Freeing the Slaves

The nobles' sneers and contempt made him clench his fists tighter, anger burning in Dragon's chest.

He knew how filthy this place was. He knew the tragic fate of those innocents. None of the slaves here had willingly put a price on their own bodies, yet they would still be stripped of all dignity and even their lives.

"They were born human, not to be enslaved by you!" Dragon's voice brimmed with anger and resolve, his words piercing the hearts of the slaves backstage like sharp blades.

Speaking up for slaves was something they had only ever dared to imagine in their dreams. The moment they heard Dragon's words, many of them burst into tears.

"What are you crying for? You don't actually think they can take you out of here, do you? Stop dreaming!" the guards mocked.

The slaves had not held much hope either. They were merely venting the emotions they had suppressed for so long.

Though they had no expectations, their eyes still revealed anger at their own plight, along with faith in and admiration for Jin An and the others.

As the nobles began to mock and provoke them, Donquixote Doflamingo's face darkened further. His hands curled into fists, his body tensed for any possible challenge, and his eyes gleamed with a blazing light, as though he wanted to grind those nobles' bones to dust.

"I was only kindly warning you. Since none of you want to leave, I won't concern myself with you anymore."

Jin An's hair and clothes stirred without wind. His voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears.

Some of the nobles' expressions changed. Anyone capable of doing that seemed beyond their ability to provoke, and they immediately began thinking of retreating.

But then, a roar suddenly rang out. Modis led his men charging forward, shattering the auction house's calm.

He had long since run out of patience with these three troublemakers who had ruined his grand plans to make money. Now that all his men had arrived, he no longer needed to endure it.

They were fully armed, their weapons fitted for maximum lethality. Swift and forceful, they rushed forward with blades and guns in hand, shouting wildly.

Bang!

A string of gunshots rang out as several of Modis's men attacked Jin An and the others without hesitation.

The anger burning in Dragon's heart was ignited by the gunfire. He was determined to let everyone here know that the evil of slave trading would surely be punished.

The people in this auction house could suppress ordinary slaves, but they were no match for Jin An and the others. For a time, screams of agony rang out without end.

In the blink of an eye, the group that had just been so fierce and imposing all lay on the ground, utterly silent.

Modis was forced back again and again. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and he grew increasingly anxious.

"These useless Marines! I give them so much money every year, and now they can't even protect my safety?!"

"Boss, I already told them, but they said they need some time to get here." The subordinate was sweating profusely. He had not even finished spending the money he had earned; he could not die here.

"Useless! You're all useless! You always fail when it matters most!"

He gritted his teeth fiercely as he watched his profits rapidly vanish amid Jin An and the others' wanton destruction.

Though more of his men kept joining the suppression effort, they still could not contain the momentum of the riot at all.

The venue was already filled with the nobles' screams and curses.

In blind panic, they shoved each other as they ran for the exit. Those three were simply too terrifying. So many people had been killed in an instant, and they did not spare even slave traders who knelt to beg for mercy. They killed without the slightest hesitation.

Bang!

Gunfire erupted from the panicked crowd.

"You lowly wretches, move aside! Make way! The honorable Celestial Dragons are leaving!"

The guards responsible for the Celestial Dragons' safety shouted loudly. Inside, they were terrified. They had thought this would be a simple escort mission.

They had never expected to encounter something like this. They could not let the Celestial Dragons come to harm, or they and their families would all die horribly.

"Why should we leave? Isn't it more interesting to keep watching them slaughter each other?" The Celestial Dragon was fascinated by humans killing one another and did not want to leave.

"Saint Raskard, we can watch such things after returning to Mary Geoise. The show here isn't interesting." The captain of the guards let out a breath, suppressing the urge to simply grab the Celestial Dragon and run.

They had stayed by the Celestial Dragons' side for so long that they understood their mindset. The Celestial Dragons feared neither heaven nor earth and had no concern about danger, because the moment they were threatened, the Navy's highest combat forces would rush here at once.

That was one of the sources of confidence for these Celestial Dragons.

The Celestial Dragons were unafraid, but the guards were. Once those people had gone mad with bloodlust, no one knew what they might do.

"Are you telling me what to do?" The Celestial Dragon directly pulled out a gun and stared at the guard.

Cipher Pol No. 2, hidden in the shadows, appeared before the guards. "With us here, no one can get close to this place."

"Form a protective perimeter around Saint Raskard. Do not let anyone approach, and make sure they do not affect this side."

Though they had confidence in their own strength, they still chose to add another layer of security just in case.

The scene here was simply too chaotic. If anything unexpected happened, no one would be able to protect him.

Not far away, Jin An had naturally witnessed every move the Celestial Dragon made. Just as expected of a pig, rushing toward danger even when it appeared.

"I'll leave these small fry to you." Jin An slapped away someone who approached him and headed backstage alone.

"Seriously, you're making us do all the tiring work again."

After shooting an enemy, Donquixote Doflamingo's lips curled upward. Though he complained, he enjoyed this feeling of being unstoppable.

Amid the chaos and fierce fighting, Dragon's heart was filled with rage. Hearing Jin An's words, he merely nodded silently.

He possessed faith in justice and the desire to protect the weak. His actions were not only to save those who had been enslaved, but also to defend his own beliefs and his hopes for the world.

Jin An headed backstage alone. Amid the chaotic auction house, he openly passed through the crowd. Though the guards did everything they could to stop him, they had no effect on Jin An whatsoever, and he reached the backstage area in no time.

With a bang, Jin An shoved open the tightly sealed cell door. The room was dark and damp, its air mixed with a foul stench. Unaccustomed to it, he frowned.

"Ugh, this environment is awful." He shook his head and continued onward.

There, he found a group of imprisoned slaves.

Their eyes were filled with shock. Though they desperately tried to calm their wildly pounding hearts, the excitement on their faces could not be concealed. They recognized the voice of the person before them...

"You're free." Jin An kicked open the locked cell door. "Remember to line up. I'll remove the collars around your necks."

The people inside the cell watched this unfold in disbelief.

It was not until Jin An moved to the next cell that someone seemed to awaken from a dream and began to sob bitterly. Everything was so real—so real that they did not dare believe it.

"We're free!"

After cheering, the slaves swarmed out of their cells and lined up outside. Leaving the cells was one thing, but the collars around their necks were what truly threatened their lives.

When he reached the final room, slaves were still being held inside, but one of them caught Jin An's attention.