Although the private room had decent soundproofing, it was largely ineffective against Ray's superhuman hearing.
He had caught every word exchanged between Zephyr and his subordinates.
'So it's Zephyr. The Hero, Z.' (it implied to his childhood when zephyr used to play hero as Z which is ironic because in the future he end up as a villain Z)
Ray still held some fondness for Zephyr from the original story.
In his youth, Zephyr hated evil but never killed anyone.
He became a Marine Admiral at just 38, married, and started a family. But his idyllic life was shattered when pirates murdered his wife and son.
Even then, he didn't snap.
He retreated to the rear, dedicating himself to training the next generation of Marines.
A few years ago, disaster struck again.
His training ship was attacked by a pirate—likely Edward Weevil. Zephyr lost his arm protecting his students, and only he and two of his disciples survived.
'That means Zephyr repelled Weevil while protecting deadweight', Ray analyzed. 'Even with one arm, his strength isn't poor.'
Ray estimated Zephyr's current power.
Weaker than Aokiji, but a level above Admiral candidates like Tokikake. If not for his age and respiratory issues, he would still firmly possess Admiral-level strength.
Moreover, this Zephyr hadn't yet experienced his final straw—Weevil joining the Shichibukai.
His mentality was more stable, and his Haki was likely sharper than in the movies.
'Black Arm Zephyr... a master of advanced Armament and Observation Haki. He's definitely someone who can threaten me.'
If Zephyr got involved in the Water 7 incident, things would get interesting.
Ray had no intention of killing a man who upheld his convictions until death—provided Zephyr didn't harbor lethal intentions toward the Straw Hats.
...
While Ray was deep in thought, Luffy was busy inhaling the buffet.
The Square Sisters, Mozu and Kiwi, watched Ray—who had finally removed his mask to eat—with dangerously infatuated gazes.
Meanwhile, Nami and Franky were huddled in a corner, frantically calculating.
Franky's original plan was to spend 200 million Belly on Adam Wood to build a ship roughly 40 meters long.
However, Nami insisted on doubling the volume to accommodate the 13-meter Going Merry as a secondary vessel inside the dock system.
That meant they needed at least 400 million Belly worth of wood.
"This black market has enough wood for three ships," Franky muttered, tapping his chin. "Securing two large lots shouldn't be a problem."
"Four... hundred... million..."
Nami stared at the money bags with tears streamed down her face.
Her heart ached physicallyj, a wrenching pain in her chest!
She clutched her heart dramatically. "Ah! Ray! Save me! I can't breathe! I need CPR and artificial respiration!"
With a thud, Nami lay flat on the floor, squinting one eye open to check Ray's reaction.
Ray ignored her completely, casually sipping his tea.
However, Franky and Luffy took her seriously.
Luffy dropped his drumstick and jumped to Nami's side. In his view, given Nami's legendary stinginess, fainting from spending money was a perfectly reasonable medical condition!
"Franky!" Luffy shouted. "I'll handle the chest compressions! You do the artificial respiration!"
Franky hesitated.
He was still wary of these pirates, but he couldn't let a woman die.
"Leave it to SUPER me! Sorry, Little Nami! Get ready to feel my gale-force breath!"
Franky turned around, bent over, and aimed his... ass... at Nami's face.
He took a massive breath, his belly expanding like a balloon.
"FRESH FIRE—wait, no—FRESH AIR!"
BAM!BAM!
Nami resurrected instantly.
She punched both Luffy and Franky into the wall, then turned to glare furiously at Ray.
"Hmph! You heartless demon!"
Ray continued to ignore her. Just then, the lights in the auction hall dimmed.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to today's auction!"
Over the next hour, the group watched items come and go.
Nami successfully bid on two sets of legendary skin-whitening cosmetics—one for herself, one for Robin.
Luffy tried to bid on a beetle, a statue, and a weird-looking rock, earning him a swift knockout chop from Ray.
Franky watched the chaotic scene with his brow furrowed.
'This captain is completely reckless. He lacks steadiness and leadership. But... the crew still follows him. Why?'
Franky's interest in Luffy deepened.
Then, the mood shifted.
"And now, for our special lot!" the auctioneer boomed.
A cage was wheeled onto the stage.
Inside were ten young women, dressed in revealing rags, their eyes dull and hopeless.
Following them was another cage filled with children.
Franky's expression darkened.
Slaves.
This was rare for Water 7's vicinity. But the greedy whispers from the nobles below confirmed that demand was high.
Franky clenched his fists.
He wanted to help, but he knew the rules. This black market was run by the Joker—Donquixote Doflamingo.
Provoking him would bring ruin to Water 7.
They were already dealing with the Straw Hats; another enemy would break the city.
Feeling powerless, Franky sat down heavily on the floor and closed his eyes.
'Out of sight, out of mind.'
Ray remained impassive. In this era, human trafficking was a common tragedy.
He couldn't save everyone.
But Nami was trembling.
She stared at the stage, memories of Arlong Park and her own helplessness flooding back.
The despair in those girls' eyes mirrored her own from eight years ago.
She took a deep breath, her knuckles white as she gripped the railing.
"Ray," she whispered, her voice shaking but firm. "I want to buy all of them. And set them free."
Ray looked at her.
He nodded once. "The money is yours. Do as you please."
Franky's eyes snapped open.
He stared at Nami in shock. 'She's actually going to save them? Using her precious money?'
He felt a lump in his throat.
'Don't cry, Franky. Don't fall for it. Pirates are liars.'
But then, disaster struck.
"Mmph... that nap was great..." Luffy woke up.
He sat up, stretching, and looked down at the stage.
He saw the cages. He saw the chains. He saw the crying children.
Ray sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
'Well. There goes the quiet approach.'
Before Luffy could even ask a question, Ray spoke, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Luffy. You're the captain. You decide what to do."
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