After Saint Shalria declared that Uchiha Madara must not be killed and had to be captured alive, she seemed to think that still wasn't enough. She added, "And don't you dare damage his handsome face! I forbid this slave from becoming an ugly monster!"
At that, the faces of everyone in the auction hall turned ashen.
If they could, they wanted to tell her the truth—this Uchiha Madara was unimaginably dangerous. Capturing him wasn't just "difficult"; it was a courting disaster. Even the smallest mistake might cause catastrophic losses—let alone taking him alive and "undamaged."
Some even wanted to advise the Celestial Dragon to leave the auction hall immediately. But when they saw the expressions of Saint Shalria and her two companions, they knew that saying such a thing would probably earn them the same fate as that poor fellow who'd just been executed moments ago.
So in the end, none of them dared utter a single word of protest. Gritting their teeth, they could only order the guards to keep attacking Uchiha Madara.
Of course, they weren't entirely without hope. The auction manager consoled himself: No matter how strong he is, he must tire eventually. As long as we keep swarming him, we'll wear him down and capture him alive for Saint Shalria.
But clearly, he had gravely underestimated Uchiha Madara.
Even if they had ten times as many men, it wouldn't make the slightest difference—especially since Madara was currently in his Impure World Reincarnation form.
And what was the defining trait of an Impure World Reincarnation body?
Immortality.
Instant regeneration.
Limitless chakra.
With such abilities, not even ten times this number of guards could possibly threaten him.
And that wasn't even counting the terrifying technique he wielded.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Just as the guards were charging again with suicidal bravery, a massive fireball erupted from Madara's mouth, engulfing them in flames.
"Ahhh!"
The guards screamed in agony, rolling on the ground in a futile attempt to smother the fire.
The audience—who had just been watching the spectacle with amusement—now went pale with shock.
"He's a Devil Fruit user!"
"What? But isn't he wearing Sea-Prism Stone cuffs?!"
"How can he still use his abilities while bound by the Sea-Prism Stone?!"
"No, look—he ripped the cuffs apart!"
"Nani?! Isn't the Sea-Prism Stone supposed to drain all strength? How did he—? Is it defective?!"
…
As the situation spiraled wildly out of control, the so-called upper-class spectators panicked and stumbled backward, desperate to distance themselves from Madara.
Lin Xuan, however, remained calmly seated, watching the burning guards with interest.
After all, he had already planned to stir up a huge commotion on the Sabaody Archipelago—the bigger, the better. Every one of these auction house scumbags deserved it. He felt not the slightest pity watching them burn.
Auctioneer Disco and his men were trembling in terror. If they could, they'd flee instantly. But the Saint Rosward family gave them no such chance.
Saint Rosward looked at Madara with curious delight. "So this male slave is a Devil Fruit user—and quite a strong one too. Not bad, not bad."
Saint Shalria immediately shot her father a wary look. "Father, I saw him first! You're not allowed to snatch him from me!"
Saint Rosward sighed, shaking his head regretfully. "Fine, fine, he's yours. I won't compete with you."
Saint Charlos pouted. "Sis, you're so lucky! I was interested in that man-slave too!"
Hearing the three of them talk so casually, Lin Xuan could only think one thing: Unbelievable. Seeing it in the anime was one thing—but witnessing it in person? These people are even worse than I imagined.
Even now, with chaos erupting around them, the three Celestial Dragon were calmly discussing who got to "own" Uchiha Madara. Truly absurd.
And that absurdity finally pushed Madara's patience to the limit.
He was just about to kill the entire Saint Rosward family when Lin Xuan suddenly shouted from below, "Hey, Madara! You can beat them up, but don't kill them! They're still useful to me!"
The words stunned everyone present.
What did he just say?!
Did that man just order the slave to beat up the Celestial Dragon—and casually tell him not to kill them?
Was he insane?!
How could anyone in this world even think such a thing?
A hush fell over the hall. Dozens of eyes turned toward Lin Xuan in disbelief.
At that moment, a familiar sound chimed in Lin Xuan's mind:
"Ding! Congratulations, Host! Prestige Points +9999!"
Hearing the notification, Lin Xuan's grin widened.
As he expected—seizing the perfect moment and creating maximum shock was the fastest way to earn Prestige Points!
Meanwhile, the Saint Rosward family finally registered what he had said—and burst out laughing.
"Bwahahaha! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"
"He told that slave to beat us but not kill us? Does he even know who we are?"
"That slave, lay a hand on us? He wouldn't dare, not even if he had the guts of a thousand men!"
The three of them laughed so hard they nearly doubled over.
Around them, many others joined in, mocking Lin Xuan and staring at him like he was an utter fool.
But as the laughter echoed through the hall, a chilling voice suddenly cut through it from behind the Saint Rosward family.
"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me—what will you do if I really do hit you?"
The laughter stopped instantly.
Every head turned in horror.
Uchiha Madara was walking toward the Saint Rosward family, one slow step at a time—his eyes cold, his killing intent suffocating.
He looked very much like a man ready to make good on that promise.
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard