However, if that were truly the case, should he swiftly escape, taking Shakky and leaving early?
That's right, you didn't mishear, it was indeed leaving early, because Rayleigh and his group were well-informed and had already learned that Rocks was about to arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago.
The power and terror of Rocks were chilling; Rayleigh and Shakky both wished to avoid his immediate threat, at least temporarily seeking refuge on Amazon Lily to avoid encountering this harbinger of disaster.
They were already aware of the Elder Nyon's plan, so they silently prayed in their hearts that Hancock would achieve swift success.
But in reality, Rayleigh was simply overthinking things, and to prevent this guy from having second thoughts and running away, Luna was genuinely worried he might slip away.
Therefore, she made a swift decision, dispatching Perona and Lillymon to deal with the pair. These two—one clever and possessing unique abilities, the other quick-witted and supremely powerful—were more than capable of the task.
Furthermore, having her stationed here was enough to serve as a deterrent.
Just like that, Perona and Lillymon immediately left their spots and strode toward the back area.
With the assistance of the service staff, the two quickly reached the back and met the auction house president.
"Ladies, all expenses incurred by your Captain here are complimentary, so there is no need for you to come forward to pay." Seeing Lillymon and Perona before him, the auction house president, a subordinate of Doflamingo, mistakenly thought they had come to pay in advance and immediately wore a flattering, beaming smile.
But sometimes, things happen to be so coincidental; although Luna had seen through Doflamingo's intentions, Perona and Lillymon were completely unaware.
At this moment, they couldn't help but feel a burst of secret delight. Not having to pay was wonderful, although they were currently penniless, they had already prepared to say, "We are here to capture someone right now, and our Captain will be purchasing more items later, so we will pay at the end."
"Hmm, you're quite sensible."
"Then we graciously accept."
The two women immediately pulled the cages, which separately held the males and females, and walked away triumphantly.
That's right, setting aside the cage holding many male prisoners and Rayleigh, even all the girls Luna had previously purchased at the auction were first locked inside cages.
But Perona and Lillymon, who had no objections to this, had already left, while everyone in the auction house had to put on expressions of welcome and farewell, witnessing their departure while inviting them to return next time.
At the same time, they weren't exactly heartbroken over the massive loss incurred this time. After all, they were just employees; if the boss didn't care, why should they?
... Perona and Lillymon immediately took all the slaves and Rayleigh to a temporary safe location.
"Here is 1 million Berries. Except for this old man, divide it up and leave. As you know the rules of the Pink Hat Pirates, we don't recruit males. Consider this a kind rescue; go live your lives well."
Perona immediately used the key she had obtained to open the cage holding the men.
Following Luna's instructions, Perona immediately smiled and casually tossed out a large bag of Berries, which truly contained 1 million.
"Thank you so much."
"Thank you for granting us new life."
"We will live well and never become evil people."
"You are living Bodhisattvas."
The male slaves who walked out of the cage immediately spoke excitedly and happily, some even shedding tears of gratitude, and they bowed deeply to Perona and Lillymon. At the same time, they were also very grateful to Luna.
After all, they knew clearly that the person who truly rescued them from their suffering was Luna.
However, although these people looked suspiciously at Rayleigh, wondering why this old man alone couldn't escape, they knew the matter was none of their concern, quickly divided the money, and hurried away.
Meanwhile, Lillymon, who was not as sociable as Perona, released all the young girls who had been purchased at the auction.
And immediately declared:
"Congratulations, you have gained the favor of our Captain. From now on, you are members of the Pink Hat Pirates, though not as main combatants, but you will be assigned under each core cadre, becoming her exclusive Pirate Warrior."
But in reality, many people across this vast sea knew clearly that the Pink Hat Pirates intended to expand into a Grand Fleet, something nearly every powerful Pirate Crew would do.
Even the Red Hair Pirates, lauded as the Iron Arm Pirate Crew, had numerous affiliated Pirate Crews under their command.
Therefore, these seven women already understood in their hearts that the moment Luna purchased them at the auction, it was essentially equivalent to receiving an entry ticket into the Pink Hat Pirates.
They were overjoyed by this, because even before they became slaves, they had already heard of the formidable reputation of the Pink Hat Pirates.
As well as the immense strength that matched their widespread fame.
They all knew this was undoubtedly an excellent destination, as wonderful as heaven.
Seeing the look of acceptance and anticipation on all their faces.
Lillymon also nodded in satisfaction.
On the other side, Perona also began speaking with Rayleigh, but primarily, Perona relayed Luna's words to Rayleigh.
The main request was to protect all her crew members, preferably escorting them safely away from here. The reward would be a large bag of Berries, definitely no less than 500 million, and a voucher ensuring Rocks would not cause trouble for him.
"Are you sure you aren't joking?" Rayleigh said, looking astonished.
But after hearing this, especially learning that Luna intended to go up to Mary Geoise alone, slaughter the Celestial Dragons, and face all the known and hidden powerhouses of the World Government.
Even though he already knew Luna's strength and abilities, Rayleigh was startled, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me if you'll do it or not. Oh, and my Captain Luna has one more thing to say: if you don't do it, then you and that Shakky will receive one voucher for endless pursuit by Rocks."
Perona said with a smile, though she looked exactly like a mischievous young girl who enjoyed pranks.
"Alright." Hearing this, Rayleigh could only immediately agree, uttering those two words with a wry smile.
Because setting everything else aside, he truly did not want to be involved with that demon, especially not being relentlessly hunted by him.
Moreover, the reward was already excellent, and perhaps they wouldn't even need to leave the Sabaody Archipelago.
Furthermore, they wouldn't have to worry about Rocks causing trouble in the future.
However, he still needed to take these young girls away first.
But it didn't matter; he and Shakky had long been prepared.
With a wave of his hand, he immediately led Perona, Lillymon, and the others away. The first direction they headed, naturally, was Shakky's bar.
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