Roughly carried, Kuro was collared and thrown into a cage.
Hitting his head on the floor with a thud, he involuntarily groaned, "Ow!"
"That hurt! Handle me more carefully!"
"Noisy bastard... you're being sold as a slave. Stay quiet. Like the others."
Looking around, everyone hung their heads in despair.
Here were slaves scheduled for the human auction. No one harbored hope for the future.
"This month's been pretty tough... I'm praying you sell for a good price."
"Nah, that's probably impossible."
"Saying it yourself..."
"My comrades were there too. What happened to them?"
"Collared and cuffed like you. Decent enough as labor."
To the auction house staff listening nearby, Kuro talking normally with his kidnapper seemed "weird."
No sense of danger, treating it like someone else's problem.
Lacking that tragic air common to slaves.
"Being sold as a slave—what'll they make me do? Mopping?"
"Kid's chores! ...Well, depending on the buyer, maybe that too."
"Human horses" used instead of horses, "cleaners" for cleaning, "sandbags" just for beating—slaves had diverse uses. Because buyers used them however they pleased, they were "slaves."
The kidnapper man spoke imaginatively about what happened after purchase, threatening.
"Displease the owner and beatings are normal. Might get used as a sandbag till you're a worn rag. Better not displease them—"
"Oh, you're a fishman? Rare. Tell me about Fish-Man Island."
"Listen!!!"
Kuro completely ignored him, approaching the fishman in the same cage.
The talking man retorted half-angrily, but Kuro didn't care.
Perhaps because he differed so much from slaves captured before, it felt fruitless. The kidnapper left saying "Sell him as high as possible" to staff.
Soon after, crew members captured with Kuro were thrown into cages.
"Oh, everyone here?"
"Of course... what happens to us now?"
"Apparently we become slaves."
"Anyone who knows about Sabaody knows that... we finally became pirates and went to sea..."
"I don't want to become slaves here!"
"Well, don't be so pessimistic. It'll work out."
Even before crew members looking ready to die, Kuro maintained a consistently carefree attitude.
"But..."
"Trust our captain. If a Celestial Dragon said 'hand over subordinates as slaves,' she killed that Celestial Dragon, right? Plus, worst case, I'll manage something."
Accustomed to miserable situations from his upbringing, he was confident Kanata would eventually rescue them.
The collar and cuffs lacked sea stone, so worst case, he could crush the auction venue himself. Worrying was pointless.
Apparently the collar would explode if tampered with, but well, he wouldn't die—he thought optimistically.
"...Never seen you fight—are you strong?"
"Nah, I'm weakest on the ship."
"Captain! Rescue us quickly!!"
The screaming subordinate, barely past boyhood, was punched by auction house staff.
***
Parting from Gloriosa, Kanata reached the auction house.
Dragon and Tiger she'd contacted said they'd come here, but the auction had already started. Rather than waste time, crushing it alone with Kanata would be faster.
Heading to the staff entrance, security guards spotted Kanata's group.
"This is staff-only passage. If participating in the auction, please use the front entrance."
"We don't intend to participate. Several of our crew might be sold here. We came to get them back."
"That's... impossible. Especially for pirates."
Consistently polite but leaving no room.
Clearly looking down on them for being pirates. She didn't know how much they'd bribed the Navy under the table, but with the Golden Lion involved, they probably couldn't act carelessly.
The World Government currently left them alone conveniently.
"We have no reason to be sold as slaves. I'm saying return them."
"Persistent... persist more and we'll take legal measures. Business obstruction!"
Slave trading couldn't be legal, and calling the Navy would naturally crack down on them too—but the Navy apparently had trouble hearing the words "slave trading."
Calling the Navy would only harm Kanata's group.
"I see," she quietly exhaled.
"Hehehe... please leave. We always welcome you as a customer, Dragon-Slayer Witch."
"...This place—Shiki's a sponsor, right?"
"? ...Yes, but what—"
Kanata grabbed the large guard's face with one hand, pulling him toward her.
Monstrous strength despite the size difference made him involuntarily stagger and crouch, forced to meet her eyes.
"I've already opposed him. We once fought to kill each other—understand what I mean?"
"N-no... what exactly—"
"Don't understand? I'm saying I'll crush it."
She kicked with enough force to shatter armor, sending the guard flying while destroying the staff door.
Subordinates behind her seemed to say "Knew this would happen," readying weapons, following Kanata without a single hesitation.
"Suppress quickly. No opponent tough enough to wait for others."
Whether Navy Admirals or great pirates—she'd never falter whoever became enemies.
Defeating panicked guards grabbing weapons one after another, advancing without hesitation.
Until now, dropping Navy or Golden Lion names made anyone back down. But that backfired—they weren't used to handling such situations.
Even if used to it, Kanata alone meant certain annihilation.
"Search for handcuff and collar keys."
"Right, leave it to me. Release everyone, yeah?"
"Yes. We'll accept those with nowhere to go."
The action was decided. Without awaiting Kanata's instructions, each moved independently searching for keys.
As for Kanata, she searched for Kuro while casually breaking cages.
Even if sold, they shouldn't hand him over until the auction ended—thinking that, an especially loud scream came from the stage direction.
Thinking to suppress there too, someone from a cage called out.
"H-hey, you looking for a kid covered in tattoos?"
"Not quite a kid... probably that man. You know him?"
"Yeah. He was pretty different from everyone here... so you really came..."
