Iceberg Villa!
Lucci deeply felt how troublesome the man in front of him was. Every time he used Soru, he tried to catch him off guard, but he never succeeded, as if everything he did was seen through!
Suddenly, "Bang—!"
The villa exploded, and sparks tore through the entire building!
"Hm?" Zoro tilted his head!
'What a chance!' Lucci was pleasantly surprised, then clasped his hands together, "Rokugan!"
A shockwave sent Zoro flying.
"Hoo—!" Lucci let out a sigh of relief!
"Swish—swish—swish!"
Three blue slashes cut through the air, one after another!
A sense of crisis enveloped his entire body. Lucci seemed to have forgotten that close combat was the advantage of a Zoan user!
Thanks to years of fighting, although he didn't have Observation Haki, his perception was still very strong. "Soru!"
Lucci dodged the first slash, the second grazed him, but the third slash was unavoidable.
Finally, blood splattered in the air. This was the first time he bled, but it would definitely not be the last!
Zoro narrowed his eyes, and a red light flashed!
His biceps bulged powerfully, and the faint demonic aura grew thicker!
Zoro fully opened his eyes, which flowed with a crimson light!
"Three Sword Style - Purgatory Onigiri!"
At this moment, Zoro seemed to have transformed into a fierce ghost, and the swords in his hands became the scythes of death!
A purple light streaked across the sky, instantly appearing before Lucci!
"Tekkai!" The face of death was reflected in his pupils, and Lucci's eyes were filled with an emotion called terror!
Three sword marks, deep enough to tear through his chest, were branded on Lucci's body, and blood flowed uncontrollably!
"Ugh!" Intense pain pierced his brain. The demonic aura was wantonly invading Lucci's body. He endured the pain, used Moonwalk, and fled into the distance. Lucci, who had always been so arrogant, actually... ran away!
In the sky, thunderclouds gathered!
Nami stood on the rooftop, her clima-tact spinning rapidly!
Cold air bubbles and hot air bubbles flew towards the thunderclouds.
Rain began to fall, and the drizzling rain extinguished the large fire and dispersed the panic!
Zoro watched Lucci flee but didn't pursue him. Speed wasn't his strong suit; a brief burst of speed during combat was fine, but not for long distances! What's more, the enemy could fly!
...Franky House,
"Hoo—" Kalifa panted incessantly, "He's like an eel, I can't hit him at all!"
Kaku, who was covered in bumps, and Blueno, glared at him.
Kaku looked at Sanji, who was completely unharmed, and his heart turned cold. 'What a monster!'
"Don't forget our objective: to send Franky to Enies Lobby! Kalifa, you tie him down!" Kaku said.
"Alright!" Kalifa was helpless. Sanji made them feel no different than Rob Lucci, the mountain that pressed down on all of CP9. She had originally thought of finding his weakness and taking him down!
As it turned out, the weakness was found, but...!
Soon, Kaku and Blueno carried the dozing Franky and fled!
"Stop!" Just as Sanji was about to give chase, a long leg wrapped in a fishing net swept towards him.
Sanji shifted slightly, dodging the attack! He saw through their intentions, but he had no way to stop them!
'Sigh, since I can't stop them...!' Sanji's previously furrowed brow relaxed. "Miss Kalifa, how about we go for a drink?"
"Get lost, pervert!" Kalifa whipped him again and again!
...Sea Train Station Platform,
Franky's mouth had already been covered.
Kaku and Blueno were bandaging their wounds.
"I wonder if Lucci succeeded?" Kaku was a little worried.
"No problem, he's the strongest among us! Besides, we've led the strongest away, what kind of trouble can they cause now!" Blueno was clearly full of confidence in Lucci.
"Is that so? I always have a bad feeling!" Kaku still frowned.
...Sabaody Archipelago Auction House!
Luffy, wearing a black cloak, arrived here. It was the exact same auction house as in the original story.
'There isn't even a VIP section. The Celestial Dragons deserved to be beaten!'
Luffy casually found a seat and sat down!
Observation Haki enveloped the entire venue. There were many people, but they were all useless!
Soon, a man stood on the auction stage!
"Welcome everyone to our auction! I believe you will not leave disappointed!
Now, please look at our first item!"
The auctioneer struck his hammer, and behind the curtain, a group of strong men were dragged up like dogs.
"They are all able-bodied men from various kingdoms, sold here due to population burdens! A total of ten people!
The starting bid for one person is 100,000 Berries! Think about it, for 100,000 Berries, you can get a permanent laborer!"
"1 million! I'll take them all!" A man who looked like a farmer started the bidding.
No one else bid. They were just a few strong men!
"These are crew members of a pirate crew with over 100 million Berries..."
"These are beauties carefully selected from various countries..."
"This is a princess from the Kingdom of Samaladon..."
...Luffy's face grew darker and darker. Slave trading was rampant right under the nose of Marineford, what a huge irony!
But he didn't cause a scene. The tide of the era was not something he alone could change!
Soon, men and women were pushed onto the stage, shackled, priced, and simultaneously... their lives were set!
Commoners becoming slaves was a tragedy of the times and a decline of the world!
