One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 9 Alan's Request!
On the deck of the Eckjorn.

Alan was hiding in a corner of the deck, watching the battle on deck intently.

Or rather, the word 'battle' is not accurate.

Because it was an absolutely overwhelming massacre.

"Be strong, be good"

Alan has made similar subconscious exclamations countless times.

That's right.

For him, who came from a small island and fishing village, the power displayed by the mysterious being wearing a rooster mask almost shattered his worldview.

He never imagined that a person could be so powerful.

That figure showed him through his actions that the power of the strong in this sea far exceeded the limits he had previously known.

Alan saw it very clearly.

The powerful figure wearing the rooster mask moved far beyond the limits of his vision with almost every movement; often, he would appear in the distance after only a whooshing sound.

Each punch could blast a huge gash into the ship's side.

Every step you take can create a huge hole in the deck.

On the contrary, the guards of the Kingdom of Nismair, whom he considered incredibly powerful, were utterly unable to put up a fight against him.

And at this time.
"Crack!"

The man wearing the rooster mask grabbed the last guard and casually snapped his neck.

"Boom!"

The sound of the corpse falling to the ground seemed like the final note marking the end of the battle.

Then the rooster mask turned around and walked up to Alan.

He raised his hand and threw it—a move that nearly made Alan and his sliced ​​clones tremble simultaneously.

But then he saw something fly towards him, and after instinctively reaching out to catch it, he realized it was a set of keys.

"This is... the key to the ship's cabin cell?"

Alan's eyes lit up instantly.

"You're here to rescue these slaves, aren't you?"

At this moment, the rooster mask finally spoke: "Go."

".Um!"

Although Alan didn't know why the other party wanted to help him, it didn't stop him from nodding vigorously.

So Alan led his fragmented clones directly into the cabin.

Roy glanced around and then began to examine the bodies of the guards one by one.

"Wow, this jewelry looks to be of good quality!"

"Wow, this huge bundle must be worth 100,000 Berries."

"Holy crap, a check from Fields Bank?"

Adhering to the principle that even a small mosquito is still meat, Roy looted all the guards' belongings.

Whenever he touched treasure, pewter, or any other valuables, the coins and treasures would instantly vanish without a trace.

Instead, the values ​​within the Loy system continued to rise.

Until the very end.
The value displayed within the light screen had changed to [Currently held Berries: 4523 million].

"Good heavens, a harvest worth a full four million one hundred thousand Berries."

Seeing the change in the numbers, Roy felt a surge of joy.

It's no wonder they're the guards of the royal slave ships; they're incredibly wealthy.

In such a short period of time, Roy earned almost more than a year's salary.

"It seems like everyone else is richer than me."

Roy sighed.

But then he stood up, silently adjusted his mask, and went into the cabin.

The scene inside the cabin was even more oppressive than Roy had imagined.

The light was dim, with only a few flickering oil lamps providing a meager illumination.

The air was polluted, and the stench of various foul smells was suffocating.

The cabin was lined with densely packed, rusty iron cages on both sides, and various torture instruments could be seen in the distance.

The merchant ship itself seemed to be a reflection of the Kingdom of Nismael—beneath the surface of prosperity lay filth and ugliness.

However, by this time, the iron cages had already been opened.

Many ragged slaves helped each other out of the iron cage.

Their faces still showed clear disbelief and confusion, while some of the quicker ones had already hugged each other and started wailing.

The cries contained the joy of regaining freedom, but also a distinct pain.

No need for further explanation, Roy could see it too.

Those left in the cabin were people who either looked very old or had obvious physical disabilities.

Just as the guards said—they were all 'low-class goods,' slaves that no one would want to buy.

But it's conceivable that their family members or companions weren't necessarily 'low-class goods'; many of them must have already been sold off in the Sabaody Archipelago.

The pain of separation in life is no less than that of separation by death.

"."

Roy didn't say anything, but quickly found Alan in the crowd.

At that moment, Alan was holding a curled-up old man—the same old man Roy had glimpsed at the muzzle of the cannon earlier.

He looked even more miserable than before, covered in blood, his hair disheveled and plastered to his bleeding forehead.

But he still clutched the tattered cloth tightly in his hand, repeatedly muttering, "Koli...Koli, my Koli."

