Area No. 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
This was the location of the human auction house on Sabaody.
Areas 1 to 29 of the Sabaody Archipelago were infamous as hubs for human trafficking, illegal activities, and underground auctions.
Inside a massive hall, every seat was filled.
At the center of the stepped seating arrangement stood a raised platform.
Under a spotlight, a man in a black suit stood confidently, addressing the audience with charisma:
"Good afternoon, esteemed guests of the slave auction!"
"Thank you for your patience!"
"We're about to begin the monthly No. 1 GR Slave Auction!"
"This time, we've prepared an extraordinary lineup of high-quality slaves for you all."
"You're truly in luck!"
"And among them, we have a particularly hot item on offer!"
"I sincerely hope each of you finds a slave that satisfies your desires!"
The audience erupted into deafening cheers, with everyone eagerly anticipating the start of the auction.
In the front row, a well-dressed man turned to the noblewoman seated beside him and asked,
"What are you planning to buy this time?"
The noblewoman, in her forties, was adorned in extravagant jewelry and luxurious attire. Despite her age, time seemed to have left only light traces on her appearance.
"This time, I want to buy a strong fish-man."
"The last slave didn't last even ten days before becoming useless."
"Besides, I've never tried a fish-man before…"
The noblewoman licked her lips, her eyes glinting with temptation.
"Hahaha, you're as fiery as ever," the man laughed, his gaze betraying a flicker of lust.
"Your late husband must've had it rough—dying while you still burn so brightly!"
"Don't mention that useless dead man," the woman scoffed, her eyes flashing with disdain.
"He was good for nothing and didn't even make it to forty before kicking the bucket!"
"I told him countless times not to buy so many female slaves."
"And look what happened—he ended up dying in the arms of one. How humiliating!"
The man burst into laughter.
"You and your husband really had similar tastes, huh?"
"Why not just buy a giant this time?"
The woman shook her head with a sly grin, then sighed:
"I just want to release some frustration, not get myself killed. A giant's body is way too much for me."
"True enough," the man chuckled.
"Even a young giant would be enormous."
"But if you're set on buying a fish-man, you'd better be ready to spend big. Fish-men are pricey these days."
The man's tone grew serious as he explained:
"Ever since the Thunder God Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates started protecting Fish-Man Island, it's become a lot harder for slave ships to catch fish-men or merfolk."
"In the past, you'd see a dozen or more fish-men available every week. Now, you're lucky to see one or two in an entire month."
"And as for beautiful fish-men? They've become even rarer."
"Sometimes months go by without a single one appearing."
As the saying goes, scarcity drives value.
The dwindling supply of fish-men and merfolk had naturally caused their prices to skyrocket.
"Who wouldn't agree? It's all because of those damned pirates!"
"They meddle too much!" The woman muttered in frustration.
"And what about you? What do you plan to buy this time?" she asked, turning her gaze to the man beside her.
"You know me," the man said lazily, leaning back into his chair. "I only care about slaves with real strength."
"My brothers have been eyeing my position as the heir for quite some time."
The man was a prince of a small country.
He had many brothers, each of whom eagerly awaited his demise.
Some had even paid pirates to try and eliminate him.
For the sake of his survival, he needed sufficient power to protect himself.
"I've heard that a World Noble is here today."
"You think they're here to bid on the fish-man too?"
The woman glanced around the room, then leaned closer to the man, lowering her voice.
A subtle fragrance wafted from her, and her soft, honeyed tone was enough to make the man's heart race.
However, he quickly suppressed his desire.
This woman was no good—a twisted individual with peculiar tendencies.
Besides, he wasn't lacking in women. There was no need to waste his energy on a troublemaker like her.
"Yeah, there's a World Noble here. A woman, apparently. I've heard she's particularly fond of buying young human females," the man whispered, glancing discreetly at a private box in the distance.
"You even found out about that? Impressive," the woman said, her eyes flashing with surprise.
She hadn't expected the man to know so much, even about the preferences of a World Noble.
Although both of them had some status and wealth, they were nothing compared to the World Nobles.
In the presence of those aristocrats, they would have no choice but to kneel humbly and obey.
"Of course," the man replied with a smirk. "I have good connections with the auction house's management."
"Do they have anything that suits her tastes this time?"
"Uh, doesn't seem like it. Maybe she's just here for the thrill of the auction," he said.
At that moment, the auctioneer on stage began introducing the next set of slaves.
One by one, desperate individuals were dragged onto the stage.
Under the auctioneer's smooth and persuasive commentary, they were sold to the highest bidder.
One particular item—a frail old man with gray hair and glasses—went unsold.
The auctioneer, however, didn't seem surprised.
A regular old man who couldn't work wasn't worth much, so his failure to sell was expected.
Even during the introduction, the auctioneer hadn't bothered to try too hard.
"Now, moving on to the highlight of today's event!"
"Our next item is a male fish-man in his prime!"
"As you all know, for certain unspeakable reasons, fish-man slaves are becoming increasingly rare."
"Therefore, the starting bid for this fish-man will be 5 million Berries!"
The auctioneer's voice grew impassioned as he announced the star item.
A fish-man standing three meters tall, with a body full of muscles, was brought onto the stage.
His skin was blue, his wrists and ankles bound with shackles, and a collar around his neck. His face carried an expression of utter despair.
"Damn it! The price has increased fivefold!"
The wealthy woman's expression darkened as she cursed.
In the past, the starting bid for such auctions had always been 1 million Berries.
Now, even for a fish-man with average looks, the price had skyrocketed to 5 million Berries.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Fewer and fewer people dare to catch fish-men these days," the man beside her said with a chuckle.
