Chapter 31: The Ugliest Trade
"Hurry up! Move faster! Don't waste my time here!" Disco shouted, sweat beading on his forehead. "Are you looking for death, you stinking woman? It's sweltering! How long do you expect me to wait?" He delivered a sharp kick to a frail, beautiful woman at the back of the line.
She crumpled to the ground, struggling to push herself back up.
"Dare to make Master Disco angry? Teach her a lesson!"
"Show her what this place is all about!"
"If the merchandise isn't obedient, why is it pretending to be weak?"
"..."
The guards immediately closed in, ready to administer a brutal beating.
Disco didn't stop them. Instead, he grinned, adding, "Hey, hey, don't go overboard, boys. Just give her a little... encouragement. Let her know her place. Hit the body, not the face. Otherwise, she won't fetch a good price tomorrow!"
A young girl, who had almost reached the entrance, heard the commotion and came running back. "Stop! Stop hitting my mom! Please, let my mother go!" She threw her small body over her mother, trying desperately to shield her.
BOOM!
CRASH!
...
Just as Disco's temper was about to snap, a series of loud crashes erupted from the street ahead. A cloud of dust billowed up, and from within the haze, five figures in Marine uniforms emerged.
"Oh my, what a blunder!" Ian's voice cut through the noise as he brushed dust from his cloak. "Is it really that hard to stop a flying fish? I should have slowed down sooner. Hey, is everyone alright over there?"
"We're fine. Still alive," Peacock replied dryly.
"Commodore Ian," T. Peng added, his tone stoic, "perhaps a safer landing zone next time?"
Skylark chimed in, "Commodore Ian is a Devil Fruit user, of course he couldn't land in the water. It's seawater."
Nami finished, "Everything is fine, please don't worry, Commodore Ian."
At the entrance to the auction house, Disco and his guards all turned to stare at the newcomers.
"The Navy? Why are they here today?"
"There's no auction, so they aren't needed for Celestial Dragon escort duty."
"Don't be an idiot! They only deal with pirates. The Red Port Guards handle Celestial Dragon protection."
"Then what are they doing here?"
"..."
Disco remained far calmer than his men, the same villainous smile plastered on his face. He had received a call from Doflamingo that very morning, and the subject had been Ian. He'd read that morning's newspaper several times over. And now, just a few hours later, the man himself had arrived, looking exactly like his portrait.
As Ian's team approached, Disco adjusted his star-shaped glasses and spread his arms in a gesture of mock welcome. "This must be the Navy's hottest rising star, the talk of the newspapers—Mr. Jock Ian! I heard today is your first day on Sabaody. On behalf of the auction house, allow me to extend a warm welcome!"
Ian's expression remained utterly impassive. He completely ignored Disco's feigned hospitality. "Uncle T," he said, his voice flat. "Give me the briefing on this place."
He had come here for one reason: to force his idealistic subordinates to confront the ugliest facet of this world with their own eyes.
"Commodore Ian, this is..." T. Peng, a man known for his blunt honesty, found himself at a loss for words. Marines stationed on Sabaody were all too aware of what transpired here, but they were under strict, explicit orders never to speak of it openly.
"So, what's the situation with these people?" Nami asked, her voice trembling as her eyes darted over the shackled line. "Why are they locked up like that? The iron collars... are they criminals?"
Before coming to Sabaody, she had done her research on the archipelago's districts and their primary industries. But the specific, grim reality of the "Human Auction House" was a detail that had been conspicuously omitted from public records.
The little girl, trapped within the circle of guards, saw the familiar white uniforms. Her face lit up with a desperate hope. "Mom, look! It's the Marines! The Marines are here! We're saved!" She wiped her tears away, her voice growing stronger. "Marine, sir! Please, save my mother! We aren't criminals!"
She waved her arms, trying to push her way through the crowd.
THUD!
A burly guard in full armor grabbed her and threw her back violently. "Shut up and stay put!"
The girl's mother scrambled over, pulling her daughter into a tight, protective embrace. "Shhh... shhh, my darling. Listen to your mother. Stop shouting. It's okay... it's okay. We won't shout anymore." She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks in a silent waterfall of despair. "No one... no one is coming to save us."
From beginning to end, she never once looked toward Ian and his team. She knew, on this island, "merchandise" was granted no protection. Justice would not come here.
Click-clack!
Behind them, Skylark immediately raised her specialized rifle, aiming squarely at the guard who had manhandled the child.
But Peacock was quicker. She stepped forward, deliberately blocking Skylark's line of fire.
"Peacock?" Skylark whispered, confused. "Why are you stopping me? That... that monster was hurting them..."
Peacock met her gaze, her own eyes hard with a painful understanding. She slowly shook her head and pressed the barrel of the gun down. She was slightly older and far more worldly than Skylark. While she had never been to Sabaody before, she knew the rumors. She knew the inside story of the "Human Auction House," the favorite playground for Celestial Dragons and the global elite. This was a den of evil tacitly sanctioned by the World Government itself.
Ian and T. Peng, standing at the front, had witnessed the entire exchange.
Clench. Clench. Clench.
T. Peng's pupils trembled violently. The hand resting on the hilt of his sword shook with barely suppressed emotion.
"Uncle T," Ian's voice was dangerously quiet, cutting through the tension. "You hate beating around the bush, don't you? You only tell the truth. You never lie." He turned, his gaze locking onto the older Marine. "So I'm asking you..."
End of Chapter