Sabaody Archipelago, Area 11.
After docking on the beach, the four disembarked one after another.
Bepo stayed where he was: "Captain, be careful, don't get caught by the Navy."
"Don't worry too much, Bepo. Take care of the Polar Tang."
"Sorry…"
Bepo apologized immediately.
The Sabaody Archipelago is made up of many giant trees; the ground is full of roots, and bubbles emerge from the soil.
The reason it's called an archipelago is because each tree root is a small island, and each small island is connected by wooden bridges.
Thus, there are 79 divided areas.
"The rulers here are the Celestial Dragons, and this place is practically their playground."
"Celestial Dragons, huh? They won't live for long..."
Luffy smiled.
Moria: ...
Law: ...
Zoro laughed and said, "Luffy, if I run into one of them, can I cut them?"
"Slicing is the best."
Talking along the way, the four went from Area 11 to Area 13.
Luffy quickly found a small bar.
This small bar was on a high ground, with long steps in front of the door.
Everyone climbed the stairs, and when they reached the flat area in front of the bar, they saw a woman sending a group of pirates away.
The woman wore a spider-print blouse, was tall and slim, had short black hair, and a cigarette hung from her mouth.
She saw Luffy and the others out of the corner of her eye and suddenly showed a surprised expression:
"Ah, a rare visitor. If it isn't the son-in-law of Amazon Lily and former Shichibukai with a bounty of 3.5 billion Berries, Monkey D. Luffy?"
Zoro: "..."
The corner of Zoro's mouth twitched:
"Luffy, is she someone you know? How many friends do you have? And what does she mean by son-in-law of Amazon Lily?"
The woman chuckled softly and said, "It would be strange not to call him that since Boa Hancock, the empress of Amazon Lily, is pregnant with his child. And you must be the Straw Hats' swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, right?"
That rumor had spread to the Sabaody Archipelago?!
Luffy slightly regretted telling that lie since Hancock wasn't pregnant—at least not that he knew...
If no baby is born after nine months, will those women try to kill him?
Although he worked hard all afternoon afterward, the chance of winning at once was about the same as buying a lottery ticket.
So, he quickly changed the subject.
"Miss Shakky, I'm here for Rayleigh."
"Rayleigh?"
Shakky raised her eyebrows unexpectedly; surprisingly, Luffy knew her name.
"Rayleigh isn't here. I haven't seen him for almost a month. Come in for a drink first—I want to hear the story about you and Hancock."
Saying that, she threw the pirate in her hand to the ground: "Get lost and don't cause trouble. I won't let you escape so easily next time."
Everyone followed her into the tavern.
The tavern's name was Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Since Moria was very tall, he could only sit outside, while the other three went inside the bar.
Shakky served a glass of wine to everyone.
After returning to the bar, she said with a smile:
"Captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law, with a bounty of 200 million."
"Also, the ex-Shichibukai Gecko Moria..."
"I admit, that's an incredible combination."
Law asked surprised: "You know me?"
"Don't look at me like that—I'm well-informed. So, why did you come to see Rayleigh?"
Shakky looked at Luffy with a confused look.
"I want to ask him something." Luffy replied.
Luffy introduced her to everyone: "Shakky is a former empress of Amazon Lily and ex-captain of the Kuja Pirates two generations before Boa Hancock."
All three were a bit surprised.
Shakky sighed: "You're well-informed, Luffy."
"I was once chased by Garp, but not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd see the day I'd become 'family' with him."
"Ahem! Miss Shakky, let's talk about Hancock and me another time. As soon as news of my arrival on this island spreads, I'm sure a Navy Admiral will come bother me."
"That's right, now you're a big pirate."
Shakky took a drag of her cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke: "If Rayleigh hasn't spent all his money on drinks, he won't come back. If you want to find him, go to the coating dock."
Hearing this, Luffy once again released his Observation Haki.
