"Now, please welcome lot number 1!!!!"
"The great pirate with a bounty of 35 million - Gro!"
Amid the host's loud shouts, a huge cage was pushed onto the stage, inside which was locked a burly man who stood three meters tall.
[Gro]
Overall Rating: D-
"Gro hailed from the West Blue, stood 321cm tall, was 31 years old, and had killed a West Blue Marine Vice Admiral commander, massacred three villages, and slain countless marines..."
As the host introduced the item, the bidders in the room kept exclaiming in surprise.
Although they were all accounts of Gro's killing of innocent people and marines, each one heightened Gro's appeal and increased his value.
Bang!
Zephyr's fist slammed heavily onto the chair next to him. Fortunately, he controlled his strength despite his anger; otherwise, the punch would have not only shattered the chair but also destroyed the entire auction house.
"Serves you right!"
Just hearing Gro's story, Zephyr felt that being auctioned off as a slave was already a bargain for such a bastard.
Deep down, Zephyr still had a strong affection for the Marine; otherwise, he wouldn't have retired from active duty to become an instructor.
Perhaps among the Marine personnel killed by Gro were some of his former students.
"100 million Berries once... 100 million Berries three times... Deal!!!"
Gro, with a bounty of 35 million, was eventually sold for 100 million Berries, three times his actual bounty.
"Capturing him only got you 35 million in bounty. No wonder bounty hunters hand over captured pirates to these slave traders," Zephyr remarked.
This was his first time in such a place. He usually only heard about it from others and would never come here to see the dark side of things.
If Ross hadn't arranged to meet him here today, he probably would never have come.
"It's because the Marine set a bounty benchmark that these scumbags become valuable."
Ross leaned back lazily in his chair, glanced at the obese lady who had taken Gro, and silently felt a moment of pity for him.
Given Gro's relatively strong vitality, that rich woman should be able to play around for a long time.
As for whether Gro would rebel... he definitely would, but few people who could afford to buy slaves of this caliber were fools, and they simply wouldn't give the slaves a chance to rebel.
"These scum should all be wiped out," Zephyr said calmly.
Recently, due to Roger's words, the seas had become turbulent, and the number of pirates had increased by hundreds or even thousands of times.
These pirates became the last straw that broke the camel's back, making the already difficult lives of the common people even more miserable, and leaving nothing but desolation in their wake.
"I remember Admiral Zephyr was once known as the 'No Kill Admiral'?"
"No Kill Admiral... No one's called me that since the incident ten years ago," Zephyr sighed softly.
He admired heroes in his childhood, joined the Marine at a young age, and rose through the ranks step by step, becoming a Marine admiral at the age of 38.
During this period, he never killed a single pirate; when he captured pirates, he simply imprisoned them and sent them to Impel Down.
But even so, at the age of 42, 10 years ago, his wife and children were brutally murdered by pirates while they were out traveling. How could he not hate pirates?
Right then, he wished he could kill all the pirates.
He offered his resignation after that incident, but was ultimately persuaded by Kong to retain his position as admiral. Instead, he stepped down to a secondary role to train reserve forces for the Marine.
Over the years, the number of pirates had not decreased because of his efforts. On the contrary, because of that bastard Roger, there were even more pirates. Many of the marines he trained would die in battles against pirates in the future.
Sometimes, Zephyr also felt confused.
How exactly could they eliminate all the pirates?
This was also why he did not refuse the World Government's order and was willing to meet Ross today.
"What is Admiral Zephyr's greatest wish right now?"
Ross spoke casually, his gaze sweeping over the fifth item up for auction that day.
The first five lots were all pirates. No, to be precise, apart from the final lot, all the other lots that day were pirates.
The auction was held to make money, and no one dared to disobey the Celestial Dragons' decisions.
He knew there were other slaves here, but he didn't want to see them today, and neither did Zephyr, so none of them would appear today.
"Your biggest wish?"
Zephyr glanced at Ross; he was 52 years old and could easily see Ross's intentions.
To be honest, he quite liked Ross.
Unlike other Celestial Dragons, Ross hadn't put on airs from the start. Even if Ross used his Celestial Dragon status to order him around, Zephyr would still do it as long as it didn't violate his sense of justice.
In such a situation, no one could expect him to feel any goodwill toward Ross.
Moreover, if Ross really did something that crossed the line, Zephyr might actually take action to eliminate the man.
After all, no matter how high one's status was, without power one was still just an ant that could be crushed at will.
At worst, Zephyr could just stay in the New World and find a non-affiliated country to live in seclusion.
But Ross's courteous and respectful attitude made Zephyr feel quite comfortable.
Ross was willing to respect him, and Zephyr was willing to respect Ross.
So, in his heart, he was no longer so opposed to being Ross's personal bodyguard.
"My wish is simple: to make all pirates disappear."
Zephyr clenched his fists tightly, his eyes fixed on the pirate slave who was being auctioned off on the stage. He recognized the man.
Ricardo, bounty 50 million, owner of the Bug Bug Fruit, Model: Mantis.
[Ricardo]
Overall Rating: D+
The bounty wasn't high, but one of his former female students had died at the hands of the man.
The female cadet wasn't particularly talented and couldn't withstand the high pressure of the Marine training camp. She eventually withdrew from the training camp and was assigned to the Four Seas Branch.
That was, the female student was murdered on her way to take up her post in the Four Seas.
Zephyr had always remembered this incident, and he regretted it. If he had lowered his expectations of that female student, he might have been able to avoid all of this.
"200 million!!!"
The price was higher for those who owned Devil Fruits, and this was Saint Rosward's first offer.
After Saint Rosward made his offer, the entire venue fell silent.
No one dared to bid against the Celestial Dragons, for fear of becoming slaves at this auction.
"300 million!"
Ross said casually, "These were originally slaves I prepared for Zephyr—how could Rosward take them?"
"Someone is bidding against the Celestial Dragons?"
"What idiot? That guy's finished!"
"Oh no, don't let your stupidity drag us down with you."
"..."
Upon seeing Ross's offer, and noting that he didn't have the distinctive attire of a Celestial Dragon, many people present were so frightened that they stood up and quietly retreated towards the door.
They didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
"Hahahahahaha!!!!"
As others present expected, Rosward would certainly not tolerate such behavior.
Amidst the glares of the crowd, who dared not look directly at him, Rosward stood up, turned around, and shouted at Ross:
"Saint Ross, I knew you wouldn't miss out on such a great toy, but I won't let you get away with it today!"
"500 million Berries!!!"
Rosward spread his palms nonchalantly, as if he didn't value money at all.
But the others present had no interest in the shockingly high offer; instead, they all stared at Ross with incredulous eyes.
That man was actually a Celestial Dragon!?