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Sabaody Archipelago, Island 1:
Yakshawood Human Auction House.
Yakshawood is the largest human auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago. Its connections and influence are beyond imagination.
Only kings, nobles from various countries, and powerful bankers and merchants could conduct auctions at Yakshawood.
Typically, even these esteemed individuals had to be cautious and restrained within Yakshawood, never daring to cause trouble.
But today's situation was clearly different.
Not only had Yakshawood closed its doors and forbidden any visitors from entering, The auction house's corridors were lined with elite guards clad in armor and wielding weapons.
The insignia on their armor proclaimed their allegiance: the Holy Landguard Army.
Above the World Government emblem was a dreamlike crest resembling bubbles and illusions, identifying the legion's affiliation: the Limosheifer Household.
"Commoner, fetch the Den Den Mushi. This young master wants to speak with you personally. Why haven't you brought it yet? Are you deaf?!"
At that moment, the auction house manager was being brutally beaten.
Normally, anyone who dared to strike him would be killed on the spot.
But now, even as he was being battered, he forced a servile smile. "Sir, please have mercy!"
As he spoke, his nose was kicked and broken, and two nearby guards promptly severed his fingers.
Still, he maintained his rigid smile, refusing to cry out or weep as he collapsed to the ground.
He knew the man before him despised "ugly things."
"Hey, Joker."
A young man with a hideous, violent face wore a bubble helmet and an outfit resembling a spacesuit.
This attire alone was enough to identify him.
He was a Celestial Dragon, a descendant of the Creator and a World Noble.
"What's the deal with this? This isn't the kind of merchandise I ordered."
He glared at the two slaves he had just purchased nearby—women with exquisite figures and beautiful faces who wore collars around their necks.
By conventional standards, they were undoubtedly beautiful.
But to this Celestial Dragon, that was clearly not enough.
"Fuf fuf fuf fuf fuf."
From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came a peculiar, eerie laugh. "It can't be helped. Top-tier goods aren't always available."
"Huh?"
The Celestial Dragon's eyes widened in displeasure.
"If I want something, I must have it! I can't tolerate not getting what I want! Who do you think I am? Joker!"
Even when speaking to the most mysterious figure in the underground world via Den Den Mushi, the Celestial Dragon roared, "I am Saint Ambokam of the Lemoshi household!"
His hideous, brutal gaze fell upon the two slaves. "One's nose isn't high enough. Even the sound of the bridge shattering isn't crisp enough.
"The other's eyes are too small. Even the splatter of blood from gouging them out isn't dazzling enough."
He roared into the Den Den Mushi, "Such hideous trash isn't even worth destroying!"
His words laid bare his perverse tastes without reservation.
Indeed, for the Celestial Dragons—who arrogantly proclaimed themselves gods and believed themselves superior to ordinary humans—such warped desires were commonplace.
Their "desires" had long transcended simple lust and other basic human urges—those were far too base.
Take Saint Ambokam, for example. His perverse pleasure lay in buying beautiful slaves, only to destroy them.
He would sever the limbs of those with perfect physiques, shatter the features of those with exquisite faces, and crush the will of those with unwavering resolve.
He derived true enjoyment from the despair and screams of these beautiful beings as they were smashed and plunged into the abyss, akin to humans tormenting insects by plucking off their limbs.
"How dare you treat me so carelessly and make me waste my time on this errand!
Do you know who my father is? Do you want to lose your position, Joker?"
His anger erupted in a furious roar.
Silence fell on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
As the Joker of the underworld, he rarely experienced such blatant humiliation.
Naturally, he was enraged too.
"Fuf fuf fuf fuf fuf..."
But the next moment, his laughter subsided into composure.
"Don't speak like that, Saint Ambokam. I would never disrespect your father. Next time you visit, I'll have the finest merchandise ready."
He suppressed his anger and offered this reassurance to Saint Ambokam.
"That's more like it."
Hearing this, Saint Ambokam finally nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he casually tossed the Den Den Mushi to one of the two guards behind him. "Hey, kill those two women. They're uninteresting and ugly creatures; they're not worth bringing back to the Holy Land."
"Judging by the time, Father should be waking up soon. Go buy a few children. He's been particularly fond of 'Innocent Dreams' lately."
As he spoke, he yawned.
"After spending so long in the lower realm, the air here is truly foul, making one feel drowsy."
