Early in the morning,
Roy was eating breakfast in the inn's lobby.
Tesoro, who had been gone all night, rushed into the inn. When he saw Roy eating, he hurried over, pulled out a chair, and grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth before he even sat down.
He ate so fast that he couldn't swallow the food, and his face turned bright red.
Seeing how frantic Tesoro was, Roy pushed a glass of water toward him.
Tesoro washed the food down with water and thumped his chest hard a few times.
"Boss, I've found out everything. The Wild Wolf Gang's auction house is holding an auction in two days. Apparently, they've prepared plenty of treasures this time, and even a Celestial Dragon will be there in person."
Celestial Dragons, huh? As the world's nobles, those nobles were connected to the vast majority of tragedies in the world. They controlled the World Government and its enormous Marine forces, and attacking a Celestial Dragon would bring a Marine Admiral down on them.
"Looks like this is going to be a little troublesome."
Roy had originally planned to take out the Wild Wolf Gang at the auction house and steal their money, while also helping Tesoro rescue his beloved. But if a Celestial Dragon was present, members of Cipher Pol under the World Government would surely be there to protect them.
If Cipher Pol held him up, getting away would be troublesome. After all, he didn't want to attract the Marines' attention just yet.
"Oh, well! I'll take it one step at a time."
At worst, he could simply choose another target. There were plenty of gangs and pirates in Sabaody anyway. With that thought, Roy stopped dwelling on it and focused on the food in front of him.
The next day,
Inside the auction house,
Roy looked over the auction list in his hand. There were slaves, weapons, Famous Swords, and even two Devil Fruits.
Suddenly, Roy's gaze sharpened. When he saw the description of one of the Devil Fruits, his heart gave a sudden throb. His desire to obtain it grew stronger and stronger, and the auction list crumpled under the force of his grip.
"Looks like coming here was the right choice."
As Roy was thinking, the noisy venue suddenly fell silent.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
At the entrance, a Celestial Dragon in a spacesuit and bubble helmet sat on a slave, constantly whipping the slave beneath him. With three Cipher Pol agents following behind, he made his way to the front row of the auction house.
The lawless pirates and the usually arrogant nobles around them all stopped talking and sat up straight with their heads lowered, daring only to glance at the Celestial Dragon from the corners of their eyes.
Once he was seated, the slave collapsed to the ground with a thud. No matter how the Celestial Dragon kicked and beat the slave, the slave could not get up again.
"Bastard, useless trash..."
When the Celestial Dragon saw that the slave wouldn't get up no matter how much he kicked, he angrily pulled out a pistol. "Bang, bang, bang!" He fired several shots in succession, killing the slave on the spot. The accompanying Cipher Pol agents expressionlessly dragged the corpse away and threw it out of the venue, as though they were already accustomed to it all.
As for everything that had just happened, Roy could only marvel that the Celestial Dragons truly were the world's nobles. They were fucking arrogant!!!
Just as Roy was marveling, the lights in the auction house suddenly dimmed, and a bright spotlight illuminated the auction stage.
A middle-aged man stepped onto the stage, dressed in a tailcoat and wearing a professional smile. He discreetly swept his gaze around the packed auction house, and when he saw the Celestial Dragon at the front, he was secretly delighted.
Everyone knew that Celestial Dragons were fools with too much money. They were sure to make a huge profit this time.
"Honored guests, welcome to the auction. I am Tore, your host for this event."
"I would also like to thank the esteemed Celestial Dragon, Saint Rugmark, for honoring this auction with his personal presence."
His fawning voice echoed throughout the venue through the loudspeaker. "We have prepared many rare treasures for you today. I'm sure they won't disappoint."
As his words fell, two staff members wheeled an iron cage onto the stage.
A burly man was locked inside. He wore tattered clothes and a collar around his neck. He sat slumped in a corner, his face full of despair and his body trembling uncontrollably.
"All right, our first lot is a pirate from West Blue: Great Sword Rimu, captain of the Great Sword Pirates, with a bounty of forty-seven million Beli. The starting bid is five million Beli."
The crowd fell silent.
Tore wasn't disappointed that no one bid. This lot had been swapped in at the last minute precisely because they had seen the Celestial Dragon kill his slave.
After all, who besides a Celestial Dragon would be interested in a pirate slave?
"Sixty million Beli."
Sure enough, the Celestial Dragon in the front row raised his hand. Having just lost his slave, he was delighted at the prospect of getting a pirate captain as a replacement.
The entire venue was silent.
No one dared bid against a Celestial Dragon.
"Congratulations to the esteemed Saint Rugmark on winning this lot."
The host, Tore, didn't even hesitate before bringing down the hammer. He, too, was sure no one would dare bid against a Celestial Dragon.
"Now, for our second lot: a Skillful Grade Sword. It is said to have been forged with the utmost effort by a renowned master swordsmith, using several rare ores. It is exceptionally sharp."
"The starting bid is ten million Beli!"
"Eleven million Beli!" As soon as Tore finished speaking, a fellow who was clearly a pirate called out a bid.
"Thirteen million Beli!" Another pirate wanted the fine blade just as badly.
"Sixteen million."
"Twenty million!!"
"Twenty-two million!"
"Twenty-eight million!"
"Twenty-eight million Beli, going once."
"This is a Skillful Grade Sword. It can cut a hair blown against its edge and is exceptionally sharp. A good weapon can give your strength a considerable boost."
"Twenty-eight million, going twice!"
"Third time, sold.
"Congratulations to this pirate gentleman on winning the fine blade!
The pirate immediately went backstage to complete the transaction, then hurried out of the auction house without looking back. As he left, he failed to notice that quite a few pirates had also left the venue and were quietly following him...
"Now then, the next lot is..."
All sorts of weapons and treasures were auctioned off one after another. Each time a sale was made, the host struck his gavel with a crisp knock.
Roy watched quietly, flipping through the list in his hand. His finger stopped on the third-to-last lot-the Devil Fruit that had stirred his heart.
"The fifteenth lot." The host's voice rang out again.
This time, another iron cage was wheeled onto the stage, with a blonde girl locked inside. She wore a worn blue dress, and her expression was numb, as though she felt hopeless about the fate awaiting her.
Tesoro, sitting beside Roy, abruptly sprang to his feet.
"Stella."
His voice stood out in the quiet venue. People around him turned to look, and even the Celestial Dragon in the front row turned his head.
Roy grabbed Tesoro by the sleeve and pulled him back into his seat.
"Quiet!!"
Tesoro trembled all over, his eyes red as he stared fixedly at Stella. The girl in the cage heard his voice and looked over.