The iron cage was set down on the ground, and Marigold stumbled slightly. Hancock immediately reached out to steady her, pulling both of her sisters behind her.
Black carefully observed the three young girls inside the cage.
That's right the Boa sisters.
Hancock was only twelve years old, yet she already bore a faint resemblance to her future self.
What surprised Black was that Sandersonia's appearance was no different from what he remembered; the proportion of her head was exaggerated, comparable to Emporio Ivankov's, nearly catching up to Vegapunk's.
Marigold, however, was still petite and delicate, a stark contrast to the fuller figure she would have in the future.
It might be an exaggeration to say she surpassed Hancock in beauty, but the two were certainly comparable.
Grothius stepped forward, sizing them up:
"These are the rare slaves from the Land of Women? It's truly not easy for you to get your hands on them."
Hancock immediately shielded her two sisters, her back straight and rigid as she stared at Grothius with vigilance.
Marigold clutched tightly at Hancock's clothes, her knuckles turning white.
Sandersonia stood close to Hancock, her chin slightly raised, though her trembling eyelashes betrayed her unease.
Rosward stepped forward and proudly introduced:
"The place they come from is the Calm Belt. It's not somewhere just anyone can enter."
"My slave traders only managed to capture them when they ventured out to sea, after great difficulty."
The other Celestial Dragons gathered around, pointing and discussing among themselves.
To them, a slave's appearance, personality, strength, or potential meant nothing.
What mattered was rarity.
Clearly, the identity of being from Amazon Lily had already ignited their interest.
Black lightly tapped his scepter against the floor:
"You said they're prizes. So you've prepared some kind of arrangement?"
"Of course!"
Rosward clapped his hands, and attendants immediately stepped forward to clear the area.
"Since everyone is interested, we'll use the traditional method to decide ownership."
Celestial Dragons were notoriously self-centered. Over time, disputes over rare "possessions" were inevitable.
If they fought personally, it could escalate into irreversible conflict.
Thus, a system had formed.
Each would send out a slave to fight.
This way, even the loser would only think about acquiring a stronger slave next time, rather than turning their hostility toward each other.
Hearing this, Black did not respond immediately.
Instead, he slowly approached the iron cage, tapping the bars lightly with the tip of his scepter, producing a crisp sound.
Hancock raised her head and met his gaze.
Black smiled faintly at her.
Grothius, standing beside him, spoke impatiently:
"Good! Then I'll have 'Blood Axe' entertain everyone!"
"My 'Blood Axe' has already achieved thirty consecutive victories in the gladiator arena!"
He looked around proudly, as if victory was already in his grasp.
A trace of disdain flickered in Black's eyes—so subtle that only Hancock, who had been watching him closely, caught it.
The gladiator arena of Mary Geoise was only slightly more valuable than the one in Dressrosa.
Fisher Tiger had probably been the strongest slave in Mary Geoise in recent decades.
The World Government's methods of controlling slaves had limits.
Once a slave became too powerful, neither Seastone nor explosive collars could fully restrain them.
If the restraints were too loose, they could escape.
If too tight, they would become nothing more than prisoners.
In that case, what was the point of keeping such a slave?
So
Black instructed an attendant to summon Mandy from his residence.
Mandy's current strength might still fall short of Kuzan's, but against ordinary slaves, she was overwhelmingly superior.
Soon, Mandy arrived in the banquet hall. Black beckoned her over.
When she approached, he leaned in and gave her a few quiet instructions.
She was not to reveal her Hie Hie no Mi ability, nor was she to end the fight instantly. Instead, she should drag it out and engage in a back-and-forth exchange.
Concealing strength was one reason.
Another was that Black wanted to see if this could be leveraged for greater gains in the future.
Soon, Grothius's slave, "Blood Axe," entered the hall.
Grothius looked at Black smugly:
"Well? This is my slave, 'Blood Axe.'"
"Saint Black, why not just concede?"
He glanced at Mandy, who stood silently beside Black:
"Such a beautiful slave shouldn't die in a place like the arena."
Black chuckled lightly:
"It's fine. I have some confidence in my slave."
The center of the hall had already been cleared.
Mandy and Blood Axe stepped forward.
"Wow!"
The stark contrast between the two drew gasps from the surrounding spectators.
Mandy was already tall for a woman, nearly two meters in height.
But before the five-meter-tall, heavily muscled Blood Axe, she appeared slender.
"Woman! You dare stand before me?"
"I'll split you in half right now!"
Bang!
The moment he finished speaking, the massive axe in his hand came crashing down toward Mandy with overwhelming force.
Mandy, however, merely shifted her footing slightly.
With that small movement, she evaded the attack.
The axe smashed into the floor, shattering it. Fragments flew toward Mandy, yet she didn't even blink.
The two immediately engaged in combat.
Blood Axe wielded a massive, broad-bladed axe over three meters long, his strikes wide and heavy, each one carrying tremendous power.
Rosward's banquet hall was quickly reduced to chaos. It would clearly need to be rebuilt afterward.
Following Black's instructions, Mandy refrained from using overwhelming techniques.
Instead, like her battle with Kyros in Dressrosa, she methodically inflicted wounds on her opponent.
Her blade flashed, tracing arcs of cold light.
A thin cut appeared on Blood Axe's cheek, and before the blood could fall, more wounds opened on his shoulder and knee.
Each strike penetrated only shallowly precise, controlled, almost surgical.
Enraged by her agility, Blood Axe roared:
"You damned insect! All you do is run!"
At those words, Mandy's eyes narrowed.
Black told me to hold back fine.
But just because I let you live a little longer, you dare to insult me?
As Blood Axe raised his axe overhead, gathering all his strength for a decisive blow, Mandy's figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.
Swish!
A flash of sword light.
A faint line of blood appeared on Blood Axe's forehead.
Those watching saw only Mandy slowly sheathing her blade then Blood Axe's massive body crashed to the ground.
No one understood what had just happened.
Black, however, stepped forward and said with a faint smile to Grothius:
"It seems my luck was better this time."