Soon, the cheap slaves were auctioned off, and then it was time for luxury items.
"Look, this is a golden crown unearthed from ancient ruins. It is crystal clear, like a star!
I believe the nobles will not refuse it!
The starting bid is 10 million Berries!" The auctioneer continuously praised the pure gold crown in his hand.
"11 million Berries, I'll take it!"
"Dream on, 15 million Berries!"
"20 million Berries!"
...The final crown was driven up to 55 million Berries!
Luffy calmly watched these so-called royals and nobles eagerly snatching a crown, slowly shaking his head. 99% of the money was concentrated in the hands of 1% of the people!
A common person's lifelong effort of selling blood and labor couldn't compare to a noble's wave of a hand, let alone a pirate's single plunder!
Gol D. Roger's last words were like a fire, igniting this world full of methane!
'Coming to this world, what exactly should I do? Be the Pirate King?'
Luffy's mind was in a mess. In just a few short hours, he had a deeper impression of the decay of this world!
"Next up, the grand finale!"
The auctioneer's shouts pulled Luffy back to reality. He keenly sensed that many people's breathing became more rapid, and their eyes were extremely fervent!
Most of them were pirates wandering the seas!
"I believe many of you are here for this. That's right, the main event of this auction is this—a log from the adam tree!" The auctioneer pulled down the curtain, and a huge log was exposed before everyone's eyes!
"The adam tree is the most resilient tree in the world. Ships made from it are extremely tough and sturdy, capable of withstanding immense pressure! Legend has it that the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's battleship, the Oro Jackson, was made from the adam tree!
Now, please bid as much as you can. The starting price is 1 billion Berries!"
Luffy was slightly stunned. Iceberg said no less than 1 billion, and the starting bid was 1 billion!
However, three minutes later, the hall was still silent!
'So that's how it is. Only pirates desperately need the adam tree, but how could a bunch of scum who only know how to plunder and enjoy themselves have 1 billion Berries!'
"1 billion!" Luffy called out without hesitation!
"1 billion Berries, any more bids?
1 billion, once.
1 billion, twice.
1 billion, thrice!"
The auctioneer struck the hammer heavily, "Sold!"
Soon, the auction ended. Luffy sensed many people's greedy and evil gazes falling on him, but he didn't care!
Luffy came to the inner hall of the auction. With a wave of his hand, stacks of colorful banknotes piled up into a small mountain!
"Sir, do you need us to help you transport it? It only costs...!"
"No need!" Luffy placed his hand on the log, and the log instantly disappeared!
Ignoring the surprised receptionist, Luffy slowly walked out of the door and headed towards a certain place!
On a deserted island, Luffy calmly looked at a large group of ferocious pirates in front of him, as if dozens of pirate crews had gathered together!
"Kid, hand over that thing, it's not something you should have!" A burly man with a huge axe said menacingly!
"What a bunch of scum!"
A cold voice rang out, and a crimson light reflected in Luffy's eyes.
Dark red Haoshoku lightning filled the entire sky. Taking a step, the Haoshoku stirred up the small island!
In an instant, there was no one left on the island who could remain conscious!
Luffy transformed into lightning and departed.
The next second, a point of light flickered above the island, and then... a massive pillar of lightning heavily slammed onto the island!
Everything on the island was instantly annihilated, and the seawater was churned up and evaporated!
Everyone on the Sabaody Archipelago who looked up at the sky saw it, saw that pillar of light descending from the heavens, as if a god had casually wiped away that uninhabited island!
"Burururu—bururu!"
Luffy took out the den den mushi in his hand and finally smiled, "Moshi Moshi, this is Luffy!"
"Luffy, CP9 has taken Franky to Enies Lobby!" Nami said urgently.
It turned out that because of Sanji's chivalry, Franky and CP9 both took the Sea Train to Enies Lobby!
And because Enies Lobby was World Government territory, he, as the Captain, needed to make the decision! After all, Franky wasn't familiar with them, and even had a grudge against them!
"I see! I heard his shipbuilding skills are good, I've decided to recruit him as our shipwright!" Luffy hung up the den den mushi, transformed into a blue lightning bolt, and flew across the sea surface, his target now Enies Lobby!
...The Sea Train sped towards Enies Lobby!
On the train, Rob Lucci was covered in bandages. He leaned back in his chair, his face pale!
"Lucci, how did you get such serious injuries?" Kaku asked, puzzled. As the strongest among them, how could he suffer such bone-deep wounds!
"It was that swordsman!" Lucci opened his eyes. There was no fear or joy of survival in his eyes, only deep calmness!
"It's truly terrifying! And this was with their Captain absent. You tell me, to be able to gather two such powerful monsters, how strong must their Captain, Straw Hat Luffy, with a bounty of 400 million Berries, be!" Kaku couldn't help but exclaim!
Rob Lucci suddenly opened his eyes and stared straight at Kaku. After a long pause, "I will definitely get my revenge!"
In the end, Kalifa came out to mediate.
"No matter what, the matter is over. They can't possibly cause a ruckus in Enies Lobby, can they! For hundreds of years, no pirate has ever been able to run wild in Enies Lobby!"