Long ago, there was a demon fox that brought disaster to the world. It had nine tails...
When it swung them, mountains collapsed and tsunamis struck.
The people suffered greatly, so they gathered the navy...
Among them was a navy soldier named Garp, who joined the battle and finally defeated it, earning the title of "Hero of the Navy."
On the Grand Line, in the first half, lies the Sabaody Archipelago. It exists because near Navy Headquarters grows the world's largest mangrove tree, the Yarukiman Mangrove. Its roots stretch across the water's surface, forming a cluster of islands.
The whole area is made up of seventy-nine trees, each marked with a number from 1 to 79, split into different zones.
Numbers 1 to 29 are mostly run by human traffickers, a complete lawless zone.
The dark remnants of world history are openly spread out here, reeking with a stench so vile that anyone with a sense of justice—or any normal person—can hardly breathe.
And standing at the top of this pile of filth are the Celestial Dragons.
"Ah! Saint Chadwick! Welcome!"
In front of a huge auction hall, on the green grass, the auction staff knelt on the ground, bowing to a Celestial Dragon in a bubble helmet, snot dripping from his nose, flattering him as they begged, "Inside the hall, please allow us not to kneel!"
"It's fine, otherwise how would the auction even continue?" Saint Chadwick said carelessly. "This time, the goods shouldn't all be useless trash, right?"
"Ah… of course not! In fact, this time we have… a rare talent with Devil Fruit powers!"
Devil Fruit?
Saint Chadwick asked, "What kind of ability?"
"It's a power… that can swallow emotions, making people happy and calm."
"Sounds good." The Celestial Dragon nodded slightly. The staff member, relieved, quickly said, "Thank you for your approval. Let me take you to the VIP seat."
The arrival of a Celestial Dragon at an auction was naturally a huge event. But inside the hall, no one had to kneel.
After the staff carefully guided him to the most comfortable VIP seat, he quietly slipped out and quickly called over someone nearby.
"Still haven't figured out what ability Genichi really has? Saint Chadwick is very interested in him. If he gets bought and his power isn't what I said it was, we're dead!"
The guard hurriedly replied, "It should be right. Under his power, even the slaves who wanted to riot became calm."
"Go confirm it again. Make him the last one to come out. Before he goes on stage, you must figure out exactly what fruit he ate!" the staff member whispered sharply. The guard rushed into the back.
"Hey, get up."
Inside a cell, a man sat casually on the ground. One leg bent, the other stretched out. He leaned against the wall, head slightly tilted back, as if resting with his eyes closed.
His short black hair was messy and looked unwashed for a long time. Around his neck was a collar—the mark of a slave.
Even though he looked unkempt, it was still clear that he was a very handsome man. At least in this world, he could be called strikingly good-looking, almost like he didn't belong among the other prisoners in the cell.
The guard walked in and was speechless at how relaxed he looked. In all his years working here, he had never seen anyone stay this calm when about to be sold at auction.
"Kid, it's almost time. You're lucky—Saint Chadwick has his eye on you. Maybe you'll become a Celestial Dragon's slave." The guard unlocked the door, looked coldly at Genichi, and added, "I wonder how long you'll last by their side."
The Celestial Dragons—World Nobles—any race could become their slave, their pet, or their mount. But usually, they would soon be abused to death.
They did all these things, yet they never had to face any punishment.
They are the descendants of the Creator, the so-called gods. If they are attacked, even the Navy's top admirals will be sent out to protect them.
Because of that, they live by the most arrogant rules in the world.
The slaves around them are nothing more than toys for their amusement.
"The Celestial Dragons, huh…"
Hearing the guard's words, Genichi slowly opened his eyes. One hand was resting on the knee of his raised leg, and with a bit of force he pushed himself up from the ground. He asked, "So what? Is it my turn to be put up for auction?"
"No, not that. It's just that Saint Chadwick wants to know more about your abilities, so we need to test you again."
As the guard spoke, he reached out to pull on the chains around Genichi, but before he could touch them, his hand was suddenly slapped away.
"You!"
He stared at Genichi in shock. That man had slapped him!
A slave dared to resist?
"Forget it…" Genichi said lazily. "I've already gathered enough negative emotions. Going again won't mean much. Taking too much from the same group of people… even I'd feel a little bad about that."
He spoke as if he had no idea about his own situation, leaving the guard stunned.
Did he… really know what he was saying? What he was doing?
He was a slave! His life was in their hands — they could kill him at any time. How could he dare to hit his hand? How could he dare to refuse? How could he dare to talk so calmly?!
"Ah, actually I should thank you."
Genichi stretched and went on, "If you hadn't let me absorb so much negative emotion, I never would've had such a great starting point."
"What the hell are you talking about!" the guard snapped, cutting him off. "You've been rambling from the start. Looks like you still don't know your place. I'll teach you right now!"
"Hmm, I know my place very well," Genichi said, tilting his head to dodge the guard's punch. He let out a small laugh. "I'm not a god, but I'm not a slave either. And I'm definitely not a slave to gods. To thank you, I'll show you something good. But of course, none of you can speak of it."
He leaned close to the guard's ear and whispered, "The gods you worship… are about to die."
Boom!
The guard's pupils shrank. The next instant, a massive force came crashing down from above. The air itself seemed to fill with a terrifying pressure that nearly crushed their lungs.
Then, the roof of the auction house suddenly shattered, and everyone inside saw—
A huge eye, peering down at them through the broken ceiling!