New World, Totto Land, Cake Island,
As one of the Great Pirates standing at the pinnacle of piracy in this era, "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin naturally had a way to acquire a Den Den Mushi broadcasting the Sabaody Archipelago's slave auction.
In fact, the broadcasting Den Den Mushi had been personally delivered with utmost respect by the auction's manager himself.
Without the support of underworld kingpins like them, how could such a massive human trafficking operation thrive on the Sabaody Archipelago? It was practically challenging the very limits of the law and morality under the Marines' noses!
"Mama... mama... mama..."
Big Mom, whose girth continued to expand horizontally, stuffed desserts into her mouth without pause, her lips smeared with sweet, greasy cream. "Such a disappointment. I never imagined that boy who defeated Mond wouldn't even make it to the New World..."
"A real pity, pero," her eldest son Perospero licked his lips. "If it weren't for those Celestial Dragons, his unique Devil Fruit-stealing ability would have been invaluable to us... pero."
The moment he finished speaking, a chill ran through his body.
His mother's voice, crackling with thunderous wrath, echoed from above: "Perospero... are you dissatisfied with the Devil Fruit abilities I've bestowed upon you children?"
"Of course not, Mama!" Perospero stammered, breaking into a cold sweat. He hastily tried to explain himself.
...…
'New World, aboard the White Whale…'
Whitebeard, his head now completely bald, lay receiving an IV drip under the attentive care of beautiful nurses.
On deck, Vista, the Fifth Division Commander known as "Flower Sword," approached Marco with a smile. "Marco, Giorno Giovanna has finally resurfaced after disappearing for so long..."
Marco was surprised. After reading the latest intelligence report, his astonishment deepened. "He was being auctioned off?!"
Nearby, Teach stood at the stern, tilting his head back to drink as the sea breeze billowed around him.
Teach and Luffy shared a similar trait: once they made up their minds, they never regretted their decisions. Having resolved to stay on this ship and wait for the Dark-Dark Fruit, Teach would avoid any unnecessary risks until he obtained it. If he died before acquiring it, so be it!
Yet, this unwavering resolve couldn't dispel the lingering shadow that had haunted his mind for years,
'Could Giorno Giovanna be one of my own kind?'
'Did that bastard steal the Dark-Dark Fruit before I could?!'
'Damn my old man for disdaining involvement in slave trading and such! We don't even get auction broadcasts on our ship.'
The future Yonko Blackbeard, currently hiding his true identity under Whitebeard's banner as Marshall D. Teach, muttered to himself: I hope that kid Giorno doesn't get bought by the Celestial Dragons!
'If he's unlucky enough to be sold to them, then I pray he's toyed to death by the Celestial Dragons soon!'
'That way, whether he's a Dark-Dark Fruit user or not, the Devil Fruit power residing within him will be reborn upon his death…'
...…
"Dad, why is everyone so excited...?"
In the VIP section of the auction currently underway in the First District of the Sabaody Archipelago, the Celestial Dragon brat, picking his nose, expressed complete bewilderment at the unrestrained excitement erupting around him after the tall human male appeared on stage.
"300 million Belly!" the auctioneer bellowed into the microphone. "Any higher bids? This hasn't even surpassed Giorno Giovanna's bounty yet! Let's see... Oh, a higher bid from over there, 500 million Belly!"
"500 million! Any higher? 500 million, going once, 500 million, going twice... 600 million!!"
"650 million!"
"690 million!!"
'Just a human man, right? Why all the fuss?'
'He's not even a beautiful Mermaid!'
Charlos grew visibly annoyed.
"What 'others,' Elder Brother Charlos?" Charlossia, the Celestial Dragon girl, pouted. "They're just commoners. Why should we care about their opinions?"
"Exactly!" Charlos nodded, his dream of owning a Mermaid pet utterly tarnished by these foolish commoners.
"Eight hundred million Belly!!!"
The auctioneer's voice boomed through the hall, his excitement palpable. Such an astronomical price would mark a glorious highlight in his career!
"Eight hundred million already?" Rayleigh murmured backstage, a hint of concern in his voice. "This is getting out of hand..."
Before Giorno went out, Rayleigh had made a bet with him: if Giorno's auction price exceeded one billion Belly, Rayleigh would gift him a coated ship.
Now, judging by the situation outside, things seemed to be heading toward trouble. Rayleigh chuckled wryly.
"Eight hundred and fifty million Belly!!!"
The auctioneer's hoarse voice echoed through the hall, silencing most of the audience who were stunned by the rising bids.
850 million... Even for such wealthy individuals, that was a crippling sum.
Robin chuckled. "You're quite the hot commodity, aren't you?"
B.I.B. remained noncommittal beside him, his narrow eyes flashing with a faint white light as he watched Liam on the stage. Yet his true self seemed... dissatisfied.
Liam was indeed dissatisfied!
"850 million... once! 850 million... twice!"
The auctioneer froze, realizing it wasn't his own voice booming through the hall, but that of the Giorno Giovanna being auctioned off, shouting the bids as if urging the crowd below to raise their offers.
'Good heavens! The merchandise is stealing my job?!'
The auctioneer wasn't the only one shocked; the wealthy attendees below were equally stunned. They had never seen such a spirited "commodity." Typically, they would expect a dejected, ashen-faced figure resigned to their despairing fate.
"This is your final chance!"
Liam raised a finger, the iron chain between his handcuffs clattering. "850 million, once..."
'Oh, they're starting the count all over again!' the host and audience members thought inwardly, rolling their eyes.
"850 million, twice..."
Just as Liam was raising his second finger, Charlos, wearing his bubble helmet in the Celestial Dragons' VIP box at the center of the audience, suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "I bid 1.5 billion!"
The auction hall fell silent.
Partly, the sheer audacity of the bid was jaw-dropping.
But more importantly, the Celestial Dragons had finally made their move!
"Charlos elder brother!" Charlott gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. "He's just a human!"
"But..." Charlos sniffled, pointing at Liam on the stage and muttering, "He keeps staring at me! It's so annoying! I want to buy him and feed him to the other slaves..."
Liam threw his head back and roared with laughter, turning around to shout, "Did you hear that? I won!"
"Sigh!" A deep, world-weary sigh echoed from behind the curtain backstage.
In the audience, Robin massaged her forehead and shook her head, while B.I.B. remained utterly calm. Having only overheard a snippet, it could already guess that its master and Rayleigh had likely wagered something significant on the auction price.
"As expected, only you two never disappoint me!" Liam, his shackled hands raised, pointed toward the three Celestial Dragons of varying sizes in the audience. "As a token of my gratitude..."
Robin quietly rose to her feet. The auction house guards rushed toward her, but the moment they took a step, they were simultaneously struck by excruciating pain as their hearts shattered. Their vision went dark, and their bodies went limp.
Robin strode through the collapsing guards without a glance, making her escape.
As the host stood bewildered and confused, unable to grasp what was happening, a grizzled old man with snow-white hair strode through the curtains. "We're already short on funds, and now you brat's trying to squeeze more out of us... sigh! I'm constantly being fleeced by Shakky, and now you're trying to pull the same trick... Hmm?" He noticed the host and the audience staring at him. "What's with the attention? Am I the main attraction now?"
"Hmm?" Liam, realizing Robin had already retreated, suddenly noticed that despite maintaining his Impact Fruit stance for so long, the crowd hadn't reacted at all, and even the three Celestial Dragons remained remarkably composed. "Oh, I get it now..."
Liam's realization dawned. "You need a demonstration to be scared, right?"
"Hey! Giorno, don't move a muscle! And you too, you old geezer!" the host barked. "Watch out, or we'll detonate those collars around your necks..."
"You mean this?"
Rayleigh and Liam chuckled in unison.
Rayleigh reached up and pinched the collar around his neck.
Liam's jet-black hair writhed as if possessed by a life of its own.
Rayleigh gripped the collar around his neck, twisted it with a click, and hurled it aside like a lightning bolt.
Liam's long black hair surged into the keyhole of the collar around his neck, twisting with a click.
After Rayleigh had crushed and thrown the collar, it flew several meters before exploding with a belated boom.
The collar around Liam's neck unlocked, its explosive function deactivated, and it fell to his feet like an ordinary collar.
"Oh, so that's how it works!" Rayleigh exclaimed, looking at Liam with astonishment. "That's an exceptionally high level of Life Return."
Liam humbly replied, "Not at all, it's nothing compared to your Haki."
The announcer stood nearby, his jaw hanging open, completely dumbstruck…
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395