Winning Boa Hancock and Her Sisters at Auction

Saint Dio did not spare him so much as a sideways glance.

He walked straight to the seat with the best view, stood before it, and waited quietly.

The smile on the Celestial Dragon's face froze for a full three seconds. Finally, under the furtive gazes of the surrounding nobles, he rose awkwardly and slunk to the seat at the very edge of the front row. He huddled there, no longer even bothering to toy with the slave in his arms.

Seeing this, the auctioneer onstage instantly broke out in a fine sheen of cold sweat.

In his twenty years in the profession, he had seen all sorts of important figures, but this was his first time seeing a young man whom even a Celestial Dragon obediently gave up his seat for.

Just who was that White Hair boy? The auctioneer dared not dwell on it. He only felt that the white figure seemed to carry an invisible pressure, making the air throughout the venue grow heavy.

Just then, Saint Dio's gaze happened to sweep across the auction stage.

The auctioneer shuddered all over, nearly letting the wooden gavel slip from his hand.

He hurriedly cleared his throat, forced himself to calm down, and continued the proceedings in his professionally impassioned tone:

"Ahem! Honored guests! Next, we present one of the highlights of today's auction!"

He waved toward the side of the stage. Several workers slowly wheeled a massive iron cage, tightly covered with black velvet, onto the auction stage.

The wheels fitted beneath the cage rumbled dully as it moved, suggesting that its contents were far from light.

Every guest's attention was drawn to it.

The auctioneer grasped a corner of the black velvet, paused for two seconds to build suspense, then whipped it away.

"Behold!"

Inside the iron cage, three girls huddled together.

They wore wild-looking garments made from animal hides and scraps of cloth, exposing large patches of skin tanned a healthy wheat color by the sun.

All three girls were very young. Even the oldest looked no more than twelve or thirteen.

In this world, however, it was difficult to judge age by build.

The black-haired girl at the front was trembling herself, yet she still spread her arms, standing protectively before the other two girls, whose builds were slightly larger than hers.

Her black eyes held both fear and a stubborn, unyielding light.

"Take a look, everyone! These three lots are newly captured members of the Kuja Pirates!" the auctioneer announced with mounting enthusiasm. "The Kuja Pirates hail from Amazon Lily, a mysterious nation deep within the Grand Line's Calm Belt! The legendary nation of women! Every one of these female warriors is brave, skilled in battle, and physically robust. Whether purchased as guards or as collectibles, they are exceptionally rare finds!"

A buzz of whispered conversation immediately rose from the audience.

The nobles' gazes grew heated, like a pack of hungry wolves eyeing three lambs that had wandered into their midst.

Some licked their lips, others were already calculating their bids, and some even murmured about whether the women of Amazon Lily really had a "special flavor" as the rumors claimed.

Inside the iron cage, the girl with long black hair stood at the front.

Boa Hancock felt the greedy, lecherous gazes directed at her from every side, and her small body began trembling uncontrollably.

She clenched her teeth, desperately holding back the tears threatening to spill, and shielded her two younger sisters a little more tightly.

The auctioneer surveyed the crowd's reaction with satisfaction. Delighted, he raised his gavel high:

"Now, for these three rare lots from the Kuja, the starting bid is-"

Before he could finish.

A clear, indifferent voice rang through the entire auction hall, neither loud nor soft:

"One hundred Beli."

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone froze.

The nobles exchanged looks, wondering whether their ears had deceived them.

The auctioneer's gavel hung in midair, the smile on his face frozen into a comical picture.

One hundred Beli?

That price would not even buy a newspaper outside, let alone three living slaves.

Chapter 7: Winning Boa Hancock and Her Sisters at Auction

"One hundred Beli."

The voice was not loud, yet it made the air in the hall freeze for an instant.

Everyone abruptly turned their heads, wanting to see which fool with a death wish dared cause trouble here.

What sort of place was a human auction? Everyone seated here was either wealthy or noble. Every one of them was someone of standing. Offering a hundred Beli in a place like this was practically a slap in the face to everyone present.

Yet when their eyes settled on the White Hair boy, all their anger, displeasure, and contempt instantly deflated like balloons pricked by a needle.

A... a Celestial Dragon?

Oh, then never mind.

The nobles silently withdrew their gazes and lowered their heads, not daring to make another peep. Several potbellied tycoons who had been eagerly preparing to bid now wished they could tuck their heads into their collars and pretend they had never existed.

The auctioneer's smile had frozen completely as he stood on the stage.

Holding his gavel, he opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.

One hundred Beli? How was he supposed to follow that?

In his twenty years in the profession, he had handled countless auctions. He had seen people drive down prices and people pick fights, but this was the first time someone had opened with a hundred Beli.

At the end of the day, he was only an employee.

The auctioneer wiped the sweat from his forehead and cast a pleading glance toward an inconspicuous corner backstage.

There, a figure leaned against a pillar beside the curtain with a cigar in his mouth, his expression obscured by the curling smoke. He was the auction house's true owner behind the scenes.

The owner exhaled a smoke ring, the corners of his mouth twitching several times.

What could he do? The bidder was a Celestial Dragon.

Even if the bid had been one Beli, he could only swallow his resentment and accept it.

Surely he could not offend the Celestial Dragons over a few slaves? That would be far more deadly than taking a loss.

Helplessly, the owner waved a hand, signaling the auctioneer to hurry up and end this farce.

As though granted a reprieve, the auctioneer hastily raised his gavel and brought it down hard. "O-one hundred Beli! Sold! Congratulations to this lord on acquiring these three lots!"

The strike of the gavel sounded especially crisp in the quiet hall.

Saint Dio showed no particular expression, as though he had merely bought three heads of cabbage on a whim.

He tilted his head slightly and gave Stussy, standing beside him, a meaningful look.

Stussy understood at once and stepped forward to handle the transfer formalities with the auction house staff.

Of course, the banknote she produced had such a large denomination that the staff had to return a great handful of change, almost as though she were mocking the auction itself.

After winning his targets, Saint Dio had no interest in giving the other slaves onstage even another glance.

He had no interest in the chained Fish-Men, giants, or even the oddly shaped humans, nor did he want to spend another second in this place steeped in the stench of money and hypocrisy.

He rose and turned toward the exit.

The hem of his white coat swayed gently behind him as he walked at an unhurried pace.

One hundred Beli.

Honestly, even if he had bid a hundred million Beli, his wealth as a Celestial Dragon could easily have covered it.

But why should he waste that money? The privileges of a Celestial Dragon were right there. Only a fool would refuse to use them.

Besides, there were the things he intended to do next.

Building his own secret force, laying plans in the shadows, recruiting talent, and purchasing equipment would each require astronomical sums.

Money should be spent where it mattered, not handed to those filthy human traffickers.

Saint Dio walked out through the auction house doors. Outside, the sunshine was as bright as ever, and bubbles still drifted through the air.

Before long, footsteps sounded behind him, accompanied by the clatter of metal chains dragging along the ground.

Stussy emerged, holding a long, thin chain.

At the other end, the chain branched into three, each attached to a black collar around one of the girls' necks.

These were standard equipment used by the human auction house to prevent its "merchandise" from escaping. Each contained a small bomb that, once triggered, could blast an adult's head to pieces.

Dragged along by the chain, the three girls stumbled after Stussy.

Their faces were filled with resistance and resentment, especially Boa Hancock's at the front. She bit her lip hard, flames of anger burning in her black eyes, her little fists clenched until her knuckles turned white.

If not for her concern for the two younger sisters behind her, she would probably have already lunged forward to fight for her life.

Noticing their resistance, Stussy turned her head slightly. A sweet yet spine-chilling smile appeared on her exquisitely doll-like face.

She bent down, leaned close to Hancock's ear, and whispered gently:

"Little girl, take a big sister's advice and behave, all right~ Those little things around your necks... if you misbehave, they'll go 'bang' and blow your pretty little heads right off~"

Just then, as though heaven were providing an illustration for Stussy's words, the auction house doors burst open. A pirate slave covered in injuries broke free of his guards and charged madly into the street, laughing hysterically:

"Hahaha! I'm free! I'm finally-"

Before he could finish.

"Beep, beep, beep-beeeep-"

The collar around his neck let out a rapid series of beeps, and then-

Bang!!

A dull explosion rang out.

Before everyone's eyes, the pirate slave's head burst like a crushed watermelon, sending blood and brains splattering everywhere.

Momentum carried the headless corpse stumbling another two steps before it crashed to the ground. It twitched a few times, then lay still.

Screams and cries of alarm immediately erupted along the street.

Boa Hancock and her two sisters froze.

They watched the head explode right before them. A few drops of warm blood even splashed onto their calves.

Someone who had been laughing one second had become a headless corpse the next.

The sight made the three young girls fully understand the true meaning of the cold iron rings around their necks.

Hancock shuddered violently, much of the anger burning in her black eyes doused by fear.

She instinctively reached up to touch her collar. The cold feel of metal against her fingertips made her shiver.

Her two younger sisters behind her were even more frightened. They clung to one another, trembling, unable even to cry.

They stopped struggling.

Faced with the threat of death, even the most stubborn wild spirit had to bow its head for the moment. The three girls silently lowered their heads, letting Stussy lead them by the chain as they obediently followed the white figure ahead.

Leading the three little girls, Stussy hurried to catch up with Saint Dio and bowed slightly. "Master, I've brought them."

Saint Dio stopped and turned around.

His gaze settled on the three girls.

The two younger girls, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold, shrank back under his gaze and hid behind their older sister, not daring to meet his eyes, though their builds made it impossible to conceal themselves completely.

Boa Hancock, however, clenched her teeth and held her head high, glaring fiercely at the White Hair boy with black eyes that shimmered with tears yet remained stubborn.

Saint Dio held her gaze for a moment.

Then he reached out, gripped Hancock's chin between his fingers, and applied a little pressure, forcing her to tilt her face higher.

Her face had not yet fully matured, but it already showed the foundations of astonishing beauty.

Her features were delicate, her brow carrying an innate pride and stubbornness.

Her skin was a healthy milky white, fine and smooth like the finest silk.

Her black eyes were clear and bright. Even filled with tears and hatred, they could not conceal the radiance within.

Her lips were lightly pressed together, their shape lovely, like a rosebud waiting to bloom. Though still immature, they already offered a glimpse of the peerless beauty she would possess in full bloom.