Chapter 16: The Beginning of Chaos
Crack!
A Den Den Mushi was crushed in Doflamingo's hand.
Several veins stood out on his forehead. His face was filled with a furious smile.
It was the first time he had seen such an arrogant Marine. His first thought was that the Navy had him in its sights; otherwise, there would be no reason for them to be so arrogant. Would they have realized what he had done? The first thing that came to his mind was a wrinkled old woman with gray hair.
But he was not completely unprepared. As for the last name Lux... it didn't have enough weight.
Mingo pulled and pulled, and a white string extended from his fingers, tying a white Den Den Mushi that was dozing nearby.
"Vergo..." he murmured.
Buggy also had a Den Den Mushi in front of him. It belonged to Colonel Yaro.
He was waiting.
Who would be the first to call? Different people, with different levels of anxiety, would transmit different messages.
If it was a call full of panic and fury from Major General Sicily, commander of Area 66, it meant that not only Captain Diouf, but the entire naval base was involved in human trafficking, but that was not surprising.
Alternatively, it could be a direct accusatory call from Marine Headquarters. It would show that, in the eyes of the Navy, a Shichibukai weighed much more than justice.
The speed at which the phone rang depended not only on the reaction of the forces behind Doflamingo, the nobles, and the wealthy merchants, but also on the degree of unity within the Navy.
Buggy hoped the call would not ring for a while. The implications were even more intriguing.
"Create a little commotion, disrupt the existing order, and then everything will turn into chaos."
"And I am the embodiment of chaos."
Buggy's smile was a little sinister.
But his actions were, without a doubt, righteous. So, legitimately, he was ordering Jacques, Arne, and the others to demand the price of supposed justice from the arrested nobles and wealthy merchants.
If they didn't want their faces to appear in the headlines the next day.
Well, it wasn't that no one complained about extortion. But the slave collars, still hidden in the human auction room, quickly silenced them. As slave owners, they knew all too well the power of these devices.
Putting their lives in the hands of others. A terrifying explosion, capable of shattering bones, tied to their necks. They hadn't forgotten the possibility of being enslaved by such devices one day, but compared to the power of manipulating lives and trampling on their dignity, they had deliberately ignored such a threat.
And now, this threat was looking them in the face. It broke their defenses more easily than any words or bloodshed.
It was the first time in Jacques's life that he saw such a vast fortune. Five hundred million or six hundred million Belly? It was piled higher than a man in front of him, with his heart pounding.
"You can take half," Buggy said.
Buggy made no effort to contain his greed. Greed made them easy prey. And he didn't deny that the prospect of such wealth also moved him. But even more exciting than the pursuit of wealth was how it could be used.
"The initial capital for the game is back, right?" he murmured to himself.
His hopes seemed to have been fulfilled. As the Navy emptied the entire human auction venue, the Den Den Mushi he was holding remained in absolute silence.
But to think that Doflamingo and the families of these wealthy nobles remained indifferent was implausible. They must have had connections with the Navy. But these connections had not had the expected impact.
"Thank you!" exclaimed the pitiful slave in the iron cage, looking at Buggy with teary eyes.
The white uniform became the brightest light in her gray life.
"Why are you thanking me?" the light asked, perplexed.
"I must warn you: in half an hour, a voracious fire will break out here," he said. "Until then, I suggest you hurry up and save yourself."
Buggy never intended to rescue slaves.
He wanted to unveil the image of the employment agency, exposing the rampant filth and darkness that lurked beneath it. Especially with such a righteous identity and name. He wanted to see the breakdown of order. Because that was the beginning of chaos.
"?"
The slave's face, redeemed, froze for a moment, and she suddenly understood.
The other party had no intention of opening the iron cage. Her fate remained the same.
Her gaze swept over the Marines in the meeting room. Those eyes, clearly full of desire, became evasive when they met hers.
At least for now, their loyalty to Buggy was enormous. There was no other option; he had given them too much.
"How can I save myself?"
At least the naval officer's gaze was not greedy.
It was her only consolation, and then she began to seriously consider how to save herself.
Her body? No, that would be no different from being a slave.
What could she do?
While the slave reflected on how to save herself, Buggy headed to the backstage of the auction. Behind the large red curtains on both sides of the stage, there was a hallway wide enough for the iron cages to pass through.
Two distinctive grooves marked the shiny tiled floor.
Further on, there were several more curves with doors.
It should be noted that these iron doors, clearly designed to prevent the slaves from escaping, ended up becoming a dead end for Disco and his accomplices.
Beyond the last thick iron door was the waiting area, where all the slaves waiting to be sold at the human auction were held.
Buggy's footsteps suddenly stopped. His expression was amused.
In the waiting area, there was no group of slaves with their heads down and lifeless eyes, waiting for salvation from him, a righteous Marine. There was only a hole about two meters wide.
Behind him, several towering red trees and rising neon bubbles could be seen, as if they were greeting him.
"It seems I won't be able to see that old friend again," Buggy whispered.
Upon returning to the stage, he felt the need to share the good news with the slave.
How should he tell her? "Congratulations, you are now the only slave who needs to save herself. Because the others have already fled."
It's hard to imagine how the slave felt upon hearing the news. But judging by her almost extinguished expression, the blow must have been quite strong. It seemed to have stimulated her in some way.
The slave stood up with a resolute look. On her exposed left wrist, there was a fragment of prismatic crystal.
She cut her hair, which reached her waist, carefully.
She took a lock of long, straight hair, like a ponytail, and gave it to Buggy.
"Swan, my name is Swan," she said.
This was her token of loyalty.
- - - - - - -
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