After all, she was a wanted criminal, and this place was near Marine Headquarters. Causing unnecessary trouble wasn't ideal—if they ended up surrounded by a large group of marines, even Kaguya would find it troublesome.
To lower her exposure, she bought a fox mask from a street stall. Although it was quite different from the one she used to wear and not nearly as delicate in design, now wasn't the time to be picky.
The fox mask was just a simple handicraft and didn't cost much, but Kaguya suddenly realized that the black dress she was wearing—Saber's—didn't have any pockets for money.
Naturally, Bonney stepped in to cover the cost, though not without rolling her eyes a few times.
When they arrived at the auction house, the security was quite tight. Numerous guards patrolled the area, and even entry required an invitation.
Neither Kaguya nor Bonney had invitations, so sneaking in would be difficult.
"Hey, let's go. This place is said to be under a Shichibukai's control, and there are quite a few marines stationed nearby. You need an invitation to get inside," Bonney tugged on Kaguya's sleeve.
Kaguya ignored her and instead walked directly toward the auction hall.
Bonney stomped her foot in frustration. This woman never listened to advice!
She initially wanted to let Kaguya fend for herself—but watching her approach the venue, Bonney couldn't just leave her alone. Gritting her teeth, she followed.
It was almost time for the auction to start, and many guests were entering the hall—men and women alike, most dressed luxuriously and acting arrogantly. One glance told you they were wealthy or powerful.
Kaguya casually put on her mask and walked forward. As she brushed past a heavily made-up, aging woman whose makeup couldn't conceal her declining looks, two cards appeared in her hand. They were invitations.
"Miss, may I see your invitation?" a guard asked politely.
Everyone attending this auction was rich or influential. The guards knew better than to offend anyone, so they spoke with utmost courtesy.
"Wait—" Bonney caught up from behind and tugged Kaguya's sleeve, whispering urgently, "What are you doing? This isn't a place you can just walk into. If you're discovered—"
"It's fine," Kaguya said calmly. "I just want to buy something."
"Buy something?!"
Bonney was so mad she could explode. How could she be so oblivious to danger? If the Navy discovered them, even Bonney could get caught up in it.
"Miss, may I see your invitation?" the guard asked again.
"Sure, no problem," Kaguya replied, pulling out two cards in front of a stunned Bonney and handing them over. "These are our invitations."
The guard examined them carefully, then bowed respectfully. "Please proceed, ladies. Enjoy your time."
Kaguya nodded and walked into the auction house. Bonney had no choice but to follow.
"What happened? How did you get invitations?" Bonney asked in a low voice as soon as they were alone.
"A kind person lent them to me," Kaguya said.
"A kind person?" Bonney snorted. "Kind people in this place? You've got to be kidding."
Not long after they sat down, the auction officially began. Greedy eyes lit up all around them as the crowd eagerly awaited the next item.
However, the opening lots weren't Devil Fruits, but slaves. That was to be expected—this was a human trafficking auction, after all. Devil Fruits had only been added recently.
"What are you planning to buy this time?" a white-haired old man seated in front of them asked with a smile.
The obese woman beside him giggled. "The human slave I bought last time only lasted ten days. Today, I want a strong fish-man male."
"I want to buy two or three young girls to please the eye," the old man said with a lecherous grin.
"You really do like young girls, huh."
"I'm excited to see what kind of cute girls will show up this time."
That guy was already ancient and still looking for young girls—wasn't he afraid he'd throw his back out?
Bonney, sitting nearby, frowned with a look of disgust on her face.
As the auction progressed, the atmosphere in the venue grew more heated. Several slaves had already sold for high prices. Instead of diminishing, the audience's enthusiasm only intensified, with even higher expectations for the next "items."
"Ladies and gentlemen, coming up now is something you've never seen before—one of the most precious items of the night!"
The auctioneer, Disco, delivered his lines with passionate flair, immediately drawing the audience's attention.
"This is a noble young lady from a wealthy family. Due to her family's decline, she ended up in this unfortunate situation. She has a lovely appearance and a gentle personality. And with her noble background—doesn't that excite you? Don't you want to know what it feels like to trample a noble lady beneath your feet?"
As the auctioneer spoke with feverish excitement, the curtains parted to reveal a pretty little girl with golden hair. Her features were exquisite, with bright eyes and flawless skin, lightly made-up. However, her brows were furrowed with worry and her eyes brimmed with tears—she looked terrified.
"These bastards... they won't even spare little girls?" Bonney said angrily. "Disgusting."
Beside her, Kaguya's eyes narrowed.
Kaya.
Could it be—the Kaya who grew up with Usopp in their hometown?
One of the earliest characters introduced in the original story. Kaguya never expected her to appear here. This was the Grand Line, far, far from the small village where Kaya once lived.
But ever since Kaguya arrived in this world, the butterfly effect had altered many fates. Kaya showing up here wasn't impossible. After all, she was one of the few beauties in the original series.
"Starting bid: 500,000 Berries. Let the bidding begin!"
"600,000!"
"800,000!"
"1,000,000!"
The hall suddenly became lively. Kaya's adorable looks and her status as a noble lady made her extremely desirable to many. The thought of having a noble girl underfoot had them thrilled.
"Any higher bids?"
The auctioneer's eyes sparkled. He hadn't expected this girl to fetch such a high price. She had only cost them 30,000 Berries when they bought her.
"3,000,000!"
The old man from earlier raised his paddle, greed gleaming in his eyes.
"Any other bids?" the auctioneer cried excitedly. "If not, this beautiful young lady will belong to this gentleman! Any more bids?"
