Chapter 14: Paradise and the Auction House
The park is a wonderful place. There is no seriousness or pretense.
People take their precious free time to enjoy laughter and fatigue, both always coexisting in opposition. The park managers try to make visitors as tired as possible so they can sell their drinks. The visitors, waiting in long lines, build up anticipation. Finally, satisfied with the brief excitement, they relax with the snacks and drinks they brought.
"What's funny?" a mischievous child interrupted Buggy's thoughts, bringing him back to the reality of his wise indifference.
"Funny?" he asked. A playful smile appeared on his face. "Then I'll have to think about it."
He reapplied a bright, intense red tint to the corners of his lips, extending it to his cheeks, creating a subtle curve that radiated a playful air even without smiling. He also applied a smudge of charcoal black around his eyes.
He was quite skilled at clown makeup. The difference was that in Gotham City, he applied makeup to his wounds, a cloud of powder covering the delicate skin. The sensation was sharp. But now he couldn't feel that clarity. Or rather, he himself couldn't even feel it.
It's unreal to pile the memories of three people into one person's head without changing anything. It's just that the memory of the Joker from Gotham City was more prominent, more disturbing, and more appropriate for the desperate environment of the escort ship. When the excitement faded, the impact took effect.
Several ideas for making a balloon puppy came to his mind naturally; the crunch of a balloon being pulled was always exciting.
But he didn't have any balloons on hand. He seemed to have some in his chest.
He opened it as if it were a closet, and inside were carefully arranged a human face, several fruit knives, and a pile of explosives... but not a single balloon.
"I guess I forgot to bring them when I left," he sighed.
The child was stunned. He ran out, with tears running down his face from pure terror.
"Sir,"
Arne stood aside with a camera in his arms and a strange expression on his face. He found it difficult to connect the character in front of him, who looked like an NPC from the park, with the terrifying pirate who caused the explosion on the warship.
"Why are you so serious?" Buggy asked. "Smile more, my reporter."
Joking with mischievous children seemed to calm Buggy. He found some common ground between the three personalities. Whether it was the park clown, the pirate clown, or the criminal clown, they all liked this kind of fun.
"And, how was the interview?" he asked.
He didn't know if Arne was really interested in the profession of reporter or if he just had a big heart.
Arne took two interview transcripts from his pocket.
"It turned out, well, pretty well," he said. "The supernova was quite distant and ignored me, but there was a bear named Bepo on his ship who was very helpful."
He flipped through the pages. "We talked a lot about navigation, bounty hunting, and the climatic differences between the South and North seas. That topic never got old."
"Oh, by the way, I have his phone number."
It was the first time Buggy realized that his navigator and reporter candidate, Arne, had such a special talent for communicating with animals. He always seemed gloomy, but his face lit up when he talked about the interview process.
"A good start, right?" Buggy asked.
Arne nodded. He had never imagined becoming a serious journalist.
"Then get ready to go one step further."
Human Auction House
A normal auction began as planned.
Slaves, some tall, some small, some with strange shapes, were crammed into iron cages, loaded onto platform carts, and taken to the center of the venue under the spotlights.
"Let's welcome the next lot! The unknown warrior from the Land of Flowers! Look at his huge, muscular build, and his wolf-like gaze! After our training, this will be the perfect slave for your home and your travels! Starting price: 100,000 Belly!" Disco pointed out.
With his star-shaped sunglasses and long purple hair, he looked more like a rock singer on stage than an auction host. However, as the atmosphere heated up, Disco silently retreated to the edge of the stage.
"Is everything ready?" a man in a suit, dressed like James Bond, asked him.
"No problem," Disco replied. "As soon as he appears, our people will run and hack him to death! And not to mention this young Marine officer; even if a real lieutenant commander appears, he won't be able to escape."
"And the impact?" Disco asked, taking off his white gloves.
Instead of improving, it's better to find a way to kill the competitor.
"No one here today is particularly powerful. We'll give compensation afterward," the man replied.
Disco nodded, and it seemed that everything was foolproof.
But he still felt some concern.
"Will the Marines really not pursue it?"
Yes, after all, he is a lieutenant commander, so you should be careful.
"Don't worry!" the man in the suit exclaimed proudly. "This is always a lawless area, and the Marines don't care. A lieutenant commander broke in on his own and died. No one is to blame."
"Also, the Captain will arrive immediately. I have prepared some men to kill him. That way, we can all communicate with our superiors. Great! Great!"
Disco's heart instantly calmed down. It was no wonder that the Young Master had gone to so much trouble to get the Commander of Base Area 66 to invest. It must have been an important factor! Suddenly, his mind brightened, as if he were in his early days as a subordinate of the Young Master.
Back then, the Human Auction House was a crucial source of funding for the Young Master, who held him in high regard. But times have changed. The profits of the auction house nowadays pale in comparison to those from selling weapons.
However, with the decline of their main competitor in their archipelago, Auction House No. 4, known for its dealings with pirates and criminals, their days of glory are finally returning!
Shortly after, the unknown warrior from the Kingdom of Flowers was auctioned off by a stockier noble for a large sum. The lady's wolf-like eyes made the nameless warrior's face look even more terrified.
Disco rushed onto the stage to promote the next slave. Every time a slave was auctioned off, he looked at the specially reserved place on the side of the stage. Damn! How is it that my brilliant future has not yet arrived?
Outside the auction house, Buggy put on a Marine uniform that was a magnet for attention in the illegal zone.
Standing under a large semicircular building, he looked up.
Looking at the facade of the upper building, there was a discreet wooden sign with the words "Employment Agency." It seemed very interesting to him.
- - - - - - -
Hello everyone!
Thanks for reading this chapter.
To keep increasing our chapters, I'm asking for your support. For every 150 Power Stones we collect across all novels this week, I'll add an extra daily chapter for next week.
If you're enjoying this novel and want to know what happens next, I have great news: you can find over 50 advanced chapters on my Patreon.
Besides this one, you can also read advanced chapters of my other novels.
Your comments and Power Stones are what make this possible. Thanks!
@Patreon/iLikeeMikee