Outside of Marie geoise city, in front of the Iron gate that led downward.
"Team 1, open the gate !" A soldier clad fully in armor from top to bottom could currently be seen shouting out loud toward the tall iron gate.
As the gate opened up, two other soldiers who were keeping the gate safe from outside came to asked.
"Huh ? Are they slaves ? What's happening ?" The two coming knights were filled with surprise and astonishment to see their fellow knights brother coming along with three young girls who were seemingly slaves.
One had to know that when slaves weren't with their masters to be played around with they were most of their times in their "cages".
So seeing one and even three of them out with just one knight to look after them was just too suspiscious to not asked anything.
"Well...Saint Richi seems to be fed up with them or something and decided for an unknown reason to discarded them and set them free..." the knight replied while looking at the three slaves who were seemingly this Saint Richi's slaves.
The three slaves were in fact three young girls who were keeping their heads down all the time since they arrived maybe in shame or maybe not.
The first in line had beautiful deep black hairs that were flowing down her back like a river flow as it shone beautifuly in contact with sunshine.
The second one had beautiful green hair that remind one of a beautiful jade while the last girl had a fiery orange colored hair resembling flames that glowed even more in daylight.
They really did had some beautiful and exotic colors hair.
"Really ?! a Saint actually set his slaves free ?!" One of the knights shouted in shock and surprise.
"Just like that...?"
"What the heck..." The other knight couldn't believe it and looked the one who brought the slaves with a suspiscious gaze.
Seeing that they were doubting the "suspiscious knight" pointed with his finger to the three girls necks and said.
"Well, if you want a proof then, just look, they don't have their collars anymore..."
It was with eyes open wide that they saw and said with belwiderment in their eyes. "It's true..."
Shaking their heads a bit they said in a incredulous voice. "This...this is really..." They were left with nothing to say for a good half a minutes to process what was actually happening right here
However having no words to described this near miraculous sight, they could only muttered quietly.
"How lucky..."
"Then...this is their Lucky... Day, I guess..." This reaction wasn't really overboard as they had never ever and ever heard of a World Nobles letting their slaves go like that.
It wasn't an exageration to say that slaves could only be set free the day they would eventually died. In short only Death could separate them from their masters.
As for doubting this fellow knight in front of them...what could they doubt him for ? The slaves collars were indded gone, no alarms has been given and everybody know that the keys to those collars were kept preciously with their owner, which are by extension the celestial dragons, and are thus people that no one in their right mind would tried to offend, ever.
It was with those thoughts in mind that the two gate keepers let the knight and the three slaves girls pass through the gate without any problems.
The group of four then boarded on one of the bandolas as it slide down quietly right to the village port.
The silence was reigning on the bandolas till the knight finally opened his mouth to speak.
"Uh...Right...now that I think about it, I didn't ask for your names right ?" The guy asked as he took his helmet off and turn to them.
This "knight" was of course our dear Edam who used the same tactic from a hour or so ago to get them out of here, after of course having thrown out or hiding all the evidences such as the collars and the unconscious bodies of the guards, he then proceed to applicate this simple but clearly efficient method.
Anyway at his question, a surprised expression appeared on their faces as they looked at each other and realized that they really didn't know the other party's name.
"Well, I'm first then, my name is Monkey D. Edam, a pleasure to meet you three !" Edam said with a wide grin as he introduce himself delightfuly. It seems that he was really proud of his name when he say it.
Taken by surprise at first, the three sisters looked again at each other and nodded lightly.
"My...my name is Boa Hancock...and they are my sisters." The black haired sister named Boa Hancock introduced herself and the two girls followed right after.
The green haired one then introduced herself.
"I am Boa Sandersonia..." and the orange haired girl said. " Boa Ma...Mariegold..." Well their reply was still a bit awkward.
"Heh...Hancock, Sandersonia and Mariegold huh...cool... Argh, what a pity if only I could have introduce my three little brothers, it would make us even...." Edam said with a dejected expression making the three sisters looked at him weirdly.
'Eh ? Make us even...? What is he talking about' The three girls thoughts at the same time, finding Edam weirder everytime they spoke with him.
"Anyway, what do you like to eat ? I'm really hungry now not you ?" Edam suddenly asked with excited sparkling eyes as he asked them while thinking about something to eat after settling this matter.
The three girls were still a bit shy to express themselves in front of him even though they now knew each other's names and they just said.
"No it's fine..." However just as they said that...
"Grumble...!"
A terrible sound came from their little tummy as their three faces flushed red in an instant.
"Haha...yup I know this sound...haha..." Edam laughed lightly making the three girls faces turn even redder.
...
After some minutes the bandolas eventually reach the ground as they then got down.
And well no need to say that Edam&co's arrival triggered the interest of everyone down there.
Seeing Edam's group getting down, the populace didn't took long to gossip here and there and althought Edam and the girls didn't say anything, it didn't stopped them from gossiping here and there.
"What's happening...?"
"Are they slaves ? Why don't they have their collars ?"
"I know right ? Strange..."
...
Some then notice Edam going right to where Garp's ship was and hushed in low voice right away.
"Hey, I heard a rumor saying that some slaves were sometimes sold to the government and then train to be marine's soldiers, it seems that it was true after all..."
"Is that so..."
"Well it's true that they are going in the vice-admiral ship's direction right now though..."
...
*Few minutes later*
After some minutes of walk, Edam and co finally reach the ship much to the three girls surprised and shocked expression that changed a bit seeing this marine's ship.
Standing in front of the ship the two soldiers from earlier could still be seen there loyal to their post as they then shouted out loud solemnly.
