"Hey, hey, Rosinante, you called me here today to 'watch a killing,' right? Don't tell me you meant this auction house?" Shaxia asked, frowning slightly.
Rosinante's voice was calm, almost emotionless. "Auction houses have their own rules. If my people are being auctioned off, I'll follow those rules and buy them back fairly. I'm not unreasonable. But my Grey Nation has its own rules too. Anyone who dares to kidnap my people—and then has the gall to put them up for sale as merchandise—must pay the price. If I let that slide, how could I ever show my face in this world again?"
"Indeed! This is quite the rare specimen!" the auctioneer, Kela, said enthusiastically. "A native of the Sky Island, living ten thousand meters above the sea, with wings like an angel's! It's not even an exaggeration to call her a real angel! Starting bid—one million Berries! Do I hear any offers?"
"Ten million Berries," Rosinante's voice cut through the crowd before anyone else could react.
"Ten million Berries! This esteemed guest offers ten million! Any higher bids?" Kela said, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Because Rosinante was seated beside the Celestial Dragon Zashika, many in the audience didn't dare compete with him. They exchanged uneasy glances, whispering but not bidding.
Seeing the silence, Kela subtly signaled to one of his own men.
"Eleven million Berries!" someone shouted—whether a planted bidder or a genuine buyer, no one could tell.
"Hey, Rosinante, don't get reckless," Zashika murmured. "You should know this auction house supplies slaves to the Celestial Dragons. They've got ties to a lot of them. If you destroy it, those Dragons will lose their main source of slaves—and their fury will fall squarely on you. You won't just be offending one or two Dragons; you'll be offending all of them."
"Twenty million Berries," Rosinante said flatly, ignoring his warning.
"Twenty million! The guest offers twenty million Berries! Any higher?" Kela said, voice rising in excitement.
"That's exactly why I need a reason," Rosinante said quietly. "Why I need a justification. That's why I didn't just storm in and take her. The auction house is selling my people. Even if the Celestial Dragons are involved—would they really protect those who've humiliated me? Even if I'm no longer one of them, am I not allowed to fight back when I'm insulted?"
Zashika's pupils shrank slightly. When he heard Rosinante openly admit he was a Celestial Dragon, realization flashed in the eyes of the man seated a few rows away—Rayleigh, who had been silently observing.
"Twenty-one million Berries!" another bidder called.
"One hundred million," Rosinante said calmly, ending the pointless back-and-forth.
"One hundred million! A bold offer! Does anyone wish to go higher?" Kela exclaimed, practically trembling with joy.
Zashika sighed, rubbing his temples. "You planned this all along, didn't you? Your reasoning makes sense, but you're stepping on far too many toes. You don't have any allies among the Celestial Dragons anymore. Even if you're right… so what?"
Bang!
"One hundred million Berries—sold! Congratulations to our esteemed guest for acquiring this lovely angel!" Kela shouted, his excitement barely contained.
Rosinante turned slightly toward Zashika. "Aren't you one of them too? You're of age now—you must have some say in these things."
"Me?" Zashika gave a wry laugh. "Don't overestimate me. I'm a nobody among the Celestial Dragons. My father still controls everything. I barely have a voice. To be honest, my father will definitely oppose you after this. Rosinante, I suggest you stop provoking the Dragons. Do it too many times, and even the high-ranking elders will start seeing you as a threat."
"There's no turning back now," Rosinante said firmly. "Just deliver a message for me. Tell them this—if someone dares to come after me, I'll hit back. If they still want to whine about it, then tell them to come find me themselves. Let's see if I'll be the one who's afraid."
His tone was calm, but the steel in his voice made Zashika fall silent.
Rosinante turned to one of his men. "Go bring out Raki. It'll be inconvenient later."
"Yes, sir!" Ryan, who had only just returned moments ago, immediately led a few men out again.
Zashika sighed softly. "If that's all you want me to say, I'll pass the message along. But as for what happens afterward… I can't guarantee anything."
"That's enough. I'll be grateful if you just deliver it," Rosinante replied, his tone still composed.
Kela's voice suddenly rose again, full of theatrical energy. "Now, we've reached our grand finale—the most anticipated item of the night! From the West Blue's Ohara Island—the child of the infamous Devil Scholars! A girl with a bounty of seventy million Berries—the Demon Child, Nico Robin! Despite her young age, she can already decipher the Poneglyphs! Starting bid—one hundred million Berries!"
The crowd erupted as Nico Robin was escorted onto the stage, her hands bound, her small face pale under the lights.
"It's her! Nico Robin—I've seen her wanted poster!"
"Unbelievable! The girl who can read the ancient texts? Even the big names in the New World are after her!"
"Buy her! We have to buy her! Whoever wins her could make a fortune selling her to one of those top pirates!"
The audience's eyes gleamed with greed.
In the four seas and even the first half of the Grand Line, few truly understood the value of someone who could read the Poneglyphs. But in the New World, that knowledge was priceless.
After Roger conquered the seas and reached the final island, Raftel, whispers spread among the powerful. How did Roger find it when no one else ever could?
Eventually, tales of four red "Road Poneglyphs" began to circulate among the major pirates. It was said that those stones marked the way to the Final Island.
Roger's relentless search for the Poneglyphs before his journey's end had left too many clues to ignore.
And the great pirates of the New World—especially old monsters like Big Mom and Kaido, remnants of the last era—had taken notice.
They all needed someone who could read the stones.
But after the Buster Call, the scholars of Ohara had been erased from the map. By the time those pirates learned of their value, it was already too late.
Rumors spread that Rosinante had saved some of the scholars, but no one could find him or his Grey Nation. The New World pirates couldn't easily enter the Four Seas—that was the Navy's and World Government's territory.
And so they waited.
Waited for the day the Grey Nation entered the New World. Waited for their chance to pounce, to seize the key to the One Piece itself.
As for Rosinante's power? His title of "Dragon King"? His reputation as the "Strongest Rookie"? They scoffed.
To them, a rookie—no matter how strong—was still just a rookie. As for rumors of him fighting Sengoku to a standstill? Laughable!
In their eyes, those were nothing but tall tales.
And even if they were true—so what? The lure of the One Piece was enough to drive men mad. No amount of fear could hold them back.
Which was why, when someone suddenly brought Nico Robin to an auction, the room was electrified. The air itself seemed to hum with tension and greed.
And then—
"One trillion Berries," a calm voice said.
Every head snapped toward the source.
Someone had just raised a single finger—and named a number so astronomical that the entire auction house fell dead silent.