What was that thunderous outburst? The words were shocking, and they instantly made the atmosphere turn sour. Luffy, Law, Usopp, Shakky, and Bepo all had fierce, dangerous looks in their eyes.
"What did you just say?" Luffy asked, his voice low and rumbling with building anger. "You want to turn my friend into a toy?" A faint wave of Conqueror's Haki emanated from him, making his eyes seem to flash.
"Why are you looking at me like that, you commoner?" Saint Charlos didn't feel like he had said anything wrong at all. "Guards! Come here! Gouge out this man's eyeballs! And take away that raccoon and that white bear. I haven't had any new toys in a long time. I'm going to play by dissecting those two."
Before he could even finish his disgusting sentence, a rubber fist, moving with the speed of a bullet, slammed into his face.
BANG!
The bubble helmet Saint Charlos was wearing exploded, and his head was reduced to a bloody mess.
For a moment, everyone stood in stunned silence. The bodyguards and staff of the auction house all stared in a panic, horrified not just by the fury of the Five Emperors but also by the death of a Celestial Dragon. A Celestial Dragon, one of the so-called creators of the world, had just been killed with a single punch. Straw Hat Luffy had just created a massive problem for himself.
Luffy slowly pulled his fist back and looked at the blood on his knuckles. He couldn't calm down. The fact that the Celestial Dragon had wanted to use Chopper and Bepo as dissection subjects was unforgivable.
But that wasn't the only reason for his rage. Luffy's anger stemmed from a deeper place. He remembered how his older brother, Sabo, had almost been killed as a child by those same so-called Celestial Dragons. The pain and grief of losing Sabo had been overwhelming at the time, and the memory of it almost caused him to lose control.
The punch he threw wasn't held back at all; he had even used Haki. There was no way a useless Celestial Dragon could survive that kind of blow.
The bodyguards and auction house staff began screaming, scrambling to get out of the building. Even the owner of the auction house ran away.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Luffy said, pulling the brim of his hat low to hide his face. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this. I couldn't stop myself."
"If you had waited a moment longer, I would have killed him myself, Straw Hat-ya," Law said indifferently, but even he was surprised by the extreme level of Luffy's rage. Although Celestial Dragons were a loathsome group, Luffy's fury seemed a bit disproportionate just because they wanted to turn his friends into toys.
Sensing their confusion, Luffy explained. "Sabo almost died because of a Celestial Dragon when we were kids."
Everyone finally understood. Sabo was his older brother. If Dragon hadn't saved him back then, Luffy would have truly lost a brother. Even though Sabo had returned to him, Luffy's hatred for the Celestial Dragons was no less intense.
At that moment, Luffy saw the slave girl who was still trembling in fear. "Don't be afraid," he said to her. "You're free now."
Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked at him. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Captain Straw Hat!"
Law's gaze fell on the large man who had been lying on the ground but was now getting back to his feet. This man was a slave, a mount for the Celestial Dragon. Now that his owner was dead, the man's chances of survival were low.
"You're Jean Bart, right?" Law said, recognizing him. "You used to be the captain of a pirate crew."
He smiled and continued, "My crew is a bit short-handed. Want to join us?"
Jean Bart immediately knelt down on one knee and bowed his head. "I'd be honored to follow you, Captain! Thank you for taking me in!"
He didn't have any other options, and this offer was like a gift from heaven. Although the Heart Pirates were a subsidiary of the Straw Hat Pirates, they were still part of a crew under a Five Emperors. Being able to join now was a huge opportunity.
Law immediately used his fruit ability to remove Jean Bart's collar. Successfully gaining a strong new crew member made him happy, and it slightly lessened the jealousy he felt toward Luffy.
Yes, Law was jealous. Luffy's crew members were all so impressive. Even Franky and Brook, who had joined recently, were already first-class fighters. With a little more training under Mr. Ikki, they would all become incredibly strong.
In comparison, the Heart Pirates were far weaker. Bepo, Shakky, and Penguin could barely be considered decent fighters, and Kaku was still in his probationary period. The Heart Pirates' only real advantage was their medical knowledge. It was rare to find a strong person to join their crew, so Law had to seize the opportunity.
Suddenly, a large hole burst through the wall behind the auction stage. An old man with a long white beard and white hair walked slowly out of it.
"Ah, I didn't expect it to be so lively here," the old man said with a slight smile. "But it seems the fun is over."
He looked at Luffy. "That straw hat really suits a tough guy! Monkey D. Luffy, I've wanted to meet you for a long time."
Luffy's Observation Haki told him that this old man was incredibly strong, but he didn't recognize him at all. It was strange that this man wanted to meet him.
Law, on the other hand, had a look of disbelief on his face. "No way," he muttered. "This is no joke. What's a big shot like you doing here?"
"Trafalgar, do you know him?" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all asked at once.
"Of course, I know him!" Law replied. "It would be strange if you didn't! He's the former first mate of the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh!" Law couldn't help but be amazed by Luffy's ignorance.
"Wha—?! The Pirate King's first mate?!"
Luffy and his crew were shocked. They never expected to meet the former first mate of the Pirate King here.
"Okay, this is no place to linger," Rayleigh said. "Let's talk after we leave."
"Right, let's destroy this place and then get out of here!"
With that, the Straw Hat Pirates released all the prisoners from the auction house. They then searched the building for valuables, including a trashy Devil Fruit, before setting the entire place on fire. Luffy's words echoed in everyone's minds: from this day forward, this place would no longer exist.
And so, the evil auction house was finally destroyed.
While Luffy and the others were causing a ruckus, the rest of the crew wasn't idle either.
Zoro had been wandering alone, but Tashigi, worried about the swordsman's lack of direction, had decided to follow him. As they walked, they suddenly noticed all the pedestrians moving to the sides of the street and kneeling down.
"What's going on here?" Tashigi asked, puzzled.
"Must be some noble traveling," Zoro replied nonchalantly, taking a swig from his bottle of sake. "Who cares?"
Just then, a strange procession approached them. It was a group of dozens of men in black, who appeared to be bodyguards. In the middle of the group, a skinny, ragged man was crawling on the ground. On his back sat a gorgeously dressed woman wearing a bubble helmet.
"A Celestial Dragon?" Tashigi frowned as a sense of dread washed over her.
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