"Well, friends and honored guests, the woman onstage was once a princess of the Royal House. Her kingdom may have fallen, but her beauty, her bearing, her figure—every inch of her is flawless. And most enticing of all, she's still a virgin! Tempted? Then don't just sit there. Bidding starts at ten million Beli!"
The auctioneer had a gift for stirring up a crowd. Before he had even finished, the audience erupted. Men shouted themselves hoarse with excitement.
North Blue Livestock King Brandt sprang up from the front row and thrust his bidding paddle high into the air.
"Very good! Twenty million Beli from North Blue Livestock King Brandt! Going once!"
Brandt straightened proudly and swept an arrogant gaze around the room. Triumph surged through him. He looked for all the world like a king surveying his domain.
The local Marine Vice Admiral, Falcon Kimble, lazily raised his hand. "Thirty million!"
Ye Chen turned toward the voice. Kimble was tall, with sunken eyes and a sallow face. Thin as a bamboo pole, he looked like a man who had worn himself out chasing women.
It was hardly surprising. Pleasure Valley was full of beautiful women. Even if Luo Lin had not deliberately tried to lure him in, he would have had a hard time resisting.
Countless men throughout history had lost themselves in the pleasures of women, sinking too deep to escape. As the saying went, a bed of roses could become a hero's grave.
It had always been so, with no exceptions.
The world of One Piece was no different.
After Kimble brought his troops to garrison Pleasure Valley, Turner suggested that Luo Lin bribe him. Money and beautiful women did the job. Within a few months, Kimble had thrown all that nonsense about Marine justice to the winds.