He reached into his robes and pulled out a Den Den Mushi engraved with the Inazuma crest. He pressed the shell directly to his ear and barked, "You're in Mary Geoise, right? Come pick me up immediately."
His tone was imperious and demanding.
"...Three minutes," came the reply from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, which was almost unbelievable.
Keep in mind that though the Sabaody Archipelago lay directly beneath Mary Geoise, the distance between the two places was vast. It seemed like an impossible fantasy for someone to travel from Mary Geoise to the Sabaody Archipelago in just three minutes.
Yet Saint Ambokam showed no doubt whatsoever. He simply put down the Den Den Mushi.
The two guards behind him simultaneously turned to face the women without hesitation, their faces drained of color.
With practiced ease, they raised their weapons. Their expressions were almost gleeful, it was clear that they had performed this ritual countless times before.
"Please, I beg you... I have a family. My grandmother is waiting for me," one of the younger female slaves sobbed. The older woman held her tightly and whispered, "It'll be over soon. We'll be free soon."
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
Perhaps for them, death, though painful, symbolized the end of this nightmare and their final liberation.
But just then...
Sizzle!
Their tightly closed eyelids seemed to sense a sudden burst of light. They opened their eyes instinctively and saw the bodies of the two guards who had raised their weapons explode before them.
Their blood didn't even have time to splatter before it was vaporized by the intense heat and light.
A radiant, dazzling light burst forth from within their bodies.
Thud! Thud!
Even as the two guards collapsed, the two slaves remained frozen in shock.
But at that very moment...
"Saint Limoshiver Ambokam comes here once a month. Hmm, that's him, right?" The voice echoed from the far end of the tunnel.
The two women turned their heads and saw a scene they would never forget.
A dazzling light streamed from the end of the tunnel, a piercing radiance they hadn't seen since being captured by slavers and forced into servitude. The glare nearly made them squint.
Two figures, one tall and one short, slowly emerged from the light.
The taller figure wore a Youji-headed mask.
The shorter figure wore a plain mask.
Behind them was a spreading trail of blood, telling the grim tale of the guards who had stood watch outside the tunnel.
"There's no mistake, Master. It's him!" The shorter figure hissed, his voice icy.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?!" Saint Ambokam's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his two guards fall instantly. Yet, perhaps out of ingrained Celestial Dragon habits, he still had the audacity to address the intruders. "Hey, you two filthy commoners..."
His words were cut short.
The next instant, Youji's finger flicked up.
Buzz!
A blinding light shot forth instantly. Saint Ambokam watched his right hand fly off.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Moments later, the searing pain finally registered, a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced since birth.
"Aaaah... you... you dare... I..."
He seemed about to say more, but...
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Youji didn't even bother to engage with him. With a casual flick of his fingers, he unleashed three more light bullets.
It wasn't just his right hand; all three of his remaining limbs were instantly severed.
This time, not even a whimper escaped him as Youji had already appeared before him.
"All right, this should make packing him up much easier."
Holding a massive iron crate, Youji knocked the Celestial Dragon unconscious and stuffed him inside.
Just as he'd predicted, the limbless Celestial Dragon fit easily into the crate.
...
Only then did the two slaves seem to react, covering their mouths in disbelief.
"The Celestial Dragon... he's been..."
They stared at Youji in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend what he had just done. The World Noble had been casually dismembered like a pig at a slaughterhouse.
But a moment later...
"You have to run!" The younger woman cried. "He's a Celestial Dragon! You..."
But she didn't finish her sentence.
"Escape?"
She saw the golden light in Youji's hand and the pitch-black substance swirling and flickering once more.
'Eh? Is he going to kill us?'
The thought flashed through her mind instinctively.
But the next moment...
Bang! Bang!
The two women felt a sudden lightness around their necks, followed by two ear-splitting explosions in the distance.
When they came to, they instinctively reached up to touch their necks.
"The collars..."
The specialized explosive collars that had been there moments before were now gone without a trace.
Their incredulous gazes snapped toward Youji.
But by then...
The man wearing the Youji-headed mask had already turned and walked away.
"Besides you, the slaves from the other nearby auction houses have also escaped. Use the chaos to leave this place."
His voice reached their ears, its meaning crystal clear.
"Please wait. May I ask who you are?" At that moment, the young girl reacted first, calling out.
But before she could finish her sentence...
Fuf fuf fuf fuf fuf!
A piercing laugh erupted again, this time from the Den Den Mushi on the ground.
"Hey, hey, you really went through with it, huh?" The voice continued.
