"The opening bid for this slave is two hundred thousand Beli."
A normal human slave usually started at around five hundred thousand.
But that only applied on average.
In the eyes of everyone present, an old man like Rayleigh clearly wasn't worth that much, so the auction house had lowered the starting price to two hundred thousand.
Ren couldn't help wondering what kind of expression these people would make if they knew the old man's real identity.
He had no idea what Rayleigh's actual bounty had been, but however he looked at it, it had to be in the billions.
Even so, after the auctioneer called the price, not a single person in the room bid.
The auctioneer looked at Rayleigh standing onstage and suddenly found himself in an awkward position.
This old man had sold himself to the auction house that very morning for twenty thousand Beli.
At first, the auction house hadn't wanted him at all.
After all, what kind of buyer would spend money on an old man like this?
But the old man had calmly said that the auction house could wait until someone bought him before paying him.
And since even mosquito meat was still meat, the auction house had agreed.
Then someone lazily called out, "I'll offer twenty thousand."
The entire hall burst into laughter.
"I bid two hundred thousand Beli."
Ren raised his hand.
The room immediately turned to stare at him.
Spending two hundred thousand Beli to buy a gray-haired old man looked insane no matter how you sliced it.
Naturally, everyone wanted to see what kind of fool would do something like that.
"Too much money and not enough brains."
"Does that guy even have two hundred thousand Beli?"
"More importantly, how did someone wearing shorts, a flower shirt, and slippers get into the auction house in the first place?"
The whispers spread through the crowd.
Just then, a group of auction house staff hurried over to Ren's side.
The crowd grew even louder.
"That idiot must've sneaked in. Now they're here to drag him out."
"He's got guts. Causing trouble here? He's dead."
But what happened next stunned them.
The staff bowed deeply and said with utmost respect, "It is our honor to have someone of your stature visit our auction house, sir. Please allow us to escort you to the VIP section."
Ren waved them off. "No need. I like it here just fine."
"Yes, of course, of course."
"Quick! Bring a table and chair. Set out the finest food and drinks. And call a few attendants over as well."
Ren added flatly, "No attendants."
"Yes, sir!"
Truthfully, Ren had long since grown numb to ordinary beauties. Surrounded by gorgeous women every day—and with someone like Esdeath on his ship—run-of-the-mill pretty faces simply didn't interest him anymore.
In no time, a cushioned chair and a small table were brought over. The table was piled with fruit, nuts, and drinks, while a row of maids stood nearby holding trays filled with even more food.
"Please enjoy yourself, sir. Our manager is handling a matter at the moment, but he'll be here shortly."
No one in the room dared complain about the treatment Ren was receiving.
If the auction house was going this far for him, then it meant his identity was far from simple.
And no one present was stupid enough to pick a fight with someone the auction house treated like that.
They only lowered their voices and began whispering among themselves, guessing who he was.
At that moment, Harry was practically sprinting toward the auction hall.
The reason he hadn't personally come out sooner was because he'd been reporting Ren's appearance to the true owner behind the auction house.
Because Ren's arrival involved another giant.
The current Warlord of the Sea.
The world's greatest swordsman.
Dracule Mihawk.
Three years earlier, after Mihawk's battle with Teresa, he had never forgotten her.
One of the reasons he agreed to become a Warlord was so the World Government would keep him informed of Teresa's whereabouts.
Teresa's bounty had also been delayed for a long time for a similar reason. She was overwhelmingly powerful, yes, but she hadn't committed any unforgivable atrocity. The World Government had deliberately kept her bounty suppressed.
Only later, when they wanted to recruit the Worlds Pirate Crew into the Seven Warlords, did they finally release her long-delayed poster.
But the moment those bounties came out, the Worlds Pirate Crew vanished from the sea.
Ever since then, Mihawk had never stopped searching for them.
At first, he wasn't especially urgent about it. He still sparred with Shanks now and then, so finding Teresa hadn't become an obsession yet.
But after a certain incident, Mihawk stopped crossing swords with Shanks.
After that, he resumed the search in earnest.
Too bad Ren and the others had hidden themselves away on a godforsaken island. There was no way Mihawk could've found them.
When he failed again and again, Mihawk went beyond just using his Warlord authority to ask the Marines for help.
He even placed a bounty in the underworld.
Anyone who could provide the location of the Worlds Pirate Crew would earn one thing:
One free favor from Dracule Mihawk.
That promise was worth far more than money.
After all, this was the world's greatest swordsman. A man who had never been known to help anyone.
The moment that offer spread, the entire underworld was thrown into chaos.
Countless people began searching the seas for the Worlds Pirate Crew.
But month after month, no one found a trace.
It was as if the crew had vanished off the face of the earth.
And now, the captain of that very crew had just walked into Harry's auction house.
How could Harry not be excited?
The moment he confirmed Ren's identity, he contacted his boss.
Only after reporting it did he rush over.
Looking at Ren now, Harry bent forward and said respectfully, "Greetings, sir. I am Harry, the manager of this auction house. It is an honor to meet you."
"Who the hell is this guy? Even Manager Harry personally came out?"
"Yeah, who is he?"
"He doesn't look that strong. Could he be some noble?"
The whispers grew louder.
Harry carefully asked, "May I ask what brings you here today, sir?"
Ren leaned back and said casually, "I came to take a look around. If your auction house is good enough, I might do some business with you. And while I'm here, I figured I'd see if there was anything worth buying."
As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Rayleigh.
Harry immediately caught that glance.
"This slave will no longer be auctioned!"
The auctioneer onstage froze and hurriedly said, "Manager Harry, this gentleman has already purchased the slave for two hundred thousand Beli."
Harry's expression changed.
"What?"
Then he turned back to Ren and forced a smile.
"Sir, an ordinary old man isn't worth your money. I'll make the call myself and give him to you as a gift."
Harry had no intention of letting Ren leave dissatisfied.
Partly because of Ren's strength.
But more importantly, because of the instructions from the man behind the auction house.
Ren shook his head. "No need. I can afford two hundred thousand."
Then he tossed over a gold bar.
Harry caught it in a hurry.
Normally, the auction house only accepted Beli. But for Ren, Harry had no problem bending the rules. After all, the old man had cost the auction house almost nothing anyway.
Harry smiled stiffly. "Then... I will humbly accept it."
Ren looked at Rayleigh and said, "Bring him here."
Soon enough, the staff escorted Rayleigh down from the stage and over to Ren.
Ren pushed a chair toward him.
"Respecting the elderly is one of my good habits. Sit."
At that exact moment, on Kuraigana Island—
"Fufufufu..."
"Crocodile, this information better be real."
Mihawk set down the kitchen knife in his hand and spoke coldly into the Den Den Mushi.
On the other end, a low laugh came through.
"If it's false, then think of it as my personal apology to the world's greatest swordsman."
Mihawk's eyes sharpened.
"If I verify this and it's true, I'll honor the condition I promised."
He paused, his voice turning colder.
"But if you lied to me... then one more person in this world will be hunted by my blade."
The Den Den Mushi laughed again.
"How terrifying."
Click.
The line went dead.
Mihawk stared at the silent Den Den Mushi for a moment.
Then he stood up, changed into his travel clothes, took up Yoru, and headed straight for the shore.
His destination was clear.
Sabaody Archipelago.