His good mood was shattered in an instant. As the host, he flew into a rage and roared toward the entrance.
"Which bastard is that? Guards—"
But the words died in his throat. He froze where he stood, cold sweat streaming down his face as his entire body trembled.
Because he had recognized exactly who that "bastard" was…
"The… Sky Pirates…"
The female giant, who had been about to bite her tongue and end her life, stared in shock at the host's sheer terror.
With the microphone still in his hand, his voice boomed through the entire auction hall.
The nobles, who had just been fuming with anger, reacted at once.
"The Sky Pirates!!!"
"Are they the pirates who killed the Celestial Dragons?!"
"It's… it's over. Why are they here…?"
...
"Clack, clack…"
Crisp footsteps echoed through the hall. Led by Yemu, the Sky Pirates followed the spotlight down the red carpeted stairs.
Wherever they passed, no one dared even open their eyes. Faces were pale, bodies drenched in cold sweat, legs shaking uncontrollably.
To his credit, the host truly knew how to read the room. The moment he saw Yemu and the others approach, he instantly turned into a groveling sycophant, smiling obsequiously.
"Captain Yemu… and the honored members of the Sky Pirates! Your presence truly brings glory to this humble venue!"
Yemu didn't spare him a glance. He walked straight onto the stage, looked around, and said flatly:
"Hey. Where are the stage lights and the microphone?"
"Huh?! N-No problem at all! You idiots, what are you standing around for? Get everything ready for Captain Yemu immediately!"
In an instant, multicolored lights flooded the stage, bathing Yemu in a brilliant glow.
The band began to play, and a microphone was hurriedly placed in his hand.
Only then did Yemu lift his gaze toward the trembling crowd in the auction hall and speak in a clear, ringing voice:
"No need for lengthy introductions. I'm sure everyone here already knows who I am."
"Now, I have some bad news."
"Starting this moment, I'm afraid you'll all have to trouble yourselves to become my hostages."
Every face in the hall turned ghostly white.
"Hostages?!"
Did that mean the Sky Pirates were actually planning to kidnap them?
"Are you insane?! You pirates—do you know who I am? I'm the Prince of the Ilisia Kingdom! If you dare lay a hand on me, you're declaring war on the Marines and the World Government!"
A purple-haired man sprang to his feet and shouted at Yemu.
His outburst immediately drew loud agreement from the others. After all, anyone who could afford to be here was either rich or powerful.
Yemu simply looked at them, not the slightest bit angry. A faint smile curved his lips as he called out calmly:
"Ayala… Kurota…"
"Leave it to us, Captain!"
"Fungus Launcher · Mycosis Injection!"
In the next instant, countless purple arrows burst from Kurota's mouth, spreading into a rain of projectiles that poured down from above and struck every single person in the hall.
The nobles shrieked in terror, thinking they were about to be slaughtered. But when the purple arrows hit them, they didn't pierce through—instead, they melted into their bodies as though injected directly inside.
There was no time to process what had happened.
"We have to get out of here—now!"
The auction hall plunged into chaos as everyone scrambled toward the exits.
But after barely three steps, their bodies suddenly went slack, as if cut off from their own control. One after another, they collapsed to the floor.
"Wh-what's going on? I can't feel my arms or legs…"
"My body won't move…"
"A-Am I going to die?"
At that moment, a small, timid girl's voice echoed softly through the hall.
"This is a type of fungus that affects the nervous system. So please, don't move. The more you struggle, the faster it will travel through your bloodstream and spread throughout your body. By then… no one will be able to save you."
"!!!"
Every face turned ashen. They stared at the small, delicate-looking girl before them. She looked harmless—almost cute—but the words coming from her mouth were colder than anything a demon might say.
The host finally couldn't just stand there.
The venue could be rebuilt. Business could recover. But if guests were injured here, their reputation would be ruined.
He carefully edged closer and spoke in a low, cautious tone.
"Um… Captain Yemu… this is Feld-sama's establishment… I wonder if you might…"
"Feld?"
"Yes. Feld-sama is one of the Dark Emperors of the New World. He controls the flow of currency throughout the underworld. If Captain Yemu intends to enter the New World in the future…"
"Are you telling me how to do things?"
"N-No… of course not…"
The host immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
At that moment, Enel spoke.
"The Marines are here. Quite a few of them."
"Perfect. Everything's ready. Proceed according to plan."
"The game begins…"
...
"What did you just say…?"
At Marine Headquarters, Kong listened to the report with barely contained fury.
"We're sorry, sir. We didn't expect them to target the nobles inside the auction house."
"How many people are in there?!"
"The exact number isn't confirmed yet, but it should be around three hundred. There are quite a few nobles from various kingdoms. Fortunately, there are no Celestial Dragons present!"
Bang!
Kong slammed his fist down on the desk, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Admiral Zephyr has already led the Marines to surround the area. The auction house is sealed off by some kind of toxic substance. Since we don't know what's happening inside, Admiral Zephyr can't move in recklessly."
Just then, urgent knocking sounded at the door. A Marine rushed in, holding a Den Den Mushi, his face pale with panic.
"What is it?!"
"This is bad, Fleet Admiral Kong!"
Without further explanation, he placed a visual Den Den Mushi on the desk. The moment the switch was flipped, light projected from its eyes.
A figure appeared—someone Kong would never forget.
"Hello, Moshi Moshi. Can you hear me?"
At that instant, the voice and image didn't just fill Fleet Admiral Kong's office.
Across the entire Sabaody Archipelago—on every island, in every grove—any place equipped with a Den Den Mushi began broadcasting the same image and voice.
Even Kong understood immediately what Yemu was trying to do.
"Damn it! Send out orders! Shut down every location in the Sabaody Archipelago that's receiving this broadcast!"
But before his words had fully settled, Yemu's cold voice rang out again.
"It's useless. The signal from the Den Den Mushi in my hand has been amplified limitlessly by the power of the Goro Goro no Mi. In other words, at this very moment, every Den Den Mushi within the Sabaody Archipelago can only transmit my voice."
Kong's face drained of color.
"Now then, let's get to the main event."
"For the next few days, I'll be playing a little game with our friends in the Marines."
"It's called: The Justice Game."
"The rules are simple. I never expected a mere human auction house to gather so many world nobles. Quite the surprise."
"So next, I will judge every single person in this hall and make their crimes known to the world."
"Now the choice is yours, Marines."
"Show me what your justice truly is."
"Will you charge in and kill me, ignoring the lives of these nobles, just to help the World Government bury their darkness?"
"Or will you stand by your own justice and listen to the crimes committed by these so-called rulers of the world?"
"So… who should go first?"
"Since it's just an appetizer, let's start with something interesting…"