"I'm so sorry, Grandpa. I couldn't get there in time."

At this moment, Alan's face was also full of tears and pain.

All his fragmented clones shared this pain.

The slaves, witnessing this scene, all lowered their heads, and the atmosphere in the cabin was so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

But at that moment, Roy's footsteps drew everyone's attention. Upon seeing the rooster mask, some slaves instinctively cried out in surprise—Alan had clearly explained the situation to them.

So they knew that this was the man who had personally killed all the guards of the merchant ships and rescued them with Alan.

"Ke Li?"

Beneath the rooster mask, Roy asked softly.

He deliberately lowered his voice.

"Yes, that's my sister. She's been bought."

Hearing Roy's question, Alan wiped away his tears, trying to calm himself down: "My grandfather tried his best to stop it, but he couldn't."

Roy glanced at the elderly man who was clearly mentally unstable and nodded.

The situation is quite obvious and requires no further explanation.

"What are you going to do next?"

Roy asked softly, "You should have already prepared a plan for evacuation after rescuing people?"

"Yes."

Alan nodded, then realized he had forgotten to introduce himself: "Sir, my name is Alan. I have prepared a few small fishing boats and spare clothes in a side harbor of Masterport. According to the plan, we can go there to catch a boat after we leave the branch."

"Once we reach the nearby island, we'll be safe, and then we can naturally return."

Upon hearing this, the slaves trembled.

Clearly, Alan wanted to say 'go home'.

But they all knew they could never go back.

Because their village had been destroyed by those beasts from the Kingdom of Nismair.

However, Alan was clearly a determined person, and he quickly regained his composure, continuing, "After settling Grandpa in, I will try to find out where Ke Li is. She's my sister, and I must rescue her."

As he said this, he gritted his teeth and looked at Roy.

"Sir/Madam..."

Then, he knelt heavily before Roy.

But before he could speak, Roy interrupted him.

"You want to ask me to go with you to rescue your sister?"

Roy looked at him.

".Um."

Alan's voice was hoarse: "I do not possess the power you have, sir."

He was not afraid of death; he came to this merchant ship prepared to die.

But his recent experience made him even more aware of the gap in strength.

Some things cannot be solved by courage alone.

Just like this time—without the rooster mask in front of him, his fate and that of all the slaves would have been tragic.

If he could ask this powerful man in front of him for help.
"I reject."

But at this moment, Roy spoke without hesitation.

After saying that, he looked at Alan: "You should have heard it too, the one who bought your sister is a Celestial Dragon. We have no reason to go to war with the World Government for you."

He calmly stated the facts.

That's right.

Roy has enough principles and compassion that he wouldn't hesitate to save some slaves like this time, as long as it doesn't affect his own plans.

However, this does not mean he would directly confront Mary Geoise out of compassion.

"."

Alan's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Even though he was just a small fisherman on a deserted island, he had heard of the name "world aristocracy".

He also knew that Roy was right.

"I apologize for my intrusion."

So he spoke in a hoarse voice.

But this time, he was interrupted by Roy before he could finish speaking.

“However, I might be able to ask the chief for permission—if we have the opportunity to go to Mary Geoise in the future, or see your sister elsewhere, then we will try to save her.”

"But at the same time, I need you to do some things for us."

"Loy said softly."

Upon hearing this, the sadness in Alan's eyes was instantly replaced by surprise.

After hearing Roy's question, he looked even closer at the rooster mask.

In his view, the mask seemed to represent hope.

Although he didn't know who the 'we' that Roy was referring to were, he could only tell that they seemed to belong to some organization.

But he could at least guess that the organization this person in front of him had joined must be very powerful!

So even though Roy's conditions were relatively harsh and he didn't guarantee that he would find his sister, Alan still said without hesitation, "I'm willing!"

"My lord, I am willing to do anything—even my life."

"I don't need your life."

Roy raised his hand to interrupt Alan: "I only need you to do two things for me."

He spoke softly, briefly explaining the two things Alan needed to do.

The more Alan listened, the more surprised he became.

Until the very end, his expression was almost incredulous.

"Are you serious? You really want me?"

"of course."

After receiving Roy's serious reply, Alan's expression turned solemn: "Since it is your request, then I will do it."

(End of this chapter)