Mental Damage Fee!

In the somewhat empty Auction House, most of the previously boisterous crowd had already left. Only the mess remained, bearing witness to the madness that had taken place here.

Allen slowly approached the mysterious object known as the Adam Tree. In an instant, a powerful suction burst from him, and the Adam Tree was sucked into the Kamui Space.

At that critical moment, a faint yet hurried set of footsteps broke the silence. A figure rapidly approached Allen's location.

The newcomer quickly reached Allen's side and, without the slightest hesitation, dropped to his knees with a thud. His voice was filled with reverence and longing. "Lord Allen, please give me a chance to follow you!"

After saying that, he heavily bowed his head to the ground.

Allen frowned slightly and looked at the man before him. It was none other than the future Gild Tesoro, the Golden Emperor who would shake the Four Seas.

"Get up."

Allen's voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority. Upon hearing him, Tesoro slowly rose to his feet. His posture was straight, but he could not hide the nervousness and anticipation in his eyes.

Allen stared at him and asked after a moment, "Why do you want to follow me?"

Tesoro took a deep breath, a painful memory flashing through his eyes.

"Lord Allen, you may not know me, but I know you.

"A year ago, if you and Lord Fisher Tiger hadn't come to free us slaves, I might have died long ago.

"Those days were utterly dark. We were treated like livestock, and not only was my body tortured, but even the woman I loved... she was taken by the Celestial Dragons..."

At this point, Tesoro's voice choked up, while the flames of hatred burned fiercely in his eyes.

"They played her to death."

"I will never forget this hatred for as long as I live.

"So please, give me a chance to follow you. I want strength. I want to deal with all those trash Celestial Dragons!"

Allen looked at Tesoro's face, twisted by hatred, and felt a flicker of pity. He knew all too well how devastating such pain could be to someone.

"Go wait for me on Island 42. Once things here are over, I'll come find you."

To Tesoro, Allen's words were like a ray of dawn in the darkness.

"Yes, Lord Allen."

Hope filled Tesoro's eyes as he turned and quickly ran toward the place Allen had mentioned.

At this point, there was no one else left in the Auction House.

However, the calm did not last long. Suddenly, a Marine's amplified shout came from the entrance. "Gol D. Allen! We can discuss this! Please don't hurt Saint Charlos!"

The corners of Allen's lips curled up slightly. He held Yamato's hand in one hand and a rope in the other, with the other end of the rope looped around Saint Charlos's neck.

Then, he leisurely walked toward the entrance, every step steady and forceful. Saint Charlos, bound by the rope, crawled miserably along the ground. He did not dare slow down in the slightest. He had no choice—if he crawled too slowly, the rope would choke him!

When Allen and Yamato stopped at the entrance, the Marines did not see Saint Charlos and immediately fell into a panic.

A Marine Soldier shouted at Allen, "What did you do to Saint Charlos?"

Allen gave a sly smile and ignored the cries of these insignificant soldiers.

At that moment, Kizaru stepped forward from behind the Marine ranks. He looked at Allen helplessly. "Allen, why is it you again?"

"Well, if it isn't Admiral Kizaru?

"It's been a year, and you've gotten even more handsome!"

Allen greeted him with a grin.

Kizaru was groaning inwardly. He had been extremely unwilling to come, but Sengoku had insisted on sending him, saying that he was fast and could run if he could not win.

Run?

Last time, the moment I got close, this brat beat me like a dog. Long-range attacks don't work on him either. This time, I'm really in trouble.

"Allen, stop making fun of me.

"What did you do to Saint Charlos?

"If you killed him, I'll have a hard time explaining myself."

Kizaru spoke with a bitter expression.

Allen wore an innocent look. "Big brother Kizaru, I don't have Saint Charlos with me!"

"I only have Saint Charlos the dog here!"

"I wonder if that's the Saint you're looking for!"

As he spoke, Allen gave the rope a hard tug, signaling the person behind him to hurry out.

Soon, a figure crawling on the ground appeared before everyone, leaving the Marines utterly stunned.

They never could have imagined that the World Noble Celestial Dragon, who stood so high above others, would have a rope around his neck like a dog and be crawling on the ground.

Kizaru revealed a bitter smile. He could already foresee how serious this incident would become. Chief Officer Tsuru had also been dragged into it. She had not wanted to come at first, but her good younger sister Gion had forcefully pulled her along until she agreed. She was probably already on her way.

"Allen, you've really gone too far this time!"

Kizaru said helplessly.

"Big brother Kizaru, that's not right. You didn't even ask what happened before saying I was the one causing trouble!"

Allen retorted.

Kizaru was momentarily speechless. Allen had turned a Celestial Dragon into a dog—how was anyone supposed to distinguish right from wrong now? Tomorrow's headlines would probably be set already. After all, this was an unprecedented scandal.

Still, he followed Allen's lead. "Then Allen, did something happen between you two?"

Allen said with a wronged expression, "Nothing much. This guy bought something at the Auction House and said he wanted to give it to me, but then he had no money to pay for it. Where does that leave my dignity?"

Allen's words made everyone's expressions turn strange. Why would a Celestial Dragon give something to someone? They had always been the type to seize whatever they wanted.

"What?

"What kind of expressions are those? You don't believe me?

"If you don't believe me, ask him!"

After saying that, Allen viciously kicked Saint Charlos on the ground.

Saint Charlos came to his senses and immediately nodded like a pecking chicken. "What Lord Allen said is true. I don't have any money left."

As he spoke, he burst into tears.

"Wuwuwu~"

Kizaru did not know whether to laugh or cry. He truly had no idea how to handle this situation.

"Allen, what conditions will make you willing to release him?"

"Big brother, that's not the right way to put it. This is compensation for my Mental Damage Fee, not extortion!"

Allen spoke with complete righteousness.

At that moment, Yamato, standing beside him, also chimed in. "Allen's right. They have to compensate us for our Mental Damage Fee!"

The two of them left everyone present speechless. How was this not extortion?

Only then did everyone notice Yamato. As the girl spoke, she suddenly exuded an overbearing aura that startled Kizaru. He had only paid attention to Allen from the start and had overlooked her. Judging from the aura she gave off, she was also a formidable force.

Kizaru asked the two of them bitterly, "What compensation do you want?"

Allen answered without hesitation, "10 Billion Berries, plus two Devil Fruits. No trash fruits!"

Kizaru's eyes widened. "That's too much. The Marines don't have that much. I'll ask whether the World Government is willing to provide compensation!"

"Go ask. I'm not in a hurry!"

Allen said leisurely.

Kizaru had no choice but to walk toward an empty area, preparing to contact the Five Elders.

Meanwhile, Allen and Yamato began flirting openly as though the tense situation had nothing to do with them.