CHAPTER 163 — Sabaody Siege
Tony, Naruto, Saeko, Mindy, and Gaius moved through the streets of Sabaody Archipelago with a calm confidence. Their plan had been made. Their purpose was clear. They would take advantage of the distraction that the chaos of Marineford had created.
Tony glanced around, the mischievous glint in his eyes reflecting his thoughts.
The plan was simple. They would take everything on the island that was worth taking, then leave.
~~~
The auction hall.
Normally, it would be crowded with buyers and brokers, Marines on patrol, and the constant noise of a bustling market.
Today, it was almost empty. Only a few buyers lingered, whispering quietly. The auction cages stood ready, collars clinking softly, but the usual energy of Sabaody was absent.
Inside, the auctioneer prepared to start. His voice was high, and confident, as he introduced the first lot, a human male, strong-built, standing within a cage as it rolled forward. Guards lined the walls, alert but not aggressive.
The doors to the hall opened, and three intruders entered. At first, few noticed them. Their steps were confident but not loud, their presence noticeable but not theatrical. The guards reacted almost instinctively. "This area is closed," one said, trying to assert authority.
Mindy acted first. Her submachine gun raised, a precise shot fired. The guard collapsed silently, no screams. Saeko followed, her sword drawn, cutting a clear path. Naruto stayed close, ready to react instantly.
Mindy shouted, her voice commanding, echoing off the walls: "Everyone! Don't move! We will be taking over this place!"
The auctioneer froze at the podium, seeing his guards fall and realizing the intruders were serious. His face drained of color. "Y-you… how dare you! This auction is owned by the Donquixote Pirates!"
Mindy's eyes narrowed slightly at the word "Donquixote." She tilted her head.
The auctioneer, perhaps encouraged by the mention of the warlord, repeated, "That's right, the warlord Doflamingo!"
Mindy's finger tightened on the trigger. "I don't know him," she said flatly.
The auctioneer slumped forward as the shot echoed through the hall. Someone gasped. A chair scraped against the floor, then stopped.
The buyers, mostly nobles and brokers, froze. Mindy trained her guns on them. "You all don't move," she commanded.
Immediately, everyone sank into their seats, sitting as if they had been told by a teacher rather than threatened by deadly weapons. The room was unnervingly quiet.
Naruto immediately moved to the cages where the human lots were held. "I'm freeing them!" he called.
One of the slaves spoke up, cautious but urgent. "The collars… they explode. You need the keys." They pointed toward the auctioneer's body.
Naruto nodded quickly, rushing to the corpse. He retrieved the keys and unlocked nine cages. The slaves stepped out cautiously, eyes wide but relieved. Around them, the team quickly gathered valuables, berries, small treasures, swords, and placed them in The Parcel System.
Once the first auction was cleared, the team prepared to move to the next one.
Tony lingered in a room inside the auction house, watching the Den Den Mushi communications. His eyes narrowed as the scanner in his armor picked up faint pulses of information being transmitted to other auctions.
At his command, J.A.R.V.I.S. began analyzing the signals. Within moments, the AI had reprogrammed the blocker Tony had pulled from the parcel system. The Den Den Mushi network went silent. Across Sabaody, no one could send alerts.
Tony rejoined the others, satisfied.
Saeko had gathered information from the slaves, most of the valuable treasures they knew of were held in the various auction houses.
To move efficiently, the team split up. Tony went alone, heading to the auction houses by himself. Saeko, Mindy, and Naruto moved together. Gaius stayed above, perched strategically, scanning for threats with his newly awakened Observation Haki.
With each passing minute, Gaius's Haki grew stronger. His Haki felt sharper, more attuned to movement and intent. From above, the range of his observation expanded. His will and senses were already formidable, the Haki just needed time and practice to reach its full potential.
Even scattered Marines were neutralized efficiently. Naruto's Shadow Clones intercepted some, while Mindy and Saeko took care of others. Tony stepped in when necessary. No information escaped. No alarms were raised.
