At the same time.
In the Lawless Area of Grove 13, inside Shakky's bar, the owner Shakuyaku was sorting through the items Roy had requested.
"Mhm. Looks like what's missing now is only the manuals for Haki training and the Six Powers, right?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound interrupted Shakuyaku as she organized the booklets.
"Who is it?"
She opened the door and found a middle aged man standing outside.
Short blond hair.
A long sword at his waist.
A vertical scar running straight down over his left eye.
"Rayleigh? You came in person?"
"Let's talk inside," he said.
Rayleigh walked to the counter, uncorked a bottle, and took a long, hard swig before explaining.
"Our ship is anchored nearby, not far from Sabaody. When you mentioned that kid on the phone, the one who knows far too much, I got curious."
"Did you bring what he wanted?"
"Oh, I brought it." Rayleigh reached into his clothing and pulled out two thin booklets.
Roy, who was currently stalking a Celestial Dragon, had no idea that a few teasing remarks toward Shakuyaku would end up drawing the attention of a monster like Rayleigh.
Within Roy's Observation Haki, the auction had ended and the crowd was spilling out in waves.
Roy stood in the shadow of an alley, hearing Tesoro's ragged breathing beside him.
He opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the auction house entrance.
Three Cipher Pol agents came out carrying chests, escorting Saint Rugmak. The Celestial Dragon held a chain in his hand, the other end locked around Stella.
"Boss… we…"
"Calm down, Tesoro," Roy said flatly. "Stella is still in his hands. Are you going to abandon her? You know exactly what happens to someone who falls into a Celestial Dragon's hands."
"I… I didn't mean that."
"Then shut up and stay steady."
Roy patted Tesoro's shoulder. "Follow the plan. Remember your role."
The next second, Roy flickered, his body blurring as he vanished deeper into the alley.
Tesoro took a deep breath, then sprinted off in the opposite direction.
Saint Rugmak strolled down the street, basking in the world's fear. Pedestrians dropped to their knees the moment they saw a Celestial Dragon, heads lowered, not daring to look up.
"Hahaha! What a harvest today! Two Devil Fruits, and a pretty slave too!"
"Once I'm back, I'll make Saint Charlos so jealous he'll choke on it!"
The three Cipher Pol agents walked behind him in a triangle formation, the group moving slowly along the road.
Ten minutes later, they entered a quieter, more secluded street.
Suddenly, the ground ahead exploded.
The blast cracked through the air and the Celestial Dragon stumbled back in panic.
"What is this?" The two Cipher Pol agents in the rear instantly dropped what they were carrying and moved to shield him.
The smoke cleared.
Tesoro stood in the middle of the street, holding a bomb.
"Let Stella go!"
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Saint Rugmak shrieked, hopping with rage. "You filthy lower lifeform, you dare attack me?"
"I'm going to kill him! I'll turn his whole family into my slaves!"
"Cipher Pol! Go seize that trash!"
The three agents exchanged a glance.
Two of them shot toward Tesoro at once, while the third stayed behind, guarding the Celestial Dragon.
Tesoro panicked and hurled the bomb at the two agents, then turned and bolted into an alley.
But the gap in strength was too large.
Before the bomb could even detonate, one of the agents kicked it away.
Tesoro had barely taken two steps when a Cipher Pol fist smashed into his back.
He flew forward, slammed into a wall, and crumpled.
"That's it?" one agent sneered. "This is what you brought to attack a Celestial Dragon? You really want to die."
Roy was watching everything through Observation Haki.
The instant two agents rushed out, he began closing in silently on the Celestial Dragon.
When Tesoro got blasted into the wall, the third agent's guard dropped for a heartbeat. In Roy's senses, that man's thoughts loosened.
That single crack was enough.
Whoosh.
Roy exploded forward.
His legs drove him like a cannon, and in the blink of an eye he was beside the guarding agent. A brutal elbow smashed into the back of the man's skull.
The Cipher Pol agent dropped.
Roy spun and locked Saint Rugmak in place.
The moment the agent hit the ground, the other two heard it and instantly understood.
"Damn it. The kid was bait."
They abandoned Tesoro and surged back toward the Celestial Dragon.
"Don't move, Cipher Pol."
Roy pulled a pistol and pressed it to Saint Rugmak's head.
One of the agents stopped mid step, face dark. "Kid, put the gun down. Do you have any idea what you've done? Attacking a Celestial Dragon brings consequences you can't afford."
Roy was too fast.
Only after the gun was pointed at him did Saint Rugmak finally react.
But instead of freezing like a normal person, the Celestial Dragon struggled violently and screamed.
"You disgusting peasant! You dare touch a Celestial Dragon with those filthy hands?"
"I'll have you executed!"
It was almost impressive.
Celestial Dragons had lived at the top of the world for so long they didn't even understand fear anymore. Even with a gun to his head, Saint Rugmak still didn't believe anyone would truly harm him.
"Shut up, idiot."
Roy's patience snapped.
The Celestial Dragon clearly didn't understand who was holding the situation.
Since Saint Rugmak kept thrashing and cursing, Roy drove a knee upward.
The Celestial Dragon's eyes rolled back and he went limp, foaming at the mouth like he'd never been hit in his entire life.
Roy exhaled. "Finally. Quiet."
Then he shouted toward Tesoro, who was still sprawled on the ground.
"Hey. How long are you going to lie there?"
Tesoro forced himself up and staggered toward Roy.
The two Cipher Pol agents watched Saint Rugmak in Roy's grip and didn't dare move.
If a Celestial Dragon was attacked, they would be punished no matter what.
But if a Celestial Dragon died in front of them, their families would be dragged into it too.
"Please," one agent said stiffly, swallowing rage, "do not harm Saint Rugmak. Name your conditions."
"Oh?" Roy raised an eyebrow. "So polite."
"Fine. Hand over the key to the slave collar."
"It's on the man you knocked down," the agent replied, eyes flicking toward his unconscious colleague.
The two agents glared at their fallen teammate with hatred. If that idiot hadn't failed, they wouldn't be trapped like this now.
Roy caught the emotion in their minds and gave a faint, cold smile. He simply didn't want to waste time and cause a bigger commotion.
Stella finally snapped out of her shock.
She stared at the scene as if it were a nightmare.
Then she saw Tesoro approaching.
Confusion faded from her face, replaced by a spark of life.
"Stella," Tesoro said, voice shaking. "I came to save you!"
"Enough," Roy cut in. "This is not the time for a reunion. Find the key. Then head to the rendezvous point."
Tesoro nodded hard.
He quickly searched the unconscious agent, found the key, and rushed to unlock the collar around Stella's neck.
Click.
"Stella, you're free!"
"Thank you…" Stella whispered, voice barely there.
One Cipher Pol agent spoke again, cold and impatient.
"Hmph. Now that you've rescued that woman, you can release Saint Rugmak, right?"
"Of course," Roy said. "But only after my companions are gone."
The moment Roy said it, Tesoro grabbed Stella's hand, snatched up the chest the agents had dropped earlier, and ran.
Roy watched until they were safely out of sight.
Then he smiled, lifted his pistol slightly in a casual salute.
"See you."
Roy tossed the unconscious Saint Rugmak toward the two agents, then his body blurred and he vanished into the streets.
The agents caught the Celestial Dragon, quickly checked his condition, and exhaled when they confirmed he was only unconscious.
"Do we chase?" one asked.
"No." The other's jaw clenched. "Our priority is Saint Rugmak's safety. Those kids can't have gotten far."
"I'll report to the World Government. Let the Marines handle the aftermath."