"Two servings of grilled meat!"
"Four servings of seafood pasta, extra spicy!"
"Is Sandra Great Lizard not ready yet?"
Everyone knew that the busiest time in a restaurant was during meal hours. The waiters at the front were posting orders on the wall while loudly urging the kitchen to hurry up with the dishes.
The chefs in the kitchen responded while speeding up their movements. Although the fan above was whirring loudly, it could hardly suppress the flames and heat rising from the stoves.
In such a noisy, bustling, and heated environment, if there was anyone relatively quiet, it was probably the person silently washing dishes in the corner.
This was a young man with a tender face but well-defined features, quite handsome, with medium-length, wavy, center-parted hair that was a greenish-gray, reminiscent of the wasabi served with sashimi.
Whether it was due to the high temperature in the kitchen or because he had been standing there washing dishes non-stop for nearly five hours, beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead.
Yet, his movements showed no sign of slowing down. Each time, he could quickly rinse the pile of various bowls and cups that came his way, then neatly arrange them in the designated trays.
At that moment, the door-type dishwasher next to him was in operation. When the sound of water inside stopped, the young man casually opened the door, and a wave of steam immediately hit his face.
But he was already accustomed to it. He pulled out the slightly warm tray filled with washed dishes and bowls, then picked up another prepared tray and pushed it into the dishwasher, closing the door. The dishwasher immediately started running again.
Next, the young man began sorting the steaming dishes and bowls on a small table beside him, allowing the apprentice chefs to take his work as they pleased.
This was a routine he performed almost every day, and he would continue until 10 PM.
Originally, it was supposed to be a two-person job split between morning and afternoon shifts, but to earn extra money, the young man took on the entire day's work after getting familiar with it.
There was no other way; he basically couldn't do anything else, except gamble.
But it was also gambling that taught him a harsh lesson last year, nearly getting him captured by human traffickers and sold into slavery. However, it was precisely because of this that he met a girl for whom he was willing to put in all his effort.
"Just wait! I will definitely buy you out!"
This phrase had been repeated countless times in his heart, but each time it gave him the strength to persevere when he was exhausted.
At that moment, faint gunshots could be heard from outside. The people in the kitchen didn't make a big fuss about it and continued with their tasks.
After all, this was GR24, a lawless zone.
But gradually, some people began to sense something was wrong because the gunfire was too dense and prolonged, sounding less like a skirmish between a few individuals and more like a large-scale gunfight. [BANG!!]
Suddenly, a burly man wielding a long knife burst through the wooden door of the restaurant. He was panting heavily and shouted to a group of people sitting at a table on the left.
"The Navy is here to capture us! Let's go!"
"What?"
"Why would the Navy come here?"
The dozen or so people at the dining table stood up in unison, some of them questioning in shock and doubt, "This is a lawless zone, are you sure you're not mistaken? You didn't chase pirates here, did you?"
These individuals were enforcers under a slave trading company, occasionally taking on kidnapping jobs to earn some extra cash.
"No mistake!"
"The marines are raiding all the slave shops, slave companies, and slave markets. I heard the slave auction house in GR1 has also been attacked!"
The man who had rushed in, seeing his colleagues didn't believe him, added anxiety to his already frightened expression. As the gunfire grew closer, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and left, leaving only a warning echoing in the restaurant.
"Believe it or not, I've warned you. Don't regret it if you get caught!!"
At this, the dozen or so people exchanged glances, and the next moment, they scrambled out of the restaurant like startled wild boars, leaving the other diners speechless.
As for the meal payment, since they were operating in a lawless zone, payment was collected before the meal was served, so naturally, no waiter would come to stop them or ask for money.
In fact, even if they hadn't paid, no one would dare to do so. What no one knew was that the man's voice had been particularly loud, already reaching the strangely quiet kitchen.
[Crash!]
Suddenly, the sound of a porcelain plate shattering on the ground was heard, followed by a gray-green figure rushing out, completely ignoring the head chef's scolding, and disappearing in an instant.
"Stella, Stella... Please be safe, Stella!!"
Tesoro, just seventeen years old this year, ran frantically towards a slave shop in GR28, accompanied by the dense sound of gunfire.
GR27, GR28, and GR29, these three adjacent areas, were the most concentrated regions for the slave trade on Sabaody Archipelago.
Although GR1 had the most famous slave auction house, it was a top-tier market, only accepting the highest quality slaves, hence the number of slaves there was the least.
Instead, these three areas were filled with companies and shops related to slaves, even places specifically for bulk detention of slaves, called markets!
Thus, these three areas also had the most armed personnel.
When Colonel Eric led the marine troops close to this area, they were met with the most intense resistance and ambush, as expected.
The enforcers funded by these slave companies didn't take the marines seriously at all. Upon receiving the attack order from above, they pulled the trigger without hesitation.
They didn't want themselves or their families to be locked in cages! The intense gunfire, shrill screams, explosive flames, and towering smoke instantly turned into a vortex of fear and death, enveloping the entire District 20.
No, not just District 20, the entire lawless zone, including Districts 0 and 10, was undergoing a large-scale sweep by the marines.
This was nothing short of a small-scale war! At the seaside of GR24 District, five ships with ordinary white sails were docked at the pier. Men and women in suits, under the protection of armed personnel, hurriedly ran up the wooden planks to board the ships. Each of their faces bore varying degrees of panic, tension, and anger.
"Damn it! Damn Dragon! Damn the Marines!" Dulles stood on the deck, gnashing his teeth as he cursed incessantly toward the island.
"Where did these bastards get the audacity to dare do such a thing? These are the properties of royal families and nobles from various countries!"
A noblewoman dressed in an extravagant blue gown looked at him with concern and said, "This must be the World Government's doing. Otherwise, the Marines wouldn't have acted like this."
"How is that possible!"
Dulles exclaimed in disbelief, "Even the Celestial Dragons often come here to select goods. How could they allow the World Government to do this?"
"No, no, no, it must be that Dragon acting on his own, taking advantage of being Garp's son to wreak havoc!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it must be. It has to be."
As if he had uncovered the truth, a cold smile spread across his face. "Just you wait. Once the higher-ups realize what's happening, these Marines will be dealt with, and we'll return to business as usual!"
"But Dragon is finished, absolutely finished. He has no idea how terrifying the forces and power behind the slave industry are. No one can save him, not even Garp!"