Meanwhile, Marineford burned in chaos. Whitebeard had landed on the ground, massive as ever. Kizaru engaged him directly, while Kuzan freed himself from the Division commanders and handed them off to the Vice Admirals to continue the fight. He then joined Kizaru in facing Whitebeard.
Explosions and beams of light tore across the battlefield, turning the sea into a scene of destruction. The ground shook violently beneath the clash of powers.
Akainu and Diana continued their duel. Diana's smile was wide, almost playful, as she dodged magma and light attacks. She seemed to be enjoying the battle, her movements fluid, confident, and graceful.
At the same time, Luffy pushed toward Ace. Garp intercepted, blocking the path. "I've been fighting pirates since before you were born," Garp declared. "You'll have to get past me if you want to reach Ace."
Luffy didn't hesitate. He activated Gear 2 and rushed forward. At the last second, Garp faltered, knocked aside by Luffy's momentum. He plummeted into the concrete below. Sengoku observed, scoffing at Garp's sudden frailty.
Luffy reached for the key Hancock had given him, ready to free Ace. But Sengoku had transformed. His Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, glimmered as his enormous golden form loomed over the key, blocking it.
Before Luffy could act, Kizaru, observing everything even while fighting Whitebeard, fired a beam of light. The key shattered in two before it could reach Luffy's hands.
From the side, one of the fallen guards revealed himself as Mr. 3, stepping in to protect Ace using his wax powers. Luffy held Sengoku back with a Gomu Gomu no Gigant Fusen. Sengoku's enormous punch struck, collapsing the scaffold beneath them. Ace, Luffy, and Mr. 3 fell with it.
Mr. 3 quickly formed a new key from wax. "Gotta get him out… no matter what."
He thought of Bentham's sacrifice. "Would Luffy laugh if I tried to avenge a fallen friend?"
Luffy shook his head. "No… I wouldn't."
Just then, Marines fired, aiming to kill all three.
"Watch out!" Mr. 3 shouted.
Through the tunnel of flames, Ace appeared, clinging to Luffy.
"Idiot! What were you thinking?!" Ace yelled.
Luffy grinned, holding tight. "I'm fine!"
Ace huffed, frustrated, but pulled Luffy to safety. "Reckless as ever…"
Back on Ground, Akainu's fury was visible. The Son of Roger had survived and escaped. Akainu's eyes glowed with rage as he launched a massive magma attack toward Diana. The range was enormous, threatening anyone in its path.
Diana saw the massive wave of magma approaching, screaming in the distance. Pirates and Marines were frozen in fear, unable to move. She clenched her bracelets, releasing a shockwave infused with Divine lightning. The combined force neutralized the magma, throwing everyone to the ground but leaving them alive. Diana shouted, "Sorry!" and quickly rushed back toward Akainu, ready to continue the battle.
Meanwhile, the auction raids continued. Tony, Saeko, Mindy, and Naruto swept through the remaining halls efficiently. Slaves were freed, treasures collected, and all communication blocked. Gaius's Observation Haki allowed him to anticipate threats before they appeared. Every Marine encountered was neutralized silently or quickly.
Time passed as the team gathered their loot into The Parcel System. Each auction brought piles of berries, rare swords, small treasures, exotic fabrics, and finely crafted watches, all carefully packed. Among them were several Devil Fruits, their strange shapes and unnatural colors standing out even in the crowded room.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the archipelago, a luxurious ship was docked, guarded by Vice Admiral Momousagi and several other Marines.
"Of all times…" the Marine muttered, glancing toward the ship. "Why now?"
Another Marine immediately reprimanded him. "Don't say things like that here."
Gion approached, silent. The two Marines instantly straightened and saluted.
"Vice Admiral!" they called.
Gion heard them, but she said nothing. She had the same thoughts herself and understood their concern.
~~~
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