"Halt, the vice-admiral Garp isn't here, whoever you are come back later !" They stood straight as they shouted powerfuly.
Hearing this Edam who was once again in an armor couldn't help but scratched his head or more like his helmet as he then took it off to show his face and said with forced smile and a light laugh.
"..."
"...Uh...Haha...it's me again..." Edam scratched his head again awkwardly making the two soldiers nearly pop their eyes off their sockets in shocked with a...
"AGAIN...?!!!"
...
After a deep shock, the two soldiers took a minute to calm down as they said and asked in exhauted voices
"Edam what are you doing again...?" Soldier A asked as he looked at the three Boa girls.
"I'm just helping them, that's all..." Edam replied in all honesty as he shrugged his shoulders.
"..."
"Do you know that you will bring big troubles to the vice-admiral ?" Soldier B asked next.
"Well no one is aware so that's not really possible..." Edam said the thruth as no one saw what happened with the exception of the fish-man but even that was an exception in itself so...
"..."
"Then don't you fear the punishment the vice-admiral will give at least ?" Soldier A asked another question sounding just like a big brother.
"Yeah I do but..." Edam had to admit that he was indeed fearful of what would happened to him but still...he couldn't just ignore that without stating that he had purely react on instinct earlier.
"..."
...
After a long five minutes of trying to berate Edam for his "bad behaviour", soldier A and soldier B finaly gave up as they could clearly see that Edam didn't give a damn about what they said and what they would say.
And also, although Edam tried to hide it, the both of them saw in his clear black eyes that he would do the same choice even if he was given another chance so...what was the point in berating him anymore...
"Haaaaa..." They could only release a deep sigh of exhaustion.
"Can I go then ?" Edam asked the two marines.
Well not like he need their permission to do so but it was still nice and polite to do so.
The basic of respect was to respect the other partie first. Or so that was what Zephyr taught him.
Hearing this the two soldiers just let him go aboard along with the three girls without any resistance whatsoever.
However before they did stepped on the ship, the black haired girl or namely Boa Hancock step forward and said with pursued lips.
"I, It's fine, E...Edam you don't need to do more than that...In fact we're already grateful enough for what you did so..." She said that he didn't need to help them anymore but her body gesture was clearly saying otherwise.
But she still felt as if she was taking advantage of him and that did bother her a lot somehow.
She was certain herself that she wouldn't feel like that if she had taken advantage of someone else, but it seems like she couldn't bring herself to do that to him.
Maybe it was due to the fact that he was their savior or maybe not... but relying on him further than that was a no can do for her.
"Well it's not a problem you know..." Edam said looking at the elder sister curiously.
"N, no we shouldn't, your grandfather seem to be someone of great statue in the Marine, how could we ask more than that..." She said in a low voice.
"Nee-sama-..." Even the two sisters seemed to want to say something but...
"Umm...All right..." Edam looked at the two younger sister's reaction and said.
At this Hancock release a sigh of relief but stil felt a bit disappointed by this reply.
However surprises seemed to be a must today as Edam then continued right away...
"....I won't help you anymore if you can reply to one question from me...just one...all right ?" Edam lift one finger in front of him as he asked with a mysterious smile while he looking at her rather cute antics of not wanting help.
" A question...? Um...all right..." Hancock accepted without putting any thoughts into it.
"Do...do you even know where is your island home...?" He suddenly asked Hancock drawing out an astonished face out of her who was completely caught off guard by this weird question.
"..."
Who in their right mind would asked someone if they knew where they actually lived...?
"I,I,I..."
Anyway hearing this question, Hancock was completely bereft of any replys as...she didn't even knew the response to it.
She and her sisters were kidnapped nearly on their first ever sailing out and so didn't knew a lot about their island home actual position at all.
Those sisters really did belong to this group of person who didn't know where they actually lived...
"Ahhahh...I knew it...you don't know where you live yourself and you don't want my help..." The tone that he used was nearly ironic to say the least.
"You're more like a little lost sheep... it's cute though..." He said that without putting much thoughts into it.
Faced with this, obviously Hancock expression began to change gradualy as her face quickly turn to a light pink and then a cute deep red tomato color.
"Stop trying to avoid my help would you..." Edam said to her smiling lightly and relaxingly.
Hancock face dropped down in embarassment as she just replied with a "Hum..." and a light nod of her head.
"Anyway let's go...I'm really hungry now..." Edam cheerfully got on the ship deck while the three girls followed him behind.
"Come on, we're going to the kitchen, I have to say that's it's my favorite place." However as he continued to walk in the kitchen's direction he suddenly remembered the girl from earlier and then said out loud.
"Oh right I nearly forgot her..." He change his direction to the doctor's office instead with of course the three lost sheeps following him behind.
Entering the office he saw the girl still on the bed from earlier, still asleep.
However she had now compared to before a better and healthiest complexion...like a thousand time greater...
It seems that doctor Gahan was already gone having done his part of the job and well done at that.
When they saw her the three girls shouted...
"I,It's...!!!"
"Eh ? you know her ? Is she your sister ?" Edam asked in surprise as his eyes blinked rapidly.
"What ? N,no...she's not...she was however a slave that this... Richi... had lost in a bet...but then regain again." Hancock replied with a disgusted expression.
"Is that so..."
"...Then do you know her name maybe ?"
"Uh...I think it was..." She looked at her sisters and then replied.
"It is S-..." However before she even had the chance to uttered her name... a deep voice came from nowhere making the whole dog ship trembled with a...
"E,D,A,M...!!!"
"How dare you bring back girls on my ship, you unfilial grandson...!!!" The voice was filled with anger as heavy and oppressive steps sounded outside approaching threateningly.