One Piece: General Blue

"Not at all, not at all. I'll contact President Berkeley right away and have him arrange for the auction house to convene today."

The plump official, scolded by Saint Rozward, turned pale. Trembling, he reached into his coat pocket for a Den Den Mushi to contact Berkeley, the auction house manager.

However, another official beside him quickly held him back, lowered his voice, and whispered:

"Advancing the auction is no big deal; that's a minor issue. But today, several Supernova pirates have arrived on Sabaody Archipelago. Have you forgotten that massive explosion earlier? Something serious must have happened at the naval base. If anything happens to Saint Rozward's family, we're finished."

Hearing his colleague's words, the plump official's face darkened further.

But the man was right.

Above all, ensuring the safety of the World Nobles was the top priority.

Clenching his teeth, the plump official stood up, intending to inform the black-clad CP guards stationed by Saint Rozward about the situation.

Before he could speak, one of the black-clad guards stepped forward in a flash, blocking his path. With a stern face, the guard drew a black pistol from his waist and pressed it against the official's forehead.

The cold steel of the gun barrel exuded a chilling aura of death, causing the plump official's legs to buckle. He fell to his knees with a thud.

"Do you have a death wish? How dare you stand up in the presence of the great Saint Rozward? What are you trying to do?"

The black-clad guard's voice was icy, his finger already resting on the trigger.

A slight pull would send a bullet tearing through the official's skull.

"Please… don't shoot! I-I just wanted to warn you that the island isn't safe. There are… pirates. Pirates might cause trouble, and I'm worried it could ruin Saint Rozward's mood for bidding."

The plump official, drenched in sweat, stammered in fear.

"Hmph! Mere pirates? If they dare to show themselves before Saint Rozward, they'll be perfect candidates to become slaves."

"Remember this: don't disturb the great Saint Rozward, Saint Charlos, or Lady Shalulia over trivial matters ever again."

With a cold glance at the trembling official, the black-clad guard holstered his pistol and, with a swift motion, returned to his position among Rozward's family's security detail.

There were more than ten such black-clad guards, in addition to a hundred armored warriors armed with spears, forming a massive entourage around Rozward's family.

And this was just a fraction of the protection provided for the three Celestial Dragons.

It was common for the nobles of the Holy Land to visit Sabaody for leisure.

Even though pirates occasionally appeared on the island, there had never been an incident where a World Noble faced danger on Sabaody Archipelago.

In the rare event of an emergency, the guards could hold off attackers long enough to summon reinforcements from the Holy Land and Navy Headquarters.

No pirate was foolish enough to provoke a World Noble.

Everyone in this world knew that targeting a World Noble would bring the wrath of a Navy Admiral.

As the Navy Headquarters' most formidable force, Admirals were a terrifying deterrent to all pirates.

The plump official's colleague seemed to want to say more but was stopped by a shake of his head.

He feared further words might anger Rozward, and he doubted he'd survive to see tomorrow if that happened.

Since Rozward's guards dismissed the pirates as a threat, the best course of action was to notify Berkeley to convene the auction as quickly as possible.

Once the Rozward family finished purchasing slaves and returned to the Holy Land of Mariejois, their safety would be assured.

At the same time, they had already sent personnel to the 66th Navy Base to investigate.

If something significant had happened there, they would surely receive word from the Den Den Mushi immediately.

Since no communication had come through, it seemed no major incident had occurred.

66th Navy Base.

A Chilling Scene

A group of World Government officials, clad in suits, stood frozen, staring in horror at the hundreds of desiccated corpses scattered chaotically on the ground before them. The icy chill of fear rendered them speechless.

"Quick! Notify the authorities! Something's happened at the naval base!"

After a long pause, someone finally snapped out of their shock and fear, shakily pulling out a Den Den Mushi to call their superior.

"Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru..."

The sound of the Den Den Mushi echoed repeatedly, but the call wouldn't connect.

"No signal! Damn it! How could there be no signal at a time like this? We have to report back immediately! The pirates have slaughtered everyone at the Sabaody Naval Branch!"

On the Path to Auction House No. 1

Charloss, sitting cross-legged on the back of a muscular slave, let a long trail of snot hang from his nose as he wore a foolish grin.

"I heard the auction house has a new mermaid in stock. I'm going to buy her and race her against the shark in my tank to see who's faster. Hehehe. The last mermaid couldn't outrun it, and all that was left of her was half a tail. What trash! Aren't mermaids supposed to be the fastest in the sea?"

"I'm more interested in buying powerful pirates or giants as slaves," Rozward said as he cracked a whip against the back of the hulking slave crawling beneath him on all fours, like an animal. The slave's back was a bloody mess, his skin flayed open from the relentless strikes.

"Too slow! These slaves are all too slow! I want a fully grown giant—that would be truly impressive."

He turned to his daughter following behind. "What about you, Shalulia? What kind of slave do you want?"

The young Celestial Dragon woman, Shalulia, who had a strikingly beautiful appearance, responded indifferently, "I'd like that mermaid too, but since Brother Charloss wants her, I'll let him have her. I still have a few at home that will last a while."

"Thank you, Shalulia," Charloss said, sniffing loudly.

The Procession of the Celestial Dragons

The grand entourage of Celestial Dragons made its way through a residential street.

At the sight of the procession, the people on the street immediately recognized the arrival of the World Nobles. Without needing any prompting, the standing residents dropped to their knees like wheat being cut, bowing their heads respectfully and not daring to look at the Rozward family.

Charloss wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Get past this place quickly! The air here stinks. These filthy, lowly commoners have polluted the air of Sabaody."

An Innocent Mistake

In the crowd, a six- or seven-year-old girl with pigtails peeked curiously. She caught sight of Shalulia's ornate white gown and her exquisite, beautiful face.

The girl stared in awe and muttered softly, "That lady is so pretty."

But what was meant as a compliment darkened Shalulia's expression instantly.

From within her robe, she pulled out a golden flintlock pistol and raised it toward the little girl in the distance.

"Lowly commoner, who are you calling 'lady'?"

The little girl's brown eyes widened as she stood frozen in place, paralyzed with fear. She forgot her parents' strict instructions: when everyone else kneels, she must do the same, or she would never see her parents again.

"Nisha! Nisha!"

In the crowd nearby, a young man and woman screamed in terror. Their faces drained of color, and they trembled uncontrollably as they instinctively tried to rise and rush to their daughter.

"Don't get up! You'll die!"

Several people kneeling beside them quickly reached out to pull them back down, pinning them to the ground to prevent them from moving.

A Narrow Escape

"My beauty doesn't need praise from someone as lowly as you. Die!"

With that, Shalulia's delicate, porcelain-like finger began to tighten on the trigger.

Suddenly, a deafening crack of thunder roared across the sky above.

"BOOM!"

Startled, Shalulia flinched, and the flintlock pistol slipped from her grip, falling to the ground with a clatter.

(End of Chapter)

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