"Aresyou crazy?"
The agent of the Germa Kingdom's face suddenly changed, his gaze sweeping rapidly around the surroundings, his voice low yet carrying warning.
"Do you know who the people here are? They're all nobles from the allied nations of the World Government!"
"Kidnapping them? Even if you are one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Government will never turn a blind eye!"
"Fufufufufu…" Doflamingo dug at his ear, laughing carelessly, "I'm kidnapping nobles precisely!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he lightly flicked his fingers. Several nearly invisible threads cut through the air, silently wrapping around the nobles' limbs and torsos.
The next second, these pampered, fat-headed nobles were yanked together by an invisible force, bound tightly like a string of rag dolls. They couldn't move at all, not even their screams could escape their throats.
"Ahhh!!"
"Let us go! Cancel the deal if you want, we won't even ask for the entry fee back!"
Jotaro watched coldly, his face expressionless.
His fist tightened slightly. Just the thought of these people cheering and bidding for slaves at the auction made his eyes turn icy.
These people… did not deserve pity.
Taking money from these filthy nobles, his conscience would not feel guilty in the slightest.
It could be said that anyone who came to attend this slave auction was not clean.
Otherwise, why would they pay such a high entry fee to enter this place?
"He really intends to make enemies of these kingdoms?" The Germa Kingdom's agent growled, "We're leaving!"
They had advanced scientific equipment. Compared to the helpless nobles, their combat strength was far greater.
The propulsion ripples from their high-tech combat suits shook the air itself, their speed surging sharply. It was clear they wanted to escape in the chaos.
"You're not getting away!"
Jotaro stood like a heavy wall blocking their path. His hat brim was pulled low, his gaze sharp as a blade, his black coat billowing without wind, his aura terrifying.
Then, his Conqueror's Haki burst forth, pouring out like surging tides, slamming down on everyone present.
When the Haki faded, only deathly silence remained in the auction hall.
"Truly remarkable…" Doflamingo licked his lips, a rare trace of respect flashing in his eyes. "In this world, perhaps only you could wield Haki to such a degree, Lord Jotaro."
Jotaro's Haki was not overwhelming, but its precision was shocking.
That near-perfection of control left even Doflamingo secretly astounded.
He and the nobles were in the same place, yet he felt not the slightest pressure, as if Jotaro had never even released his Haki at all.
Jotaro's Haki completely bypassed those he did not wish to harm.
Just then, in the heavy, oppressive silence, a sharp cry broke out.
"Jotaro! Wuu wuu… Jotaro, please save me!!"
Everyone inside the hall had collapsed, opening up the view considerably.
Inside the iron cage, the purple-haired woman finally saw that familiar figure.
Her voice choked as tears burst forth uncontrollably.
Doflamingo frowned slightly, glancing sidelong at the woman. "Lord Jotaro, do you know her?"
Jotaro's eyes lingered on her for a moment before he shook his head calmly.
"Wuu wuu wuu!!"
The woman in the cage, upon hearing this, cried even louder.
"Jotaro… how can you not recognize me? Have you forgotten me? I've been waiting in this damned place for you all this time!"
Her words made Jotaro tremble slightly. His brows furrowed, doubt flashing in his eyes.
He stared at her face, then suddenly his expression shifted. In a low voice he muttered, "…Could it be… she's… Starlight?"
[T/N: 'Starlight is the Sea King who used to drag Jotaro's ship before]
Before him, Starlight no longer bore any trace of a Sea King's appearance. She had completely become a graceful, vividly human woman.
"How could this be…" Jotaro muttered, striding forward quickly.
With a wave of his hand, the iron locks outside the cage snapped instantly. With a crisp sound, the cage door was flung open.
Like a helpless child, Starlight threw herself into Jotaro's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Wuu wuu… I really waited so long for you…"
"What in the world is going on?"
A Sea King had turned into a living human, even Jotaro found this unbelievable.
Starlight lifted her tear-reddened eyes, wiping her face as she stammered out her tale, "I… I had been waiting near this island all along, thinking you would come sooner or later…"
"Later, I met a mermaid… I was curious and wanted to tease her a bit, and we started chasing each other…"
"But while chasing, I suddenly crashed into a ship… and on that ship, some strange fruit fell down… I… I took a bite… it tasted awful…"
"After that… I felt powerless all over… and became like this… later I was fished up by another ship, then sold off here…"
Jotaro's expression grew complicated. Looking down at the crying girl in his arms, the former majestic ruler of the seas, reduced now to such misery… he had never imagined they would meet again like this.
Doflamingo clicked his tongue softly, the corner of his lips curving into a meaningful smile.
"I must say… your luck is truly absurd. Accidentally eating a Devil Fruit, then being fished up, and now meeting Lord Jotaro here of all places."
Shinobu's gaze lingered on Starlight, unable to pull away.
"Devil Fruit… is it really this miraculous? She was once a colossal Sea King, yet now she's indistinguishable from an ordinary human girl."
Her words carried both puzzlement and a doctor's curiosity.
Doflamingo's once relaxed expression stiffened sharply at the words "Sea King." A flash of horror passed through his eyes.
He whipped his head toward Shinobu, his voice dropping low, "You just said… she used to be a Sea King?"
Shinobu nodded solemnly.
"Yes. I saw her original form with my own eyes. That size, far, far greater than now. Can you imagine an entire stretch of ocean heaving and churning just from her presence? That's why seeing her like this now is so unbelievable."
Doflamingo's pupils shrank. His eyes were drawn involuntarily to the purple-haired girl hiding in Jotaro's arms, weeping and pouring out her grievances.
His mind churned with shocking thoughts.
"That was a Sea King..."
'It's said that the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had the ability to 'hear the voice of all things,' and could communicate with Sea Kings, yet even he never truly tamed them…'
'But this man before me… actually made a Sea King willingly stay by an island, waiting day after day for his arrival…'
Doflamingo's throat moved. Forcing down his inner shock and agitation, he still couldn't resist asking tentatively, "With due respect, my lord… just how did you manage it? To tame a Sea King… that is power enough to shake the world."
Jotaro paused in thought, as if recalling some distant, hazy memory. Then he raised his brows slightly and said in an utterly calm tone, "Forgot. Seems like… I just beat her up."
The air froze.
Doflamingo, "…"
Starlight, "…"
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