Today!

The air over the Sabaody Archipelago had never been so stagnant, so heavy.

Even the salty sea breeze seemed to carry the stench of gunpowder and the smell of fear as it swept past bubbles plated with false prosperity, through whispering streets and alleys, and finally lashed against the cold Outer Walls of the magnificent yet tightly sealed Auction Houses.

The Fifth Emperor Pirates' declaration of war, which had swept across the world, stirred the most terrified waves here.

Everyone knew that the monster who had sunk Marine Headquarters with two palm strikes and sent admirals and fleet admirals into the abyss would inevitably target the Holy Land Mary Geoise next—and the Sabaody Archipelago, the Celestial Dragons' playground, a breeding ground for sin, and the final gateway to the Holy Land, had become the most vulnerable bridgehead before the storm.

Fear spread like a plague, especially among the Celestial Dragons who usually acted with such tyranny and the criminal groups attached to them.

Every unfamiliar ship docking at the shore drew countless wary gazes. Every slightly louder sound made people at street corners curl up nervously.

At Grove 1, the huge sign of the Human Auction House flickered with an ominous glow beneath the dim daylight.

Unlike its usual noisy "Open for Business" state, its doors were tightly shut, and the atmosphere was as solemn and killing as a fortress.

Yet several figures utterly out of place with the surroundings stood before it.

Several ragged slaves, their hands and feet bound in heavy shackles.

Their eyes were hollow, and their bodies trembled faintly from exhaustion and fear. Forced to stand with their backs to the Auction House's cold metal doors and face the empty plaza, they were like human shields.

The air was torn apart by a sharp roar.

"Trash!