Chapter 93: Sabaody Archipelago – Human Auction House (1)
After eleven days of training under Rayleigh, though the time was brief, everyone had made considerable progress. Each person's stats had increased by at least half a star to a full star.
Captain Eric , in particular, was treated with exceptional severity by Rayleigh.
"You'll never become a great captain at this rate."
"Don't complain—get up and keep going…"
Due to the constant beatings, his physical stats improved rapidly, reaching 5.5 stars, and his Armament Haki also increased to 3 stars.
Akame's swordsmanship had reached a bottleneck and couldn't improve further, but her Armament Haki rose to 3.5 stars, and her physique improved by half a star.
Chiron gained one full star in Armament Haki. Meanwhile, Da Vinci insisted she was a non-combatant and managed to dodge the hellish training entirely.
Kurumi, motivated by her rivalry with Esdeath, pushed herself hard. Her physique, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki all improved quickly. During a sparring match with Rayleigh, her Seventh Bullet, which stopped time, even caught him slightly off guard.
Rayleigh commented, "Another remarkable ability."
Esdeath learned how to infuse Haki into her strikes and even improved her swordsmanship, barely qualifying as a Great Swordsman. Her growing stamina extended her duels with Rayleigh, prompting him to exclaim, "I'm getting too old for this!"
She also reached the point of consciously controlling her Conqueror's Haki like Scáthach.
Scáthach herself worked on increasing her speed and refining her Haki, sharpening her willpower. Since arriving in the One Piece world, she had come to understand how important willpower truly was.
...
Rayleigh remarked, "You've all grown so much in just eleven days. You young folks are terrifying."
The Conqueror's Haki that could previously only manifest through emotional surges could now be released through sheer will.
Everyone had gained significant improvements in both strength and Haki. At this rate, within four or five years—no, maybe even just two or three—they might be the ones to challenge the current Emperors of the New World.
Rayleigh looked forward to the day he'd read about them in the newspapers. The thought made him excited.
Eric bowed sincerely. "It's all thanks to your guidance, Mr. Rayleigh."
"Hahaha, I got to enjoy some fine liquor in return. Are you heading to the New World now?" Rayleigh asked curiously. In the first half of the Grand Line, unless they encountered an Admiral or Hero Garp , no one could stop them. The New World was their true stage.
"Not yet. There's still something I want to do. Mr. Rayleigh, if we were to provoke an Admiral, would that cause problems for you?"
Rayleigh looked stunned. "You're not thinking of…" But before he finished, he burst into laughter. "You young people sure are daring. I may be old, but I'll be fine. Do what your hearts tell you! Pirates are meant to live freely, not tied down by others!"
But he did offer a warning. "Still, be careful. Even if your crew can take on an Admiral, the Navy has overwhelming numbers. If you get bogged down, reinforcements from Marineford—just nearby—will arrive quickly. And every Admiral is a Logia user. They won't go easy on you. Be prepared."
"I'll be waiting to see the day you reach the top. Farewell, everyone!" Rayleigh departed with a carefree wave. Meeting such promising newcomers had truly made his day.
"Thanks for everything, Uncle Rayleigh!"
Esdeath looked at his back. "It's a shame we didn't get to finish with a life-or-death duel."
"Indeed," Scáthach agreed.
"He's retired! You two don't seriously want to hound a retired old man, do you?" Eric said in disbelief.
"But," Eric 's tone shifted, "there are plenty of strong, still-active men who aren't retired. Interested in a real battle to the death?"
"Oh?" Esdeath perked up. "Who?"
"They're all top-tier Logia users—magma, ice, light. It's a blind draw which one we get."
Perona's expression changed immediately. "Wait! That's the Navy's three Admirals—Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru! Captain, what are you planning?!"
"I'm not planning anything. Just giving you all a peek at the highest-level scum this world has to offer."
Perona's eyes widened in horror. "You're not seriously thinking about going after the Celestial Dragons, are you?! If you touch them, an Admiral will definitely come!"
"That's why I just mentioned the Admirals' powers. We don't know which one will show up."
"No way, Captain—I don't want to die!" Perona wailed and clung to Eric , sobbing.
"Wait wait wait! Don't wipe your snot and tears on my clothes!" Eric quickly held her head at arm's length.
"Didn't you learn some Haki from Rayleigh? Why are you still so afraid of Admirals?"
"'Dark King' Rayleigh was going easy on me! Admirals show no mercy to pirates!" Perona sobbed harder, her tears smudging her makeup.
"There, there. You'll be in your body on the ship. Only your spirit will come with us. You won't be in any real danger." Eric patted her head comfortingly, and she finally calmed down.
Chiron asked, "But Captain, the Celestial Dragons live in Mariejois. We can't exactly storm the place together."
"They do live on the Red Line, yes. But they treat Sabaody like their backyard. They visit often—especially the Human Auction House. There's almost always one there."
"We'll dock the ship at area 1GR. That way, once it's done, we can make a quick escape."
...
At that moment, on the street of area 21, a Celestial Dragon was riding on the back of a Fish-Man slave. The Fish-Man crawled slowly on all fours.
The Celestial Dragon held two chains—each connected to a collar around the neck of a beautiful slave girl walking obediently behind him.
Behind them was a butler in a black suit and sunglasses, handling miscellaneous matters, and six armored guards wielding knightly spears.
Onlookers along the road dropped to their knees in fear, not daring to look up.
Beautiful women feared being taken as wives. Plain-looking ones feared being beaten. Anyone with a unique appearance feared being shot on sight.
"How much longer until the auction house?" the Celestial Dragon muttered, indifferent.
The sunglasses-wearing lackey stepped forward. "At the current pace, about half an hour, Saint Charlmak. Don't worry—plenty of time."
"Hmm, I wonder what treasures we'll see today?"
"The auction house staff leaked a tip. Apparently, they've caught a female mermaid."
"What?! A female mermaid?!" Charlmak's eyes lit up. "It's been so long since I've captured one. I must buy it and put it in my viewing tank!"
"Hey! Crawl faster! I'm getting impatient!" Charlmak kicked the Fish-Man in the head with his heel, and the slave silently increased his crawling pace.
[To err is human. Everyone deserves a ticketヽ(ˋ▽ˊ)ノ]
(END CHAPTER)
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