"Who do you think you're gonna kill?"
A cold, arrogant voice rang out.
Heads turned. Oguro was walking up from behind, his Soul King Robe hanging motionless as if cut from still air, the pressure from it heavy and unmistakable.
"Oh ho ho! The Soul King of the Holy Holy Spirit Empire is gonna confront the World Nobles? That's big news!"
The two reporters immediately went full Morgans, snapping pictures at Oguro as if they'd found the scoop of a lifetime.
A CP0 stepped forward and tried to smooth things over.
"Lord Oguro, we have no desire for conflict. Lord Clantonl merely lost his temper. We will leave at once."
The reporters and Bege both sucked in a breath. Those were the World Nobles, escorted by CP0. The privileged class that had run rampant for eight hundred years. In the past, anyone who dared offend them was simply cut down. Who would bother to explain anything?
CP0 smiled through clenched teeth. They'd love to just kill Oguro and be done with it. If they could, perhaps they'd earn the Five Elders' favor. But they couldn't do it. Not with that woman who could match an admiral walking among Oguro's ranks.
A faint, knowing smile appeared on Oguro's face.
"Letting you go is not impossible," he said.
CP0 brightened, thinking there was still a way out. Then Oguro added a second condition that made their faces fall.
He pointed to the reporters and said, "Only if those two World Nobles publicly apologize to the slaves they bought, right here in front of these reporters, and promise never to buy slaves again, will I let you leave safely."
CP0 went pale. Make the World Nobles apologize? That was absurd. The World Nobles were the face of the World Government. If they apologized, the sacred status of the World Nobles and the prestige of the World Government would take a catastrophic blow. That was a price CP0 could never pay.
They tried bargaining. "Lord Oguro, could we offer sufficient compensation to those slaves so they will want for nothing the rest of their lives?" they said.
Oguro shook his head slowly and firmly, smiling. Their hopes died right there.
"You lowly scum, making me apologize? Kill him!" Clantonl shouted, roaring with ignorance.
Please, use your head. If it were that easy, we'd already have done it. But the speaker is a World Noble, so obviously there's no problem.
Baskondal joined the shouting. "You useless lot! Can't even do this right? Call an admiral! Let him slaughter these rabble!"
That reminded CP0 that if they were truly stuck, they could call for help. One of them discretely pressed a hidden den-den mushi. An emergency call spread out, and the nearby Navy Headquarters would receive it in moments. If they held out a little longer, an admiral would arrive.
Oguro's brow creased. He'd sensed that distress signal precisely because of his control over magnetic fields. If he wanted, he could have erased the call outright. But he didn't. The more noise this made, the better. The louder the scandal, the fewer people would dare touch the slave trade.
So he stood and waited for an admiral to show up.
CP0 were secretly delighted. If an admiral arrived, their job would be much easier.
Behind the scene, Soifon and the others had already gone into the auction's back rooms and finished off the slavers who handled commissions. The buyers who tried to flee were stopped, those who resisted were executed, and the rest had their hands and feet broken and were dumped outside.
Oguro didn't kill everyone because he wanted witnesses to return and spread the message — human trafficking is untouchable. Touch it and you die.
While waiting, Oguro turned to Capone Bege. "Bege," he said.
Bege blinked. "Yes?"
Oguro said, "Friendly reminder. An admiral should be arriving soon. With your strength, it's not wise to stick around."
Bege's jaw twitched. Thanks, man. You could've just said I'm not fit to handle this. But he also knew when to retreat. Whether it was an admiral or Oguro himself, neither was something a lone supernova wanted to face. He stood and made to leave.
Oguro added, "I'll have someone contact you later. I think there are things we can cooperate on."
Bege was puzzled. Had they ever crossed paths before? For now he put it aside and nodded. "Okay. We'll talk later."
Oguro actually intended to recruit Bege. The West Blue was full of mafia families. Getting Bege and his connections into Oguro's fold would make weapon sales and expansion in the West Blue far easier.
Soifon and the rescued slaves came out. Most thanked Oguro and left for home. The deposed princess, with nowhere to go, begged to be sheltered. Oguro told her to wait at the inn he used.
Just then a beam of golden light tore through the auction hall's ceiling. The light shaped slowly into a human form, and a lazy voice drifted down.
"Well well, what a terrifying sight you lot make. Fancy seeing you here."
A lecherous face appeared in the golden glow. Admiral Kizaru had arrived.
Oguro understood instantly. Kizaru's speed made him the Navy's fastest rescuer. He'd be the obvious pick to respond.
Kizaru looked at Oguro and the others and felt a bite of annoyance. Why hadn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku warned him that he'd be facing another admiral-level opponent? He glanced at Soifon and tightened his posture.
"Kill them!" Clantonl cried at Kizaru, as if the admiral had been summoned to be a lackey.
Kizaru rolled his eyes inwardly. Kill them? Even if he could, the repercussions from multiple admiral-level forces retaliating afterward were unbearable. The World Nobles had the Five Elders to protect them. The Navy did not need that mess.
Kizaru thought quickly.
The scene grew tense. The auction hall had gone nearly silent. Only the distant click of Morgans' camera and the soft murmur of a few remaining onlookers broke it.
Oguro remained composed under the golden light. He'd created the spectacle intentionally. The louder the scandal, the fewer people would dare touch human lives for profit.
Kizaru let the moment stretch. Politically, it was delicate. But he'd come. He would not let this mess spin out of control — not if he could avoid it.
***
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