As the floor manager walked toward the shattered VIP box with a grim expression, the Boss of the auction house had already dialed a specific number on a golden Den Den Mushi.
The snail's eyes narrowed behind imaginary sunglasses, and its mouth curved into a permanent, arrogant smirk.
"Joker-sama, I have a matter to report."
On the other end of the line, in a sunny villa in Dressrosa, Donquixote Doflamingo sat with his legs crossed on a window sill.
He sipped a colorful drink offered by a maid, his pointed leather shoes bobbing rhythmically.
"Speak," he said, his voice dripping with relaxed menace.
"The Straw Hat Pirates caused trouble at the Pucci branch. They smashed the VIP box."
Doflamingo paused mid-sip.
He straightened his posture, resting his chin on his palm.
A wide, playful grin spread across his face.
"Tell me... how exactly did the Straw Hat Kid cause trouble?"
The Boss relayed Luffy's demands—the destruction of the property, the demand for the slaves' freedom.
"Oh? You're saying he demanded the release of the merchandise?"
Doflamingo threw his head back and laughed.
"Fufufufufu! Just as I suspected. The 'D' is always a chaotic element. So, how do you plan to handle this?"
The Boss wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Joker... I don't think their goal is simply the slaves. Their main intention might be to provoke you. Could they be trying to start a war with the Donquixote Family?"
"Fufufufufu! You're overcomplicating things. Even if they want to start a war, can you stop them? That kid took down Crocodile."
The Boss froze as his blood ran cold.
"Then... should we accept their declaration of war?"
Doflamingo's smile vanished for a split second, replaced by a sigh of boredom, before the grin returned sharper than before.
"No. I think you should compromise. Give them what they want. And then..."
Doflamingo whispered his instructions.
As the Boss listened, his eyes widened, then gleamed with malicious understanding.
"The Young Master is truly wise!"
The call ended with a kachak.
The Boss stood up, looking excited. He turned to his subordinates.
"As expected of Joker. He's turning a loss into a lethal game. If we hand over those two to the Straw Hats as well, the outcome will be very interesting. Kehahahaha."
He pointed to the heavy steel door of the maximum-security hold.
"Bring out the two special lots intended for the Celestial Dragons. Hand them over to Strawhate Luffy as a sign of our... 'respect'."
...
The Auction Hall.
The floor manager stood on the stage, sweating profusely, trying to calm the raging rubber man on the balcony.
"Please, sir! Calm down!"
Luffy, seeing the man's polite attitude, scratched his head.
"Oh. Sorry about the lights."
"But!" Luffy's face hardened instantly. "You have to let them go! I hate this place!"
"You must release them!" Nami shouted, stepping up beside her captain, Clima-Tact ready. "There is no room for negotiation!"
"That's right!" Luffy puffed out his chest. "Don't try to stall us. I'm smart and I won't be fooled by you!"
Franky, standing in the back, facepalmed and look at Ray.
'Your captain is a blockhead... but he's a cool blockhead.'
The manager looked at the determined pirates and gulped.
Just then, the Boss's voice boomed from the entrance.
"Captain Straw Hat! Please, do not be impatient!"
The Boss walked onto the stage, spreading his arms in a gesture of surrender.
"Our auction house holds great respect for legendary pirates like you. We dare not oppose the men who defeated a Shichibukai."
He bowed deeply. "Since you want them, we will gift you all the slaves from this auction. What you do with them afterward is entirely up to you."
He clapped his hands.
"Bring them out!"
Guards wheeled out the cages of the women and children.
But then, two more guards dragged out two figures bound in heavy chains.
Two women.
Their faces were covered by iron masks, and their hands were locked in Seastone cuffs.
Unlike the others, they wore explosive collars rigged to detonate at the slightest tampering.
Even masked, their figures were striking—clearly "peerless beauties" meant for the highest bidders.
"These are a bonus," the Boss said with a greasy smile. "A token of our goodwill."
Seeing the cooperative attitude, Luffy lowered his fists. "Oh? You're actually nice guy? Okay then!"
The tension broke.
The auction house staff began unlocking the cages.
Ray sat on the sofa in the shattered VIP box, watching the scene with cold, analytical eyes.
He scanned the crowd below.
The nobles, the mafia bosses, the wealthy perverts—they were staring up at the Straw Hats not with fear, but with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Luffy had just ruined their fun.
He had taken their "property."
'Clever,' Ray thought, his eyes narrowing.
'By publicly giving us the slaves, they've made us the enemy of every criminal organization and noble in this room. And those two extra women... they weren't on the list.'
Ray memorized the faces of the most hostile audience members in his mind.
...
Luffy and Nami jumped down to the stage.
Franky followed, weeping manly tears as he helped break the chains of the weeping children.
"Don't worry!" Franky sobbed. "Big Brother Franky will take you home!"
Nami moved to the two masked women.
She held the keys provided by the Boss.
"It's okay now," Nami said gently. "We're going to get these off you."
Click. Clack.
The explosive collars fell to the floor.
Nami reached up and unlocked the iron masks.
As the metal fell away, revealing the faces underneath, Nami gasped.
She stumbled back and her eyes wide with shock!
"It's... It's actually YOU TWO?!"
Ray leaped down from the balcony, landing silently beside Nami. He looked at the women and raised an eyebrow.
'Well now. This is a surprise.'
The first woman had distinct wavy blue hair and a sharp, mature gaze.
It was Miss Doublefinger (Paula), the top female officer of Baroque Works.
The second woman was even more surprising.
She had smooth, slippery skin and dark hair.
It was Alvida, the former captain who had joined forces with Buggy.
"Logically speaking," Ray mused, crossing his arms, "neither of you are weak. How did you end up in a trashy auction like this?"
The two women, rubbing their wrists, looked at the Straw Hats with complicated expressions.
Eventually, they spoke.
Paula sighed, adjusting her tattered dress. "After I was captured by the Marines in Alabasta, I escaped... but then I was ambushed by a group of men in black suits. They were professionals. Before I knew it, I was here."
Alvida gritted her teeth, clearly humiliated. "My story is worse. Buggy and I ran into Doflamingo's crew near Jaya. We fought."
"And?" Ray prompted.
"We lost," Alvida spat. "Except for Buggy and that man Gin, we were wiped out. I was fighting a maid... a woman who could turn her body into firearms. She blasted me unconscious. When I woke up, I was in Seastone cuffs."
'Baby 5,' Ray noted.
"I have a question," Ray said, his voice cutting through the reunion. "Do you know where they were planning to send you?"
Nami blinked, confused. "Ray, that's a dumb question. Obviously, they were going to be auctioned off here."
Ray glanced coldly at Nami. "Not here. These two were 'special stock' kept in the back. They weren't in the catalog."
He looked back at the women. "Let them speak."
Paula and Alvida exchanged a dark look.
They shuddered, a rare show of fear for experienced pirates.
"We heard the guards talking," Paula whispered. "The destination wasn't a random pirate or noble."
"We were being prepped for Sabaody Archipelago," Alvida finished, her voice trembling slightly.
Franky froze. Even he knew what that meant.
Sabaody was the gateway to the New World.
But it was also the playground of the World Nobles.
The Celestial Dragons.
Ray's eyes darkened.
'So that's the trap. The organizer wasn't just giving us slaves. He was giving us stolen goods meant for the Gods of this world.'