A Celestial Dragon in a bulky white robe—perhaps oversized due to his body shape—wore a transparent bubble helmet and a strange fin-like hairstyle. Zhang Da Ye thought he looked horrendously ugly; maybe the Celestial Dragons had different aesthetics.
Zhang Da Ye and Artoria didn't have to wait long in 1GR. Quietly circling the human auction house, they soon saw all pedestrians on the road leading to the main entrance stop and kneel along both sides.
They stayed at the back, watching the Celestial Dragon approach.
The young Celestial Dragon's face looked foolish and arrogant. He didn't walk but rode atop a kneeling slave.
The slave crawled on all fours, wearing tattered red clothes with a skull-printed hat, his face marked with scars—clearly a pirate captain who had suffered much during captivity.
Accompanying him were a butler in a black suit and four fully armored guards. Even this small entourage conveyed the Dragon's immense authority; no one dared challenge him.
Soon, someone from the auction house ran out, kneeling before him:
"Honorable Charlros Saint, thank you for coming. For the auction to proceed smoothly, may we be excused from the traditional kneeling inside?"
Charlros Saint sniffed, spoke slowly and naively: "I permit it."
"Much appreciated. Please proceed to the VIP section."
Nearby, Rozvard Saint kicked a slave repeatedly, muttering: "This one's too weak; I need a stronger slave."
The unknown captain gritted his teeth, enduring the pain and crawling forward.
Tom, frightened by the scene, instinctively tried to hide behind Zhang Da Ye's neck, forgetting he was invisible.
Feeling Artoria's grip tighten on his wrist, Zhang Da Ye gently held her hand and whispered: "It's just a pirate. Not worth sympathizing with."
"I know, but…" Artoria trailed off.
Zhang Da Ye guessed her thoughts. Pirates deserved punishment, either death, imprisonment, or hard labor. Seeing one tortured on a whim by a Celestial Dragon was unsettling.
"Better that pirates suffer than ordinary people," he reminded himself. In a world dominated by Celestial Dragons, one couldn't expect much from the law.
As Charlros Saint entered the hall, people rose, some leaving, others following to bid on slaves.
Tom, curious, whispered: "Why so flashy, with that bubble on his head?"
"They wear bubble helmets to avoid breathing the same air as ordinary people," Zhang Da Ye explained, secretly wondering if the lack of oxygen affected their brains.
"Let's go back," Artoria said, disheartened by the cruelty of the world's elite.
As for overthrowing the Celestial Dragons or saving the world, she had considered it but believed she couldn't even protect a single territory, much less the entire world.
Even if she ruled a land, she thought her power insufficient, leading inevitably to her downfall. Little did she know, many of the world's kings were even worse.
Zhang Da Ye didn't know her exact thoughts but sensed her disappointment—frustration at being restrained from intervening.
After a pause, he said: "Since we're here, why not do something before we leave?"
---
In 2GR, in front of a shop with a sign reading "Human House,"
"Here is…" Artoria looked puzzled.
Zhang Da Ye explained: "It's similar to a human auction house—a slave-selling shop."
Inside, glass display cubicles held people wearing slave collars, their faces blank or desperate, each with a label.
Due to the auction, the shop had few customers; the "quality" of slaves here was inferior to the auction.
Passersby ignored the shop; most slaves were from non-allied nations, or pirates and criminals.
"While the invisibility still works, I want to quietly deal with the owner and free some slaves," Zhang Da Ye decided, influenced by Major Kadaru's example and his own sympathy.
Capturing slave traders was immoral; running a shop like this was no better. Artoria and Tom agreed.
The shop had only an owner and an employee; no security guards.
Suddenly, some slaves noticed something impossible, rubbing their eyes, whispering in surprise.
The owner and employee turned, seeing floating baseball and golf clubs:
- **Tom's Baseball Bat:** Strong enough to knock down a big dog, Spike.
- **Tom's Golf Club:** Digging tool; can penetrate a golf course.
Before the owner and employee could react, the bat struck their heads, knocking them down with two loud thuds.
The slaves cheered, pressing against the glass in hope.
A set of keys floated from the owner's pocket, paused in front of a display, then unlocked a slave's collar.
Clanging chains fell, and hope lit the eyes of all the slaves. The freed slave collapsed to the floor, tears streaming, shouting gratitude.
Though they couldn't see who had helped, they recognized a Devil Fruit user and knew a benevolent power had rescued them.