"However, these challenges only fuel our excitement! Prepare yourselves for the next item!"
A palpable buzz rippled through the auction house. Many in the audience had already guessed what Disco, the auctioneer, was about to present; his hints had been quite direct.
The next moment, a colossal white curtain was dramatically pulled aside, and every eye in the room widened in astonishment. Inside, a giant merman lay peacefully, apparently asleep! By its sheer size, it easily measured seven meters tall!
"Unfortunately," Disco announced with a hint of regret, "this merman is male. If it were a female mermaid, its value would likely be several times higher."
"Oh? There are still such large mermaids out there?" Hikaru observed, his gaze fixed on the merman with curious eyes. "Could he be the key to replacing Kami?" He mused aloud, noting that with such a massive physique, its combat capabilities couldn't be insignificant.
In a twist of irony, Hikaru himself was the reason mermaids and mermen had become nearly extinct in human auctions. When he took over Fish-Man Island, he had instructed King Neptune to command all mermaids and fish-men worldwide to return. Only those who couldn't be reached or chose not to return remained, forfeiting the benefits of the Kingdom of God.
"Incredible! It truly is a hot commodity!" The auction house erupted in an unprecedented roar of cheers.
Sanji and his companions were poised to bid. They had diligently saved a considerable amount of Beli, roughing estimating their savings at an impressive five million Beli! Not just them, but everyone else held their breath, anxiously awaiting Disco to announce the starting price.
"Then, let's begin!" Disco stepped forward, a broad smile spreading across his face. "So, what shall the starting price be? It is..."
"Seven million!"
The words cut through the air, plunging the entire venue into an eerie silence. The voice belonged to none other than the Celestial Dragon, Saint Charlos! At that moment, who would dare to compete with a Celestial Dragon? Aside from his ridiculously high status, even in a normal auction, few would be able to match such an exorbitant price.
Upon hearing the figure, Sanji, Chopper, and Dorry were stunned. The money they had prepared was woefully insufficient!
Meanwhile, Naguri, snoring soundly in his massive water tank, remained completely oblivious to his precarious situation.
Seeing no one else bid, Disco reluctantly continued the process. "If no other customers place a bid, we will finalize the buyer~"
Sanji clenched his fists so tightly his nails nearly pierced his palms. "Damn it, we don't have enough money. Is there really no other way..."
"Time's up!" Disco declared loudly.
Witnessing the lack of bids, Kidd at the entrance shook his head in boredom. He turned and began walking towards the door with his subordinates.
Suddenly, Hikaru's eyes flashed. He sensed something amiss.
Are you here... Monkey D. Luffy!
True to his premonition, just as Kidd rounded the corner, a ear-splitting scream echoed throughout the auction hall, shaking the very foundations of the building.
"What's going on?" Kidd instinctively stopped.
Just as Disco yelled "Done," the main doors burst open. A flying fish, carrying Luffy and Zoro, hurtled into the venue, crashing violently into the back-row seats. The audience members unfortunate enough to be sitting there were in dire straits: some were instantly flattened into "meat patties," while others were sent flying in every direction. Two individuals even flew in Hikaru's direction, but he casually waved his hand, redirecting them elsewhere.
"What happened?!" Disco shrieked.
As the smoke cleared, Chopper cried out in surprise, "Luffy!?"
Luffy rubbed his bumped head, yelling, "What are you doing?! Can't you land better?!"
Dibaru's subordinate, fuming, retorted, "Hey! Are you kidding me?! You were the one who told me to rush in!"
"Why were you so excited on the way?" Zoro complained, rubbing his own head impatiently. "You don't have to be so anxious to get back to the ship, right? Wait... Where is this place?"
"Zoro!"
"Huh? It's you guys~" Chopper's voice finally drew their attention, and Zoro grew even more puzzled.
Hikaru lifted his eyes, taking a swift glance to confirm everyone's presence. With a thought, he knew he could begin his "marking." An invisible electric field swiftly enveloped the entire scene before quickly retracting.
"Thunder Method: Electric Field Identification!"
Everyone emits an electric field, and each person's unique electric field information can be memorized. Hikaru only needed to remember the electric fields of his targets. As long as they appeared within the range of his electric field, he could easily identify and hunt them down. For the individuals with special abilities present, Hikaru simply needed to remember the electric fields of Luffy, Kidd, and Law, a task he found effortless.
Kidd and Law were already marked for death. If they didn't leave the Sabaody Archipelago, they would be hunted down by him. But Luffy was crucial to his subsequent plans, so he would allow him to live for two more days and move to another location before meeting his fate as a pirate.
As if realizing there was still important work to do, Luffy snapped back to reality. He looked around and spotted Naguri at the auction stand. His face lit up with joy, and he rushed forward, shouting Naguri's name.
Hachi had died long ago and didn't know them. Only Sanji wisely called out to Luffy in the chaotic scene, and surprisingly, no one tried to stop Luffy.
"Is that... Straw Hat Luffy?" Someone in the audience recognized Luffy's distinctive appearance.
Luffy was so fast that before anyone could react, he had already leaped onto the water tank. With a wide grin, he exclaimed, "Seriously, Naguri, you really made me work to find you!"
"Wait! Straw Hat Boy Luffy! What are you doing?!" Disco frantically shouted, trying to stop him.
But Luffy ignored him, swinging his arm back and smashing the water tank with immense force.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Bang!
The large water tank burst apart with a resounding crash, water gushing across the ground. Luffy quickly jumped away, fearing he might be weakened by the water. He then swung his arms hard, wrapping them around Naguri's body, intent on taking him away immediately.
Bang!
Gunshots rang out. Luffy was attacked by surprise, but the bullets had no effect on him.
"You damn brat! That's my slave! Let him go!" Saint Charlos fired several more shots at Luffy, his face contorted in anger.
"It's useless!" Luffy laughed. Three or five bullets struck him, stretching his rubber body. He then tensed his muscles, and the bullets rebounded, flying back towards Saint Charlos.
"And more?"
"Isn't it?"
"How dare he..."
Kidd, Law, and even the Celestial Dragons themselves couldn't believe that Luffy dared to retaliate. They stared, wide-eyed, at the bullets soaring through the air, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
Puff!
Blood splattered everywhere as the bullets accurately struck Saint Charlos' lower abdomen, shoulders, thighs, and groin. He was fortunate that his head and heart remained untouched, but he had lost what he considered the greatest source of happiness for men. Saint Charlos stared in disbelief. The excruciating pain wracking his body was unbearable. He fainted from the agony, collapsing heavily onto the steps.