On the beach by the sea on Elegia, a little girl with red-and-white hair suddenly spotted something at the edge of the sand.
On this island, where only she and Gordon lived, she had not seen any other unusual lifeforms in far too long!
So the girl skipped over to the beach's edge and carefully examined them.
But the girl had no idea what they were, so she brought the large snails, their eyes rolled white with terror, before Gordon, who had always cared for her.
Looking at those snails, Gordon was overwhelmed with emotion. Was this fate?
If fate could not bear to let her heavenly singing voice vanish in ruined Elegia, then why had it sent over a batch of Broadcast Den Den Mushi frightened senseless by something unknown?
Meanwhile, at the Sabaody Archipelago.
The auction was proceeding in full swing, but the guests taking part were clearly unhappy.
Minor nobles from all over the world complained loudly.
"Damn it, I spent over forty days on a ship just to buy a good enough slave!
And this is what you make me look at!"
"Where are the Merfolk? There isn't even one female Merfolk! What the hell am I supposed to bid on, eggs?"
"They're all freaks and rejects! There isn't even a pirate worth over fifty million! Am I supposed to use these idiots as guards?"
"The auction house owner's mother is dead!"
As they cursed, they pointed at the collection of oddballs standing on the auction stage.
Just look at who was standing up there.
There was a skeletal beggar, a little person too weak to even lift his shackles, and a male okama with a bulging crotch, ugly as sin and caked in heavy makeup.
There was even an old man at the end of the line, with a white beard and white hair, glasses, and a scar over his right eye!
"What kind of garbage is this?!!!"
Amid the shrill questions and accusations, the auction host helplessly wiped away his sweat.
It was not as though they had no quality goods. The finest slaves were difficult to acquire, but they could always get hold of a few every quarter.
It was just that...
The Celestial Dragons had come two days ago and taken away the Fish-Man meant to be the grand finale of this auction.
As for the remaining high-quality goods the Celestial Dragons had not wanted, they had not even been placed on the auction stage.
The auction house owner planned to keep raising those important goods until next year, then sell them all in a major auction.
Why wait until next year?
Because next year was the once-every-four-years World Government conference.
That year, among the more than 170 member nations of the World Government,
the rulers of the fifty strongest nations would all gather at the Sabaody Archipelago before heading for Mary Geoise on the Red Line.
Before and after they traveled to Mary Geoise for the conference, the auction house had to put out an enormous amount of merchandise to squeeze their wallets dry.
So... the guests below could hardly be blamed for their complaints. Anyone with eyes could see that this auction house had not prepared many good items.
Under the pressure, the host prepared to offer an explanation.
But he did not see that, just before he opened his mouth, at the end of the slaves' line on the auction stage,
the white-haired old man suddenly furrowed his brow.
"Th-That is...?"
The old man abruptly looked behind him, and some people in the venue noticed his movement.
They thought the old man had dementia.
No one knew that his Observation Haki had already passed through the auction house ceiling and detected the terrifying presence coming from afar.
At the same time, at Marineford, the Marines' headquarters on the Grand Line.
The Marines gathering for patrol duty or training assignments suddenly stopped what they were doing.
"Y-You guys, look at the sky!!!"
The first Marine stared upward and cried out in shock, and everyone else followed his gaze toward the sky.
Before the eyes of every Marine, the layered clouds in the sky west of Marineford suddenly exploded!
The white clouds, packed tightly together only moments ago, spread apart as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped among them.
A massive ring of white surged outward!
The white wave swept away every cloud within a certain range, leaving a strange circular opening in the sky south of Marineford!
And at that very moment, inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku the Buddha, who had been scolding Garp for stealing his donuts a second earlier, abruptly turned his head.
Watching the turbulent sky outside the window gradually settle, Sengoku's brow tightened as he hurriedly said,
"That's Mary Geoise!"
As soon as the words fell, Sengoku looked at Garp and urged him,
"Akainu happens to be away from headquarters. Take a team and get to Mary Geoise as quickly as possible!
I'll contact the Five Elders immediately!"
"Mia~ mia~..."
Garp unhurriedly swallowed the donut in his mouth, then disdainfully shook his head. Leaning lazily against the back of the sofa, he bared his teeth and said,
"How could I possibly go see that pile of trash? Since Akainu isn't here, contact Kizaru instead."
"Fine."
Sengoku knew his old comrade's temperament well, and he had not truly expected Garp to set out.
Besides, even if something had happened in Mary Geoise, there were enough people there to handle any accident!
Their teacher, Kong, the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Services, had always been stationed in Mary Geoise.
The headquarters of the Army and Air Force were also in Mary Geoise.
Most of CP0's main fighting force was likewise in Mary Geoise.
Sengoku knew full well that no random enemy could easily overturn that city.
Still, worry or not, it was necessary to ask.
So Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi specially used to contact the Five Elders and began stimulating the other Den Den Mushi's G-spot.
At this very moment, inside Sabaody Castle, the political center of Mary Geoise.
A giant octopus had been leisurely eating in a pond just a second earlier.
The next second, the poor octopus rolled its eyes white...
Seeing the octopus he had raised lose consciousness, an old man in a crisp black suit looked up at the sky in surprise. His long white hair fell to his back, and his white beard trailed all the way down to his stomach.
Behind him, a gaunt old man holding a long sword sprang up from the sofa.
"This is... what terrifying force of will!"
He spoke in shock, staring fixedly at the sky in Gawain's direction.
Countless figures kicked through the air in that sky, and the fastest among them had already arrived beside Gawain.
Supporting the continuously vomiting-blood Gawain with one hand, Kong, who had arrived first, swept his right hand, and the others following behind immediately stopped in midair.
"This is not an enemy invasion. Saint Gawain has awakened Conqueror's Haki!
I'll take Saint Gawain for treatment. Clean up the collapsed buildings and restore everything to its original state!
As for those who witnessed everything here, eliminate everyone except the Celestial Dragons and soldiers."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kong wanted to carry Gawain away at once.
Yet even while enduring immense pain, Gawain still opened his mouth and interrupted him.
"Stop!"
Gawain said,
"Did you see that shock wave just now?"
"Rest assured, Saint Gawain. That was not some devil's ability, but the purest form of Conqueror's Haki!
You have utterly stunned me, young man!
The last time I saw Conqueror's Haki this strong was when Rocks ran rampant. Even his Conqueror's Haki only barely approached this level at the height of his power.
Your force of will is terrifying, but no matter how great that will may be, you must first take care of your body!
Since your internal organs are injured, I hope you remain quiet from now on. I'll send you for treatment right away!"
"Heh heh..."
Listening to Kong's words, which held impatience but also a measure of admiration, two measures of respect, and three measures of concern, Gawain slowly shook his head. He could shut up, but he could not shut up!
Because he had heard Kong clearly. Everyone who had witnessed him unleash Conqueror's Haki earlier, other than Celestial Dragons and soldiers, was to die!
That was an outcome Gawain could never accept. Whether from the education he had received or from his own values...
he did not think there was any need to turn such a matter into a large-scale massacre!
So after sighing, Gawain slowly said,
"Put me down!"
"Th-This... Saint Gawain, your body?" Kong was somewhat displeased.
"Enough. I'm not so badly hurt that moving once will kill me."
Gawain spoke softly, and his words made Kong frown.
But after thinking it over, Kong still put Gawain down.
At the same time, an unnamed CP0 member in a white suit hurriedly brought over a sofa and placed it beneath Gawain.
Sitting on the sofa, Gawain thoughtfully raised his right hand.
"It hurts a little. Who has a cigarette?"
As soon as he spoke, someone immediately placed tobacco in Gawain's hand.
Letting the person who handed him the cigarette light it, Gawain held it between the fingers of his right hand, endured the pain, and slowly swept his gaze around.
All around him, as time passed, the unconscious people gradually began to wake.
Even before they got to their feet, they had already sensed the strange silence around them.
Amid that unnatural silence, Gawain asked,
"You are... Kong?"
"Indeed I am." Kong nodded proudly.
Gawain nodded as well. After taking a drag and exhaling smoke, he coughed twice, then said,
"Let those slaves live."
As soon as the words fell, the slaves gradually waking around them all tensed up.
Beside him, Kong fell silent for a moment before saying,
"Saint Gawain, do you want more people to learn that you have awakened Conqueror's Haki?"
"Why not?"
Gawain suddenly laughed. Blood stained the corners of his brilliant smile, making even the sunlight seem to sway.
"Look at how I was just now. I took a punch, sure, but I gave Charlos a proper beating too.
Something that lets me make a joke out of him only becomes interesting if more people spread it around!"
As he spoke, Gawain raised his right hand and casually glanced at Kong.
"What do you think, Steel Bone? Or do you intend to stand with Charlos and cover this up for him?"
"Th-This...!"
Steel Bone clenched his teeth. Slander! This was slander against him!
But before Steel Bone could say anything else, another CP0 member arrived beside them with Geppo and said,
"Saint Gawain, the Five Elders request an audience with you. You may receive treatment with the Five Elders' assistance."
After speaking, the CP0 member turned to Kong and reprimanded him lightly,
"And you, Commander-in-Chief. Since Saint Gawain has given an order, you need only carry it out!"
As soon as the words fell, Gawain nodded in satisfaction. Others merely assumed he was pleased to see Kong suffer a setback.
Little did they know that Gawain was happy because he had saved the thousands of slaves who had witnessed the scene.
All around, the slaves who were gradually rising from the ground lifted their heads and looked deeply at Gawain.
At that moment, they would never again be able to forget Gawain's leisurely figure as he smoked.
Before you continue