Rayleigh didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down directly, grabbed an apple, and started eating.
Harry stood to the side, watching him. He wanted to stop him, but since Kurogane Ren had been the one to offer him a seat, he didn't dare say anything.
After letting Rayleigh sit, Ren didn't talk to him right away. Instead, he calmly continued watching the auction onstage.
At that moment, a long-legged beauty was being displayed.
Countless bidders went crazy over her endless legs. The price had already shot up from the starting bid of two million to five million, and it was still climbing.
Ever since buying Rayleigh, Ren hadn't bid on anything else. He had only been watching in silence.
It wasn't that he didn't pity these slaves.
He did.
But he also knew that even if he bought them, he could only save a handful. If he wanted to truly change this rotten reality, there was only one real way—
Tear down the rulers who upheld it.
So even though he had the means, Ren never raised his paddle again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today's auction has come to a successful end! If you enjoyed yourselves, please return in three days for our next sale!"
As the auction came to an end, Ren didn't see the merfolk he had been curious about. He had always wondered about them back when he watched the anime.
Mostly, he'd been curious about exactly how different they were from human women.
As the crowd began filing out, almost everyone cast Ren one last look before leaving.
They all wanted to memorize his face.
Then, once outside, they could dig into his identity.
Ren couldn't care less about their stares.
Once most of the audience had left, he turned to Harry and said, "Find me somewhere quiet. I have something important to discuss with your boss."
Harry bowed. "At once, sir."
A short while later, Harry led Ren and Rayleigh into a private room.
"This way, sir."
But Ren didn't step inside immediately.
Instead, he reached into his pocket, took out a few peanuts, and flicked them with his fingers.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The peanuts shot into the walls.
Only then did Ren say, "Don't bother with these little tricks next time. Go contact your boss. I'll wait here."
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Harry's forehead.
He understood perfectly well that Ren hadn't thrown those peanuts at random.
Those were the exact spots where their surveillance and listening Den Den Mushi had been hidden.
And in one casual motion, Ren had destroyed them all.
Still, from Ren's tone, it didn't sound like he meant to pursue the matter.
"Yes, sir."
Harry lowered his head and hurried out.
The moment he entered the neighboring room, he drove out the few people stationed there to eavesdrop. Since Ren had been able to find the hidden Den Den Mushi, there was no chance a few human listeners would stay hidden either.
Once the room was clear, Ren entered, poured himself a cup of tea, and looked at Rayleigh.
"Let's talk."
Rayleigh nodded easily. "Sure."
The two sat facing each other.
Just as Rayleigh lifted his teacup, Ren suddenly said, "I wonder how much money I'd get if I handed you over to the Marines."
Rayleigh's hand paused for a fraction of a second.
Then he smiled as if nothing had happened.
"I'm just an old man. Not some wanted criminal. If you handed me over, I doubt I'd fetch much."
Ren laughed.
"If the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, the Dark King Rayleigh, isn't worth money, then there probably aren't many people on this sea who are."
Rayleigh slowly looked up at him.
A pressure began rising in the room.
To Rayleigh, a stranger who could casually identify him like that—and who was clearly no weakling—was a very real danger.
Before they entered the room, Ren had already shown enough to make that obvious.
That one move outside had demonstrated terrifying Observation Haki and Armament Haki.
Rayleigh had even tried to get a read on Ren with his own Observation Haki, only to find his perception blunted.
And that only meant one thing.
Ren's own Observation Haki was powerful enough to interfere with his.
As for the way he had flicked those peanuts through the wall with Armament Haki…
That wasn't something an ordinary fighter could pull off.
With Haki alone, a man like Ren could already rank among the top officers of any Emperor's crew.
Seeing the pressure building around Rayleigh, Ren took a sip of tea and said, "No need to get worked up, Dark King. I don't mean you any harm. I just have something I'd like to ask of you."
Then he pulled out a thick stack of bills and pushed it across the table.
"This is for you."
Rayleigh looked down at the money and chuckled.
"Well, aren't you generous? So what exactly is it you want from me?"
To Rayleigh, being handed money was never a bad thing.
Whether he actually intended to help after taking it—that was another matter entirely.
After all, he hadn't agreed to anything yet.
Ren saw Rayleigh pocket the money and said, "This isn't the right place for the real conversation. Head back to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar in Grove 13. I'll come find you later."
The moment Ren mentioned Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, Rayleigh's expression shifted.
Recognizing him was one thing. That could still be explained by old bounty posters or buried history.
But knowing about Shakky's bar?
That meant far more.
Ren smiled lazily.
"Relax. I may know quite a bit about you, Dark King, but I'm not planning to interfere with your time alone with Shakky."
The words sounded harmless, but Rayleigh understood the real message.
This was Ren showing that he had information. A reminder that skipping out later wouldn't be easy.
Of course, the truth was much simpler.
Ren didn't have any intelligence network at all.
He just knew the plot.
At that moment, his Observation Haki caught Harry approaching.
"So much for now," Ren said.
Rayleigh nodded.
"Fine. Then I'll take my leave."
"Be my guest."
Rayleigh rose and headed for the door.
But just before he walked out, Ren suddenly asked something that had been bugging him for a while.
"Dark King… when you sell yourself to an auction house, does anyone actually buy you?"
After all, Rayleigh was just an old man.
In the eyes of buyers, he couldn't work, couldn't entertain, and certainly wasn't exactly marketable.
Ren truly couldn't imagine anyone but himself buying him.
Rayleigh laughed.
"This old man still looks decent enough. There are always a few rich old ladies willing to spend money on me."
Ren burst out laughing as Rayleigh strolled out.
Seems rich women don't just like fresh-faced boys after all.
At that moment, Harry returned, carrying a Den Den Mushi.
He didn't say a word about Rayleigh leaving.
As the go-between for powerful people, Harry understood one thing very clearly—
The less you asked, the longer you lived.
"Sir, my boss is on the line."
Ren looked at the Den Den Mushi's face and asked, "And you are?"
"This is Umit. What business does Mr. Kurogane Ren have with me?"
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
So it's Umit. The underworld king of shipping.
"I have some items I'd like to sell through your auction house."
"Oh? Ordinary goods won't interest us. Why don't you let me have a look first?"
Ren said calmly, "Of course. But this room's too small for a demonstration. Have your people take me somewhere open. I'll give you all something worth seeing."
"Very well. Harry, stay with Mr. Kurogane Ren."
"Yes, boss."
…
Umit put down the Den Den Mushi and looked around the room.
"So? What do you all think?"
A man with the head of a bird replied, "I don't care either way. What interests me is the news. The Worlds Pirate Crew disappearing for three years and then suddenly reappearing? That's front-page material."
It was none other than Morgans, president of the World Economy News Paper.
Giberson frowned. "But is a pirate with a mere two hundred and fifty million bounty really worth all this attention?"
Morgans laughed.
"I'm not interested in just him. I'm interested in the Silver-Eyed Swordswoman too. Three years ago, she fought Mihawk to a draw. Don't forget what Mihawk promised for information on them."
…
Under Harry's lead, Ren arrived at a walled courtyard.
Several watchtowers stood around it, each manned by armed guards.
In the center of the courtyard were three enormous screens and several visual Den Den Mushi.
Ren surveyed the setup and nodded.
"Good."