Even though it was only a brief glance, Lucien clearly saw everyone who had entered.
Nami, Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook were all there, which did not surprise him in the slightest.
What truly made Lucien feel a subtle heaviness in his chest were two figures among them.
The Furious One · Ethan, and the Rose Queen · Emma.
Ethan was a tall, powerfully built man with a crew cut and a bare upper body. A centipede like scar stretched diagonally from his left shoulder down to his abdomen, a clear mark of countless life and death battles. He wore simple black elastic shorts, yet the murderous aura radiating from him made people instinctively wary. One glance was enough to tell that he was someone who had crawled out of blood and fire.
Compared to Ethan's fierce presence, the woman beside him exuded an entirely different kind of pressure.
The Rose Queen · Emma looked like a true monarch.
She wore a crimson rose colored bandeau gown that perfectly accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her long purple red hair cascaded down in soft waves, and a pair of blood red amber earrings swayed lightly beside her cheeks. Scarlet high heels supported her elegant posture, and her expression was icy cold, while her figure was undeniably alluring. She was beautiful, untouchable, and carried the dignity of a sacred queen.
Lucien did not observe them for long.
He quickly looked away.
Attracting their attention would only complicate things, especially if he needed to act later. If these two were transmigrators or reincarnators like him, then there was a very high chance that they possessed their own golden finger. In that case, a surprise attack would be the safest and most efficient approach.
Since he did not know their abilities, Lucien kept his emotions perfectly hidden, his gaze calm and unremarkable.
What he did not see yet were Luffy and Zoro.
At the same time, the presence of Hachi and Pappagu confirmed his suspicion. Kemi indeed knew the Straw Hat Pirates, just like in the original story. Nami and the others were here to rescue her.
"It's Kemi."
Chopper, Pappagu, and Hachi stared at the mermaid inside the water tank on the auction stage, their faces filled with anxiety.
"Don't act recklessly. We'll buy Kemi with Berries, just like we planned."
Nami clenched her fist tightly. This time, the woman who loved money more than anything had emptied nearly all of the Straw Hats' savings, gathering around two hundred million Berries.
Emma calmly scanned the auction hall.
She already knew that two hundred million Berries would not be enough. In the original events, Charloss would raise the price to five hundred million. A conflict was unavoidable.
Still, she did not stop Nami and the others.
Her gaze swept through the crowd again. Eustass Kid and the other Supernovas were nowhere to be seen, but Trafalgar Law was present. That alone made her frown slightly.
"Kemi…"
Pappagu's eyes reddened with tears. Kemi had also spotted them from inside the tank. She slammed her hands against the glass, fear and desperation written clearly on her face.
"Silence, please."
On the stage, the auctioneer struck his gavel.
The noisy hall quieted instantly. Countless greedy gazes locked onto Kemi, faces flushed with excitement.
"So young…"
The auctioneer was just about to introduce her when an eager voice interrupted him.
"Five hundred million Berries."
Charloss spoke lazily, snot dangling from his nose as his eyes devoured Kemi like a starving beast.
The entire auction hall went deathly silent.
Five hundred million Berries as the opening bid.
And from a Celestial Dragon.
There was no room for competition.
"Five… five hundred million?"
Nami and the others turned pale. Their entire fortune did not even reach half that amount.
They had already lost.
"Kemi…"
Despair filled Pappagu and Hachi's eyes. If money failed, then force was the only option left.
But this involved a Celestial Dragon.
"Five hundred million, any higher bids?"
The auctioneer's breathing quickened, his eyes burning with excitement.
"Five hundred million once."
"Five hundred million twice."
"Five hundred million…"
Before the gavel could fall, the auction house roof suddenly exploded.
Debris crashed down as smoke and dust filled the hall. Curses and screams echoed everywhere.
"Where's Kemi?"
An angry shout rang out.
Moments later, Luffy and Zoro appeared through the wreckage.
"Luffy, Zoro!"
Nami and the others felt a headache coming on the moment they saw them.
"Oh, you're all here."
Luffy scratched his head casually and then looked toward the stage.
"Kemi."
Without checking the situation at all, Luffy rushed forward.
Hachi immediately grabbed him in a tight embrace.
Lucien did not move.
He watched everything silently.
Just as expected, a gunshot rang out.
Hachi collapsed in a pool of blood.
Luffy froze for a brief moment.
Then he walked forward.
Step by step.
Like an enraged beast.
His fist clenched tightly, and without hesitation, he punched Charloss squarely in the face. The Celestial Dragon's body spun violently through the air, crashing through rows of seats before disappearing into the ruins, completely unconscious.
The hall fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"A Celestial Dragon was hit."
"The Marines are coming, run."
Pirates scrambled toward the exits in panic. Someone had dared to strike a Celestial Dragon, and by the looks of it, he might have killed him.
An Admiral would certainly arrive at Sabaody.
Many pirates cursed Luffy in their hearts as they fled.
"How dare you hit my brother, you filthy pirate."
Saint Shalria's beautiful face twisted with anger, even her silk scarf could not hide her fury.
"Contact the Marines. Send an Admiral. I want all of these pirates dead."
Rosward roared furiously.
A nearby guard immediately activated a Den Den Mushi. Other guards rushed toward Luffy and the others, along with the auction house's security.
Throughout all of this, Lucien remained seated in Stussy's arms, calmly observing the chaos with interest. He was not the only one staying behind. Several pirate crews clearly had no fear of death.
At the same time, far away at Marine Headquarters.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, a man lounged lazily on the sofa, yawning nonstop. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, making him look exhausted and disheveled.
Sengoku sat behind his desk, his expression still filled with anger.
Clearly, he had just finished a long scolding.
Seeing the man picking his ears and nodding off, Sengoku's temper flared again.
"Look at you. You are the strongest Marine Admiral, yet you spend your days in the red light district. This time, you even buried yourself in debt fighting over a courtesan, and you still have the nerve to come back here?"
Sengoku's beard bristled as his chest heaved.
"Fleet Admiral, I'm here to request a salary advance."
Enel yawned, placing his feet on the tea table to get comfortable.
Sengoku nearly suffered a stroke.
"A salary advance? Your pay has already been advanced into next year, and you still owe me ten million Berries. You've borrowed money from almost every Marine at headquarters. Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Momousagi, Tokikake, Onigumo, all of them."
"And you still dare to ask?"
Sengoku laughed angrily.
Among the Admirals, each had their flaws, but Enel was truly unmatched. Drinking, gambling, visiting brothels, and drowning himself in debt, he did it all. Worse, he never worked overtime.
To make him work extra, one had to tempt him with overtime pay, and even then, it depended entirely on his mood.
If he was enjoying himself, even a direct order would not bring him back.
Among the Admirals, he was the ultimate oddity.