A small auction manager scurried over, dropping to his knees. "Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria, welcome. May I humbly ask if others can remain standing and forgo other respectful gestures during the auction?" His voice dwindled, cold sweat beading on his forehead, terrified the Celestial Dragons might unleash their fury.
Saint Rosward replied dismissively, "Fine. Just start the auction already!"
"Thank you, thank you so much! Please, come in! Your VIP seats are ready whenever you wish to be seated!" The young manager stepped aside, bowing deeply.
Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria strode past him, their faces devoid of expression. "Brother Charlos is just too slow!" Saint Shalria grumbled angrily.
"Hmph! He shouldn't ride such a slow human!" Saint Rosward scoffed. "He should ride a Fish-Man. Unfortunately, for some reason, there have been fewer Fish-Man and Merman slaves recently. Even with their prices doubled, there are no 'aquatic ornamental fish slaves' left." His words were laced with fury, suspecting some despicable Celestial Dragon had bought Fish-Man Island and claimed it for themselves. The "ornamental fish slaves" were, of course, beautiful mermaids.
As they entered the auction hall, Kidd, standing near the right side of the entrance, watched the Celestial Dragons disappear inside. "So, these are the Celestial Dragons?" he muttered softly. "Compared to these greedy pigs, our sins are nothing! It's because of trash like them that we even exist! Hahahaha…" His crew members echoed his sentiments.
Law, seated nearby, shot them a disdainful glance, provocatively raised his middle finger, and tilted his head.
"Haha… what a nasty guy." Kidd chose not to engage. Interfering with a Celestial Dragon would only lead to disaster.
Just then, Hikaru walked casually into the auction venue, holding little Bonnie's hand.
"Hey, hey… that guy, could it be him?!" Kira was the first to spot Hikaru. He looked at Hikaru's handsome profile, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Kidd asked instinctively, following Kira's gaze.
"That's… Divine Emperor Hikaru? Ha~ Kira, what are you so scared of? His bounty isn't even as high as mine! He's just got a more famous name."
"More famous?" Kira curled his lip. "You think too highly of yourself. 'Captain' Kidd is such a lame title; it's hard not to wonder if you offended the Navy officer who gave you that nickname."
"No! Boss Kidd, he's a Logia Devil Fruit user, just like the three Navy Admirals, and he ate the most invincible Goro Goro no Mi! With our current strength, we can't possibly match him! It's best not to start a fight with him!" Heat's expression was solemn, his zombie-like yellow face looking terrifying. He was a monster who could spit flames even without eating the Mera Mera no Mi.
"Hmph! There's no need to praise others and put ourselves down. Are Logia users truly invincible?"
"That's right, Captain Kidd. Logia users are invincible. Unless they encounter a Devil Fruit ability that restrains them, no one in their right mind would dare to provoke them!"
After hearing Wire's incredibly firm words, Kidd and his crew fell silent, their minds racing to figure out how to deal with a Logia user. The only method they could think of was seawater. As rookie pirates, they had no knowledge of Haki. That understanding would only come when they reached the New World. Even Luffy had the favor of Silvers Rayleigh, who taught him everything he knew, laying a solid foundation for his Haki mastery.
Hikaru had also noticed Kidd's crew and Law's group, but he wasn't in a hurry. He planned to take advantage of the chaos later, so he led Bonnie to two hidden seats in a corner.
A short while later, the auction finally began. A pot-bellied announcer bellowed into the microphone:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your patience! The monthly Human Auction at the Number One Grove is about to begin! Let's give a warm welcome to today's host, Mr. Disco, a supermarket salesman with brilliant vision!"
Following his introduction, the auction hall erupted in enthusiastic cheers, a testament to Disco's immense popularity.
Under the eager gazes of the crowd, a purple-haired man wearing a yellow hat and stylish glasses ascended the auction platform and bowed elegantly.
"Hey~ Hello everyone~ This time, we've prepared a lot of high-quality slaves for you. Everyone here is truly lucky. Today, we'll also be presenting some super popular products to you…"
After a brief opening speech, Disco began vigorously promoting the slaves who appeared one after another on the auction stage. Pirates who could play music, long-armed people who could clean, long-legged people with half a leg broken… There were some differences compared to the slaves auctioned in the original timeline. The two beautiful slaves who were supposed to appear here (Pacia and another unnamed one) had been intercepted by Hikaru in advance. So, the female slaves appearing now were a new batch, their looks quite ordinary, and their auction prices very low.
Just as Hikaru started playfully poking little Bonnie's face out of boredom, a commotion finally erupted outside the auction hall.
"Oh? Are they finally here? Luffy, Zoro…"
At the back door of the auction house, Sanji pounded heavily on the door, and nearby staff members frantically tried to stop him.
"Stop knocking! Stop knocking! What in the world do you want?!"
"What am I doing?! You sold our companions as slaves and are auctioning them here, and you still have the nerve to ask me?!" Sanji's face was grim, his fists clenched, looking ready to attack at any moment.
"Your companions? Don't be ridiculous. Everyone being auctioned here is a slave. We are a legitimate and respectable industry!"
"What?! Legal and compliant?!" Sanji stepped forward, grabbing the collar of the speaker. "You captured our companions and auctioned them here, and you still say it's legal and compliant? Don't you think what you're saying is ridiculous?!"
"You're the ridiculous one! Let me go! If you keep harassing me like this, we'll take legal action!" The man in sunglasses, whose collar Sanji had grabbed, showed no panic. Instead, he threatened sinisterly, "I'll sue you for illegally obstructing auction business!"
"What?!" Sanji was so enraged that his chest tightened. Chopper and several men behind him were also furious. Sanji snarled, "What kind of 'business' is this?! What a bunch of jerks! How could the World Government approve such a business?!"