The old man looked pleased with himself, confident that the price was already sky-high for a human girl. Surely no one else would bid. Unless they were a fool.
Seeing no response, the auctioneer raised his gavel. "Three million once... three million twice... three million—"
"Ten million Berries."
A sweet and pleasant voice rang out suddenly.
Ten million Berries.
Everyone's eyes turned to the blonde girl wearing a fox mask, their gazes filled with astonishment.
The starting price for a human was only 500,000 Berries. Even those in good condition usually went for only one or two million at most—three million would be the absolute high end. But ten million? That was far beyond a human's usual price. You could even buy a giant with that amount.
Spending ten million Berries on a human?
Sure, the little girl was indeed cute, but she wasn't worth that much.
Everyone was stunned. Even Bonney was speechless. She quickly leaned in and whispered, "Hey, hey, that little girl is pitiful, sure, but do you actually have that much money?"
"Nope," Kaguya replied matter-of-factly.
"No?!" Bonney's violet eyes widened. "Then why did you bid?!"
"Because you're here," Kaguya said confidently.
"Huh?!" Bonney nearly lost it. She grabbed Kaguya by the collar and shouted, "You idiot! I don't have that kind of money either! I only have a few hundred thousand Berries on me!"
"Only a few hundred thousand?" Kaguya looked disappointed.
"Hey! What's with that disappointed look?!" Bonney got even angrier seeing Kaguya's expression.
"In that case..." Kaguya's eyes narrowed, her voice serious. "We'll have to use that method."
"That method?" Bonney blinked, confused. "What method?"
"That method is..." Kaguya said earnestly, "Selling you."
Before Kaguya could finish her sentence, Bonney had her by the neck. "You moron! If you dare sell me, I'll strangle you first!"
"O-Okay, I got it!"
Bonney angrily let go and turned away with a huff. "I really don't know what goes on in that head of yours. Great, now we'll probably have to make a run for it."
She frowned, clearly distressed. This wasn't an ordinary auction house. Rumor had it that some bigshot backed it, which was why it thrived without interference from the Navy.
If they caused trouble here, security would swarm in. Worse, marines might show up too. Escaping would be no easy feat.
Just then, a man who looked like a staff member approached and asked respectfully, "Excuse me, were you the one who placed the bid just now?"
"Yes," Kaguya nodded.
"If possible, could you please make the payment now?" the man asked with a polite bow and smile.
Oh no.
Bonney's heart sank. Payment had to be made immediately after a successful bid. But they didn't have any money!
This was bad.
Bonney was already preparing to make a run for it.
But then, Kaguya suddenly pulled a black card from her chest and handed it to the staffer. "Can I use a card? I didn't bring cash."
"Of course," the staffer replied with a smile. "Please wait a moment. I'll process it right away." With that, he hurried off.
When Kaguya turned around again, she was startled by a pair of wide, beautiful eyes staring at her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Bonney stared her down. "That's my line. Where did you get that money?"
"Didn't I say already?" Kaguya beamed. "A kind person gave it to me."
"Do I look like an idiot to you?!"
Bonney was still fuming, about to say something more, but the next auction item was introduced, forcing her to hold her tongue.
"Now comes the most thrilling moment of the night!" shouted auctioneer Disco enthusiastically into the microphone.
Everyone held their breath and turned their full attention to the stage. Rumors had been circulating that the grand finale wouldn't be slave trading, but something even rarer: a Devil Fruit.
While Devil Fruits were always rare, they hadn't been quite so scarce until recently. Ever since Kaguya began purchasing them in bulk, availability plummeted and prices skyrocketed. Now, even seeing one was rare, and buying one cost a fortune.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the mystery is about to be revealed!" Disco cried as the curtains parted to reveal a fruit with strange patterns sitting on a pedestal. "A Devil Fruit!"
Experts and collectors in the audience immediately stirred with excitement—some even stood up.
"The auction begins now! Starting price: 100 million Berries!"
"200 million!"
"400 million!"
"500 million!"
Just then, Kaguya stood up and said, "Ten billion."
"Ten billion?!"
The crowd erupted in shock. No Devil Fruit was worth that much! Even the most coveted—the Ope Ope no Mi—was valued at only five billion.
Had she gone mad?
"Wh-what are you doing?!" Bonney said in a panic. "That's ten billion!"
"What? Did I say something strange?" Kaguya looked up, her lips curling into a devilish grin. "When I say ten billion, I mean all of you each paying ten billion... to buy your own lives."
The room turned ice-cold. At first, the audience thought they had misheard. Buy their lives... for ten billion? Was this a threat?
The statement was so absurd that no one reacted at first.
"Um... Miss, please don't joke around," Disco said nervously. "This is a highly re—"
Before he could finish, Kaguya flicked her hand. A streak of black light shot from her palm and pierced straight into his mouth.
Blood sprayed.
The audience was stunned. Their eyes widened in horror. Embedded in the auctioneer's mouth was a bamboo skewer.
It was the same skewer Kaguya had used to eat dumplings.
"Noisy," Kaguya said with a cold snort.
Disco's body swayed, then collapsed to the floor, dead.
"Aaaaaah!"
Panic erupted in the auction house. Terrified guests scrambled from their seats, rushing toward the exits. But before they could get far, Kaguya waved her hand again.
Blades of wind burst forth from the Wind King's Barrier, slashing through the air.
"Trying to run?"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Blood splattered.
The sharp wind blades cut through the fleeing crowd like paper. Those in the front dropped instantly, bodies riddled with wounds as blood flowed freely.
A cruel smile crept across Kaguya's lips. "Run. Go on, try running again."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven