Weiss strolled leisurely through Sabaody Archipelago. After checking the time, he figured the auction was about to begin, so he casually made his way there.
The auction house belonged to an old acquaintance—Doflamingo. That only made Weiss feel more at ease; if anything caught his eye, he'd just buy it outright.
As for payment? Well, that would depend on whether chaos broke out or not.
Weiss bought a hat and pulled it low over his face, covering half of his features. He had no intention of drawing attention the moment he stepped into the auction house—such a thing would be troublesome.
After all, Sabaody's auction venue didn't have private boxes or the like. Everyone sat together in a semicircular hall, with the Celestial Dragons having seats positioned higher up.
Finding a random spot, Weiss lounged comfortably and waited for his crew to arrive.
At that moment, Karina, Joanne, Theodore, and Kadun were already making their way over, hoping to arrive before the event started.
Jack's situation, however, was far more precarious.
He fired a few shots at the masked man chasing him, trying to slow him down—but to little effect.
The masked man's mastery of Observation Haki far surpassed Jack's. He dodged each bullet with uncanny precision.
…
…
Using the terrain to his advantage, Jack weaved through alleys and around wooden poles. But the masked figure tailed him like a ghostly shadow—no matter what he did, he couldn't shake him.
Checking the time, Jack figured Weiss must already be at the auction house. If he could just make it there, he'd have a chance to survive.
Without thinking further, Jack fired a few more shots behind him and took off running toward the auction venue.
The masked man easily dodged the bullets with a few nonchalant movements. Watching Jack suddenly change direction, he smirked.
"Oh? So you've found someone who can save you?"
"Go ahead, run to them. Let's see if they can really protect you."
"Maybe… Lord Jolarude will gain another new slave today."
Why hadn't the masked man reacted when Mad Wolf was killed? After all, that was a slave specifically requested by a Celestial Dragon.
Because he'd been secretly watching all along. He sensed Jack's killing intent the moment he made his move. After Mad Wolf died, he immediately suspected Jack.
It wasn't a big deal—there'd just be two replacement slaves. The Celestial Dragons wouldn't complain.
Besides, gun users were rare among slaves.
Devil Fruit users, on the other hand, were much more common.
Jack continued his desperate escape, running as fast as he could. The masked man behind him seemed to be losing interest. When Jack fired another round, the man suddenly charged forward.
"So, the one who can save you is up ahead, right? The auction house? You're too slow—let me help you out!"
Without waiting for a response, the masked man lashed out with a vicious kick. Jack was sent flying in a high arc, crashing through a building.
Amid the smoke and debris, Jack gritted his teeth and fired several more shots, emptying his revolver.
The bullets flew in a triangular pattern, aiming directly at the masked man.
Caught off guard, the man didn't expect such a concentrated burst. He failed to dodge entirely, and a scratch appeared across his mask.
A thin line of blood seeped through.
"Well, well… quite the sharpshooter. You actually managed to injure me. I wonder, who is it that you believe can save you? Someone worth betting your life on?"
Jack lay in the rubble, slowly reloading his revolver. "Whoever it is… as long as they can save me, that's all that matters."
If he said the name out loud, he might scare them off.
"Oh, staying quiet? Let me give you another push, then."
The masked man kicked again.
Jack, unable to resist, coughed up blood midair.
"Didn't think someone would actually volunteer to die today…"
Boom!
People chatting near the auction house jumped in shock—a deep crater appeared out of nowhere!
Jack crashed just outside the auction hall, forming a pit with his impact. The masked man strolled over, calm and collected, and stared down at Jack climbing out of the hole.
"So, the one who's going to save you is here, huh? Who is it? Call them out—I want to see who dares interfere."
People in the crowd quickly recognized the masked man's uniform. He was from CP—one of the higher-ranking members, judging by his outfit.
Naturally, no one dared approach.
"Cough, cough…" Jack climbed out of the pit, pistol in hand. He didn't speak—he simply emptied the rest of his bullets at the masked man.
"You really don't give up, huh?"
The masked man darted forward, lifted his leg high, and aimed a sweeping kick at Jack's head.
Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept through the area, rustling Jack's hair. The masked man's leg froze mid-air—he dared not move another inch.
"What's going on? Why'd he stop? I've never heard of a CP agent halting once they've targeted someone!" People began whispering, confused and curious.
A cold sweat dripped down the masked man's cheek—though no one could see it behind the mask.
Just now, as he was about to kick, he was hit by an overwhelming killing intent. In that instant, he saw visions—illusions of mountains of corpses and oceans of blood. A towering mountain made of the bodies of sea beasts and sea kings… not a single human among them.
Under that bloodlust, he had no choice but to freeze.
"I think I'll be the one saving Jack. Got a problem with that?" Weiss stepped slowly out of the auction hall, his hat tilted low to obscure his face.
"Who is that guy? He dares challenge CP? Who does he think he is—a Yonko or an Admiral?"
"Just wait—he'll end up dead too. No one escapes CP!"
The crowd seemed to have blind faith in CP, believing there was nothing they couldn't do. After all, Sabaody was practically their backyard.
CP agents were always lurking about—Celestial Dragons often came here, so security was paramount. If anything happened to them, it'd be catastrophic.
"May I ask who you are? Are you seriously protecting this man? He tried to kill a slave chosen by a Celestial Dragon—he must die!"
In fear, the masked man invoked the name of the Celestial Dragons.
"Oh no, he really is working for the Celestial Dragons. Those two are finished!"
"Yeah, no chance now."
As the crowd buzzed, the masked man grew more confident. He thought the situation was under control. After all, taking just one person back alive wasn't too bad.
Weiss ignored him and looked toward Jack instead.
"How long are you planning to lie there? You getting comfortable in that hole?"
"Right away, Captain!" Jack, clutching his aching chest, scrambled up and stood behind Weiss.
"Thank you for—"
"No need for thanks. You can go die now."