"Y-You pirates actually dare cause trouble at Sabaody!?"
The noble couple were clearly frightened by Shiryu's gaze, but the man, trying to save face, still spoke in a trembling voice.
Although Sabaody gathers a huge number of pirates every day—being the gateway to the New World—
it is also extremely close to Marine Headquarters.
With special sea currents, Marine warships can arrive from Marineford in just a few hours.
Because of that, very few pirates dare to cause trouble here.
That's also one of the main reasons why the Celestial Dragons act so arrogantly in this place.
"Bastard! My big brother wants to sit—get up already!"
Weevil was even more direct, reaching for his weapon.
The noble couple panicked and hurriedly ran off, while nearby nobles also scrambled to get away.
"Yahahaha! Fools—should've done that from the start!"
Enel laughed arrogantly and moved to sit down.
However—
before his backside could touch the seat, he noticed Shiryu and Weevil staring at him with extremely dangerous expressions.
Enel froze, confused.
What did he do wrong?
At that moment, Xia Te had already taken his seat and waved casually.
"Alright, everyone worked hard. Sit."
Only then did Shiryu remove Raiu from his waist and sit down, still holding it with both hands.
As for Weevil—his massive size made it impossible to fit, so he simply crouched behind Xia Te, obediently gripping the back of his chair.
Only then did Enel understand.
The captain hasn't sat yet—how dare you sit first?
And Xia Te's earlier words carried another meaning—
Don't let it happen again.
Enel awkwardly took his seat.
But old habits die hard.
He ended up sitting on the backrest instead, facing the crowd with a smug expression, completely disregarding the nobles' stares.
"Hey… a bunch of lunatics just walked in."
From a corner, Eustass Kid grinned coldly. "Who are those guys?"
His right-hand man Killer replied:
"Don't recognize the other three, but that one with the naginata is called 'Weevil.' Bounty: 240 million Berries."
"Oh?"
Kid didn't seem impressed—his own bounty had already surpassed 300 million.
"Don't provoke him, Kid."
Killer warned again, seeing through his thoughts.
"Weevil's mentally unstable—a complete madman. He doesn't usually start trouble, which is why his bounty isn't higher. But the World Economic Journal has reported multiple times that he possesses Admiral-level strength."
That statement made everyone in the Kid Pirates' crew stiffen.
Admiral-level!?
How is that possible!?
Why would someone that strong serve under another?
On the other side of the auction house, in another corner—
the Straw Hat Pirates were equally shocked.
"Th-That's that long-eared guy! What's he doing here!?"
Luffy exclaimed in disbelief.
Nami covered her mouth tightly, fear written all over her face.
Back on Skypiea, Enel had nearly wiped out their entire crew with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
The trauma ran deep.
"I can't believe he joined another pirate crew…"
Robin said, equally stunned. Her gaze shifted from Enel to Weevil as she added cautiously:
"And that man—Weevil. His strength is no joke. To have subordinates like these… just who is their captain?"
Finally, her eyes settled on Xia Te.
…
…
Because the Straw Hats were seated in a corner—
and because Enel and Weevil weren't paying attention to them—
the two groups didn't make eye contact.
Otherwise, even if Xia Te himself had little interest in the Straw Hats,
Enel and Weevil certainly wouldn't have let these "protagonists" go.
"What a noisy bunch of lowly pirates. Father, call the Marines and have them dealt with."
Already seated, Saint Charlos said irritably, sniffling.
"Don't rush, my dear son."
Saint Rosward replied calmly:
"I've heard the slave this time is quite rare. Let those filthy pirates be dealt with after the auction. Don't spoil the mood."
Hearing this, Charlos nodded and withdrew his gaze from Xia Te's group.
Soon, the auction began.
For the Straw Hat crew, this was their first real glimpse into the darkness of the world nobles.
When they saw a dancer bite off her own tongue on stage to avoid being sold as a slave—
even someone as cold-blooded as Shiryu let out a disdainful snort.
"So this is the World Government."
"Hahaha—if I sat on the Empty Throne, I'd probably govern better than them."
Even Xia Te couldn't help but laugh.
But compared to "ruling," he was far more interested in "destroying."
Finally—
the main attraction appeared.
A mermaid with short aqua hair and delicate features.
Camie.
A truly rare commodity.
The moment she appeared, the entire auction house erupted.
"I bid—500 million Berries!"
Saint Charlos immediately shouted a price so high that no one dared compete.
However, two seconds later—
"I bid one billion Berries."
A calm, magnetic voice echoed through the hall.