The order to seal off Lantis indirectly or directly led to the large-scale decline of the surviving population.
It's easy to imagine—on an island overrun by monsters, many people who could have escaped and survived were instead trapped. The number of those who managed to flee was naturally minuscule.
Most of the escapees were sunk by Marine warships and artillery in the Sacred Sea.
The island was primarily populated by civilians, who stood no chance against the Marines, a battle-hardened force accustomed to naval warfare. To make matters worse, most of the ships on Lantis Island had been destroyed under orders at that time.
What followed was five years of darkness.
The population of Lantis Island continued to plummet. Initially, the biggest issue was food scarcity—farmland was contaminated, the surface was overrun with monsters, and farming was impossible.
The underground shelters were limited in space, lacked stable water sources, and had no access to sunlight, making food self-sufficiency impossible.
The first year was the darkest, with the survivor count dropping drastically from 400,000–500,000 down to 300,000, then 200,000, then 100,000…
Had it not been for the sudden rise of the Crimson Queen in the second year—who united all survivors into an organized resistance—Lantis Island might no longer have any human inhabitants.
Under her leadership, Lantis launched several counterattacks against the Marines over the years.
However, given the vast ocean between them and their enemy, their lack of offensive warships was a major disadvantage. Using makeshift wooden rafts in battle was far from ideal.
Assassination attempts also proved futile. Each Marine base had a Vice Admiral with a coordinated strategy—if attacked, they could immediately summon reinforcements to suppress or even eliminate the threat.
Thus, as the monsters gradually pushed the survivors into an ever-smaller living space, the Marines trapped most of them on Lantis Island, leaving them to fight the creatures for survival.
Occasionally, so-called "observation" warships would land on the island to install new surveillance Den Den Mushi, further fueling the irreconcilable hatred between the Marines and the survivors.
Yet, under the Queen's relentless efforts and leadership, survival—though difficult—remained possible. To ensure the people of Lantis endured, she even struck deals with foreign merchants.
They exchanged the island's precious metals for food, which was once cheap but had become their lifeline, allowing them to struggle on to this day.
The Marines' goal was containment, not total annihilation. After all, a play is only entertaining with multiple actors—there's no fun in a one-man show.
Recently, however, Marine landings had become more frequent, and the monsters' behavior seemed to be changing as well.
These factors had led to an increase in casualties among the survivors, while the only remaining source of food on the island had become increasingly unreliable.
"Damn those Celestial Dragons and Marines!"
Pitas clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in anger. He felt a deep sense of belonging to Lantis Island—this was his homeland, after all.
Once a place of beauty, prosperity, and admiration, it had now become a living hell.
"I'm not telling you all this to gain your sympathy," Lisa said calmly. "I just want you to understand—we are not unreasonable demons. We are willing to trade precious metals for food. Given your strength, you should be able to accomplish things that ordinary people cannot."
Although her tone was flat, Rosen could sense the suppressed fury she harbored toward the Marines, the World Nobles, and even outsiders.
"That's fine by me—I had the same idea. But here, do you have the authority to make that decision?"
It wasn't that Rosen didn't trust her, but Lisa, while strong, was likely only at the level of a standard Rear Admiral—not someone particularly formidable.
"I do."
Lisa nodded. Matters like these were typically handled by her. While she wasn't as powerful as the city's ruler, she was better suited for negotiations.
"I can arrange for food to be delivered from the outside. But considering the number of people here and the time required for transport, that's not a quick fix. I heard you mention there's food in the monster zone, though it's dangerous. I can help you hunt for enough food to sustain your people. In return, while carrying out your operations, I need you to keep an eye out for Trafalgar Law. If you find him, notify me immediately."
Rosen carefully laid out the terms of cooperation.
"Uncle, why are you looking for Dr. Law?"
Natalie furrowed her brows.
"If you plan to kill him, we can't accept that. He's saved many people here. Sure, we paid him, but I still think he's a good person."
Rosen chuckled.
"One of my crewmates is injured. I need his medical expertise. Under normal circumstances, he won't be an enemy."
Natalie, despite being talkative, was sharp for a child.
"You came all the way to Lantis Island… just for a single crewmate?"
Lisa was visibly surprised.
Did the outside world consider this island safe?
From her perspective, this man was strong but seemed difficult to get along with. His eyes often carried a detached indifference.
It was hard to imagine someone like him risking so much for a mere crewmate.
"This has nothing to do with our deal. No need for meaningless conversation. Just in case, I'll also arrange for food shipments from my end. I'll make a call later."
Rosen continued.
"No problem. Do you want payment in Beli or metal ores?"
Lisa gestured toward the entrance.
"Bring it in."
Moments later, several burly men carried in a large basket filled with seven or eight kinds of metals that Rosen had never seen before.
Truthfully, he had little interest in them.
His primary objective was to use this underground network to help locate Law. The locals knew the terrain well, and with their numbers, searching would be much more efficient.
Still, if he could make some extra money, why not? Blunt had mentioned that some metals were incredibly valuable.
And securing food supplies for Lantis wouldn't be easy.
Otherwise, the Queen wouldn't be the only one controlling the food trade. Though, it was possible she kept that monopoly to maintain power.
Regardless, money always made things easier.
"Dark Gold, White Crystal… even Gold Sand Copper?!"
Pitas' eyes widened in shock at the sight of the metals in the basket.
At that moment, Rosen felt something—his Suna Suna no Mi power was reacting to one of the metals.
The one Pitas had called Gold Sand Copper.
(End of Chapter)
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