Luffy wasn't a complete fool.
As soon as the auctioneer's oily voice described the "items" on stage, the rubber man understood immediately.
Ten women in revealing dancer outfits, shivering under the lights.
Ten children in tattered rags, ranging from toddlers to ten-year-olds.
Their eyes held no hope.
Luffy's blood boiled.
He couldn't stand the act of forcibly depriving others of their freedom. It was the antithesis of everything he believed in.
He turn around and glared furiously at Franky.
"Is this auction run by your friend?" Luffy growled, his voice low and dangerous. "If you're the same kind of scum as him, I don't need someone like you to build my ship. I'll knock you flying right now!"
Franky flinched.
The raw intensity in Luffy's eyes shook him to his core. He couldn't hold back the tears welling up behind his mask.
'Why... why do these pirates act more like heroes than the so-called justice of this world?'
Seeing Franky crying but unable to speak, Luffy clenched his fist, preparing to strike.
"Wait!" Mozu and Kiwi jumped in front of the cyborg. "Bro isn't like that!"
The Square Sisters explained rapidly.
Yes, the Franky Family ran the underworld of Water 7, but they had a code.
They never harmed locals. Their income came from bounty hunting and dismantling pirate ships.
If they caught anyone trafficking children or women in their territory, they beat them half to death.
Thanks to Franky, the crime rate in Water 7 had actually dropped.
He was the city's hidden guardian.
Luffy listened and his expression softening.
His mouth formed a perfect 'O'.
"So you're actually a good guy!" Luffy grinned, the menacing aura vanishing instantly. "Sorry for misunderstanding you!"
Then, he stood up and turned to Ray and Nami, his face serious again.
"I'm going to destroy this auction."
Ray nodded lightly, as if Luffy had just suggested getting lunch.
Nami sighed, but pulled out her Clima-Tact, her eyes sharp.
"Fine. But we're taking the money from the vault first."
Seeing the crew preparing for battle without hesitation, Franky was so moved he burst into loud, ugly sobs.
"UWAAH! Straw Hat Kid! I thought you were a villain, but you're SUPEEEEEEEEER kind! I really like you guys!"
He turned to Nami, sniffling. "You too, sister!"
But when Franky looked at Ray, he paused.
He pursed his lips.
"As for you... you're just average. You haven't reacted to those slaves at all. Cold-hearted bastard."
Ray ignored him while casually finishing his tea.
It wasn't slander; it was the truth.
Before transmigrating, Ray had seen too much darkness.
In this chaotic world, his heart was a still lake. He couldn't save everyone, and getting emotional wouldn't help.
'If Chouchou were here', Ray mused, 'he'd have dismantled Franky into spare parts for that comment.'
Franky wiped his eyes, adrenaline flooding his system.
"Alright! If you guys are crazy enough to do this, SUPER Franky is in!"
The Square Sisters threw off their cloaks, drawing their swords.
...
Two Minutes Earlier. Next Door.
In the neighboring VIP room, Zephyr, Ain, and Binz watched the stage with grim expressions.
Ain and Binz, overflowing with youthful justice, stood up.
"Zephyr-sensei! Permission to intervene!" Ain said sharply. "We cannot allow this!"
Zephyr held up his hand.
Though his mechanical arm clenched the armrest, his voice was calm.
"Hold. We are Marines. We follow procedure."
He looked at his students sternly. "Ain, Binz. Remember the faces of the buyers. Follow them. Investigate them. Then, we arrest them."
"Using the law to punish evildoers is true justice. If we smash the place now, the buyers escape, and the cycle continues. Understand?"
"Yes, Zephyr-sensei!" The two disciples nodded, awed by his wisdom.
Zephyr turned back to the window, his brow furrowed.
His anger wasn't just at the slavers.
It was at the system.
This auction house had connections to the World Government—otherwise, why would they have a VIP room reserved for an Admiral?
'Has the Marine leadership rotted this deeply? Sengoku... what are you doing? Are you so focused on the 'Big Picture' that you ignore the people suffering right in front of you?'
CRASH!
Suddenly, the wall of the neighboring VIP room exploded outward.
Glass shattered, raining down on the audience below.
A figure leaped onto the balcony railing, a furious roar echoing through the hall.
"ORGANIZERS! GET OUT HERE! RELEASE ALL THE SLAVES, OR I'LL TEAR THIS PLACE APART!"
The crowd below gasped.
"Who the hell is that?!"
"That's VIP Box No. 2!"
"Are they crazy? This is Joker's territory!"
Several spotlights swung up, blindingly bright, focusing on the intruders.
The auction attendees squinted, then gasped in recognition.
The straw hat.
"Oh my god... it's them!"
"The Straw Hat Pirates!"
"The ones who took down Crocodile?!"
"No wonder they're crazy enough to do this! Two bounties worth 450 million... this place is doomed!"
"Hahaha! Joker is going to be furious! I can't wait to read the papers tomorrow!"
...
VIP Box No. 1.
Zephyr, Ain, and Binz stared at the chaotic scene next door.
They couldn't see the intruders clearly through the dust and spotlights, but the murmurs from the crowd were unmistakable.
"Straw Hat Pirates."
Ain frowned, confused. "Zephyr-sensei... are those pirates trying to save the slaves?"
Zephyr remained silent, his eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
Binz scoffed, crossing his arms.
"I don't believe it. Pirates don't save people. They're probably just looking for an excuse to riot and steal the money. The newspapers say they're treacherous villains."
Zephyr didn't respond to his student.
He just watched.
'Don't be hasty. Let's see.'
Pirates saving people? The possibility was near zero.
But...
'Since you're Garp's grandson... let me see what kind of man you are, Monkey D. Luffy.'
...
Luffy stood on the railing, patience gone.
He punched the annoying spotlights, shattering them into sparks.
"Where is the boss?! Get out here!"
Backstage, the organizers were in a panic and the floor manager was sweating buckets.
"Boss! It's the Straw Hats! What do we do?!"
The boss, a greasy man in a striped suit, paced nervously.
Dealing with rookies was one thing. Dealing with a crew that hunted Shichibukai for sport was another.
"Stall them!" the boss hissed, shoving the manager toward the curtain. "I need to make a call!"
He grabbed a Den Den Mushi.
He needed to call the Joker!