Chapter 375: This is Hell!
Chapter 375: This is Hell!
"Sis...Sister..."
Trembling, Margaret crouched in a corner, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Hancock, unable to hold back her quivering voice, seeking comfort from her older sister.
Not long ago, they had been captured by human traffickers, repeatedly sold, and ultimately ended up in Mary Geoa, imprisoned in this place yesterday.
They had thought that coming to the Holy Land would be much better than staying with the traffickers, but they never imagined that they would be entering a hellish abyss!
Despite the dimness, blood seemed to be everywhere, the stench of blood was nauseating, and it wasn't just the distant piercing screams. Some of the nearby cages also emitted weak, pained noises from time to time!
In the cage next to them, a person had their limbs severed and copper sleeves fitted where their arms had been, chained up like a mere animal.
Other cages held even more gruesome sights.
This was not the human realm!
This was hell!
At only twelve years old, Hancock's eyes, too, were filled with fear from the piercing screams not far away. But hearing her sister's words, she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Don't... Don't be afraid."
"As long as we find an opportunity, we can escape!"
Hearing Hancock's words, Margaret and Sandersonia found a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
They huddled close to Hancock, one on each side, biting their lips and nodding vigorously.
Just then—
Stomp, stomp, stomp...
Footsteps approached, and someone seemed to be drawing near. Hancock and her two sisters' eyes widened with fear at the sound.
In the darkness, they saw lights approaching and then spotted a World Noble with bubbles floating over his head, riding on a slave's back.
Numerous attendants followed behind.
Rozwald arrived at a cage and poked at a huddled figure inside with his cane before frowning and asking, "Dead?"
An attendant quickly stepped forward to check and then replied fearfully, "Yes... it's dead."
"Useless thing!"
Rozwald cursed, unclear if he was angry at the attendant for neglecting to watch over the slave or at the slave for dying too easily without much torment.
He retracted his cane and ordered, "Dispose of the corpse!"
"Yes, Rozward Saint!"
The nearby attendants, relieved that Rozward wasn't blaming them, quickly opened the cage and began disposing of the body.
Rozwald, slightly displeased, sat on the slave's back and continued forward, his gaze sweeping over several cages before finally landing on the one holding Hancock.
"Oh?"
"Are these new arrivals? Why are they so young?"
An attendant quickly stepped forward and replied, "Yes, these three are said to have been captured from the legendary Snake Sisters Island. I thought you would like them, so I purchased them."
As he spoke, other attendants also looked into the cage at Hancock and the others. Seeing the three sisters cowering in fear, one of them shouted harshly,
"What are you doing? Kneel immediately!"
"This is Rozward Saint!"
Sandersonia and Margaret trembled as they looked at the people outside the cage, their eyes flickering with fear as they glanced at Rozward.
Having been here for a day already, they had come to understand the terror of the World Nobles. These were people who did not view humans as their equals!
No one dared to go against them, for they represented the world itself. Any act of defiance would bring consequences not just upon oneself but also upon one's homeland.
These were the World Nobles!
"Oh ho, Snake Sisters Island? The legendary island of women? Now that's a rare find! Well done!"
Rozwald's eyes lit up.
He had grown bored of common slaves and was only slightly interested in famous pirate captains.
The rarity of slaves from Snake Sisters Island was comparable to that of mermaids from Fishman Island, as both places were extremely difficult to access. One was located in the Calm Belt, home to gigantic sea kings, and the other was deep beneath the ocean's surface.
As Hancock and her sisters trembled under Rozward's gaze, he inspected them with a lecherous smile, making them feel chilled to the bone. Having witnessed the horrors of this place, they could already envision the abuse they would suffer.
However—
After scrutinizing them for a moment, Rozward lifted his head and said, "Take good care of these three. Don't let them starve or get fat. Women from Snake Sisters Island are the rarest of slaves. Next time, I want to bring them out to show the others. Hahaha!"
