One piece: I,Akaino will not die easily

The apartments in the sea—those on the top floors that receive sunlight are the most expensive, while the ones closest to the pitch-black seabed have the cheapest rent.

Between the apartments, there are also sea turtles carrying medium-sized protective shields, serving as sea turtle elevators to facilitate movement between floors.

"吅!" Lindemann knocked on the door of a merman hotel.

With a creak, a small window on the thick iron door was roughly pulled open, revealing a deep blue-skinned tropical fish merman with an unpleasant expression:

"We do not accommodate humans."

Then, with a bang, he shut the window.

Lindemann couldn't help but smile wryly and continued knocking—he hadn't even said anything yet!

And this wasn't an isolated incident. Many hotels and restaurants in this area refused to provide services to humans.

"We are the navy assisting the Neptune Army in patrolling this area. Please cooperate with our operation." Lindemann was also helpless—he couldn't just break in like a pirate.

In the end, dozens of people were crowded outside the door, relying solely on the reputation of the Neptune Army to proceed with their work.

The small window was pulled open again. The merman hotel owner looked at the navy outside the door with suspicion:

"What do you want to ask?"

"Boss, do you know if any humans have recently purchased supplies in large quantities here?"

"I never sell supplies to humans!" The hotel owner's face hardened, and he was about to shut the window again.

"Then, have you sold to mermen?" Lindemann asked urgently. "We're currently hunting down a group of human traffickers."

The small window closed with a slam.

The navy soldiers standing outside exchanged glances and shrugged, preparing to leave empty-handed.

With a light click, the iron door opened a crack, and the merman hotel owner's voice came from inside:

"…You're hunting down human traffickers?"

Still somewhat puzzled, Lindemann nodded. "Yes."

"The ones who publicly beheaded an entire pirate crew a few days ago—that was you guys?" The hotel owner's voice finally showed some emotion.

"Aiya~ That was me and another vice admiral." Lindemann smiled—they had finally found a breakthrough.

"Come in!"

Most of the buildings in this area were constructed along the coral reefs, and even inside this hotel, the water level reached above an average person's thighs to facilitate access for mermaids and mermen.

The bar area was kept dry, with furniture placed there. The merman hotel owner pointed to a high stool at the bar, signaling for Lindemann to sit. He then walked behind the bar, facing the navy officer.

"There was indeed a merman customer who placed a large order for meals at the hotel's restaurant and asked me to deliver them," he said, staring at the always-smiling navy officer opposite him. "But I am not obligated to expose my customers' information."

For the first time, the navy officer, whose eyes had been curved into a constant smile, allowed the other party to see his pupils. Ice-blue irises stared straight at the merman—like a cold-blooded serpent devoid of emotion.

Still smiling, he said,

"We have enough intelligence to suspect that this merman is working with human traffickers."

"Aren't you even a little curious? There haven't been any major gatherings around here, yet someone needs such a large quantity of food."

The hotel owner froze. "I did think it was a bit strange, but I didn't pay much attention to it."

"The only possible explanation is that, due to the navy's sudden raids, these traffickers—who were preparing to transfer mermaids—were forced to hide on Fish-Man Island to wait out the storm." Lindemann stretched out a finger, lightly tapping the bar counter.

"…Hmph. The address they gave me for the delivery was in the southeastern part of Coral Hill—the most conspicuous shipping company there." The merman hotel owner waved his hand impatiently, signaling for Lindemann to leave.

"Aiya~ much appreciated~"

Wearing an expression of a fox who had taken advantage of a good deal, Lindemann waded slowly through the thigh-deep water. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned his head and asked,

"What made you change your mind and decide to help us?"

The hotel owner was silent for a moment before replying in a muffled voice,

"…An old friend of mine was killed by those pirates. This is all I can do to help you."

As he watched the navy officers close the door, the merman hotel owner suddenly rushed forward, grabbed onto the small window, and shouted,

"Navy! You must save those children!"

"Navy! Promise me!"

The navy officer, with his smooth, medium-length black hair, stood with his back to the door. He simply waved his right hand.

"Rest assured, within a day."

"Damn it! Since when did the navy come to Fish-Man Island?!"

Inside a secret chamber, a fat, pig-faced human slammed the table.

"How are we supposed to transport our cargo out?"

"I don't care about that," said a light yellow-skinned merman lounging on the sofa, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth. "As agreed, my only responsibility is to keep the mermaids well-fed."

The human trafficker, infuriated by this bastard's words, grabbed the red wine on the table and downed it in one gulp.

On land, his public identity was that of a businessman cooperating with the World Government on ship-coating trades.

But in secret, his true business on Fish-Man Island was human trafficking.

He was smart—he acted as a middleman, purchasing mermaids and fish-men from reckless human traffickers and pirates who had taken great risks to capture them.

At the same time, he had also hired a formidable pirate captain as his personal bodyguard.

Afterward, he would transport them by merchant ship to the Sabaody Archipelago, where they would be sold to his biggest clients—the Celestial Dragons.

He glanced at the merman, who looked completely indifferent, then frowned.

"You're sure no other mermen got suspicious when you placed the food order?"

"Of course not. Why would they suspect me—a fellow merman? Pirates are the ones they should be wary of."

As he finished speaking, the merman deliberately looked toward a human pirate leaning against the wall and sneered maliciously.

Since the beginning of their partnership, he had known this guy was strong.

But the well-informed former pirate captain wasn't as optimistic. "If you made even the slightest mistake and got noticed by the navy, we're all finished."

"What are you afraid of? It's just a ship full of navy officers. Brother, haven't you killed enough navy officers back in the day?"

The pirate captain, known as "Debt Collector" Bobin, wore a fancy hat adorned with small shells and a round-eyed, triangular-nosed mask. He carried a massive scimitar on his back.

"Boyo boyo, you truly have no idea what you're up against." He shook his head as he spoke.

"Oh? You're scared?" The merman's interest was piqued. Just how terrifying was this navy officer to make them all so nervous?

"Boyo boyo, there aren't many pirates who aren't afraid of him. Any pirate who has ever clashed with him is dead."

He pressed down on the brim of his hat. "There are whispers among pirates—of a hellhound that never lets its prey escape."

The merchant, who had long been dealing with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, was even more familiar with this information.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

"…After all, that's Sakazuki we're talking about! The navy headquarters' publicly recognized monster vice admiral, and the current leader of the navy's hawkish faction.

"I just don't understand… weren't they busy preparing for the Warlord system? Why would Vice Admiral Akainu be here?"

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