"Human Auctioning House... Didn't Miss Yamato burn them all down before?"
"Yeah, and I've done the same thing before, but it was useless. Greed drives these people insane. Even if you completely destroy these places, new Human Auctioning Houses will pop up again before long.
The rot here runs too deep. If you don't cure the whole thing, cutting off a few bad leaves won't make a difference."
Olga made it a routine to clean out a batch of human traffickers every year. But this was only a temporary fix—it didn't address the root of the problem. As long as profit was involved, people would always walk this path, enslaving those weaker than themselves for personal gain.
Sabaody Archipelago existed right under the World Government's nose. The mere fact that Human Auctioning Houses could operate here meant that the World Government tacitly approved of it. After all, the place with the most slaves in the world wasn't anywhere else—it was the Holy Land, Mariejois.
"Those Celestial Dragons are pretty easy to fool. Let me think… which alias should I use this time?"
As she grew, Olga accumulated more and more aliases. Some of the notorious pirates she had taken down in the past found no peace even after death, as Olga frequently assumed their identities for covert operations—causing endless headaches for the Marines.
Some of her missions were executed flawlessly, leaving no room for suspicion. But no matter how perfectly done, every action leaves behind traces. At times, her aliases would inevitably slip up.
Her ability was Illusion, and that wasn't a secret to the Marines. But her illusions were so lifelike that even they couldn't tell if it was the real her or just an illusion. In the end, they could only work on it with both possibilities at once.
"Wait a minute—you all better not follow me. Head back first. Lately, all officers except those stationed on the islands have been summoned back to Onigashima. There's probably something big going to happen."
"I alone am enough here. You guys take these kids and return first."
To Olga, having too many subordinates around didn't mean much. A battlefield with no allies was where she thrived the most.
Both she and Queen were no match for King in a one-on-one fight—in terms of defense, offense, and speed, he outclassed them both.
Even in terms of technique, King was leagues ahead of her and Queen. But when it came to group battles, he couldn't compare to the two of them. That was the difference their abilities created.
Following Olga's instructions, Lami and Isuka took the newly adopted children and set sail ahead of her. Meanwhile, she and Elizabeth made their way toward the Human Auctioning House.
...
"Where did Pappag run off to? Isn't he Camie's master? Why is he nowhere to be found at a time like this?"
"Didn't notice. I think he ran into that luxury store to borrow a Den Den Mushi. Forget about him for now—let's focus on getting Camie back first. We still have a good amount left from our last competition's prize money and treasures. That should be enough..."
Luffy and the others were discussing how to rescue Camie. From most people's perspective, this group was just a bunch of pirates. They couldn't claim to stand for justice, but they were certainly a group of loyal friends.
Even though they had only met Camie by chance, they didn't just walk away. Instead, they gathered information and made their way to the Human Auctioning House.
Meanwhile, at the back of the auction house, a strange group of people had appeared here. Members of the Heart Pirates and the Kid Pirates had shown up for reasons unknown, though they all seemed to be injured.
Kid's arms were wrapped in gauge, Law had a bandage stuck on his face, and Killer's neck was also tightly wrapped in gauge. None of them looked to be in great condition.
The recent chaotic battle had left nearly every Super Rookie wounded. Kid and Killer, in particular, had drawn a lot of fire and barely made it out alive. If not for the sudden appearance of the Celestial Dragons, they might not have escaped so quickly.
At that moment, Kid was glaring at Law with fury, as if he wanted to kill him with his eyes alone. Law, on the other hand, completely ignored Kid, watching the auction stage with an amused expression as slaves were being sold.
As the final and most valuable auction item, the merfolk were only brought out at the very end. That was also when Olga arrived backstage. Her plan was simple—leave behind an illusion and take the target away without anyone noticing.
By the time anyone realized what had happened, she would already be long gone with Camie.
However, due to her cell phone being turned off, she arrived a little late. When she finally got here, the only one she saw was an old man with white hair.
"Whoa, whoa, is the backer of this auction house really that strong? Even someone like you got caught?"
"What are you talking about? I'm just an ordinary old man. I ran out of money for booze, so I sold myself."
"Dark King • Silvers Rayleigh is just an ordinary old man? You sure have a twisted sense of humor."
"If you were really just some regular old man, wouldn't you be panicking or screaming for help after seeing me suddenly appear in front of you?"
Others might not recognize him, but Olga had seen this face in intelligence reports. The former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, known as the "Right Hand of the Pirate King"—even in his old age, there was no way an auction house could actually defeat him.
"And what about you? Is one of Kaido's Calamity also here trying to earn some pocket money, just like this old man?"
"Who... uh..."
The guard behind noticed Olga as she revealed herself, but before he could utter a word, a transparent bladed tail pierced his skull, severing his brainstem. At the same time, Elizabeth also deactivated her invisibility.
"Olga, the target's up ahead."
"Coming. You just stay here and play your little game. I'd love to see which unlucky soul ends up buying you."
"Hey, shouldn't you show some respect for the elderly and help me unlock this Bomb Collar?"
"Not interested. Have fun playing by yourself."
Olga's appearance was merely to greet this living legend and familiarize herself with his way of speaking. That way, it would be easier for her to impersonate him in the future. Once her goal was achieved, she immediately headed toward the auction stage.
However, by the time she stepped out, the auction hall had already descended into utter chaos. Charlos, a Celestial Dragon, had just been knocked out cold by a single punch from Luffy. The reason? Simple—he had set his eyes on Hercules, a rare pet, and tried to snatch it.
Luffy had already been furious with him for purchasing Camie. Now, seeing him attempt to take Hercules as well, Luffy had no reason to hold back.
"Interesting. This year's rookies sure are gutsy. To think someone actually dared to punch a Celestial Dragon… Watching this makes my hands itch."
Punching a Celestial Dragon was the dream of many, but few had the courage to act on it. Now, the opportunity has arrived.
"There are still two more Celestial Dragons. Elizabeth, do you want to punch one?"
"Are you saying..."
"Someone's already made a move anyway. At this point, it'd be a waste not to beat them up."
The Beasts Pirates had two traditions. One was "picking up children," a tradition that continued to this day.
The other? Shifting blame. There was always someone who ended up taking the fall for things they had nothing to do with. For example, at this moment, Olga had chosen Luffy.
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