Chapter 24: Minor 'Disruption'
The second Dante stopped relaxing around and took stock of the patrons of the auction, he hatched a plan. A very simple one, but one that would take some balls to pull off.
After all, what better way is there to disrupt an auction than to have every Marine in a 6 mile radius knocking at the door? All he'd have to do is kill one Celestial Dragon sat at the front of the seating area, on his own luxury chair that took the form of a middle aged man, malnourished and dishevelled.
He'd already disposed of one World Noble. And the Marines couldn't do jack shit to stop him that time, so chances are they won't be able to do a thing this time either. It's a perfect plan, with this murder he'll fuck with the Beast Pirates, the World Government and the Marines in one fell swoop.
'Utter perfection' Dante thought to himself as he rehearsed the stages of his plan. Stage one was simple, wait for the auction to start. Stage 2, gun down the Celestial Dragon when the Beast Pirates begin making offers. Stage 3, sit back and watch the fireworks.
The fireworks would more than likely involve him having to fight his way out of the Grove through hundreds of people eager to kill him, but truth be told that was the most fun part of it in his eyes, aside from the paycheck after.
All he had to do now was wait. Maybe he could even take some things they're selling here, Devil Fruits sell for more than just a pretty penny, after all.
Dante could already tell who he wanted to fight in the room, because one man stood out more than any among the Beast Pirates. A mouth guard and strands of blonde hair, 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide.
More than likely the man was high up on the command chain in the Beast Pirates, especially given the way the grunts look at him in awe.
The man just screamed Mini Boss, though knowing this world he doubted there would be much difficulty in the fight. He just couldn't wait. A three way battle, with Dante square in the middle.
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After a few hours spent watching the auction unfold before his eyes, Dante finally saw his opportunity. A gleaming chance.
The host held up a hand to quiet the audience as his grin widened, eager to announce the next item for sale. It had been a lucky catch, but one he was all too happy to sell.
"Now, this one will absolutely get you spending heavy! Ladies and gentlemen, hailing from the island of Kuja, we present to you tonight the wonderful ex-Pirate Telesa! That's right folks, a once in a lifetime opportunity to take one of the Empress's golden geese. The opening buy in starts at 270 million Berries. Place your bids now!"
Pandemonium. Not only was the woman very attractive, her affiliation with the Pirate Empress was by far the most enticing aspect. She would make for the perfect bargaining chip, and the Beast Pirates wanted in. Sadly for them, they weren't the only ones. Doubly sad for them, this auction would never finish.
"300 million!"
"Thats 300 million Berries from the Beast Pirates! Can anyones bank account match the scale of Kaido's, or will this item be sold here and now? You don't wanna miss out on this."
Taking that as his queue, Dante sat up from his seat, gaining the attention of the entire room as he did so. He had barely moved an inch in the last few hours, instead choosing to watch as anything from gold trinkets, living people and Adam Tree Wood were sold. His values from the old world made him disgusted with the idea of people being sold, of being helpless and shackled. He hoped those values were common in this world too.
"Sorry, folks, but I'm afraid this auction is gonna have to finish early."
Confusion rang out among the patrons, everyone recognising Dante by this point, and immediately eyes shifted between Dante and the Celestial Dragon as panic began to set in. A collective thought among the buyers: 'Surely he wouldn't kill a second one?'. He absolutely would. He continued to slowly walk forward.
"I came here today with a job having been given to me, one that required I 'disrupt' the auction."
His footsteps were all that could be heard, the auction house was silent, none dared to step forward and challenge him. At least, none wanted to interrupt him before doing so.
"And I got a disruption in mind. Unfortunately, more than a few of you are going to die."
He continued walking, his boots rhymically stepping along the carpeted floor of the auction house, with some finally leaving their stupor and calling for security.
"But, to be honest, that ain't so bad. The World ain't gonna miss you bastards much anyway."
Finally having reached his destination, Dante summoned his Devil Sword as he gazed upon the terrified face of the Celestial Dragon, who was now being body-blocked by his designated bodyguard.
Dante didn't pay much attention to the guard though, instead choosing to plunge his sword through the agents chest, with the blade then travelling further, going into the World Noble's chest and eventually exiting from his back.
Dante let them both drop to the ground after dismissing the Devil Sword and left them both to bleed out from the gaping holes in their chests. He was proud of his work.
Looking around and watching as many patrons began to scream, run for their lives or even brandish weapons, Dante hoped to be paid accordingly with the quality of his work. That same Mini Boss from earlier had ordered his men not to leave, and began cracking his knuckles.
"Ya know, I'd say that's a pretty damn good disruption."
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The distress signal was sent out the second Saint Barneole was seen in danger. The signal reached the Marines in an instant, who had only one available Admiral to send out.
Kizaru hadn't yet met Dante, however he would soon find himself loathing the man like many others. That, however, comes later. As of now, Marine headquarters were feeling more than demoralised.
Aokiji had been recovering well from his run-in with the Red Devil. The loss of an entire garrison of Marines had been a major setback, and the damage dealt to Aokiji himself was minimal at best. Mentally, though, it was a different situation.