Brought as a slave, he couldn't harbor fantasies about anyone coming to rescue.
So everyone ignored Kuro's words as nonsense—but apparently it wasn't entirely fantasy.
"He's being auctioned on stage now. But buyers might include Celestial Dragons."
"No Celestial Dragons. The Government already withdrew them from this island."
"What...? Wh-why..."
"Probably felt endangered."
For Kanata, if not obstructing, she'd leave them alone, but the Government couldn't. No telling where they'd encounter each other on Sabaody.
Though even Celestial Dragons probably didn't want to willingly stay on an island where Kanata—who'd accomplished "Celestial Dragon killing"—was present.
Garp she'd contacted also let slip "Would be easier if they decreased," but Kanata pretended not to hear. Amazed he wasn't punished.
Anyway.
"No business with buyers. Threaten and scatter them."
"Got it. What about ones fighting back?"
"Give them lead balls in limbs. They'll quiet down."
Only Kuro and kidnapped crew were needed. Extreme case, nothing else mattered.
Unlikely they'd be attached to auctioned slaves, so they'd leave soon.
—Before long, gunshots and screams echoed.
Hearing hurried footsteps leaving, when it quieted, several people returned from the stage.
"Oh, miss. Sorry for making you search."
"Really. Didn't think this would happen right after arriving."
Kuro cheerfully raised his hand, chains jangling. Following subordinates were pale-faced but looked relieved.
Calling it trust sounded nice, but Kanata wished Kuro would make more effort avoiding trouble.
"Can't that collar come off?"
"Who knows. Pretty sturdy, but if you mean can I swallow it, probably."
"Darkness" rose crawling across his body surface, entering between closely attached cuffs and collar.
Delicate control was needed, but having come this far, the rest was simple—just swallow it.
Crushed by darkness's gravity, collar and cuffs were swallowed, and Kuro became free without keys.
"...Surprisingly doable."
"Hmm..."
Taking a spare collar from the shelf, Kanata fiddled with it. Made difficult to break easily, but the mechanism exploded when removing the connected chain.
"I see," she muttered, crushing it in one grip.
The crumpled collar made strange sounds, exploding spectacularly where Kanata immediately threw it.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"Not impossible to break. Sturdy, but just a bit hard."
Using Haki to destroy from inside, she could crush it with grip strength alone.
Anyone reasonably handling Armament Haki could do it, Kanata thought.
"Learn from this and act carefully. Can't look after you forever. You're not children."
"Well, can't argue when a younger person says it."
"Like a kid scolded by mom."
"Give me a break. A younger mother..."
Kanata gave fist bumps to those saying foolish things, declaring "Hurry back."
Ignoring several nodding while holding bumps, other subordinates brought keys.
Most near-slaves were apparently freed. Never expecting to be saved from this situation, everyone had tears of joy.
"Those with nowhere to go, follow. We'll drop you at some island."
She wanted useful personnel to stay, but forcing them would obviously mean they wouldn't work.
Not enough leeway to keep useless non-workers. If boarding the ship, they'd do minimum work, or get thrown off.
Mostly ordinary humans, but rarely longarm tribe or fishmen. Former pirates with bounties weren't uncommon. They'd have some skills.
"You all going to the New World?"
"Yes. Through Fish-Man Island to the New World. Those attached to Paradise should stay. I won't take responsibility if you die."
"No... at least I'll follow you. Being rescued is a lifelong debt."
The longarm man bowed deeply.
Most seemed decided on boarding Kanata's ship, but naturally some were attached to Paradise or feared the New World.
If they had destinations, that was fine—Kanata released them without forcing.
"Contact Dragon and Tiger. Tell them we're done here."
"Yeah, right. We ended up suppressing it ourselves."
They'd also robbed the safe's contents, obtaining substantial money. Having become quite poor after building the ship, this was welcome.
Just needed to finish medicinal, food, and water supplies until ship coating finished—no problem.
...Unless Kuro brought more trouble.
"Navy Headquarters is nearby too, right? Okay to occupy brazenly?"
After Kuro used darkness power to swallow and dispose of the building, Kanata's group left the auction house.
Quite a large group now, but whether to rejoice about personnel for menial tasks was questionable. With abilities only letting them get kidnapped, they might become burdens in naval battles.
That would be a future issue.
For simple combat alone, current members were sufficient though...
"They won't carelessly interfere. They know how much damage increases making me an enemy."
She now thought she could at least take down Sengoku or Garp if it came to mutual destruction. With multiple people, solid.
Besides, stopping human trafficking deserved praise, not blame. Sengoku and Zephyr were earnest so might move if requested, but Garp wouldn't.
Though it didn't seem like cases warranting Vice Admirals or Admirals moving.
"Nah, just you being here might make them move?"
"Really? ...Maybe so."
Having fought the Golden Lion and Big Mom, the Government and Navy couldn't just ignore her.
Assault would definitely come at some point.
They wouldn't leave someone who harmed a Celestial Dragon alone. The question was when—
"...No point thinking about it. Return to ship once, then consider."
"Agreed. I'm tired too."
"You didn't do anything."
"Just got caught."
"Wow, saying such harsh things? I was pretty considerate too."
The initial tense atmosphere gone, they returned to the ship using roads made safe by annihilating all kidnappers and bounty hunters in the area.
***
The next day:
The newspaper announced Navy Admiral Zephyr's retirement and Sengoku's new promotion to Admiral.
***
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