Sanai looked up at the moon, sighed deeply, and took a large swig of alcohol before beginning to share his story.
It was the classic kind of pirate-style tragedy — heartbreaking yet somewhat touching.
Sanai was born on the island of Calderra, known for its blacksmiths. His father was the island's finest blacksmith, and his sister was the most beautiful girl on the island.
When he was young, both his parents passed away, leaving him and his sister to rely on each other.
He inherited his father's skills and became a talented blacksmith himself.
However, their country was soon stripped of its alliance status because it couldn't pay its heavenly tribute. This led to internal conflicts, and pirate attacks became a constant threat.
Three years ago, a pirate group attacked Calderra, kidnapping his sister and nearly killing him in the process.
Seeking revenge, he took up his father's long spear and set out to track down the pirates.
Along the way, he met a pirate hunter who taught him marksmanship and helped him seek vengeance, becoming both a mentor and a friend.
Finally, a year ago, Sanai tracked down the pirate group. A fierce battle ensued, and although they emerged victorious, with all the pirates killed and their captain severely crippled, his mentor was mortally wounded while saving him.
Sanai, consumed by hatred for pirates, tortured their captain. In the end, the pirate revealed a shocking truth: Sanai's sister was still alive. She had been sold into slavery by the pirates because of her extraordinary beauty.
Sanai was torn between joy and sorrow.
He was happy to learn that his sister was still alive, but devastated by the realization that, after everything he had seen of the pirates' cruelty, he could only imagine the horrors she had endured.
This year, he had scoured the seas, looking for any trace of her, and finally found a few leads...
After hearing this story, both Dorry and Brogy wore somber expressions.
Dorry angrily thrust his sword into the ground.
"Damn human traffickers! Preying on the weak, with no honor of a true warrior!!"
"These shameless scum are nothing but a plague on the seas!"
[Sorry, I feel personally attacked here!!]
Smoker awkwardly lowered his head and took another drink.
But he wasn't really ashamed.
He wasn't the kind of slave trader they were talking about.
Plus, when it came to destruction, human traffickers were nothing compared to pirates...
The Giant Pirate Crew could wipe out nations at a whim, but he hadn't heard of any human trafficker selling an entire country...
"Speaking of which, it seems giant slaves are quite valuable. A male giant can go for 25 million berries, just below the 35 million berries for a female mermaid."
(At this point in the story, prices are about a third to half of the main storyline's prices, or else the narrative might become inconsistent.)
"Clap, clap, clap!" Brogy laughed loudly. "Didn't expect you to know so much!!"
Smoker chuckled awkwardly. "Just a bit, just a bit..."
He couldn't let anyone know he was a major shareholder in a slave auction house.
Who would believe that such a large auction house mostly dealt in pirates...
Dorry hiccupped and looked completely uninterested.
"Sure, giant slaves are valuable, but they have to stay alive to be useful!"
"You really think the Giant Pirate Crew would just sit by and let that happen?!"
"Clap, clap, clap, exactly!" Brogy wiped his mouth. "As long as the Giant Pirate Crew exists, we won't let there be any giant slaves!"
"Anyone who dares to buy or sell giant slaves, we'll slaughter their entire family!"
"Anyone who dares to kill a giant slave, I'll wipe out their entire nation!"
"Even the World Government — if they try to mess with our people, I'll peel their skin off!!"
Smoker nodded.
Now it made sense... The approach was simple, yet effective.
And they definitely had the power to back it up.
These two were incredibly strong, leading a formidable crew. Who could stand up to them?
As a fellow special race, the fate of mermaids was often much harsher...
People from Fish-Man Island were often taken as slaves, but Smoker had never heard of anyone bold enough to try and capture slaves from Elbaf.
Still, he wondered whether the two giants even knew that the Giant Pirate Crew was no more…
Similarly, while giant slaves were rare, they were starting to appear...
Smoker turned to pat Sanai on the shoulder.
"By the way... what's up with your bullets?!"
"These are made with an alloy that's been passed down through my family in Calderra. As of now, I'm probably the only one who can make this alloy..."
"Bullets made from this material have incredible penetration, able to pierce through steel..."
Sanai ran his hand along his rifle.
"It's my only companion now..."
"After all these years of practice, I can even hit the wings of a fly in mid-flight!!"
Smoker's eyes lit up.
Now this was skill! This was talent!
He wanted...
Smoker was puzzled. "Then why go after the Giant Captain? Did someone commission you?"
Dorry and Brogy also set their barrels down, looking at him curiously. They wanted to know who had a grudge with them.
"Well..."
Sanai looked somewhat embarrassed and glanced at the giant captain before lowering his head.
"Actually, it was my own idea..."
"I need a large sum of money, but there aren't any high-bounty pirates around here, so I set my sights on you two."
"You're worth 200 million berries each, that should be enough..."
Dorry and Brogy stared at him in shock.
That's it?
To them, money was an abstract concept. Numbers were just numbers — take what you needed when you were missing something...
Smoker facepalmed.
You're really something...
Did you think that a 100 million bounty on these two was the same as on any regular pirate?!
Over the years, Smoker had begun to understand the inflation of pirate bounties.
It was generally doubling every 10 to 20 years.
Crocodile's 81 million bounty, for example, was equivalent to 300 million in Luffy's time.
Otherwise, who would have picked a rookie for the Seven Warlords?
And the bounties of these Giant Captains were from 80 years ago — 100 million berries!
In Luffy's time, that would have been worth 1.5 to 2 billion. Even now, it would likely be at least close to 1 billion...
Otherwise, how could the Giant Pirate Crew be considered the strongest?
Why did Big Mom obsess over forming an alliance with them?
Why did Shanks treat them as equals?
How could they overthrow the Gorosei and withstand their attacks?
How could their third-in-command become a Yonko's vice-captain?!
With Sanai's sniping skills, he might have had a chance against a weaker, billion-bounty pirate, but facing these two? There was absolutely no chance...
Smoker was curious and asked, "Why do you need so much money?!"
Sanai gulped down several more drinks.
"I heard that Alabasta is hosting a big slave auction, and there will be a lot of beautiful slave girls there."
"So I plan to go and try my luck, but I don't have enough money, so I had to resort to this!"
Smoker's eyes widened.
"You're saying... Alabasta... is holding a slave auction?!"
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