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Sabaody Archipelago, Area 66, Marine Base
Emerging from the Base Commander's office, two Marines walked side-by-side down the corridor, preparing to leave the base and resume their patrol duties.
One of them couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure it's okay to report that?"
"Since it's information we legitimately gathered during our mission, we naturally have to report everything to our senior officials," the other replied. "Besides, this involves the Celestial Dragons. We can't be too cautious, right?"
"Precisely because it concerns the Celestial Dragons, we should be even more cautious! All that guy said was, 'While passing by the couple you mentioned, I overheard them mentioning the Celestial Dragons. And that tall, handsome man sounded utterly regretful, as if he regretted coming all the way to Sabaody Archipelago only to miss encountering the Celestial Dragons...'"
"Isn't it obvious enough?!" the Marine grumbled to his senior official as he reported the incident. "It couldn't be any clearer! Giorno Giovanna came to Sabaody Archipelago with designs on the Celestial Dragons..."
"He's probably just talking big..." his companion shook his head. "Who would actually dare to act against the Celestial Dragons?"
As they spoke, the two Marines exited the main base building and noticed other Marines rushing past, as if some sudden emergency had occurred.
"What's going on?" they asked, grabbing a colleague.
The Marine stopped, catching his breath. "Giorno Giovanna... he's been captured by the human trafficker in First District, no, the 'Human Resources Agency'!"
"What?!" the two Marines exclaimed in disbelief.
...
Area 22: Human Trafficker Hideout
"Giorno Giovanna was captured and taken to the Auction House?!"
"Seriously? That Giorno? The Giorno Giovanna?"
The human traffickers, who specialized in kidnapping people throughout the Sabaody Archipelago and dreamed of catching a Mermaid or two for a massive profit, were so shocked they spat out their hot tea.
"Rumor has it that pirate has a special ability to steal Devil Fruits... A monster like that could fetch an astronomical price!"
"Damn it! Why couldn't we have been the ones to capture him?!"
...
Sabaody Park
"Giorno's been captured?"
"Huh? By whom? The Marines?"
"Ha ha ha! As if! How many Great Pirates of that caliber have the Marines ever caught?"
"Wait, who exactly is this Giorno you're talking about?"
"You know, that handsome guy who stole the show at the Sword Hero Tournament! I'm telling you, he's seriously gorgeous and incredibly strong, I've even dreamed about him a few times!"
"Ew..."
Clearly, not everyone paid close attention to information about wanted pirates, nor had everyone noticed the Sword Hero Tournament when it was the hottest news item.
Number 13
"I heard he was caught at a slave auction..."
"Me too! Lots of Great Characters are heading there, ready to bid on him!"
"That rare Devil Fruit-stealing ability... I bet tons of people have their eyes on him!"
"I wonder what kind of astronomical price he'll fetch..."
Fourth Brother:
"Those slave traders managed to capture a pirate with a 400 million Belly bounty?!"
"How on earth did they pull that off?"
"Rumor has it the Casino sent him to the Auction House..."
"Don't be ridiculous! The Casino? They have the power to capture a 400 million Belly Monster?!"
"The Casino people say Giorno borrowed money to gamble, and ended up betting himself and losing..."
"What a load of bull..."
Clearly, no one believed this story. What kind of idiot would willingly let a Casino sell them to the Auction House?
That's a one-way ticket to hell!
Besides, pirates don't take losses gracefully. If they lost at gambling, they'd tear the place apart, not let themselves be sold!
Number Two
"Was Giorno the only one captured?"
Someone pointed out a blind spot, puzzled. "I remember the JoJo Pirates had a female Captain, right?"
"Yeah, her name was Jolyne Cujoh, I think..."
"Was she captured too?"
"Who knows...? If she wasn't, a woman alone in the lawless zone of Sabaody Archipelago would definitely be in danger!"
As the discussion reached this point, they suddenly exchanged knowing glances, sinister smiles spreading across their faces.
"Now's the perfect time to hunt her down!!"
While these men were recklessly gossiping in the street, they failed to notice a tall, elegant woman with flowing sleeves passing nearby.
"...?!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced their hearts. Their eyes turned bloodshot, faces contorted in agony, and they collapsed to the ground one after another, clutching their chests, bodies convulsing.
"Hey, what's wrong with them?!"
"What's happening?!"
Nearby onlookers cried out in alarm, some rushing over to investigate. But Robin had already vanished into the distance, her flowing sleeves fluttering as she Earth Walked away.
Guided by the B.I.B. at her side, which pointed her toward Liam's location, Robin naturally knew exactly where he was now.
...
First District, Slave Auction, Backstage
People wearing explosive collars around their necks and chained at their hands and feet sat slumped against the walls, their faces pale and lifeless.
Only two figures in the corner, an old man and a young boy, chatted merrily, seemingly unfazed by their dire situation.
"Hahaha! Shanks invited you and Hawk Eyes to that island?" Rayleigh exclaimed in genuine surprise, before bursting into laughter. "To actually spar with those two! Your skills aren't half bad after all, kid!"
"After the fight that day, Shanks was lying on the ground, crying with his straw hat covering his face..."
Though Liam had mocked Shanks for his humiliating defeat at the time, now, recalling the scene, his voice was filled with wistful nostalgia.
"Ah, that straw hat," Rayleigh said. "Roger bought it casually at a market years ago. He preferred his Pirate Captain hat and didn't really care much about the straw one, but Shanks seemed to really like it..."
Liam said, "Shanks told me, 'The Captain just left this world like that... It feels so lonely now...'"
"..."
Rayleigh lowered his gaze, silent for a moment before chuckling in a daze. "Has it really been so many years already? Sometimes I feel like those adventures we shared with our comrades after Roger's death... they seem like they happened in a past life."
Day 28
A News Bird soared through the bubble-filled sky, scattering today's newspapers like confetti.
In these lawless zones, the News Birds dared not descend. Instead, they preferred to take a small financial loss, simply dropping the newspapers in crowded areas and moving on.
People on the ground picked up the newspapers, their faces quickly turning to shock as they read the headlines.
"This is huge news!"
"Unbelievable..."
But others gazed at the papers with hearts in their eyes, sighing dreamily, "So perfect..."
"How could anyone be so beautiful..."
(End Of This Chapter)