"2 billion berries," Saint Charles raised his bid in irritation at a commoner challenging him.
"2.5 billion berries!" Nami shouted once again.
This time, the Rosward family was extremely vexed by Nami's bid.
"You filthy woman! Who gave you the right to bid against us?" Charles exclaimed.
"You are nothing but a lowly human in society. You'd better lick my boots, or I will kill you right here," Shalria added with disdain.
"She is a beautiful woman. Maybe she'll serve me well as my slave. Men, capture her!" Rosward ordered. Guards swiftly moved in from the sides to capture Nami and make her a slave, aiming to teach a lesson that would demonstrate their authority.
Hachi, Caime, and Pappagu looked on in horror. Was this the excitement the Straw Hats had mentioned? They were grateful that Nami's magic had allowed Caime to blend in among the people and avoid the attention of the slave traders. But now, they found themselves on opposite sides—against the Celestial Dragons.
"Nami, what are you doing? We won't be spared. If you do something, an Admiral will come," Hachi's voice trembled as he spoke.
"That's the plan," Ken replied.
As the guards approached and surrounded them, the Straw Hats assumed defensive positions and quickly began fighting. However, calling it a fight would be an overstatement—it was more of a one-sided beatdown. In a matter of seconds, the Straw Hats wiped the floor with the guards. The onlookers, who had expected some form of entertainment, were taken aback by the unexpected ferocity displayed by this group of supposed nobodies.
Initially, the surrounding crowd did not recognize them, but now, with the guards of the Celestial Dragons defeated, their faces were scrutinized more closely. Soon, the realization dawned upon the crowd.
"They are the Straw Hats—the most notorious Supernovas!"
"I heard their entire crew consists of Supernovas."
"Shit, we need to leave. I heard they mercilessly killed many people on their journey."
Some of the onlookers had already started to flee, realizing the audacity of the Straw Hats to believe they would get away with what they had done. The Celestial Dragons were furious and shouted,
"You low-class people! How dare you harm my guards? They are my slaves!"
"It seems your parents failed to teach you to worship us. Fear not, we will show you what it's like to experience hell. Everyone around, take down these men. Anyone who can bring them down will receive a reward of 100 million berries!" Sharlia's words ignited a deep greed in the eyes of the crowd.
Moreover, some of those present were not ordinary individuals. Many bounty hunters from around the world had been invited by the World Government to capture the Straw Hats, so this was an opportunity for them. Not only would they claim the bounties, but they would also earn favor from the Celestial Dragons. It seemed like a win-win situation. Thus, driven by greed, many people rushed towards the Straw Hats. However, the Heart Pirates and Kid Pirates were not foolish enough to get involved. They simply observed, curious about the Straw Hats' next move.
"100 million is mine... Hahahaha!"
"Their bounties are high enough... I will be rich!"
"Keep dreaming... I will be the one to take their heads!"
Men shouted as they leaped at the Straw Hats. Ken looked around and sighed. The crowd was too large, and there was limited space to fight. So, he did what any sane person would do. His eyes widened, and in the next moment, an invisible wave emanated from him as the center. Everyone felt the wave, but only those intended by Ken experienced its horrifying effects.
Those who were mid-air or running towards the Straw Hats suddenly had their eyes turn white, and then they collapsed to the ground. None of those who had been clamoring to take down the Straw Hats escaped, as they all lost consciousness. Ken had used his Conqueror's Haki to neutralize these insignificant individuals. Law and Kid squinted their eyes and looked at Ken, not expecting the Straw Hats' Vice Captain to possess such power.
The Celestial Dragons looked around in disbelief, their jaws wide open. They couldn't comprehend what had just happened and how those around them had lost consciousness.
"Wake up, you fools! Wake up and obey my orders!"
"If you don't wake up, I will beat you all up and make your families as my slaves."
Ken had specifically targeted the guards with his Haki attack, ensuring that the Celestial Dragons remained conscious. He wanted to witness the moment when Luffy would send Charlos flying back to the manga pages. And Ken wasn't disappointed. Luffy, fueled by anger from the Celestial Dragons' actions and Hacchi's failed attempts to stop him, unleashed his fury.
As Charlos saw Luffy approaching, he pulled out his gun to shoot, but Luffy evaded the bullet effortlessly. Then, with a punch filled with emotional intensity, Luffy struck Charlos.
At first, his bubble burst, and then his face contorted in an unnatural manner. In the next moment, he was sent flying, crashing into numerous chairs and causing destruction as his body finally came to a stop after rolling for a few inches.
"They actually did it," Killer remarked.
"What a rowdy bunch... Hahaha, I like them," Kid said.
"Now the Admirals will come... Ahh, I'm sorry," Beppo said in his adorable voice.
"They had planned this from the beginning. What do they want?" Law keenly observed that the Straw Hats had come to this place with a specific purpose, although they were unsure of what it was. Zoro meanwhile looked at the other two Celestial Dragons straight into their eyes and his normal look was enough to make the Celestial Dragons fall on the ground in the next second.
He was a Shinigami to begin with. His normal reaitsu was enough to bring almost everyone here to their knees. Including Kid himself. Law and Kid were more amazed looking at how the Straw Hats handled the matter.
Maybe they really deserved the high bounty that they have at the point.
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