Dark King Rayleigh!
Everyone in the dungeon froze. The old man locked up with them was actually that Dark King Rayleigh?!
The giant among them was the first to exclaim in disbelief, "Impossible! The right-hand man of the Pirate King himself—how could the legendary Dark King Rayleigh end up captured as a slave like us?"
The others were equally stunned.
Rayleigh's eyes flickered with surprise when Lin Xuan called him by name, though his face remained calm. He only let out a hearty laugh, pretending nonchalance.
"Haha, it's nothing. I just ran out of money for booze, so I sold myself for some drinking money."
His tone was light, but his gaze turned sharp again as he looked at Lin Xuan.
"You know quite a lot, kid. But I'm more curious—why did you ask them to bring the Celestial Dragon here? What are you planning?"
At those words, everyone else stopped caring about Rayleigh's absurd reason for being captured. The moment the words Celestial Dragon were spoken, tension filled the air.
Lin Xuan simply rested his chin on his hand and replied lazily,
"Haven't really decided yet. I'll just have them come over first—maybe we'll have a little fun together."
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing echoed through the silent cell, painfully loud against the hush.
Everyone stared at Lin Xuan in utter disbelief, a single thought flashing through their minds—Is this guy insane?! He wants a Celestial Dragon to come play with him?!
Even Rayleigh twitched at the corner of his mouth, secretly wondering what kind of madness this boy was up to.
Lin Xuan caught his look and laughed.
"Don't bother guessing, old man. You'll find out what I want soon enough."
Rayleigh clearly didn't like that answer.
"Whatever you're planning, I don't care—just don't mess up my own plans."
Lin Xuan just curled his lips dismissively and turned toward the ever-calm Uchiha Madara. His mind was already racing—how could he make better use of Madara to earn more Prestige Points?
Then, suddenly, an outrageous idea flashed through his mind.
What if… I auctioned off Uchiha Madara himself?
The other slaves had no idea what Lin Xuan was thinking. They were just certain something big was about to happen and were desperate to find a way to escape.
But after what they'd seen earlier—slaves who begged for help getting silenced by Madara's Genjutsus—they no longer dared to even speak to Lin Xuan.
Just then, the heavy iron doors of the dungeon swung open with a clang.
Everyone's hearts tightened. Could it be… the Celestial Dragon?!
Celestial Dragon—also known as World Nobles.
In the world of pirates, they were beings of absolute privilege—the descendants of the twenty kings who founded the World Government eight hundred years ago.
Claiming to be "descendants of the gods," they refused to breathe the same air as commoners and wore bubble helmets, treating other races as slaves. Offending them meant death—Marine Admirals or CP0 would immediately mobilize to protect them.
That was why, even among the most ruthless pirates, few dared to provoke a Celestial Dragon.
And so, at the mere thought that one might be arriving, fear swept through the prisoners.
Many immediately lowered their heads, trembling—just looking up at a Celestial Dragon was, in their minds, a capital offense.
In the entire dungeon, aside from Lin Xuan and the still expressionless Madara, only Rayleigh managed to stay calm.
Lin Xuan looked at the terrified faces around him and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He pitied them—but at the same time, he felt excitement bubbling up.
The more afraid they are of the Celestial Dragon, the greater the shock—and the more Prestige Points I'll earn when I act!
Of course, he knew it wasn't easy to actually see a Celestial Dragon.
Even though they owned this human auction house and ruled the Sabaody Archipelago, not just anyone could summon one.
The man entering now was only one of their lapdogs—a fat, well-dressed middle-aged man responsible for managing their assets.
The man frowned the moment he saw the open cell doors and the guards kneeling on the ground.
"What's going on here?" he demanded sharply, turning to Roya, who had led him in.
But Roya, still under Madara's Genjutsus, ignored him completely.
The fat man's face turned red with anger, and he was about to shout again when a mocking chuckle reached his ears.
He turned toward the sound—and saw two strangers inside the cell. Neither wore a collar or shackles, and one of them was watching him with an amused smile.
"You two are the troublemakers? Hah! Men, get in there and—"
Before he could even finish the order, Lin Xuan gave his command.
Madara's eyes flashed scarlet—Genjutsus activated!
In an instant, the middle-aged man and all his subordinates went rigid, their faces turning blank.
A moment later, their expressions softened into reverence. They dropped to one knee, bowing toward Lin Xuan and Madara.
Lin Xuan chuckled appreciatively.
"I've got to say, Madara's Sharingan really is convenient."
The system's power was terrifying—someone as mighty as Uchiha Madara, the pride of another world, was now fully under his control!
After subduing the man, Lin Xuan decided to put his earlier idea into action.
He looked at the kneeling manager and ordered,
"Inform the Celestial Dragon. Tell him the auction will begin soon."
Then, with a sly grin, he added,
"First, auction off Dark King Rayleigh. Then, auction off Uchiha Madara!"