Crewmate Added, Joker's Invitation

On Sabaody Archipelago 6, a man riding Bubble Car looked left and right, muttering to himself.

"Where do you think I should find some reliable crew members? The ocean area of this world is more than ten times the size of the Earth. Even if I were to fly, I would need to find a place to land. To sail a ship, I need a helmsman. Besides a ship, I also need a cook to prepare meals, and naturally, I also need a ship's doctor and support staff."

"And, most importantly, the navigator."

"Without the help of these people, it will be difficult to find the Sky Island."

Bruce Yu: "There are still four years until Luffy's first voyage. Why don't you just find Nami and make her your navigator, and then return her to Luffy when Luffy sail?"

Stephen Fang: "Do we still have to pay it back? If not, that's fine. With Nami, we won't have to worry about finding our coordinates on this vast ocean. And of course, there's the cook and the ship's doctor too."

Bruce Yu: "I bet you'll say, 'Borrow Sanji and Chopper first, and return them to Luffy when Luffy sail.'"

Stephen Fang: "You're so smart!"

Pirate World Fang Yu pondered seriously and said, "These people are indeed easy to find and use, but I don't know if they will follow me, Nami. If I don't melt her heart, she might run away at any opportunity."

Uchiha Yu: "Just take down Arlong."

At this moment, the Main God Fang Yu interjected. "Then the question is, how do we get to Cocoyasi Village in the East China Sea smoothly? If we can get to the East China Sea, then what's the point of having a navigator?"

As everyone was discussing this, Pirate World Fang Yu suddenly noticed that several marines were changing shifts ahead.

"Marine Base?"

He had barely uttered his idea when he was immediately drawn to the magnificent, golden building.

It is not Marine Base.

It was an Auction House.

The Auction House in the Sabaody Archipelago are truly exceptional.

Humans, mermaids, Fish-Man, Mink Tribe, Dwarf Tribe, giants.

Even more surprisingly, if there are buyers, they could buy Great Pirate with Bounty Over 100 Million to use as their Watchdogs.

The Auction House in the Sabaody Archipelago is practically a must-do activity.

Pirate World Fang Yu seemed lost in thought.

"We're short-staffed on board right now, and I have an idea."

He first went to a clothing store, spent all the money Ace had given him, and spent a fortune on a decent suit. With his back straight, he walked toward the Auction House house.

As soon as he reached the door, a burly bodyguard with a hideous scar across his face blocked Fang Yu's path.

This guy first looked Fang Yu up and down carefully, then reached out and stopped him, demanding that Fang Yu show the invitation letter in a domineering manner.

In response, Fang Yu's lips curled up slightly, forming a playful smile. Then, a strange light flashed in his deep eyes as he stared directly at the guy.

In an instant, something miraculous happened!

The bodyguard's eyes instantly became dull and lifeless, as if he had lost his soul. Then, white foam uncontrollably spilled from the corner of his mouth, his legs went weak, and he collapsed with a thud.

Fang Yu calmly stepped over the bodyguard and strode into the auction hall.

As soon as he entered, he was shocked by the overwhelming atmosphere of extravagance that greeted him.

The auction venue is enormous and extremely spacious; an unsuspecting person might mistake it for a small theater at first glance.

The venue was packed with seats, layer upon layer, while above them were many VIP rooms made of transparent glass. Through the glass, one could vaguely see the figures inside, who must have been wealthy and powerful people.

At this time, there were not many people in the auction hall, less than fifty, but their bidding enthusiasm was no less than that of hundreds of people bidding at the same time.

Fang Yu looked around and saw a "special item" on display on the stage—a one-eyed mermaid with an extremely broken expression and a face full of terror.

She was trapped in a huge bathtub, helplessly swimming back and forth. Her fearful eyes anxiously stared at the humans outside the glass who were making lewd faces at her. Her body trembled like a lamb to the slaughter.

Fang Yu remained calm and found an empty seat nearby to sit down casually.

The moment my bottom touched the chair, a sharp-eyed waiter swiftly brought over a delicate little table, followed by steaming hot tea and fragrant pastries.

Fang Yu picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then asked seemingly casually, "Could you bring some more food?"

