Public Employment Center at Red Port

Several hours later, night fell, and the lights of Red Port flickered on one by one, shining alongside the stars. As the night deepened, the bustle of the docks gradually subsided.

Dawn arrived beneath the elevator. After confirming that no one was watching nearby, he activated his ability again. His body merged into the darkness, becoming invisible and inaudible.

Next, he began a new experiment—using darkness to absorb the earth's Gravity on himself!

This was another application of conceptual entities he had developed during the past two months at sea, following "absorbing sound."

He had tried absorbing even more abstract concepts, such as pain and injuries, but every attempt had failed. As for concealing his "presence," he had not yet awakened Observation Haki and could barely sense his own presence clearly, so he had no idea where to begin.

Yet after countless reckless experiments and explorations, he had finally discovered the second concept darkness could affect besides sound—Gravity!

By having darkness form a specific force field beneath his feet, he could partially offset or even "absorb" the planet's gravitational pull, allowing himself to float and fly for brief periods!

However, this method consumed an enormous amount of stamina! The drain far exceeded that of absorbing sound. That was also the main reason he had needed to eat so much at the restaurant earlier to replenish his energy.

Dawn held his breath and focused. The darkness beneath his feet slowly stirred, and a strange sensation of weightlessness washed over him. He controlled his body and began to rise gradually.

For safety's sake, he did not dare fly too low, worried that certain beings in Mary Geoise might notice him. Who knew whether God's Knights, those lofty figures, included some hypersensitive lunatics who would attack the moment someone dared fly over their heads?

Ordinary Celestial Dragons already had a history of shooting passing civilian children with lead bullets over the slightest disagreement. Dawn would not gamble his life on that one-in-ten-thousand chance.

It all came down to lacking strength.

"Once I have enough strength, I'll definitely fly low and openly through the skies above Mary Geoise!"

He swore silently, using it as motivation.

He continued ascending until he reached an altitude of nearly ten thousand meters. Frigid air rushed toward him, while Red Port and the magnificent Red Line below became tiny. He adjusted his direction, preparing to fly straight to the nearest island in one go.

However, just as he crossed the Red Line and arrived above the other Red Port, his stamina began draining at an unprecedented rate. High-altitude flight, especially maintaining such a height, burdened his body far more than he had anticipated.

"Damn it!" Dawn's heart clenched. At this rate, he would probably run out of stamina and fall from ten thousand meters before reaching the nearest island, shattering into pieces on impact.

Left with no choice, he immediately ended his high-altitude flight and controlled his body as he descended slowly. In the end, he landed safely at a relatively secluded dock in Red Port on the New World side.

"The higher I fly, the more complicated the Gravity I have to counter becomes, and the stamina consumption increases geometrically..."

Dawn panted as he gained a clearer understanding of his ability's limits. Long-distance, high-altitude flight was not feasible for the time being.

He had flown too high for safety's sake, only to nearly turn it into a death sentence. He shook his head with a bitter smile.

His top priority was replenishing his stamina again. Hidden from sight, he began searching for a restaurant that was still open.

After moving through the shadows between buildings for more than ten minutes, just as he thought he might have to go hungry until dawn, he finally spotted a restaurant with its sign still lit, apparently still open.

Just as he was about to head toward the restaurant, his gaze inadvertently swept over the street corner. There stood a shop with a sign that read Public Employment Center.

Unlike the surrounding stores, which had already closed, this shop had sturdy iron bars installed along its street-facing side. Behind the bars, beneath dim lighting, sat a figure.

She was a woman with smooth golden hair, black eyes like lacquer, and delicate, lovely features. Even in such surroundings, her beauty could not be concealed.

The crude clothes she wore could not fully hide her exceptionally curvaceous, alluring figure.

Stella!

Dawn recognized her identity almost instantly.

Gild Tesoro's moonlight.

Should he steal her away or not? That was the question.

Dawn's thoughts raced. In his previous life, as a veteran One Piece fan and a normal man, he had inevitably admired and even fantasized about many beautiful women in the world of pirates.

Stella's appearance and temperament undoubtedly suited his tastes.

After thinking for only three seconds, Dawn made his decision—he would steal her away!

There was no need to hesitate. Since he had encountered her and had the ability to do something, why should he let the chance slip away? His future ship would also need all kinds of talent and... companions.

Besides, saving a woman trapped in captivity aligned with his principles, both emotionally and morally, even if those principles might have been mixed with selfish motives.

He turned and walked directly toward the still-lit Public Employment Center.

Pushing open the glass door woke the fat owner behind the counter, who had been dozing off. Dawn did not waste words and pointed straight at Stella behind the iron bars.

"Boss, I want to buy that woman."

If this had been the Sabaody Archipelago, where the Marines would need time to arrive, he might have considered a more direct zero-cost purchase. But here, he decided on the relatively safe approach—solving the matter with money.

After all, during his voyage to Red Port, he had casually dealt with several bands of pirates who had failed to recognize their place and seized a large amount of Beli from them. Now was the perfect time to use it.

The owner was initially irritated at being awakened, but when he saw Dawn pointing at Stella and noticed Dawn's tall, muscular frame and extraordinary bearing, his face immediately broke into a professional, slightly troubled smile.

"Oh my, sir, you certainly have a good eye! But... this one is the treasure of our establishment! Just look at that face, that figure—one in ten thousand! Most importantly, she's completely untouched. We went to great lengths to... Your request puts me in a difficult position."

The owner rubbed his hands together, his eyes shifting as he clearly prepared to raise the price on the spot.

Dawn sneered inwardly. It was nothing more than the usual "you'll have to pay more" trick. If the man truly did not want to sell, he would not be working so hard to promote the "product's" advantages.

"Name your price. I've got plenty of money."

Dawn took the huge canvas backpack off his back, pulled out a thick stack of ten-thousand-Beli notes, and slapped it onto the counter with a dull thud.

The owner's eyes instantly went wide. The troubled expression vanished from his face, replaced by an exceedingly fawning smile, and his waist bent a little lower without him even realizing it.

"Hehehe, sir, you're truly straightforward! Since you're so sincere, I won't beat around the bush. This slave... no, this young lady costs three million Beli! What do you say...?"

Dawn cursed the profiteer again inwardly. He remembered that in the original story, when the Straw Hat crew reached the Sabaody Archipelago decades later, the market price of a human slave had only been around five hundred thousand Beli.

Yet more than twenty years earlier, this man dared to demand the astronomical price of three million Beli, clearly treating him like a fat sheep.

But Dawn did not haggle or show any dissatisfaction. Time was pressing, and he did not want to invite unnecessary trouble.

He merely made a note of this shop and its owner in his mental ledger—when he gained enough strength to attack Mary Geoise someday, if this shop was still around, he would definitely return and take everything back with interest!

Expressionless, he counted out three million Beli from the canvas bag and pushed it before the owner.

At the sight of so much cash, the owner's eyes practically turned into Beli symbols. His attitude became even more respectful as he completed all the paperwork at nearly a grabbing pace, then presented Dawn with the key to the iron chain connected to the ugly slave collar around Stella's neck, as well as the lock controlling the chain, with both hands.

"Sir, please take them! From now on, she's yours! I wish you... happy use!"

Dawn accepted the cold chain and key without sparing the owner another glance. He led Stella, who silently rose and followed him, out of the shop reeking of sin and money.

To Be Continued