"If it were a mermaid instead, even a tenfold increase wouldn't stop people from bidding," the woman muttered as she prepared to place her bid.
But before she could act, a voice rang out from one of the private boxes:
"10 million Berries!"
The wealthy woman immediately halted her bidding and sat back down, silent and subdued.
The man wasn't surprised by her reaction, as the bidder was a World Noble.
Anyone who thought about competing for the bid quickly abandoned the idea when the auctioneer announced loudly:
"The esteemed World Noble has bid 10 million Berries!"
"That's double the starting price!"
"Truly, the highest of nobility deserves our utmost respect!"
No one dared to bid against a World Noble.
The auction ended shortly after.
However, no one left their seats hastily. Everyone remained seated, quietly waiting.
Only after the World Noble, Jaygorusia Maggie Gong, left with her newly purchased fish-man in tow did people gradually start to rise and leave.
"How terrifying," the woman whispered, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"If only we were World Nobles. We could have anything we want."
The man didn't respond, instead signaling for his newly bought goods to be brought to the auction house's exit.
Just then, a furious voice broke through the air.
"You filthy commoner! How dare you not kneel before me and even block my path!"
This was followed by several gunshots.
The man's face immediately turned pale.
"This is bad! Some fool has angered a World Noble. Let's stay here until it's over," he muttered.
The woman nodded rapidly, like a pecking chicken.
Others with similar caution also chose to stay inside the auction house, waiting for the commotion to subside.
Meanwhile, outside the auction house...
Sanders stood there, wearing nothing but shorts and sandals.
Everyone around him knelt down in fear, while an old woman with a transparent spherical helmet stood before him—none other than Jaygorusia Maggie Gong, the World Noble.
This was the "gift" Sanders intended to send to Boa Hancock.
Maggie Gong's face twisted in rage as she shouted at Sanders, furious at his defiance.
"You black-suited fools! Why haven't you captured this man yet? I want to make him my slave and torment him to death!"
Despite her screaming, the black-suited bodyguards standing by her side froze in terror when they recognized the man before them.
"S-Sanders... What are you planning to do?" one of them stammered, his voice trembling.
"Capture him!" Maggie Gong demanded, tossing aside her ineffective gun in frustration.
"I don't care who he is! I want him to be my lowest, most degraded slave!"
The bodyguards exchanged desperate looks, their faces pale.
One of them finally spoke up, trying to reason with her:
"Maggie Gong-sama, this man is Sanders!"
The guard's voice cracked under pressure as he explained further.
This wasn't just any pirate—it was Sanders, one of the most infamous and powerful pirates alive.
The man who had slaughtered World Nobles in the past.
Sanders stood there, his face cold and emotionless, as he stared at the scene before him.
In stark contrast to the terrified guards, the fish-man slave looked at Sanders with eyes full of hope.
As a fish-man, he knew exactly who this man was.
The one who had protected Fish-Man Island.
"Who cares who he is!" Maggie Gong screeched.
"Capture him now! I'll make him my slave and break him!"
The bodyguards clenched their fists in silent despair, wishing they could silence Maggie Gong for her recklessness.
She might be a World Noble, but in front of Sanders, her words could very well seal her doom.
But that doesn't mean no one dares to kill you!
If you want to die, can you not drag us into it?
At that moment, Sanders slowly spoke:
"I've said it before, anyone who dares to trade slaves is making an enemy of me!"
"It seems some people still don't take my words seriously!"
Originally, Sanders only planned to capture the Celestial Dragon and leave.
After all, Hancock didn't want others to know about her past as a slave.
However, upon seeing the fishman on the auction stage, he changed his mind.
This was a perfect excuse.
The fishman's face lit up with joy, realizing he would be saved today.
The black-suited bodyguards next to the Celestial Dragon froze for a moment. Suddenly, they recalled how, over a year ago, Sanders had declared to the world that anyone who captured fishmen or merfolk as slaves would be opposing him.
One of them opened his mouth, intending to salvage the situation, but—
Sanders stepped forward.
In an instant, both the Celestial Dragon and the black-suited bodyguards were encased in ice.
Sanders kicked the Celestial Dragon into the air. In the blink of an eye, the Celestial Dragon, now an ice sculpture, disappeared into the sky.
The black-suited bodyguards, also turned into ice sculptures, shattered with a loud crash, breaking into countless pieces.
Sanders extended a finger.
A blast of freezing energy shot out.
Before the fishman could react, a few ice keys materialized out of thin air, unlocking the chains, handcuffs, and collar restraining him.
"Thank you, Lord Sanders!"
The fishman's eyes welled with tears as he knelt, loudly expressing his gratitude.
His voice was filled with the joy of narrowly escaping death.
"Wait here for a moment," Sanders said casually before walking into the auction house.
Shortly after, screams echoed from inside the auction house.
A moment later, Sanders emerged.
"Let's go. I'll take you to the shore."
If he was going to save the fishman, he would ensure his safe passage to the sea.
For a fishman, trying to walk safely from here to the coast was nearly impossible.
Any criminals in the area would undoubtedly recapture him and sell him for money.
Inside the auction house, the remaining guests were trembling in fear.
"You heard him, right? No more buying fishmen or merfolk from now on," one man said, trembling as he turned to a noblewoman.
"I—I understand!" the noblewoman stammered, her face pale.
"Who would dare anymore?!"
The Celestial Dragon had just been killed.
She, a mere minor noble, wouldn't dare touch fishmen again.
Turning her gaze toward the auction house, the noblewoman saw a scene of devastation.
All the auction house staff were either frozen into blocks of ice or reduced to charred remains.
"It's terrifying!"
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T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my P@treon: p@treon.com/OneFic