He casually fabricated a lie, "I just Auction House house, spending hundreds of millions of Beli to buy slaves, and now I'm starving and incredibly thirsty!"

Upon hearing this, the waiter dared not be negligent in the slightest. He immediately nodded and bowed, and ran off to call on the kitchen staff to get things moving.

The mermaid auction on stage is still in full swing.

Ultimately, it was successfully auctioned off to a bald, pot-bellied fat man for a high price of 130 million Beli.

The fat man, beaming with pride, strode up to the fish tank, intending to strike up a conversation with the mermaid he had just photographed inside.

Unexpectedly, the mermaid inside seemed to be enraged, and suddenly slammed its tail against the fish tank!

With a "splash," a large wave of water splashed up and drenched the bald fat man!

The fat man's smugness vanished instantly, replaced by a look of rage.

He raised his hand and viciously wiped the water off his face, cursing filthily, "After I'm done playing, I'll blind your other eye too! I heard that eating fish eyes can help you regain your eyesight, and eating mermaid eyes... hehehehe!" His twisted laughter echoed in the auction hall, sending chills down everyone's spines.

His malicious thoughts were relayed without reservation, and the group of business owners who were enthusiastically conducting the auction below burst into chilling laughter upon hearing this.

In their eyes, this was not a living being at all, but a plaything for their amusement.

Hearing these words, the mermaid in the bathtub felt her last glimmer of hope shatter completely.

She then realized with a start that she had fallen into the hands of a group of ruthless and insane individuals, more terrifying than demons...

These people are even more beastly than the slave traders who kidnapped her!

A short man wearing a top hat approached and gave the fat man a gentlemanly bow. "Sir, please place your goods downstairs first, and we will deliver them to your residence after the entire auction is over?"

"Hmph." The fat man didn't give him a friendly look and walked off the stage.

The short man smiled and explained, "The seas are not peaceful right now. Several pirate crews are specifically protecting the Merfolk. Merfolk cargo is difficult to capture, so you've already gotten a good deal!"

Hearing this, the fat man calmed down.

Next up on stage was a Fish-Man.

Fish-Man and mermaids are only slightly different in appearance, but they are two completely different races.

Mermaids are a product of Western mythology, with human bodies and fish tails. They are generally very beautiful, and their average auction price is around 100 million yuan.

Like the one that was just auctioned off, it was missing an eyeball, which affected its appearance, yet it still fetched over 100 million Beli.

This number may not be very representative, but taking pirates as an example, even the most powerful pirate Supernova only has a bounty of around 100 million to 300 million Beli.

It's hard to imagine that Ace's bounty at this time was equivalent to the auction value of an ordinary one-eyed mermaid, which also shows the hardships faced by the mermaid Clans.

Fish-Man, lacking basic visual appeal, are simply a group of incredibly strong monsters. These creatures, whose strength is generally ten times that of humans, are the best choice for manual labor.

The auction price was only one million Beli.

But they can do many times more work than human slaves.

The first few customers didn't seem interested in the Fish-Man, but just as it was about to go Fish-Man, inquiries came from the back.

"Does the Fish-Man on the stage know how to navigate?"

The Fish-Man bared its teeth, making a low, threatening sound at the auctioneer who was questioning it, like a mad dog. The auctioneer replied sheepishly, "It won't."

After Fang Yu waved his hand, indicating he wasn't interested, the Fish-Man collectible failed to sell at auction.

Then, a beautiful human woman came up and was auctioned off for 800,000 Beli.

Later, a Dwarf Tribe from the Tontatta Tribe won the bid for 1.1 million.

At that moment, a voice came from the VIP room on the second floor. The voice was not loud, but it was broadcast throughout the room by the loudspeaker.

The voice was filled with impatience and indifference to worldly matters. It asked, "Do you have any good stuff today? If not, I'm leaving."

The auctioneer on stage hurriedly bowed and scraped towards the second floor, saying, "Originally, a large batch of goods was scheduled to be auctioned at the end of the month. Since you want to see them, sir, let's bring them all on stage at once!"

After he finished speaking, several people came up from below the stage and carried the huge fish tank onto the auction platform one by one.