"I don't know who you are, but I have to warn you, you'd better release him and commit suicide immediately. That would be best for you."
Though he couldn't see what was happening through the Den Den Mushi, he clearly grasped the situation.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. His father is an extraordinary figure, even among the Celestial Dragons, someone I can't afford to offend. If you are caught, even death would be..."
His deep voice reverberated through the corridor, carrying a clear threat.
But...
The next moment, the Den Den Mushi's mouth was clamped shut.
"Too noisy."
That was the response heard on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"Doflamingo."
This time, however, the caller didn't refer to him as "JOKER."
Yes, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, known as the "Heavenly Yaksha."
As a former Celestial Dragon and a powerful figure in the underworld, he was the true mastermind behind "Yakshawood."
At that moment, Youji casually spoke into the Den Den Mushi receiver: "You'd better pray we get what we want. Otherwise, I'll be paying you a visit in Dressrosa very soon."
His threat was utterly undisguised.
"... "
Doflamingo fell silent on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
After a moment, he asked in a low, menacing voice thick with killing intent, "Who are you?"
Knowing his identity meant that he wasn't an impulsive fool attacking Celestial Dragons on a whim.
"Youji," came the reply.
The moment Doflamingo heard this code name, his expression froze for an instant.
But before he could respond, the Den Den Mushi clicked off, the connection had been severed.
"... "
Doflamingo stared at the Den Den Mushi, his expression shifting between fury and calculation.
"Youji... The Twelve Zodiac?"
His brow furrowed deeply as he considered the potential repercussions.
The attack on the Celestial Dragons in his territory would undoubtedly bring disaster upon Yakshawood. However, he didn't care much as he had already planned to gradually withdraw from the slave auction business; he had found a more profitable venture.
Thus, rather than dwelling on his losses, he was more concerned about:
"Attacking the Celestial Dragons, or rather, Saint Ambokum of the Limoshi family." The Twelve Zodiac truly live up to their legendary recklessness, but..."
A dangerous smile curled Doflamingo's lips as he recalled the identity of Saint Ambokum's father.
"Don't think you can pull off something like this and escape so easily."
Meanwhile, outside Yakshawood:
Chaos erupted across the entire Sabaody Archipelago, particularly on Island 1.
Inside the island's various slave auction houses, countless slaves cheered wildly as they fled into the distance.
"The plan is going smoothly. In this chaos, no one will notice us."
Youji, wearing a straw hat, and Alan, who was carrying a crate containing the Celestial Dragons on his back, had already slipped out the back of the auction house quietly.
"Next, we just need to fly away from the Sabaody Archipelago, and then we can ask this guy about your younger sister's whereabouts," Youji murmured. His words revealed the reason for their presence there.
Shortly after the Baroque Works agents informed Youji about the human trafficking within the Nismail Kingdom, a World Government-affiliated nation, he naturally relayed this information to Alan.
Having trained with Youji recently, Alan was thrilled to hear the news.
Thus, the two had come here.
Relying on their intelligence, they tracked down the Celestial Dragon who bought Alan's younger sister, Cori... Saint Ambokum.
This led to the current situation unfolding before them.
"Mm."
Hearing Youji's words, Alan, whose physique had grown considerably more muscular since their earlier encounter, nodded vigorously.
Youji then spread his wings.
In an instant, he transformed into his half-human beast form. The massive Tyrant Winged Dragon would be too conspicuous in this environment.
"Let's go!"
Youji grabbed Alan, flapped his wings powerfully, and shot into the sky.
But at that very moment...
!!!
His heightened animal instincts, granted by the dual Ancient Devil Fruit Fusion, suddenly activated.
He sensed something had locked onto him.
Without hesitation, Youji raised his hand and swung his wings at Alan, sending him flying instantly.
"Lord Youji, what..."
Still reeling from being flung aside, Alan was utterly bewildered in mid-air.
The next moment, however, he witnessed an unbelievable sight as he hurtled through the sky.
Above the once clear sky of the Sabaody Archipelago, dark clouds were gathering rapidly.
Zzzt! Zzzt!
Within the gathering dark clouds, surging lightning snakes writhed like Sea King-class leviathans prowling the ocean depths, radiating a terrifying aura.
Just a moment later, a voice boomed from the heavens:
"God's Ruling."
Hōng lóng!
Thick bolts of lightning suddenly crashed down from the sky, slamming into the winged dragon soaring through the air.
(End of Chapter)