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"Ikki, are you going to use Katen Kyōkotsu against Silvers Rayleigh?" Kalifa asked, blinking as she began thinking seriously.
"Silvers Rayleigh doesn't know the power of Katen Kyōkotsu like we do. With your Future Vision, Ikki, you could indeed gain a great advantage."
"It's just that this is Silvers Rayleigh we're talking about, and Katen Kyōkotsu can only perform Shikai right now. Relying on Shikai alone might not be enough to deal with the Dark King."
Kalifa said with concern.
"Haha, I have other plans," Ikki replied with a smile.
"Let's not talk about this for now. Anyway, we'll see what happens when we find Rayleigh."
Ikki quickened his pace toward the slave auction house.
The Human Auctioning House of Sabaody Archipelago was territory belonging to Shichibukai Donquixote Doflamingo. To enter, they naturally needed enough berries.
But money was no problem for Ikki and his crew.
After showing sufficient funds to the auction house guards, Ikki and his group successfully entered. The slave auction was already in progress, and no one noticed their late arrival.
Except for Law, Kid, and other pirates hidden among the auction guests.
"That guy is... the bounty hunter Ikki?" Kid, one of the Supernovas and a Magnet-Magnet Fruit user, frowned tightly after spotting Ikki.
"Kid, this isn't good," his vice-captain Killer approached and said worriedly.
"That group defeated the Golden Lion. And... he just looked in our direction. Should we leave now?"
The news that bounty hunter Ikki had defeated the Golden Lion and earned a bounty of 4.3 billion berries had already spread throughout the ocean.
A bounty of 4.3 billion was dozens of times higher than Kid and Killer's combined bounties. How could Killer not be worried about Ikki's appearance?
Kid frowned, and while hesitating, he watched Ikki lead his companions toward where Law and his crew were sitting.
"Although the Golden Lion is strong, he's still an old man from the previous era," Kid said.
"How much strength he still retained is completely unknown. Let's wait a moment—maybe Trafalgar Law can test that group's strength."
Kid waved his hand with a sneer. He had a rough guess that Ikki was targeting Trafalgar Law.
"A guy with a famous sword really draws that man's attention easily."
"Bounty hunter... No, I should call you a famous sword hunter," Law said with an interested smile, looking at Ikki who had sat down next to him.
"Are you here for my sword?"
He slightly raised the demon sword Kikoku in his hand.
"There is indeed that idea," Ikki replied, placing his arm on Law's shoulder while his eyes remained focused on the ongoing auction.
"Additionally, I'm also very interested in your bounty worth over a hundred million berries."
Although he had already formed an impression in his mind, Ikki still felt uncomfortable seeing ordinary people being auctioned. It wasn't just him—Nami, Vivi, and others felt the same way.
Among them, only Nico Robin, who had wandered the underground world for years, and Kalifa, who had been a government agent for so long, were able to maintain psychological calm.
"Ikki, can we buy them out?" Vivi asked, pursing her lips as she pointed at the ordinary people on the bidding stage.
"You can bid as you wish, Vivi," Ikki said with a smile.
The ordinary people on stage were only going for a few million berries, which was nothing to him with his billions in funds.
Nami pouted. Although she was reluctant to part with money, her conscience drove her to start bidding alongside Vivi.
Ikki turned his attention back to Law.
Originally, he had thought Law and the others might not have reached Sabaody Archipelago yet. Now it seemed that, except for the Straw Hat Pirates—who had made many changes to their route due to his influence—the rest of the Supernova pirates had arrived at Sabaody Archipelago.
'The Straw Hat crew didn't come here,' Ikki mused.
'The fishman Hatchan was dealt with back in Cocoyasi Village. There probably won't be any mermaids auctioned at this event. The Celestial Dragons also escaped being punched by Luffy.'
Ikki couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He would have liked to witness that famous scene of a Celestial Dragon getting beaten.
As for whether a Marine Admiral would come here, Ikki wasn't worried at all. After all, they weren't pirates.
At this moment, Ikki suddenly frowned, and his arm on Law's shoulder pressed down slightly, preventing Law's Devil Fruit ability from activating.
The powerful force even caused some cracks to appear on the stool Law was sitting on.
"Please don't try to escape in front of me," Ikki said calmly, his eyes falling on Law's somewhat pale face.
"I understand the Op-Op Fruit's abilities quite well. If I wanted to, I could knock you unconscious the moment you open your surgical space."
"As expected, it can't be that simple to deal with someone who can get a bounty of 4.3 billion berries," Law said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
"Ikki, your strength really is comparable to a Marine Admiral."
Law then handed the demon sword Kikoku to Ikki.
"Ikki, if I give you this sword directly, can you let me go? To you, my bounty of over a hundred million berries probably isn't that significant."
"I still have things I need to accomplish, and I don't want to be sent to Impel Down."
Just moments ago, he had wanted to use his Devil Fruit ability to escape. But as soon as he showed any tendency to activate it, Ikki immediately noticed and stopped him with his arm.
This kind of power made Law deeply understand that he was no match for Ikki.
[Ding! Trafalgar Law admits defeat. Host can now claim the demon sword Kikoku.]
The sudden voice in his head made Ikki raise an eyebrow.
"I appreciate people who understand their situation," Ikki said, taking the sharp blade Kikoku from Trafalgar Law's hand.
Then Kikoku disappeared from Ikki's hands right in front of Law, as if it had never existed.
At the same time, the system's voice came to Ikki's mind again.
[Ding! Host has obtained the Grade Sword Kikoku and receives one lottery draw privilege.]
'Lottery!'
[Lottery beginning... Congratulations to Host for winning Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru!]