Not long after, Luffy and Zoro were feasting heartily at a small restaurant.

With his mouth stuffed full of meat, Luffy mumbled something incomprehensible.

Somehow, Zoro understood perfectly.

"You're asking what I plan to do, right?" he replied. Seeing Luffy nod, he continued, "Nothing much. If we run into the Marines, I'll hand over what I know and make a little cash. That way, the '???' on the wanted poster will get replaced with the name Davy Jones."

Luffy finally swallowed his food. "Zoro, do you still want to cut off that octopus monster's head?"

Zoro didn't answer right away.

He remembered the cheers of Shells Town when Morgan was taken down. The joy of Orange Town after the Buggy Pirates were crushed felt nearly identical.

And then there was the Straw Hat boy sitting right in front of him.

Not all pirates were pure evil. Some walked a line between good and bad. Maybe they weren't trying to play heroes, but their actions still helped people.

Zoro's outlook was beginning to shift. He had no clear answer for Luffy's question.

He silently twirled some spaghetti onto his fork and took a bite.

---

Far away, a merchant ship shaped like a razor blade sliced through the waves, escorted by three smaller warship-class vessels flanking its sides.

This was the infamous East Blue black market ship known as the Goddess of Trade.

Inside the grand hall of the main cabin, an extravagant auction was underway.

They didn't just sell objects here—they sold species. Humans with beautiful appearances were paraded as commodities. If you were lucky, you might even see a mermaid, one of the rarest treasures in East Blue.

The audience was made up of masked, wig-wearing elites. Everyone had boarded from different ports, kept their identities secret, and came for one thing only: to buy.

Here, Berries spoke louder than names.

On stage, a lanky, stick-thin auctioneer in a tailcoat held a microphone as he approached a draped pedestal.

"And now!" he shouted, lifting the energy in the room. "The highlight of tonight's auction! I know many of you came specifically for this!"

The dramatic drumroll built the anticipation. All eyes were locked on the stage, necks craning to see what lay beneath the cloth.

With a flourish, the auctioneer yanked it off.

"This is tonight's star—a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Sube Sube no Mi (Slip-Slip Fruit)!"

The cloth fell away, revealing what looked like a large pink peach, its skin swirled with the signature devilish patterns marking it as a Devil Fruit.

"That's a Devil Fruit?"

"Must be. I've seen pictures in the World Economy News' special column."

"You trust what that seagull-run newspaper says?"

Before the audience could finish processing what they were seeing, the auctioneer launched into a fevered pitch.

"Sold to the highest bidder! Starting price—100 million Berries!"

Gasps rippled through the hall.

100 million was an astronomical sum. But it also confirmed just how rare Devil Fruits were.

The masked bidders didn't flinch. They'd come prepared.

After brief murmurs and sideways glances—

"130 million Berries!"

"150 million!"

"180 million!"

The hall exploded into a bidding frenzy. The bidders glared at each other, unwilling to back down.

Soon, the price reached 240 million Berries and still climbed.

However, East Blue lacked the abundance of rich elites found on the Grand Line. Once the price crossed 300 million, the competition started thinning out.

"360 million Berries!"

A bald man covered in jewel-encrusted rings raised the bid effortlessly. He puffed on a cigar, watching his rivals fall away. Victory seemed within his grasp.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—

Suddenly, a low rumbling echoed through the ship, drawing closer by the second.

Thunder? Rain?

No one paid it much attention.

The auctioneer remained focused, trying to squeeze more Berries from the room.

"Any higher offers? 360 million going once! Going twice! Come on, folks! Devil Fruits aren't easy to come by!"

BOOM!

A sharp, explosive sound cut him off.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

This time, unmistakably cannon fire. Something was wrong.

Still, the atmosphere remained oddly calm. After all, the Goddess of Trade had three heavily armed escort ships, each comparable in strength to Marine warships.

No one thought their safety was at risk.

The jewel-laden bidder was just about to raise the stakes again when another blast drowned out his voice. He frowned in annoyance.

More patrons began grumbling as the noise disrupted the proceedings.

The auctioneer smiled nervously and spoke into his mic:

"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen. The auction will be temporarily paused. Please bear with us."

He signaled the black-suited security to investigate.

But before the guards could even exit the hall—

BOOM!

The cannon fire abruptly stopped.

"Hah. Probably over already," the auctioneer thought.

He was about to resume the auction when—

CREEAAAK—

The entire ship lurched violently.

Caught off guard, many attendees fell from their chairs in a chaotic heap.

"Damn it! Learn how to steer a ship!"

"My cane snapped! I just bought that!"

"If my wife throws out her back, I'll send gangsters after you!"

The auctioneer tried in vain to restore order—until a blood-curdling scream echoed from the corner of the room.

Everyone turned to look.

The ship's hull had split open, rain pouring inside. Water gushed through the ruptured lower deck, flooding into the grand hall.

But what truly froze their blood—

—was the sight of a black ship's bow driven straight into the auction room.

It was like a blade had sliced the Goddess of Trade in two like tofu.

"No… way…" the auctioneer murmured, stunned. His mic slipped from his hand, screeching as it hit the floor.

Then, like thunder rolling across the sea, came a booming, manic laugh.

"The Great Buggy is here!!"

From the shadows, a round, bright red nose appeared first.

Floating in midair, a severed clown's head grinned with exaggerated red lips, its eyes glinting with malice.

The room screamed in unison.

Anyone would be terrified to see a floating, disembodied clown head suddenly flying at them.

But that wasn't all.

Two gloved hands fluttered overhead like bats, then dove straight for the pedestal—heading directly for the Slip-Slip Fruit!

Their target was clear.

The auctioneer instinctively leapt forward to protect the fruit—

BANG!

A single gunshot rang out.

His head exploded. He collapsed backwards with a sickening thud as another round of screams echoed.

Buggy's floating hands snatched the Sube Sube no Mi and rejoined the clown's head aboard the black ship.

On the bow of that fearsome vessel stood three figures:

On the right, the familiar floating clown—Buggy the Clown, red nose and all.

On the left, a massive, bear-sized woman wielding a heavy iron club—Alvida.

And in the center, a tall, imposing figure in a tricorn hat. His left hand was a crab claw, his right arm a cluster of writhing tentacles, one of which held a pistol. His eyes were cold and sharp as he gazed down at the crowd below—

—Davy Jones.

The guards finally came to their senses and opened fire.

BANG BANG BANG—

The bullets bounced off the black ship's hull without leaving a scratch.

One of the guards grabbed a rocket launcher, aiming a piercing shell at the side of the ship.

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