Chapter 911 - 911: Sabaody Is Close at Hand

During the few days they stayed in Water 7, they finally found Luffy a ship he liked.

The ship was built from the legendary Treasure Tree Adam and had cost several billion Berries.

The entire hull was a warm orange-yellow, like the rising sun.

At the bow was a cartoonish lion statue, its mane flaring like flames. The whole ship was not only extraordinarily imposing, but also possessed the indestructible qualities of the Treasure Tree Adam.

Ordinary currents, cannon fire, and even the Knock Up Stream that had left the Going Merry crippled were nothing to it.

The moment Luffy saw this ship, he couldn't take his eyes off it. He ran around it several times, waving his arms and legs in excitement, and finally gave it a resounding name with a grand wave of his hand.

Thousand Sunny!

Thus, everyone boarded this brand-new companion, raised the sails again, and set off toward their next destination, the Sabaody Archipelago.

There were only seven days left until Juste's public execution.

Thousand Sunny cut through the waves, sailing along the sea route toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

And as that day drew closer and closer, everyone could clearly feel the growing impatience and unease on Luffy.

The boy who was usually always grinning and carefree now often sat alone atop the lion statue at the bow, staring at the distant horizon without saying a word, his expression solemn.

Even when faced with his beloved food, the delicious dishes Sanji cooked, he often just absentmindedly shoveled down a couple of bites before losing his appetite.

Seeing him like this left everyone feeling awful.

And Luffy wasn't the only one who had grown silent.

As Thousand Sunny drew closer and closer to the Sabaody Archipelago, Shanks also became increasingly quiet.

He often stood alone at the bow, gazing at the surging sea, no one knowing what he was thinking about.

At times, grief flashed through those eyes; at times, a struggle passed through them; and at times, a resolute flame burned within them.

Those arms of Rayleigh's hung silently at his sides, as if they too were silently carrying some heavy burden.

At one corner of the deck, Robin, Kuro, and Crocodile were gathered together, speaking in low voices.

"Heh!"

Crocodile, a cigar clenched between his teeth, glanced at Shanks, who stood at the bow of the Red Hair Pirates' ship gazing into the distance, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised displeasure, "There was completely no need to go save him. They insist on saving someone who's destined to die."

He exhaled a mouthful of smoke and said coldly, "I think they won't be satisfied until they drag all of us into it as well."

In his view, compared with the unfathomably powerful World Government, their current strength was pitifully weak.

By rights, they should have kept a low profile, continued accumulating strength, and only gone looking for trouble with the World Government once they truly possessed the strength to contend with it.

But clearly, they couldn't afford to be so at ease now.

Today, one companion was captured; tomorrow, another would be killed.

They were being forced to keep moving forward.

Luffy was indeed growing stronger continuously, but at the same time, the people helping them were also becoming fewer and fewer.

Even Crocodile himself couldn't be sure whether he would still be alive to witness the arrival of that new era in the end.

"There's no choice. We can only go save him," Kuro shrugged, his tone flat, "If we don't, the consequences could be even worse."

The current fleet had already clearly split into three factions.

One was the World Government faction, led by Sanji and harboring ulterior motives.

One was the pirate faction, led by Shanks and Luffy, unwavering in their position.

And the remaining three were the ambiguous middle faction: the three of them.

In truth, in terms of where their hearts lay, the three of them were closer to Shanks' side. They simply knew very well that because of various things in their respective pasts, they weren't truly trusted by Shanks, so naturally they couldn't be considered his core subordinates.

But they didn't care in the slightest. These were extraordinary times. So what if they weren't trusted? Could Shanks really kill them?

Take Kuro, for example.

He had caused such a huge incident in Cocoyasi Village before, resulting in more than half of the Red Hair Pirates being lost, yet wasn't he still safe and sound now, without even losing a single hair?

Then again, that incident really couldn't all be blamed on Kuro.

The entire plan, from beginning to end, had been remotely directed by Yasopp from behind the scenes. Kuro had merely been the executor carrying out orders.

So the hatred of the Red Hair Pirates had instead been concentrated entirely on Yasopp.

Moreover, Kuro was secretly on Usopp's side and also a member of the World Government.

The relationships within the fleet were truly complicated and deeply intertwined.

"Given that person's personality," Robin slowly closed the book in her hands, her tone certain, "If we don't go save him, he'll kill every single person who was supposed to participate in the original plan."

Whenever Rosse was mentioned, an indelible fear would unconsciously well up in her eyes.

"Speaking of which," Crocodile frowned and asked the question that had lingered in his mind for a long time, "Just how strong is Rosse?"

"How strong?"

Hearing this, Robin actually gave a self-mocking laugh.

Her gaze became somewhat distant as she stared toward the far-off sky and murmured, "When you think his strength is invincible, unrivaled under heaven, you'll be shocked by his unfathomable schemes and calculations. And when he's leading you around by the nose while you remain completely unaware of it, you'll even overlook the fact that his strength is equally invincible."

Crocodile frowned, his face full of speechlessness, "That's way too mysterious, isn't it? So according to what you're saying, he's some monster without a single flaw or weakness?"

"He has one," Robin answered almost instantly, "He's lustful."

"How is that a weakness?", Kuro said speechlessly, "There are plenty of lustful men and women."

Although he himself wasn't lustful, he knew that there were countless lecherous people in this world, regardless of gender.

It wasn't only men in this world who kept harems. There were plenty of female nobles and queens with three thousand handsome men in their harems as well.

"No, you don't understand," Robin shook her head, her gaze growing increasingly complicated, "As long as you're obedient enough, as long as you're submissive enough, he'll indulge you without limit. Whatever you want, he'll give you."

"Isn't that pretty good?", Crocodile shrugged speechlessly, unable to understand her train of thought, "Then why don't you just give in to him?"

Even if she harbored a blood feud, silently lying low and developing beneath her enemy's protection would still be better than jumping out to oppose him with no chance of victory like she was doing now.

"I can't hide what's on my mind," Robin gave a self-mocking smile, "And..."

She paused, a strong hatred flashing through her eyes, "I want to kill Olvia. Unfortunately, she's more obedient than I am."

"Tsk! Just listening to that makes me a little envious."

Kuro raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Robin with interest.

Her graceful, curvaceous figure paired with that stunningly beautiful face really was enough to stir one's heart.

Unfortunately, she was that Majesty's forbidden possession.

At most, he dared to look at her from a distance. As for anything else, he didn't even dare entertain the slightest thought.

"Is it pretty?", Robin smiled playfully, winked at Kuro, and said in a coquettish voice, "Believe it or not, the moment you dare touch me, you'll die immediately."

"Hiss!"

Kuro was actually frightened by her half-joking words and hurriedly backed away several steps, his expression changing.

His look as if he were facing a formidable enemy made Robin giggle.

Yet behind that coquettish laughter, Robin's heart sank.

Confirmed. Kuro was most likely a member of the World Government.

Or perhaps he had always had the World Government in his heart and simply had yet to truly catch that Majesty's eye.

Otherwise, if he really were a lawless pirate, faced with her joke, at most he would have dismissed it with a nonchalant curl of his lips like Crocodile. How could he have reacted so strongly?

But even though she had already confirmed it in her heart, Robin said nothing.

What could saying it accomplish? There was no need to make trouble for nothing.

Rosse's biological son was openly staying aboard this ship. Rosse's ever-present eyes were probably watching every single move here at all times as well.

Whether they could win depended entirely on whether Rosse was willing to grant them that faint chance of victory.

It was truly infuriating.

Robin slowly raised her head and looked at the Sabaody Archipelago in the distance, growing closer and closer like a giant tree. Deep within those beautiful eyes churned her hatred for Rosse.

"We're here! The Sabaody Archipelago is right ahead!"

Usopp, standing at the lookout atop the mast, suddenly raised his hand and shouted.

Hearing him, everyone crowded toward the bow and looked ahead. A vast and magnificent yet strange archipelago appeared before their eyes.

It was an archipelago formed by countless towering giant trees stretching continuously into the distance.

Each of those giant trees towered into the clouds, so thick that hundreds of people would be needed to encircle one together. Their roots were tangled together, plunging deep into the seabed and linking the various islands, large and small, into one whole.

But the most amazing thing was that countless dreamlike bubbles continuously emerged from the roots of those giant trees.

Those bubbles came in all sizes, floating lightly through the air, reflecting the sunlight and shifting with rainbow-colored halos, decorating the entire archipelago like a dazzling dream.

People played in the bubbles, traveled by riding them, and lived in buildings covered by bubbles.

The entire Sabaody Archipelago, amid those bubbles filling the sky, gave off a lazy yet prosperous atmosphere.

"Wow! It's so pretty! What are those bubbles?"

Luffy was the first to be attracted by the bubbles filling the sky and shouted excitedly, the gloom of the past few days seeming to fade somewhat.

Everyone steered Thousand Sunny slowly into that sea of bubbles, found a concealed tree root, and quietly moored the ship. Then they disguised themselves and set foot upon this dreamlike land.

However, when everyone truly entered the heart of the Sabaody Archipelago, the brief joy brought by the beautiful scenery was gradually replaced by a heavy feeling of suffocation.

The Sabaody Archipelago was likewise an island directly under the World Government.

And because it bordered the Holy Land Mary Geoise and the Red Line, it had become the largest human resources market beneath the Red Line.

Ever since slavery had been explicitly abolished, the human resources market had naturally replaced the once monstrously criminal slave trade, becoming the most prosperous industry in the Sabaody Archipelago.

Nominally, it was no longer a master-slave relationship.

But in reality, compared with the slaves of the past, this so-called human resources recruitment had done nothing more than remove the overt beatings and personal attacks.

In exchange, employers now had to pay a hiring fee, and this money would be received directly by the person being hired.

Of course, it wasn't that they couldn't be beaten.

As long as enough money was offered, there were plenty of workers willing to voluntarily provide all kinds of special services.

Even if someone wanted to cut off their hands and feet for entertainment, there were still people flocking to volunteer, scrambling to be first.

After all, the more perverse the entertainment, the higher the price the employer paid.

And those buyers were also surprised to discover that the laborers here were much more useful than the slaves of the past.

They cost less money. There was no need to buy a human life outright anymore; they only had to pay wages by the month.

More importantly, the enthusiasm of these laborers was completely different from that of the slaves of the past.

The slaves of the past, no matter how much you shouted at and drove them, wished they could turn around and kill their masters. The slightest carelessness could lead to disaster, so the masters had to use all kinds of cruel methods to restrain them.

But now, even if you wanted to drive these laborers away, they would cling to you and refuse to leave, even shamelessly flattering and ingratiating themselves with you in every possible way.

The reason was very simple.

In the past, the ones collecting the money were those evil slave shops, whereas now, the ones collecting the money were the workers themselves. Of course, that was different.

Thus, a strange and harmonious situation took shape.

The employers were satisfied, the people being employed were satisfied, and the business of the Sabaody Archipelago grew bigger and more prosperous.

Those unscrupulous merchants who had once dealt in slaves had now also transformed into respectable middlemen, no longer needing to exhaust themselves capturing slaves, yet earning no less money than before.

Simply perfect.

A thriving scene of prosperity and development in every direction.

But in the eyes of Shanks and the others, the Sabaody Archipelago of today was even more twisted and chilling than the era when slaves ran rampant.

"Damn it!"

Luffy looked at a laborer by the roadside who was bowing and scraping, his face full of flattery as his employer beat and berated him, yet who continued bowing and thanking the employer repeatedly. His fists gradually clenched.

He couldn't understand. He didn't get it.

That man had clearly been beaten until his face was bruised and swollen. Why was there not the slightest trace of anger or resistance in his eyes?

Crocodile clenched the cigar between his teeth, a gravity he could barely conceal flashing through his eyes.

Robin silently turned her gaze away, her eyes full of complexity and sorrow.

"At least...", Shanks looked at the scene before him and slowly spoke, his voice low and heavy, "The slaves of the past still carried thoughts of resistance in their hearts. They still knew they were human. They still longed for freedom."

"But now?", He closed his eyes briefly, his tone full of pain and helplessness, "These laborers don't even possess the awareness to resist anymore. For a few tens of thousands of Berries, they'll do anything."

That was the most terrifying part.

The slavery of the past imprisoned people's bodies.

But this sophisticated and respectable system imprisoned people's souls.

They were fed, treated well, and even grateful that someone was willing to employ them and give them a meal.

They had completely forgotten that they were supposed to be free.

That was the most terrifying and despairing part of Rosse's rule.

He wasn't conquering this world with iron and blood. Instead, through an almost gentle method, he made everyone willingly put on those invisible shackles, and they even enjoyed it.

Shanks looked at the dazzling bubbles filling the sky and felt that beneath that dreamlike beauty was a gigantic shell that had already rotted away.

An unprecedented chill quietly crept into everyone's hearts.

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