Pirates who liked to save money were a tiny minority; most people cherished pleasure in time. After all, this was a profession where death could come at any time.

Olga planned to buy one or two enslaved people with Elizabeth; she always felt uncomfortable doing nothing.

However, there was a commotion in the distance. In the crowd, a strange red-nosed youth and another with red hair seemed to be arguing about something.

Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉

30 chapters ahead are available on Patron!