"Yes, Rozward Saint!"
The nearby attendants immediately acknowledged his order.
Another attendant replied, "Ah, yes. Since they arrived only yesterday and haven't been inspected by Rozward Saint yet, they haven't received the brand..."
At this point,
he looked towards Rozward.
Rozward waved his hand and said, "Do it now!"
The so-called brand, also known as the Sky-Soaring Dragon's Hoofprint, represented the mark of a World Noble's slave. It was created by soaking a branding iron in a special potion and imprinting it on the slave's back.
This brand was impossible to remove by any means. Even if the branded portion of the skin was cut away, the newly regenerated skin would still bear the exact same mark.
"Yes!"
Several attendants immediately acknowledged and quickly retreated.
Rozward glanced at Hancock and the others once more before poking the slave beneath him with his cane and turning to look into the distance, the lights gradually moving away.
Hancock and her sisters, left in darkness once more, exchanged bewildered glances, each of them sensing an ominous foreboding.
"Sis...Sister..."
"Don't be afraid. It's going to be alright, nothing will happen..."
Hancock took a deep breath, trying to suppress the ominous feeling in her heart, and comforted her two younger sisters.
Half an hour later.
The lights brightened once more.
Rozward's figure did not reappear. Instead, several female attendants arrived, carrying a furnace and walking towards the cage. They set the furnace down in front of it.
Immediately after,
one of them opened the cage, while another pulled out a branding iron that was glowing red-hot from the furnace and sprinkled some kind of drug on it, causing it to sizzle.
Seeing this, Sandersonia's face paled as she cried out in fear. However, the attendants remained cold and indifferent as they forcefully dragged the three sisters out of the cage by their manacles.
"Be good!"
"Don't struggle, or you'll only make it worse for yourselves!"
The attendants spoke in icy tones, and two of them restrained Hancock, forcing her down in front of the furnace and tearing the back of her clothes to expose her bare back.
Hancock's eyes widened as she saw one of them approaching with the branding iron.
No!
She struggled with all her might, but to no avail. Held down by the two attendants, she could only watch helplessly as the person with the red-hot branding iron moved behind her.
Just as she clenched her teeth, turned her head, and looked at the branding iron with trembling eyes, about to be pressed against her back.
Buzz!!!
A strange power suddenly rippled forth.
The air seemed to vibrate, and even the burning charcoal in the furnace cracked, emitting a sizzling sound.
The two female attendants holding Hancock froze in place.
The one who had been about to brand her from behind also stiffened, immobilized.
Clang!!!
The branding iron fell to the ground.
The female attendants fell asleep one after another, collapsing on the ground as if they had fainted.
"Eh?!"
Hancock stared at the scene before her, stunned, her eyes widening in surprise.
Mary Geoa and Sandersonia, standing beside her, were equally dumbfounded.
They were from Snake Sisters Island, where every inhabitant was a warrior, trained in both Haki and martial arts from a young age.
Although the three sisters, at only twelve years old, were still very weak, their heritage from Snake Sisters Island gave them a profound understanding of Haki.
They could recognize what had just occurred.
This was...
Conqueror's Haki!
A type of Haki that was incredibly rare, appearing in only one out of a million people, and indicative of kingly qualities.
This display of Conqueror's Haki did not originate from Hancock, nor was it her first awakening. It belonged to someone else.
Stomp, stomp, stomp...
Footsteps approached from the distance.
Hancock turned her head sharply.
She saw a man with silver hair, clad in a white cloak, walking towards them. His eyes, a deep azure blue like gems, shone with a mesmerizing radiance.
"You...who are you...?"
She took a step back, her voice trembling slightly as she gazed at the silver-haired man.
Feng Ye stopped in his tracks, his azure eyes fixed on Hancock as he regarded the future Pirate Empress with mild interest. After a moment, he offered a faint smile and said, "I'm a traveler."
"A traveler who blows different winds towards different futures."
(End of Chapter)
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