There are three mermaids in the fish tank: one with green hair, one with white hair, and one with yellow hair. They are all stunningly beautiful.

Upon seeing these three mermaids, all the wealthy people in the room went into a frenzy!

"Announce the bottom price immediately!"

"Hurry up!"

"Laozi 'm going to film this!"

"We can't wait, guys!"

They shouted, urging the host to announce the reserve price, while the host hesitated and looked towards the private rooms on the second floor.

"The auction can only continue after the distinguished guest on the second floor expresses their opinion. If the distinguished guest on the second floor is interested in the goods, then they will not be allowed to enter the market."

"What?! By what right?!"

Everyone burst into anger. Who among them wasn't rich and powerful? Why should they have to give others attitude?

Could it be...?

The curtains of the private room on the second floor were opened, and an obese man wearing a bubble oxygen mask appeared in front of the window.

Upon seeing this outfit, the crowd that had been urging them on immediately fell silent.

Because the guy in the VIP room on the second floor is from the Sabaody Archipelago, and is from a world-ruling Clans.

The Celestial Dragon!

The Celestial Dragon looked at the three mermaids through the glass and waved his hand, saying, "The ones at my house are far superior to those here!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

As soon as the Celestial Dragon left, deafening bidding erupted in the auction house!

"One hundred million!"

"One hundred and thirty million!"

"One hundred and sixty million!"

These men all want to get their hands on the three mermaids.

At this moment, Fang Yu, who was at the back of the venue, spoke up again and asked, "Do any of the three of them know how to navigate, cook, or drive a boat?"

Upon hearing this question, not only the host but also the guests in the audience smiled.

"Hahaha! Asking such strange questions when buying mermaids? Instead of asking these questions, why not ask them if they had a first time!"

"Exactly! What's the point of asking these questions? Mermaids only have one fate: to obediently give Laozi a 'spa treatment'! Hahahaha!"

The three mermaids on the stage looked at each other, and each heard the whispers of their own destiny.

At this moment, the host on stage said, "Today's auction has too few attendees. If it weren't for the request of Mr. Ryan Fitzgerald St., these three items would not be on display today. They will be available again at the end of the month. Goodbye!"

Having said that, he didn't give anyone time to react.

The auction staff carried the three mermaids, along with their tanks, backstage.

"Not making money when you can is insane!"

"Exactly! Why didn't we sell the mermaid earlier? That way, even if we lost some money after the game, we could at least recoup some of it. After half a month, who knows how many hands it will pass through before it's Laozi turn to play!"

The buyers, cursing the disappointment, obediently headed towards the exit.

They can't afford to mess with the auction.

The owners behind the auction were the Celestial Dragon, a family they couldn't afford to offend.

As the auction hall gradually emptied out, the bald, fat man who had been standing in front of the fish tank rubbed his hands together, already thinking about how he would have a good time when he got home.

Just as the bald, fat man, feeling smug and having finished paying the final payment with his men, was happily preparing to take the one-eyed mermaid away like a trophy,

A sudden, extremely intense wave of dizziness swept over him and his men without warning!

In an instant, their bodies began to sway uncontrollably, their legs buckled, and they collapsed to the ground like puppets with broken strings, foaming uncontrollably from their mouths and convulsing in pain. The scene instantly descended into chaos!

At this moment, Fang Yu walked slowly through the crowd and headed straight for the fish tank containing the mermaid.

Seeing the mermaid trembling in fear in the water, Fang Yu reached out without hesitation, gently dipped his hand into the water, and steadily scooped the mermaid out.

The Sabaody Archipelago has a unique landscape that bears some resemblance to the famous Venice. The back door of the Auction House leads to a winding river.

Fang Yu carefully carried the mermaid to the riverbank, then gently tossed her into the river with a slight effort.

After the one-eyed mermaid fell into the water, she looked at Fang Yu with tears in her eyes, and bowed to Fang Yu with a slightly choked voice. "Thank you!"

"Let's go."

She glanced at Fang Yu again, then flicked her tail and quickly darted into the stream, disappearing without a trace after a few undulations.

After doing all this, Fang Yu was not in a hurry to leave.

He strode through the back door of the Auction House toward that sinful place where countless slaves and people were imprisoned.

