*Grove 1, Auction House*
Almost as if it were a joke, the place had a sign with the word "Human" above the main entrance.
Allen ignored it and broke the heavy door with a kick. A collective, brief cry of surprise could be heard from inside, but he ignored it and continued inside.
It wasn't that there were no guards to prevent his entry, but they were lying on the floor with their eyes rolled back and unconscious.
Allen's vision adjusted to the dim lighting inside. The venue was an amphitheater with a stage at its center.
There were at least a hundred people in all the rows, their eyes turning toward him, while on the stage stood a long-haired, light-purple-haired announcer wearing flashy purple clothes, a yellow top hat, and dark star-shaped sunglasses.
The man was holding a microphone and looking at him in disbelief, wondering why his men hadn't tried to stop Allen. His name was Disco, and he was in charge of the auction house.
Beside him was an assistant dressed in pink like a circus clown, holding a chain connected to the metal collar around the neck of a girl standing beside him. She was dressed in rags and had an empty look in her eyes.
"..." Allen narrowed his eyes as he observed this, but didn't say a word. He simply continued walking at his own pace under everyone's shocked gaze.
"Allen?!" Luffy exclaimed.
Luffy and his entire crew were standing at the back. It wasn't clear why they had come here, but judging by their clearly tense and irritated expressions, they weren't here to participate in the auction.
"What are you doing here?" Sanji wondered, but when he noticed Allen's gaze, he fell silent and placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder as the latter was about to speak to him.
Among the crowd were three more notable figures. Law, Kid, and Killer, three Supernovas with bounties exceeding one hundred million.
"Who is that bastard?" Kid growled.
Beside him, Killer remained silent, although his gaze settled on Allen.
"Captain, that guy is crazy!" said a white bear behind Law, but Law remained silent, a bead of sweat running down his cheek.
Together, the three Supernovas were worth nearly seven hundred million Berries.
Under other circumstances, Allen might have captured them to collect their bounties from the Marines, but now he didn't even glance at them.
"What's going on?!" shouted a man from the stands. He was impatient and extremely irritated.
This man was dressed in white, wearing one of the full-body white suits worn by Celestial Dragons that looked more like protective suits meant to prevent any contact with the outside world, along with a bubble helmet like the one Charlos wore. He had light brown hair with an eccentric hairstyle, wore sunglasses, and had a thick beard and long mustache.
This man was none other than Saint Rosward, the head of the Rosward Family and the father of Saint Charlos.
Beside him was a woman with brown hair, dressed similarly to him. This woman was none other than Saint Shalria, Charlos's sister.
"Calm down, Father. Maybe it's part of the show. Otherwise, it would be very offensive, wouldn't it, Disco?" Shalria said, looking at Disco with eyes devoid of mercy.
Disco trembled and snapped back to his senses.
"Who are you?!" Disco shouted into his microphone while signaling his men. Without delay, several doors opened on the left and right, and dozens of guards emerged.
The men positioned themselves around Allen with their weapons in hand. Seeing Allen surrounded, the tension eased, and the people felt safer.
"You've broken the rules of my auction house and disturbed my honorable guests. Don't think I'll allow that!" Disco said.
The man was a showman, and he quickly managed to turn this incident into part of the auction.
The crowd began to mock Allen. The people who came to this place were immoral pirates, nobles, and wealthy people who wanted to buy illegal goods and slaves, so there was no one decent among them.
"Wait, he looks very... good," said only one obese middle-aged woman who had several gold necklaces and diamond rings on her hands. "Why not add him to the auction?~"
Upon hearing the woman's words, the crowd's expressions changed. Their mocking looks became evaluative, as if Allen were not a person but a product.
It was normal for a crazy pirate who thought himself untouchable or invincible to occasionally appear, but the result was his death if he was lucky, or a much worse fate if he wasn't—being turned into a slave.
"He's young, although his hair doesn't completely reveal his face. He must be very attractive," said an elderly noblewoman, licking her lips. "I wouldn't mind adding him to my collection~."
"I like his clothes. It's not common to see such a well-dressed pirate. He'd make a good servant," said a man with a monocle and cane.
"He must be strong. Didn't you see how he kicked that door to get inside?" said a man with a dismissive expression as his gold teeth showed.
"Unfortunately, he's too small. He wouldn't make a suitable mount," added a long-nosed woman beside him.
Quiet discussions began throughout the room. The nobles and wealthy people openly discussed their tastes, fetishes, hobbies, and preferences when it came to slaves. Every comment was worse than the last.
Hearing the discussions, Saint Rosward turned to look at Allen and then at his daughter.
"What do you think, Shalria? Does this young man look like he'd make a good slave?"
"Don't you just want me to stop playing with your slaves, Father?" Shalria frowned.
Saint Rosward became nervous. "Darling, I lost two captains this month because of your "games". At this rate, my collection of captains will disappear before the year is over."
"Hmph, that's your fault for only getting fragile captains!"
Law's crew looked at these people with contempt. They were no better than the Celestial Dragons. Kid's men laughed mockingly at the reality of this world, while Luffy's crew was angry, their captain on the verge of exploding, but none of them could compare to the reaction of the women who entered after Allen.
Boom
A thunderous explosion silenced everyone. When they turned to see what had happened, they were shocked to find all the men surrounding Allen lying on the floor, half of them with smoke rising from their bodies and the other half with broken necks.
Disco, who had originally been pleased with how his performance was going and was ordering his men to bring an explosive collar to put on Allen, had seen this interruption as an opportunity to make some easy money.
But when he turned and saw his men dead, he exploded with rage.
"Who dares to do this?!"
A lightning bolt crossed the distance and struck Disco, killing him instantly.
Two women entered through the door, Robin and Nami, both with grim expressions and radiating an intense bloodlust.
"Hey, can I kill them all?" Nami asked as lightning crackled around her.
"Little brother, if you don't do it, I will," Robin said, her gaze devoid of any trace of compassion, making everyone tremble.
They were naturally empathetic and kind women. They had no problem lending a hand to someone innocent in trouble. However, at that moment, they seemed like completely different people.
Even Carina took a step back when she saw Nami. She had never seen her so angry or acted so ruthlessly, and all of it was because of everything they had heard being said about Allen.
How dare these bastards even say such things about Allen?!
Allen smiled and raised his hand, making both girls stop. He was happy to see that Robin and Nami's love for him was so strong that it could make them destroy the world, as expected of the first two women who had stood by his side.
Nami and Robin were dissatisfied that they couldn't continue, but they obeyed and held themselves back.
When he raised his head, his face became visible to everyone, revealing not only an extremely attractive appearance that stunned them all, but also a face that, despite his differently colored hair, many recognized.
Allen began descending the stairs step by step, while his hair returned to its natural color. Nami and Robin did the same.
"As I expected, this place is repulsive," Allen said with mockery and disdain. "I thought the Celestial Dragons were the only problem, but it seems I underestimated human corruption. It's ridiculous how a little money and power can twist the human mind to this extent."
"No way!"
"It's impossible!"
"Is it really him?!"
"Just as I thought," Law said, a bead of sweat running down his cheek.
"Haha!"
Kid grinned with fighting intent as Killer beside him began to laugh.
"Shut up," Allen said.
Killer immediately collapsed, unconscious.
Kid immediately stood up upon seeing this. Anyone who attacked his second-in-command was his enemy, and besides, he had wanted to face Allen.
"Bastard!"
Kid activated his ability, which allowed him to control magnetic fields. He began attracting everything metallic, including the weapons of Disco's men.
People began to panic and move away from Kid, but before his metallic arm could be created, a flash of light pierced his abdomen without giving him time to react.
"Without Haki... and with a fruit that requires time to use, then you'll only die in the New World," Allen said coldly.
Kid fell to his knees, clutching his abdomen, knowing that if Allen had wanted to aim for his head, he would be dead.
The people were terrified. This was Eustass "Captain" Kid, a pirate with a 300-million-Berry bounty on his head, and he had been defeated in an instant.
"Captain!"
Kid's men approached him fearfully, trying to defend their captain, but Allen didn't attack him. He didn't even look at him and simply continued descending the stairs.
The people began to panic. How could they not? Standing before them was a man whose head was worth more than two billion Berries, someone just below the bounties of the Yonko, a true powerhouse.
Among the entire crowd, only the two Celestial Dragons remained indifferent, as if this were merely a show, and they had a reason to act that way.
The knights and agents accompanying them were also calmer than the people around them. They knew that even if a conflict broke out, no one would dare touch the Celestial Dragons.
However, with every step Allen took, the faces of everyone else began to change, becoming paler and more frightened. This contradicted the situation because Allen was clearly not focused on the nobles, the wealthy, or the pirates, but on...
Allen stopped right in front of the Celestial Dragons' row.
"What do you want?" growled a government agent. He was extremely annoyed with Allen. How dare he disturb the Celestial Dragons? Of course, he didn't take action against him either, since someone on the level of a Yonko could kill them if they attacked him.
"You're in the way." Allen narrowed his eyes, and the agent collapsed, unconscious.
Conqueror's Haki!
"Rosward Rosward, Shalria Rosward, even now, standing right in front of you, I still can't perceive a trace of humanity."
"Of course. We are gods, not humans!" Shalria declared. How dare this man say something like that? Even if he was handsome, he was still just a human.
"You're too fragile to be a god," Allen commented without showing any anger at Shalria's words.
"What did you say?!" Rosward shouted. "And you! What are you doing? Hurry and call an admiral to get this bastard out of my sight!"
"I already did, Saint Rosward!" said another agent, looking at Allen with disdain and threatening him. "You heard him, Walker?! Do you really want to face the full power of the Marines?"
This was the Celestial Dragons' trump card in Sabaody, the reason they could walk through the streets of the lawless zone. Admirals were opponents that even the Yonko couldn't defeat with ease, and these monsters came whenever a Celestial Dragon requested them. It wasn't a favor from Sengoku, but an obligation.
Upon hearing that an admiral was coming, the pirates became restless, while the nobles and wealthy people breathed a sigh of relief.
That's right, Allen Walker. This happened because of you!
You should leave immediately!
Get out of here, pirate!
Those were the thoughts of the nobles, but no one dared say them aloud. They weren't Celestial Dragons, and Allen could kill them if he wished.
"Rosward," Allen said with a half-smile. "You're an idiot, aren't you?"
The Celestial Dragon's eyes widened in disbelief. Someone dared insult him to his face?!
He and his daughter immediately erupted in anger, but before they could shout, something even more absurd happened. Allen extended his hand, pierced through Rosward's helmet, and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air.
"Father!" Shalria exclaimed.
"What are you doing?!" Rosward screamed.
"For a god, you're miserably weak..." Allen mocked.
The people panicked. This madman had dared to lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon. This went beyond insanity!
The knights immediately reacted and attacked Allen, but before they could touch him, Nami appeared in a flash of electricity.
"10 million volts..."
A discharge electrocuted all of them at once. When it ended, Nami stood near Allen.
"You brought your Queen..." said a government agent. "Walker, do you know what you're doing?! Do you want a war?!"
"In an ideal world, upon seeing my glory, they would hand me the throne after witnessing my perfection." Allen smiled, but that smile quickly faded into indifference. "But that's not how things are. These people have lived as parasites on the world for far too long. They can't give up that power. Besides, they personally make me sick, so I suppose the answer is yes. I want a war."
The government agent gasped. This young man was serious, and that changed the situation because it meant Rosward was in genuine danger.
"Damn you! I hope the Elders send the Knights of God for your head!"
Allen's expression changed with interest, which caused Rosward to become frightened for the first time.
"I knew it," Allen smiled. "I knew the Celestial Dragons had their own strength. It was impossible that they relied solely on the Marines to maintain their power."
"...!"
"Hey, why don't you tell me more about these Knights of God?"
"Damn human!" Rosward shouted.
"Let my father go!" Shalria pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Allen, but Nami immediately struck her in the abdomen with her staff. "Ah!"
The people were in shock. What was wrong with this crazy crew?
"Shalria!" Rosward shouted. "I'll kill you, bitch!"
Upon hearing Rosward's words, Allen's expression turned cold. This made everyone, including Rosward, feel afraid.
"She is worth more than all the Celestial Dragons put together," Allen said in an icy voice. "I suppose you want to reunite with your son. Don't worry, I'll grant your wish!"
Rosward's mind stopped working for a moment. What did Allen mean by that? His son—was he talking about Charlos?!
Rosward was filled with fear, genuine fear, the kind he had never felt in his entire life. And then, at last, his brain understood how dangerous his situation was.
But there was no time to think, because Allen's hand tightened with the clear intention of crushing his neck.
"Goodbye, Rosward..."
Boom
The wall behind the stage began to crack, interrupting the situation.
"Honestly... young people these days are so reckless..."
An old man with long gray hair, a Hawaiian shirt, a coat, shorts, and sandals emerged from there. He looked at Allen before smiling, and Allen returned his gaze.
Suddenly, both their Haki exploded and clashed, causing lightning to spread throughout Sabaody. The people panicked, and many collapsed unconscious. The sky was also affected as it split apart.
It was the clash of two Advanced Conqueror's Haki!