[Breaking News! A Warlord of the Sea suffers humiliation like never before!]
Three days ago, the Camus Auction House, an industry under the Donquixote Family, one of the Seven Warlords, was attacked by a mysterious organization.
Camus, one of the Grand Line's most renowned commercial hubs, is now the center of a storm.
According to reports, the unknown assailants showed zero mercy, slaughtering everyone in attendance and looting every item slated for auction.
Upon hearing the news in the New World, the Donquixote Family's head, Donquixote Doflamingo, flew into a rage.
He immediately issued a bounty: 500 million Berries for information leading to the apprehension or identification of the perpetrators. Rewards will be offered depending on the quality of intel.
Contact: The new head of Camus Auction House, Demon Kid—Luffy.
That was the entire front page of today's newspaper.
Robin set the paper down, her expression complex. She glanced at Luffy, still slumped across the desk, sleeping like a harmless child.
That day, he and Trebol, along with Pica, had slaughtered over two hundred high-ranking underground figures. She alone had been spared.
Now, the entire underworld of the Grand Line's first half was in utter chaos, pillaging, bloodshed, and warfare spread like wildfire.
Ironically, the previously peaceful nations had grown even more peaceful, untouched by the growing unrest.
Just one conversation between a few people had shifted the balance of the world.
Robin couldn't help but think of her mother and the scholars who had perished on Ohara.
They spent their lives chasing the truth of history. But who decides what the "truth" is in the end?
Was it right… or wrong?
Purururu… Purururu…
The Den Den Mushi's ringing pulled Robin from her thoughts.
She quickly picked up the snail-phone and walked over to Luffy. Leaning down to the ear barely visible beneath his messy hair, she called out loudly,
"Boss! You've got a call!"
Honestly, she hadn't wanted to call him that.
She still didn't understand why he trusted her enough to hand over full control of the auction house. He neither interfered nor asked questions.
Now, all of Camus referred to her as the new queen of the city.
But the memory of Luffy's cold eyes, and even faint excitement, during the massacre was seared into her mind.
Luffy groggily opened his eyes, squinting blearily at the icy beauty before him. He sat up, wiped drool from his chin, stretched with a big yawn, then took the receiver from Robin under her resigned gaze.
Trebol's raspy voice exploded from the Den Den Mushi:
"Kid! Next time, could you answer the damn phone a little faster?!"
Luffy yawned again, bored. "Yeah, yeah… What is it this time?"
Trebol snapped back to business. "The Young Master's sending some new personnel over to help you reopen the auction house. Also, lately there's, "
"You can just tell Robin all this."
Before Trebol could finish, Luffy casually passed the snail-phone to Robin, then collapsed back onto the desk to sleep.
Robin had no choice but to accept the call and handle matters that Luffy, as boss, clearly should've been taking care of himself.
"Unbelievable!" Trebol slammed down his own receiver back in the New World, fuming. Just thinking about Luffy's attitude made his blood boil.
"How the hell does a guy like that even have Conqueror's Haki?!"
On the other end, Robin also hung up with a sigh. She glanced at Luffy, still asleep, and walked out of the office in silence.
Luffy, dreaming peacefully, had no idea. Or more likely, he simply didn't care.
What truly mattered to him right now… was recovering the mental energy he'd burned through the night before.
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Flashback
Yesterday, 11:59 PM.
Luffy lay excitedly on the bed in his newly renovated "Boss Suite," counting down the final seconds.
"56… 57… 58… 59… 60!"
[Ding! Random item refresh successful. Please check your inventory.]
The system chime rang in his mind as Luffy eagerly opened the in-system shop.
After slaughtering a mountain of underworld bosses under Trebol and Pica's noses two days ago, Luffy's gold balance had finally surpassed the 500,000 mark.
Unfortunately, this month's top-tier items, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the 100,000-Year Soul Ring, and the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame, were absurdly expensive. Luffy didn't even have the courage to count how many zeroes were on those price tags.
So when the clock struck midnight and the new monthly items refreshed, he immediately opened the Random Item tab.
Item #1: Roman Artillery: Pumpkin
Origin: Akame ga Kill
Description: Base damage equals half the user's mental strength. The higher the threat level the user faces, the more powerful the shots become, up to 100x base damage.
Price: 300,000 gold
"Ugh, what a gimmick…" Luffy groaned. "If I'm already under threat, how am I even supposed to shoot straight?"
He had no idea that this was a powerful weapon for those who mastered the art of "gun kata."
He tapped on the second item.
Item #2: Shikon Jewel
Origin:Inuyasha
Description: A powerful artifact created by the fusion of a priestess's soul and a demon's. Can merge with non-human entities to awaken extraordinary power. Effects vary depending on the host.
Price: 2,000,000 gold
Luffy winced. "That price stings... but if Chopper ever used this, wouldn't he instantly become a monster?"
Strong, no doubt, but ridiculously expensive.
"Sigh… next, next."
Luffy tapped on the third and final item, his expectations at rock-bottom.
There were so few items that fit his skillset and budget, he figured he'd need to save up a lot more before getting anything good.
The third item appeared. It looked like an ordinary pair of cotton gloves.
Luffy groaned again.
Item #3: X Gloves
Origin: Reborn!
Description: Appear as simple cotton gloves, but transform into armored gauntlets when worn. Converts the wearer's fighting Mental Power into flame damage. Each melee strike adds fire damage equal to 1.5x mental strength. Can also launch flames as ranged attacks.
Price: 500,000 gold
[Ding! Purchase successfully. Item has been added to your inventory.]
Luffy didn't hesitate. The moment he saw the name, he knew, this was the one.
Even if it drained almost all his gold, it was worth it. He'd wanted a pair of combat gloves for a long time.
He retrieved the X Gloves and slipped them on. Instantly, the soft cotton transformed into sleek, armored gauntlets, jet black with silver fingertips, and a bold metallic "X" emblazoned on the back of each hand.
They looked... ridiculously cool.
Focusing his will, Luffy summoned his fighting Mental Power, and "whoosh", two balls of flame ignited in his palms. The fire roared, illuminating his face reflected in the dancing light.
"Still as handsome as ever," he said with a smirk.
He tested the flame's heat against his skin. Warm… but not painful.
Suddenly, Luffy's expression sharpened. He activated his Conqueror's Haki, letting it wrap around him.
The flames surged in response, blazing brighter and taller until the entire room glowed red with firelight, but not a single item was burned.
Gradually, he retracted his Haki and the fire dimmed.
It seemed that if he had no killing intent, the flames would not harm anything. The fire's strength matched his mindset and intent.
"Incredible. This is… amazing!"
Luffy clenched his fists in excitement.
And just like that, he spent the entire night testing every feature of the gloves, burning through every ounce of mental energy, before finally passing out.
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