Upon entering this place, a pungent stench of decay assaulted the senses, a mixture of despair and fear that was nauseating.

In the dim light, rows of dilapidated cages came into view, some large and some small, arranged densely.

The cages held all sorts of slaves, ragged and unkempt, their eyes filled with despair and numbness.

Some slaves were emaciated, covered in wounds, with flies crawling all over their wounds, which they were powerless to drive away.

Some huddled together, shivering in the cold, damp environment, trying to draw warmth from each other.

Others huddled alone in a corner, their eyes vacant, as if they had lost all hope in life and were nothing but empty shells.

Here, they suffer no less than in the prison cells of Impel Down.

Fang Yu's gaze slowly swept over the slaves.

Soon, he saw the three mermaids that had appeared on the auction stage earlier.

They were huddled in a few small fish tanks, their tails flailing weakly, their eyes filled with heartbreaking fear and helplessness.

Not far away, the Fish-Man that had previously failed to sell was also locked in a specially made cage. It angrily pounded on the cage, but could only make dull sounds, unable to break free from the shackles that imprisoned its freedom.

As they continued digging deeper, Fang Yu's gaze was drawn to a peculiar figure locked in a cage.

It was a furry, humanoid rabbit!

This is a member of the Mink Tribe, and a female rabbit at that.

She looked very young, only about ten years old, with a round face and long, fluffy ears that drooped down. She was so cute that you couldn't help but want to reach out and pet her.

However, when Fang Yu approached and looked at her, he found that she was also watching him warily, her eyes revealing a fierceness that was very different from her appearance. She clearly mistook Fang Yu for one of those despicable slave traders.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from deep within the room, breaking the oppressive silence!

A group of thugs from the slave auction, who had discovered the anomaly through Surveillance Den Den Mushi footage, charged menacingly toward Fang Yu, armed with clubs and knives!

"Damn brat! Is this a place you can come from?!"

Faced with this group of menacing enemies, Fang Yu remained calm and composed. A sharp glint flashed in his deep eyes, and a faint but powerful Conqueror's Haki instantly enveloped the area like an invisible storm!

In an instant, the thugs who rushed to the front seemed to be struck by an invisible force. Their bodies froze instantly, and then their eyes rolled back as they fell to the ground. The speed was so fast that no one had time to react!

This scene left the slaves locked in the cages dumbfounded!

They could hardly believe their eyes. They had thought that only endless suffering awaited them, but unexpectedly, such a savior-like figure appeared.

Fang Yu did not stop. He walked to the fish tanks of the mermaids one by one, raised his arm high, and punched the fish tank. The glass shattered instantly, water splashed everywhere, and the mermaids regained their freedom. They happily swayed their tails and slapped the ground as they moved towards the door.

Next, he went to the Fish-Man's cage and smashed the seemingly unbreakable lock with a single punch. The Fish-Man rushed out eagerly, gave Fang Yu a grateful look, and ran towards freedom.

Finally, Fang Yu walked up to the bunny girl, looked at her gently, and asked, "Do you know any of these skills: navigation, sailing, or cooking?"

The bunny girl first looked at the slaves behind Fang Yu, who had regained their freedom, with a puzzled expression. Then she turned to look at Fang Yu, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, whispering, "I can cook delicious food!"

Fang Yu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a relieved smile. "Alright, come with me then."

He turned to the remaining slaves and shouted, "The rest of you, run along the stream behind the back door. Run as far as you can, and don't get caught again."

Upon hearing this, the slaves were filled with gratitude. They bowed to Fang Yu in thanks, and then rushed out of the door, heading towards the shore of freedom.

At this moment, the bunny girl excitedly asked Fang Yu, "What's your name? What's our pirate crew called? Where's our pirate ship? Is our target ONE PIECE?!"

Before answering your question, Pirate World Fang Yu looked at the somewhat familiar face and asked, "What is your name?"

She looked at Fang Yu with very innocent eyes, while pointing at herself.

"Me? My name is..."

"Carrot!"

The moment the name was mentioned, Fang Yu's Chat Group exploded!

Uchiha Yu: "Isn't this the future empress of the Zou Mokomo Dukedom? What's she doing here?"

