chapter 177 part 1
Chapter 177: Crewmate Added, Joker's Invitation
On Grove 6 of the Sabaody Archipelago, a man riding a bubble vehicle looked left and right, muttering to himself.
"Tell me, where should I look for some reliable crewmates? The ocean area of this world is more than ten times that of Earth. Even if I fly, I need to find a landing spot. To sail a ship, I'll need a helmsman. Just a ship isn't enough; I'll need a cook for meals, and naturally, a ship doctor, and support staff..."
"And, the most important navigator..."
"Without the help of these people, finding a sky island will be difficult."
Bruce Ren: "Luffy's first voyage is still four years away. Why don't you just find Nami and make her the navigator, then return her to him when Luffy sets sail."
Stephen Fang: "Then do we still need to return her? Isn't it fine not to return her? With Nami, you won't have to worry about not finding specific coordinates in this vast sea. Of course, next up is the cook... the ship doctor..."
Bruce Ren: "I guess you're going to say, borrow Sanji and Chopper first, and return them when Luffy sets sail."
Stephen Fang: "You're so smart!"
Pirate Ren Arakawa, however, considered it seriously and said, "These people are indeed easy to find and easy to use. The problem is whether they'll follow me, especially Nami. If I don't win her over, she might run away the first chance she gets."
Uchiha Ren Arakawa: "Just get rid of Arlong."
Main God Ren Arakawa interjected: "But then there's the problem: how can we smoothly reach Coco Village in the East Blue? If we could just go to the East Blue, why would we need a navigator?"
As everyone discussed, Pirate Ren Arakawa suddenly noticed several Marines conducting a shift change ahead.
"Marine base?"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he was immediately drawn to the magnificent, golden building.
It wasn't a Marine base.
It was an auction house.
Speaking of the auction house in Sabaody Archipelago, the things sold there are truly unique.
Humans, mermaids, fish-men, Mink Tribe, dwarves, giants.
Even, if there are buyers, you can buy a Pirate Supernova with a Bounty of over a hundred million Berry as your watchdog.
The Sabaody Archipelago auction house is practically a must-visit.
Pirate Ren Arakawa looked thoughtful.
"The ship is short of people now, I have an idea."
He first found a tailor shop, spent all the money Ace gave him on a decent suit, an extravagant expense, then straightened his back and walked towards the auction house's main entrance.
Just at the entrance, a brawny bodyguard with a ferocious knife scar across his face barred Ren Arakawa's path.
This fellow first sized up Ren Arakawa meticulously from head to toe, then stretched out his hand to block him, rudely demanding his invitation.
In response, Ren Arakawa's lips curved slightly upward, forming a playful smile. Immediately after, a strange glint flashed in his deep eyes as he "looked" directly at the man.
In an instant, a miraculous thing happened!
The bodyguard's eyes instantly became dull and lifeless, as if his soul had left his body. Immediately after, white foam frothed uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth, his legs buckled, and he collapsed with a "thud."
Ren Arakawa calmly stepped over the bodyguard's body and strode into the auction house.
As soon as he entered, he was astonished by the luxurious atmosphere that rushed towards him.
This auction house was grand in scale, with an extremely spacious interior. An uninformed person might even think they had walked into a small theater at first glance.
The hall was densely packed with tiered seats, and above them, many VIP rooms made of transparent glass were suspended. Through the glass, one could faintly discern flickering figures inside, presumably all wealthy and influential patrons.
At this time, the number of people in the auction house was not large, only less than fifty, but their clamorous bidding enthusiasm was on par with a hundred people bidding at once.
Ren Arakawa looked over and saw that a "special item" was currently being displayed on the stage – a one-eyed mermaid, her face a mask of terror and extreme distress.
She was trapped in a huge bathtub, able to only helplessly swim back and forth. Her fearful eyes anxiously looked at the humans outside the glass who were ogling her with lecherous expressions, her body trembling, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Ren Arakawa unhurriedly found an empty seat nearby and settled in.
The moment his backside touched the chair, a sharp-eyed attendant quickly and skillfully brought over a delicate small table, swiftly serving steaming hot tea and fragrant pastries.
Ren Arakawa picked up the teacup, took a light sip, then asked seemingly casually, "Can you serve a bit more food?"
He smoothly fabricated a lie: "I just spent a fortune at another auction house, buying over a hundred million Berry worth of slaves. Now my stomach is rumbling, and my throat is terribly parched!"
Upon hearing this, the attendant dared not be lazy in the slightest. He quickly nodded and bowed, scurrying away to urge the kitchen to hurry up.
The mermaid auction on stage was still proceeding like wildfire.
Finally, a bald, pot-bellied fat man successfully bid for her at a high price of one hundred thirty million Berry.
The fat man, his face full of smugness, strode up to the fish tank, just about to get intimately close to the newly acquired mermaid and greet her.
Who would have thought, the mermaid inside, like an enraged beast, violently slammed her tail against the fish tank!
With a "splash," a large wave of water splashed out, drenching the bald fat man's head and face!
The smugness on the fat man's face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of utter rage.
He ferociously wiped the water off his face with his hand and cursed vilely, "Once I'm done playing, I'll blind your other eye too! They say eating fish eyes can improve eyesight, eating a mermaid's eye... Hehehehe!" The twisted laughter echoed throughout the auction house, sending shivers down one's spine.
His malicious thoughts spread without reservation, and the bosses below, who were enthusiastically bidding, also let out chilling laughter upon hearing his words.
In their eyes, this was not a living creature at all, but a plaything for their amusement.
Upon hearing these words, the mermaid in the bathtub completely lost her last shred of hope.