Red Port Public Employment Center

Several hours later, night fell. The lights of Red Port came on one after another, shining alongside the stars in Kong. As midnight approached, the clamor at the docks gradually subsided.

Dawn arrived beneath the lift. 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 gravitational pull on himself!

This was another application he had developed for conceptual existences 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 no idea where to begin. He had yet to awaken Observation Haki and could barely perceive his own presence clearly.

However, after countless reckless attempts and explorations, he had finally discovered the second concept darkness could affect besides sound—gravity!

By having darkness form a particular force field beneath his feet, he could partially offset, or even "absorb," the planet's gravitational restraint on him, allowing him to float and fly for a short time!

But this method consumed an enormous amount of stamina! Far more than absorbing sound. That was 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 swirled, and a strange sensation of weightlessness washed over him. Controlling his body, he began to rise into Kong.

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

Ordinary Celestial Dragons already had a record 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 not being strong enough.

Once I have enough strength, I'll fly brazenly through Kong above Mary Geoise at low altitude!

He silently swore an oath, using it as motivation.

He continued climbing until he reached nearly ten thousand meters into Kong. Frigid air rushed against his face. Red Port below, along with the magnificent Red Line, had become tiny. He adjusted his direction, preparing to fly in one push to the nearest island.

However, just as he crossed the Red Line and arrived in Kong above another Red Port, his stamina began draining at an unprecedented rate. Flight through Kong, especially maintaining such an altitude, put far more strain on his stamina than he had anticipated.

"Damn!" Dawn's heart tightened. At this rate, before he could reach the nearest island, he would run out of stamina and fall from ten thousand meters in Kong, smashing himself to pieces.

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

It seems that the higher I fly, the more complicated the gravity I have to counter becomes, and the stamina consumption increases geometrically...

Dawn panted, gaining a clearer understanding of his ability's limits. Long-distance flight through Kong was not feasible for the time being.

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

His most urgent task was replenishing his stamina again. Still invisible, he began searching for restaurants that remained open.

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

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

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

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

The crude clothing on her body could not fully hide her exceptionally prominent, alluring curves.

Stella!

Dawn recognized her identity almost instantly.

Gild Tesoro's one true love.

Should I steal her away before he can, or not? That was the question.

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

Stella's appearance and temperament undoubtedly suited his tastes.

After only three seconds of thought, Dawn made his decision—I'm taking her first!

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

Besides, rescuing a woman trapped in captivity was in line with his own principles, both emotionally and morally, even if those principles might be mixed with selfish motives.

He turned 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 it would take time for the Marines to arrive, he might have considered simply taking her for free. But here, he decided to use the safer approach—solving the matter with money.

After all, during his voyage to Red Port, he had casually dealt with several groups of pirates foolish enough to provoke him and seized a large amount of Beli from them. Now, it was finally time to put it to use.

The owner had been annoyed at being woken, but when he saw Dawn pointing at Stella and noticed Dawn's tall, muscular build and extraordinary bearing, his face immediately broke into a professional smile tinged with feigned difficulty.

"Ah, sir, you certainly have an eye for quality! 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. He was clearly preparing to jack up the price.

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

"Name your price. I have plenty of money."

Dawn removed the huge canvas backpack from 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 look vanished into Kong from his face, replaced by an extremely fawning smile. His waist even bent a little lower without him 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 inwardly again. He remembered that in the original story, when the Straw Hat crew arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago decades later, the market price for a human slave was only around five hundred thousand Beli.

Yet more than twenty years earlier, this man dared to ask for the astronomical price of three million Beli. He was clearly treating Dawn like a fat sheep.

But he did not haggle or show any dissatisfaction. Time was tight, and he did not want unnecessary complications.

He merely made a note in the little ledger in his heart of this shop and its owner—when he possessed the strength to attack Mary Geoise in the future, if this place 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 toward the owner.

Seeing so much cash, the owner's eyes nearly turned into Beli symbols. His attitude became even more respectful. At nearly the speed of a grab, he completed all the paperwork and presented Dawn with both the key to the Iron Chain connected to the ugly slave collar around Stella's neck and the clasp controlling the Iron Chain, holding them out with both hands.

"Sir, please take them! From now on, she belongs to you! I wish you... a pleasant time!"

Dawn accepted the Ice-cold Iron Chain and key. Without sparing the owner another glance, he led Stella, who silently stood and followed him, out of the shop reeking of sin and money.

To be continued.