Stephen Fang: "Were you sold here by slave traders?"

Filled with doubt, Pirate World Fang Yu pulled her outside, asking, "How were you kidnapped and brought here?"

"Ah! That day, Carrot was walking around on the island when she got caught in a trap and hung up a tree!" Carrot recalled, hopping around playfully.

"Then I passed out! When I woke up again, I found myself on a ship!"

"I love adventure! When I was on the island, my master always told me stories about the outside world. I've never been outside the island, and I really want to go and explore!"

"Ah, now that I think about it, those guys weren't kind people at all! I thought they were there specifically to help me get off at Zou and bring me on this adventure!"

"Uh..." Fang Yu looked at Carrot's face with some worry. This guy's intelligence, no wonder he can get along so well with the Straw Hat Pirates.

"And then what?"

"Then I got caught by those bastards! They must have used some tricks to force the kind people who brought me out to hand me over. I even heard them arguing! Saying things like it wasn't right, that it was too little or too much, humph!"

Fang Yu shook off the black lines on his forehead. "So, are you... are you willing to go on this adventure with me?"

"Of course I would!" Carrot looked around. "Where's our ship?"

"We'll have a ship. Let's buy supplies first."

"Yay!"

Walking down the street with this Mink Tribe female rabbit would get you almost as many stares as walking down the street with an inflatable wife.

A man and a rabbit passed by a clothing store. Fang Yu picked up a red hat and a green tank top.

"Put it on."

Carrot's expression turned serious. "You, you are, you mean, give it to me, let me wear it?"

"What else can I wear it?" Fang Yu looked at the shop owner. "Do you have a fitting room?"

Carrot suddenly let out a loud scream and rushed into the clothing store with the clothes and hat in her hand!

Not long after, she jumped out, blinking her innocent-looking big eyes and asking, "Is it pretty?"

Fang Yu nodded. "It looks pretty good."

Carrot touched her ears. "But, but, this way, my ears will be showing. Let's change to a hat without holes!"

At that moment, Stephen Fang's voice echoed in Pirate World Fang Yu's mind, "What are you going to change? I want rabbit ears!"

In the dimly lit corridor, a knock sounded on the door.

Bruce Yu had already plugged the peephole of his bedroom door with toilet paper.

He doesn't need to look through the peephole to see who's coming; he can tell just by using his Observation Haki.

"Squeak~"

Gate of Opening, a pale-skinned, green-haired Joker stood in the doorway, looking extremely eerie!

"Hey~! My dear neighbor~" Joker first gave a very gentlemanly hat-tipping salute, then asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Have eaten."

The Joker's eyes were full of anticipation, and he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, that's great! I've come to discuss something important with you!"

Bruce Yu looked across the closed door. "Shall we talk here?"

"Oh my god! What a thoughtful neighbor!" The Joker looked Bruce Yu in the eye. "Are you inviting me into your house? Aren't you afraid I'm some kind of vampire?"

Bruce Yu laughed. "Believe me, Jack, I eat more than a vampire."

"Hahaha! I love this joke!"

The Joker entered the room with comical movements, curiously looking around before hooking the door shut with his foot.

"Oh, dear neighbor, now we can have a proper talk."

"Yes, go ahead, I'm listening." Bruce Yu pointed to the sofa in the distance. "If it's alright, how about we sit down and talk?"

"No need, no need, I only need to ask you one thing."

His gaze suddenly turned fierce, and he asked, word by word, "Let me think, you little mushroom, are you planning to give my wife a spicy mushroom feast? Oh, thank goodness you're a little mushroom, if you were a black mushroom, you might have hit my son's head."

Bruce Yu sighed, "I know that's not what you want to ask. Just say it."

The Joker immediately reverted to his nonchalant demeanor. "Hehehe~ Just kidding." He locked his gaze into Bruce Yu's eyes for over a minute, until his own eyes were sore, but Bruce Yu remained calmly staring at him without even blinking.

He immediately sat up straight, glanced at the door, then lowered his voice and smiled mysteriously, "Would you like to make a small fortune by robbing a bank?"

(End of 10,000-word update. Anyone want to recruit any pirate crew members? Leave a comment here.)