Meanwhile,
In area 13 of the Lawless Zone,
Inside Shakky's bar, the proprietress, Shakky, was sorting through the things Roy needed.
"Mm! Now all that's missing are the manuals for training Haki and the Six Powers, right?"
"Knock, knock, knock."
The knocking interrupted Shakky as she sorted the manuals.
"Who is it?"
She opened the door to find a middle-aged man standing outside. He had short blond hair, a long sword at his waist, and a vertical scar over his left eye.
"Rayleigh! What brings you here in person?"
"Let's go inside first."
Rayleigh walked behind the bar and opened a bottle of liquor. He took a long swig before explaining to Shakky.
"The place we're stopping at this time isn't far from the Sabaody Archipelago. When I heard you mention that kid who knows so much over the phone, I got interested too!!"
"Did you bring what the kid needs?"
"Oh, I brought them." As he spoke, he took two thin booklets from inside his coat.
Meanwhile, Roy, who was keeping an eye on the Celestial Dragon, had no idea that teasing Shakky a few times for his own amusement would actually draw out a powerhouse like Rayleigh.
His Observation Haki told him that the auction had ended and people were filing out.
Roy stood in the shadows of an alley, Tesoro's rapid breathing sounding in his ears.
He opened his eyes and looked toward the auction house's entrance.
Three Cipher Pol members carrying treasure chests escorted Saint Rugmark out of the venue. The Celestial Dragon held the chain that bound Stella.
"Boss... we..."
"Calm down, Tesoro. Stella's still in the Celestial Dragon's hands. Do you want to give up on her? You should know what happens to people who fall into a Celestial Dragon's hands, right?"
"I... that's not what I meant."
"Then shut up and stay calm."
Roy patted him on the shoulder. "Stick to the plan, and remember your job."
With that, Roy flashed away, quickly disappearing into the depths of the alley.
Tesoro took a deep breath, turned, and ran in another direction.
Saint Rugmark was walking down the street. When the passersby saw a Celestial Dragon, they all dropped to their knees, not daring to look up.
"Hahaha, what a haul today! Two Devil Fruits and a beautiful slave. When I get back, I'll make that idiot Chargaven die of envy!!"
The three Cipher Pol members followed behind him in a triangular formation. The entire group proceeded slowly down the street, and ten minutes later, they entered a relatively secluded road.
Suddenly, the ground ahead exploded. The tremendous noise startled the Celestial Dragon, who stumbled backward in panic.
"Who's there?!" The two Cipher Pol members at the rear dropped what they were carrying and instantly moved to shield the Celestial Dragon.
As the dust cleared, Tesoro stood in the middle of the street with a bomb in his hand.
"Let Stella go!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Saint Rugmark, who had just regained his footing, stamped his feet in rage. "A lowly, inferior wretch dares attack me! I'll kill him! I'll make his whole family my slaves!"
"Cipher Pol, hurry and seize that fellow!"
Hearing the Celestial Dragon's order, the three Cipher Pol members exchanged glances. Two of them instantly charged at Tesoro, while one stayed behind on guard.
Tesoro hurriedly threw the bomb at the two Cipher Pol members and turned to run into an alley to the side. But the gap in their strength was too great, and one of the pursuing agents knocked the bomb away before it could explode.
Just as Tesoro turned, a Cipher Pol agent caught up to him and slammed a heavy punch into his back, sending him flying into a wall.
"You dare attack a Celestial Dragon with that little skill?" one Cipher Pol agent sneered. "You really don't know what's good for you."
Roy, who was monitoring the situation with his Observation Haki, had quietly approached the Celestial Dragon when the two agents charged out. When Tesoro was sent flying, Roy sensed the third Cipher Pol member let down his guard.
Swish!
Roy pushed off with his legs and instantly appeared beside the Cipher Pol agent. A vicious elbow strike to the back of the head knocked him straight down, and Roy turned and seized Saint Rugmark.
As Roy knocked the Cipher Pol agent down, the sound of him hitting the ground drew the attention of the other two.
"Damn it, that kid was bait."
The two immediately abandoned Tesoro and prepared to rush back to the Celestial Dragon.
"Don't move, Cipher Pol."
Roy drew his pistol and aimed it at Saint Rugmark's head.
"Kid, put the pistol down. You dare attack a Celestial Dragon? Do you know what the consequences will be?"
Roy had moved so quickly that Saint Rugmark only reacted after Roy pointed the gun at him. Seeing the gun aimed at him, he didn't fall silent like an ordinary person. Instead, he struggled and shouted.
"Damn commoner! You dare touch a great Celestial Dragon with your filthy hands? I'll have you executed!"
As expected of a Celestial Dragon. Having controlled this world from their lofty heights all this time, they simply didn't know what fear was. Even with a gun pointed at him, he didn't believe anyone would dare hurt him.
"Quiet, idiot."
Roy felt that this Celestial Dragon had no idea who was in control. Seeing him continue to struggle and curse, Roy drove a knee into him. The Celestial Dragon, who had never been hurt before, immediately rolled his eyes back and passed out.
"Phew, finally some quiet."
Seeing that Saint Rugmark had fainted in his grasp, Roy called out to Tesoro, who was still lying on the ground.
"Hey! How long are you going to lie there?"
Tesoro took the opportunity to get up and walk toward Roy. The Cipher Pol agents nearby looked at the Celestial Dragon in Roy's grasp and didn't dare stop him.
They were certain to be punished when they returned, since a Celestial Dragon had been attacked. If the Celestial Dragon died in front of them, their families would be implicated as well.
"Please don't hurt Lord Saint Rugmark anymore. You can name any conditions you want."
"Oh, you're being so polite? Then please hand over the key to the slave collar."
"It's on the guy you knocked down."
The two Cipher Pol agents looked at their unconscious colleague with resentment on their faces. If he hadn't failed to protect the Celestial Dragon, they wouldn't have been put in this vulnerable position.
Sensing their emotions, Roy's eyes flashed with scorn. He simply didn't want to waste time and cause too much of a disturbance.
Only then did Stella, who was standing nearby, recover from her shock. She watched everything happening before her, and when she saw clearly that the person approaching was Tesoro, a trace of life returned to her bewildered face.
"Stella, I've come to save you!!"
"All right! This isn't the time to catch up. Hurry and find the key, then meet me at the agreed place."
Hearing that, Tesoro hurriedly found the key on the Cipher Pol agent on the ground. Excitedly, he stepped forward and unlocked the collar around Stella's neck.
"Stella, you're free!!!"
"Thank you."
"Hmph! Now that you've rescued that woman, you can release Lord Saint Rugmark, right?"
"Of course, but you'll have to wait until my companions leave first."
Hearing Roy's words, Tesoro immediately took Stella by the hand, scooped up the chests the Cipher Pol agents had dropped, and ran off into the distance.
"See ya~"
Seeing that the two had safely withdrawn, Roy smiled and raised his pistol slightly. Then he tossed the Celestial Dragon toward the two Cipher Pol agents and flashed away at top speed.
They caught the Celestial Dragon as he flew toward them and checked Saint Rugmark's injuries. After discovering he was only unconscious,
"Do we chase them?" one Cipher Pol agent asked.
"Let's stay here and make sure Lord Saint Rugmark is safe first. Those kids can't have gotten far. I'll report to the World Government immediately and let the navy handle the rest."