He had trouble sleeping, and the news that his colleague Akainu had been maimed didn't help. Every chance he got, he asked to be sent out on a mission, to be posted in the New World where Dante had not yet been spotted, to be anywhere but near the bastard.
As of now, he finally finished his full report of what went down in Enies Lobby. It would be the first time anyone heard of Dante's transformation, of what was believed to be an extremely powerful Zoan Fruit. There had already been much speculation over the nature of Dante's abilities, Marines had been scouring the encyclopedias for any hint of a fruit that could explain Dante.
When he saw the alert that a Celestial Dragon was in danger, saw that he was being asked for by the Fleet Admiral, and heard that Dante had been spotted in Sabaody once more, Aokiji decided that he valued his life more than his job.
His Justice faltered for the first time, however from here his resolve would only strengthen. This would be only a temporary setback. It had to be.
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A few seconds after the Celestial Dragon truly died, Dante heard booming laughter followed by a humongous fist being thrown towards his head, with Dante barely dodging it by flipping up, using the arm as a stepping stone to throw himself backwards and stand up, gazing upon his attacker.
"Woah there, big guy! You coulda hit me with that, watch out next time."
"I wanted to hit you. I wanted to kill you. I still do. You'll fight me, right here and right now. Or else you'll die at the hands of Jack the Drought! Now dance, Red Devil!"
The newly announced Jack the Drought, a high ranking officer of Kaido's as one of his All-Stars, did not lay off the pedal when it came to attacking Dante from there after.
Several times over, his gargantuan fists crashed into the floor, seats, and tables around Dante as he ducked and dodged between each of them.
By this point, more than a few people had been caught by Jack's fists, however the All Star couldn't care less, instead choosing to just continue laughing, enjoying the way his blood began pumping more and more.
Finally seeing an opportunity to strike back, Dante waited as Jack held both fists together, slamming down with the might of a thousand beasts as he aimed to crush Dante like a bug.
Dante responded by summoning Beowulf, wiping down the gauntlets with his coat for a moment to ensure they were sparkling clean, before straightening up and unleashing a devastating uppercut within a fraction of a second that threw Jack's arms apart, shattering fingers and sending him staggering backwards.
"Haha! A wonderful strike, Red Devil! You almost scratched me!"
"Oh, I'm gonna do a lot more than scratch, pal."
Dante gave no opportunity for Jack to respond, he had already Tricked above the man and dropped onto his skull with the greaves of Beowulf, dismissing the Devil Arm and replacing it for King Cerberus within milliseconds. From there, he began to twirl around the Bo Staff as he dropped, unleashing plumes of fire with each rotation alongside heavy kicks that destroyed Jack's thighs.
Upon landing, he swung heavy, and swept the Bo Staff low taking out Jack's feet from beneath him, causing him to hang in the air briefly and give Dante ample opportunity to split the Staff in three, summoning a surge of lightning from the tip of the Staff directly into Jack's chest as he fell.
Not only did this demolish his ribcage, sear his skin and shock his heart momentarily, but it also sent the All Star flying into a crowd of pirates who had been watching the battle with awe. Most died immediately, crushed under the extreme weight of Jack.
All while this had been going on, the Kuja Pirate for sale, Telesa, had long since abandoned the Setting Sun, choosing to flee to the docks and take a small boat to where Kuja scouts typically pass through, afraid and desperate to go home.
After a good ten seconds, Jack finally began to rise again, still laughing as if he heard the funniest joke in his life. He was loving this. The feeling of blood boiling in his veins, the thrill of battle and the intensity of combat. This wasn't just his desire to be like Kaido. This was a part of him.
"If this is one of Kaido's prized All-Stars, then I can only imagine the man himself is just as disappointing. You haven't even grazed me yet, Jack."
The straw fell, and the camel's back broke. Jack could handle many things, physical harm chief among them, however disrespect towards Kaido was far too much for him to handle. Within an instant, his flesh began to alter, fur growing along his body as tusks shot out of his face.
His height grew, his weight tripled and his width doubled. Jack was no longer a man, instead having transformed with his Devil Fruit, the Ancient Zoan: Mammoth, becoming a full Mammoth intent on stampeding Dante into fine dust.
Getting an idea in his head, Dante took off his red coat and held it out in both arms like a matador, seeking to provoke Jack more than he already had as he waved the coat back and forth.
"C'mon, Jack! Come get me!"
Jack obliged, charging towards Dante at a slow, but extremely heavy set pace, stomping across the floor of the auction house, crushing bodies beneath him. The tusks came dangerously close to Dante, almost scraping against his eye, however he was no amateur matador and Tricked away just before impact.
Dante was more concerned with the fact that Jack almost sent a tusk straight through his coat more than anything.
"Watch the coat, Jack! This is a custom piece, you break it, you pay for it."
At that moment, the door to the auction house was shattered, and gleaming light shone through the hole left behind, with Dante giddy as the third party in his plan finally arrived.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone