"What did you say? Not just the Pirate Empress — but people from the Whitebeard Pirates, the Red-Haired Pirates, and even Big Mom's crew?!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku gripped the receiver tightly, his usually calm expression cracking for a moment.
Vice Admiral Momonga's voice came through the transponder snail, clipped and anxious. Sengoku drew a deep breath, then another, before forcing himself to speak steadily.
"Understood. I'll handle it."
He set the snail down and leaned back heavily in his chair, brows knitted so tightly that the skin around them creased like stone.
This "Senzu Bean Auction" was no longer a simple black-market gathering — it had turned into a world-shaking convergence. For all four Yonko to have sent representatives was unheard of.
Across the desk, his longtime ally and strategist Tsuru — still pale from her injuries — looked up from her papers.
"Should we dispatch an admiral to Dressrosa?"
Sengoku shook his head slowly.
"Impossible. Dressrosa belongs to Doflamingo. We already have an agreement with him — no Navy interference unless absolutely necessary. Even Momonga's there unofficially, operating in the shadows."
Tsuru frowned.
"Can't we make an exception? That so-called 'Beast Prince' Luo Xing is there as well. If we could capture him, the Navy would eliminate a major threat."
"You don't understand," Sengoku replied heavily. "If we touch Luo Xing, Kaido will retaliate instantly. It wouldn't stop at Dressrosa — it would ignite a full-scale war against a Yonko. With the Beast Pirates wielding both the Monster Cells and Senzu Beans, we aren't ready for that kind of conflict. Not yet."
He was right, and Tsuru knew it. She fell silent.
What Sengoku didn't say was that the Gorosei had already forbidden any naval movement. Doflamingo had made certain of that.
With his Celestial Dragon status and the threat of exposing Mary Geoise's "National Treasure," the Five Elders had no choice but to let him have his way — for now.
The Arena Awakens
At last, the long-awaited day arrived.
The Dressrosa Colosseum was packed to the brim, the stands filled with nobles, pirates, assassins, kings, and mercenaries.
The air was electric — anticipation and greed mixed thick as storm clouds.
"Can you believe it? Kings, Warlords, even Yonko lieutenants are here! The price of these beans will skyrocket!"
"At least ten billion Beli per bean — no less! Remember what the Monster Cells sold for!"
"Ten billion?! I couldn't make that in ten lifetimes!"
"You think you're the Beast Prince? His bounty alone's worth that much!"
The auction floor was lit by a halo of lanterns.
At its center, five marble pillars rose, each topped with a jade box. Inside each box, resting on red silk, was a single shimmering green bean.
The Senzu Beans.
Each box seemed to radiate its own allure, the crowd's hungry eyes fixed upon them.
On a raised platform stood one of Doflamingo's lieutenants, acting as host. He could see every bid, every twitch, every ripple of greed below.
The seats were divided into tiers — the ordinary masses in the lower rows, the rich and infamous higher up, and the VIP seats at the top reserved for legends.
The Gathering of Giants
Luo Xing sat back in his chair in the VIP box, a cup of wine in hand.
Beside him, Carrot, his wide-eyed attendant, and Fuz-Fu, the stoic swordsman, waited quietly.
The section was spacious, but sparsely occupied.
Those who sat here were too proud — too dangerous — to sit close to anyone else.
Luo Xing's gaze drifted lazily across the arena:
Doflamingo, his grin brittle, seated beside Feld and Pieklo, the kings of the underworld.
Boa Hancock, cold and radiant, flanked by her two sisters.
Marco the Phoenix, crouched casually on his chair, his gaze sharp and focused on the beans.
Katakuri, arms crossed, silent and unreadable.
Lucky Roux, still chewing on a chicken leg, grease shining on his cheek.
He also recognized others:
Hajrudin of Elbaf, Chinjao the Drill, King Elizabello II of Prodence — figures who, in another story, would have fought over the Mera Mera no Mi.
Now, they were here for the miracle beans.
Then Luo Xing's expression shifted.
He'd felt something — faint, but unmistakable — a powerful aura, perfectly concealed among the common seats.
"Oh?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, then swept the crowd. There — a young man, face shadowed by a hat. Hidden, but not from him.
A flicker of amusement crossed Luo Xing's face before he turned away, pretending not to notice.
Revolutionaries in Disguise
"Sabo, what's wrong?"
Koala whispered, noticing her companion's posture tighten.
Sabo's gaze was fixed forward, voice low and tense.
"We've been made. The one who sensed us — it's him. The Beast Prince."
Koala's breath caught.
All Eyes on the Masked Man
While Luo Xing watched others, others were watching him.
But when they saw the white Oni mask on his face, some were disappointed.
In her VIP seat, Boa Hancock's thoughts turned inward.
So this is the man who created the Senzu Beans... a man, yes — but one of rare talent. Perhaps I should take him to Amazon Lily. A man like that deserves to serve the Empress.
In her mind, such a fate was not punishment, but a blessing.
Elsewhere, Marco, Katakuri, and Roux all studied him with interest, curiosity, or caution.
Luo Xing, however, remained completely unbothered.
He swirled his wine, calm as a still sea, waiting for the event to begin.
An Unexpected Guest
Then a voice — smooth, lilting, and teasing — carried across the VIP section.
A faint fragrance trailed with it.
"So at last, I meet the mysterious Fifth Emperor himself. Tell me, why hide behind a demon mask? Is there something you don't want the world to see?"
Fuz-Fu turned immediately, his hand on his sword.
"Watch your tongue!" he barked.
The woman's lips trembled in mock fear.
"Oh, don't be so cruel… I'm only a harmless lady, after all."
Luo Xing lifted a hand to calm Fuz-Fu, then looked at her — his tone as smooth as his smile.
"My wife gave me this mask. She said it was to scare off certain... troublesome foxes."
His eyes glinted behind the mask.
"Would you say she was right, Miss Stussy — the Queen of the Pleasure District?"
A soft laugh escaped Stussy's lips.
All around them, whispers stirred again, a hundred sets of eyes turning toward the masked inventor and the smiling spy.
Above, the announcer's voice echoed through the colosseum —
"Ladies and gentlemen… the bidding for the first Senzu Bean begins now!"
And with that single sentence, the tension snapped like a drawn bowstring —
The Senzu Bean Auction had officially begun.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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