Feeling his movement, Shakky laughed:
"People like Rayleigh have a way of hiding their aura; otherwise, the Navy would have found him already."
Soon, Luffy would be at that level too—that's an ability that naturally emerges as Haki progresses.
"By the way, there's a big auction today in Area 1—it happens once a month. Maybe he's there; you can go check." Shakky reminded.
"Looks like that's the only way. I'll take a look later, Miss Shakky."
Luffy nodded, drank the wine from the glass, turned to the others, and said: "Are you staying here or coming with me?"
All three chose to follow him.
Shakky sent him out the door and said with concern: "Be careful—this island is full of Navy soldiers."
"Got it. Say hi to Hancock for me if you see her again."
After waving their hands, Luffy and the others left.
---
Area 1.
Since it's an illegal area of the island, this is where the biggest auction happens, and regardless of race, auctions are legal in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Even if it's a princess of a kingdom, as long as she's not a member of the World Government, it's legal to be sold here.
Not to mention other races.
The most popular, of course, are Mermaids.
For mermaids under 30 years old, the starting price is 70 million Berries.
The transaction price can sometimes be so high it reaches hundreds of millions or even billions!
You know, not even an ordinary Devil Fruit can reach that value!
When Luffy and the others arrived at the auction, the main entrance was closed and the auction had already started.
Seeing this, Law said calmly:
"Leave it to me."
As he said that, with his palm facing down, a transparent spherical space immediately enveloped the four of them.
In the next moment, the four disappeared.
---
At the same time.
At the auction venue with a warm atmosphere, at the end of the auction stand, the transparent sphere expanded to this point, and then four people appeared instantly.
"What an unpleasant atmosphere." Zoro frowned.
The auction seats were almost full; rich people dressed in magnificent clothes and loud shouts filled the space with an uncomfortable sense of murkiness.
"Luffy, look there," Law whispered.
Everyone followed his gaze and cast their eyes.
In the front row of the auction stand, there were three people with VIP seats, wearing white clothes similar to spacesuits and a transparent hood, disdainful of breathing the same air as ordinary people.
"They are Celestial Dragons." Moria narrowed his eyes and quickly looked at Luffy, but saw his interested expression.
"I found him."
At such a close distance, not even Rayleigh can hide from his Haki. He's waiting to be auctioned back there.
Saying that, Luffy walked toward the three Celestial Dragons.
Seeming to notice his movement, the auctioneer on the stage froze for a moment.
"Wait a minute, guest, please return to your seat, the next auction item..."
Halfway through the speech, as Luffy approached and was gradually exposed to the light, the auctioneer's face stiffened, then his pupils dilated, and his whole body trembled.
"Straw Hat Luffy!?"
As soon as those words sounded, the fanatical atmosphere froze and suddenly became extremely quiet, leaving only the sound of Luffy's footsteps and shoes pounding the floor.
"What? Straw Hat Luffy? That pirate who got involved in the Marineford War?!"
"That's me."
"Run!!"
Shouts rang out, and the next moment countless people left their seats and frantically scattered toward Luffy.
"Ha... This is such a mess."
Law raised his eyebrow in admiration. Does this guy know the bounty on his head and how much the World Government hates him?
"What's going on? Straw Hat Luffy? Pirates?"
The three Celestial Dragons frowned belatedly, and the one on the right looked at Luffy.
However, the moment he turned his head—
Bam!!
A punch hit his face, Armament Haki destroyed his brain in an instant while smashing his skull into pieces.
With a sharp sound, the Celestial Dragons flew off their seats without even screaming and crashed directly into the wall behind the stage.
"What are you doing?!" The other two Celestial Dragons were shocked and furious: "Do you know who we are?! You damn bastard!"
"You are the Celestial Dragons, right?" Luffy curled his lips and immediately grabbed one by the neck and lifted him up: "Unfortunately for you, you're out of luck today."
Crack!
Another one was dead.
It was like crushing an insect.
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."