A few days later.
Sabaody Island No. 1, slave auction house.
This was the meeting place Ross had chosen; it was a spot he had picked carefully.
How could Zephyr be willing to comply if he didn't see the facts for himself?
Being appointed as his personal bodyguard was an order, and Zephyr would most likely not refuse.
But after his wife and children were killed by pirates ten years later, Zephyr would have no other weaknesses except for his faith in the Marines.
Even if such a person protected him, it would only be out of a sense of duty. If their values clashed one day, Zephyr might even become the one who caused his death.
Ross didn't want to leave a time bomb lying around, so he planned to solve the problem once and for all during their first meeting.
"Saint Ross?"
Hearing the powerful voice from behind, Ross didn't turn around, but calmly pointed to the spot next to him:
"Sit!"
Zephyr wasn't too afraid of the Celestial Dragons. He was already annoyed by the Five Elders' transfer order, so he wasn't going to give Ross a friendly look. He casually sat down next to Ross.
There were no special boxes at the slave auction house. At Ross's request, the auction house had arranged for them to sit in the last corner of the last row, with the surrounding area cleared out so that they would not be disturbed by other people.
When Zephyr finally sat down, Ross slowly turned his head to carefully examine the young and promising Zephyr before him.
[Zephyr]
[Overall Rating: S-]
With short purple hair, a robust build, and bulging muscles, he exuded an air of untamed wildness.
What Ross found most interesting was that Zephyr was wearing a white suit exclusive to CP0, which not only didn't look out of place at all, but also added to his charm as a "suit-wearing thug".
Compared to Zephyr wearing the cloak of justice, this outfit seemed to suit Zephyr much better.
So, even though he was unwilling, he still put on the CP0 uniform out of duty as a Marine to obey orders.
Ross's lips curled up slightly, having anticipated Zephyr's mental state.
As for Zephyr's strength, there was nothing to say. Even if he was only S-, he was still a genuine top-tier fighter.
In the system's assessment, even emperors were considered top-tier combatants, falling within the S-level category, though they were further subdivided into S-, S, and S+.
While Ross was observing Zephyr, Zephyr was also openly sizing up Ross.
He had initially been summoned to the Fleet Admiral's office by Kong, who told him that a Celestial Dragon wanted to recruit him and wanted to meet with him.
In exchange, that Celestial Dragon would serve as the overarching commander of the Buster Call in Ohara, shielding the public from most of the pressure.
After all, if word got out that the Marines destroyed an island, even with an explanation from the World Government, it would still put the Marines at a disadvantage.
They were now at the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, with pirates rising up everywhere. Any mistake by the Marines could escalate the Great Pirate Era.
After listening, Zephyr agreed without hesitation. It was just a meeting; what else could happen?
But before they could even meet, he received a transfer order from the World Government, which promoted him from Marine Admiral to CP0 Instructor.
From a functional perspective, this could be considered a promotion.
But considering Ross's recent phone call, which had actually asked him to leave the Marines to protect a Celestial Dragon of unknown origin.
No normal Marine officer would have been willing to do such a thing, let alone Zephyr, who was currently a Marine Admiral and at the peak of his career.
He would never have considered stepping down if his wife and children hadn't been murdered.
But Zephyr also knew that even a Marine Admiral could not defy the World Government.
If you didn't want to be a burden on the Marines, you had no choice but to obey the orders given by the Five Elders.
Zephyr and Ross were lost in their own thoughts, and neither of them spoke. They simply sized each other up before turning their attention to the scene inside the auction.
Not long after he sat down, a gasp suddenly came from the entrance of the auction hall.
"The Celestial Dragons! The Celestial Dragons are here!"
"My God, a Celestial Dragon is actually participating in this auction."
"Oh no, the Celestial Dragons are participating in the auction too. All the good stuff will be taken this time."
"Oh no, we won't be captured by the Celestial Dragons and enslaved, will we?"
"..."
A cacophony of noise arose, and with Zephyr's hearing, he could almost hear all of it.
He glanced at Ross subconsciously, his eyes filled with interest.
"The Celestial Dragons are coming in!!! Quick, kneel down!"
With a gasp at the entrance, a fat figure riding a slave, wearing an isolation suit and a glass dome, entered the auction hall.
In an instant, the entire auction hall fell silent. Apart from Ross and Zephyr, almost everyone present left their seats and knelt down in unison facing the door.
[Saint Rosward]
[Overall Rating: A- (Come on, hit me and you can quickly summon your admiral!)]
Seeing Saint Rosward appear at the door, Ross's eyes revealed a hint of interest.
It seemed that defeating a Celestial Dragon would also grant a Rank B reward?
These weren't Celestial Dragons; they were just a bunch of experience-boosting minions!
"Saint Rosward! Please move to the front row and take a seat."
The auction director approached, dropped to his knees, and gestured for them to come in.
"Hmm, not bad!"
Rosward looked around with satisfaction at the crowd of people lying on the ground, feeling that it was only natural.
He stepped down from the slave, basking in the awe of the people, and walked step by step toward the front.
But when his gaze fell on Ross's corner, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
There were actually people who didn't kneel down in front of him?
But when Rosward saw Ross's face clearly, his anger dissipated, and he looked away somewhat listlessly.
"It's actually Saint Ross. He was so arrogant in the Holy Land before, but all the slaves died. No, we can't let him buy good slaves this time."
Rosward muttered to himself and sat down in the front row.
Once Rosward sat down, the auction hall returned to its lively atmosphere.
Zephyr raised an eyebrow, then suddenly took a closer look at Ross's attire:
"You're not wearing a glass dome? Didn't they say the Celestial Dragons don't breathe the same air as us?"
He spoke without any restraint. No matter how angry Ross was, there was nothing he could do to him. The Five Elders and the World Government wouldn't punish him for such a small matter.
If his bad attitude meant he wouldn't have to be Ross's bodyguard anymore, that would be a good thing.
"What difference is there between the air in Mary Geoise and Sabaody? Some Celestial Dragons need to express their nobility in these ways, but not all Celestial Dragons do."
Ross said calmly, "The Celestial Dragons are also divided into different groups."
The behavior patterns of playboys and elites were completely different. Others might not know this, but Zephyr, as a Marine Admiral, must have known something about it.
Without comparison, the contrast was clear.
He deliberately chose this place to tell Zephyr that he was not a good-for-nothing like Rosward, and that he was different from the other Celestial Dragons.
The Celestial Dragons had both good and bad individuals; no one dared to touch them, and no one dared to get close to them either.
Even the strongest individuals, unless forced by the World Government, would stay far away.
"I see..."
Zephyr nodded slightly, without saying anything else.
But deep down, he still felt much better.
Judging from the conversation, Ross, while also possessing the arrogance of a Celestial Dragon, was much better than Rosward, making Ross somewhat more acceptable to him.
If you were going to make him protect a Celestial Dragon who was even worse than a pirate, you might as well just kill him.
"Welcome, esteemed sirs, welcome to the slave auction house. Your participation makes this auction house even more splendid today."
"Without further ado, let the auction begin!"
The lights in the center of the auction hall dimmed, and a man in a tuxedo stood in the center, gracefully bowing to everyone, and announced the official start of the auction.