"All right, then. I'll wait here."
With that, Karl and Ain followed the man in sunglasses toward Grove 1.
On the surface, Grove 1 looked dazzlingly prosperous—but that prosperity was built on slave shops and human auctions.
The filth festering beneath the glamour was self-evident.
Inside a private room, Disco was enjoying fine wine when a sudden sense of unease hit him.
He hurried to the window.
The moment he saw the man in sunglasses—and the man and woman behind him—his pupils shrank.
"Damn it… I knew it."
Disco quickly gathered his subordinates and rushed to the entrance of the auction house.
"Stop right there!"
"Do you know whose property this is? This place belongs to the Donquixote Family!"
Karl smiled faintly at the guards blocking his way.
"The Donquixote Family? You mean Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"That's right! Our boss is Lord Doflamingo himself. What do you think you're doing?"
Disco shot Karl a cold look, then glanced at the man in sunglasses—who lowered his head, silent.
Karl sighed theatrically.
"Oh dear, this is troublesome. A group of pirates just rushed into your auction house."
"For your safety—and to prevent damage to the assets of a Warlord of the Sea—we must conduct a search."
He turned his head slightly and gave Ain a subtle look.
Ain immediately cooperated.
"That's right. The Seven Warlords are allies of the Marines. As Marines, how could we possibly ignore something like this?"
Watching the two of them lie through their teeth, Disco felt his blood boil.
But considering Karl's strength, he chose the wiser path.
"Pirates? What pirates? We didn't see anything."
"And even if there were pirates, we wouldn't need Marine help. We can handle it ourselves."
"Please leave."
Karl shook his head with exaggerated seriousness.
"Oh no, that won't do. Capturing pirates is the Marines' sworn duty. We can't ignore any lead."
He suddenly turned to the man in sunglasses.
"Hey—didn't you see some pirates run in there just now?"
The man immediately nodded like a pecking bird.
"Yes! Yes, I saw it clearly! Several pirates ran straight into this auction house!"
Karl spread his hands.
"There you have it—an eyewitness."
"Even if Lord Doflamingo himself were here, I'd still have to search this place."
With that, he led Ain forward.
Disco trembled with rage. His vision went red—
And before his brain caught up, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Karl.
Suddenly, a chill ran across his neck.
He looked down.
A white short sword rested lightly against his throat.
Raising his head, he met Ain's wine-red eyes—icy and merciless.
"Don't move," she said calmly.
"Even if you serve a Warlord of the Sea, attacking a Marine is a serious crime."
Disco swallowed hard.
The pistol slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor.
He could only watch as the two of them swaggered into the auction house.
"Boss… what do we do now?" one of his men whispered.
Disco clenched his teeth.
"Notify the family head. Immediately!"
Inside the auction house, Karl and Ain were greeted by a sight they would never forget.
Men and women of various races were crammed into iron cages.
Collars were locked around their necks.
Their eyes were empty—lifeless.
Even when Karl and Ain entered, there was no reaction at all.
"These damn traffickers…"
Ain clenched her fists, trembling with rage, fighting the urge to slaughter every trafficker she saw.
"Don't act rashly," Karl said quietly.
"This is Doflamingo's territory. Without a legitimate reason, we can't just strike."
Ain shot him a glare, her chest heaving.
"Then think of a legitimate reason!"
Karl sighed inwardly.
If Doflamingo were just another pirate, Karl would have butchered everyone already.
But as a Warlord, acting without cause would bring questioning from the World Government.
Even if Karl's connections could smooth things over, a suspension—even for a few days—
would ruin his carefully accumulated slacking hours.
"Huh? There's a mermaid here too?" Ain suddenly said.
"Where?"
Karl followed her gaze.
Inside one cage sat a mermaid with red, wavy long hair, dressed in shabby cloth barely covering her body.
Her looks were average—nothing extraordinary—but she was unmistakably a mermaid.
Karl nodded slightly.
Today's fishing operation wasn't a waste after all.
A real "fish" had bitten the hook—
which meant their future journey to Fish-Man Island would be far safer.
At that moment, Disco hurried over.
Seeing that Karl hadn't harmed the slaves yet, he let out a breath of relief.
"Vice Admiral Karl!"
Karl turned to him. "What is it?"
"Our family head… wants to speak with you."
Disco respectfully produced a Den Den Mushi wearing sunglasses and held it up with both hands.
"…Doflamingo?"
"Fuffuffuffu~ Vice Admiral Karl, you're quite bold."
"Do you really not know that the assets of the Seven Warlords are protected by the World Government?"
Karl's expression turned solemn.
"Of course I know. But don't worry."
"A group of pirates is planning to rob your auction house. As a Marine, I naturally can't ignore that."
"Just leave it to me."
There was a brief silence on the line.
"Fuffu… my men will deal with those pirates themselves. There's no need to trouble Vice Admiral Karl."
Karl replied sternly,
"That won't do."
"The Seven Warlords are allies of the Marines. Your assets are effectively Marine assets."
"If pirates are threatening your property, I absolutely cannot turn a blind eye."
Doflamingo: "..."
If not for his self-control, he'd have already started screaming curses.
So this is what it feels like to have someone play dumb on purpose.
"Vice Admiral Karl… you're playing with fire."
Karl smiled politely.
"Lord Doflamingo flatters me. I'm merely fulfilling my duty as an ally."
"No need to thank me."
Click.
The call was cut off.
"I'll thank your grandmother!"
Doflamingo roared on the other side.
"One day, if you ever set foot in Dressrosa, I'll make you regret it, fuffuffuffu~!"
A single auction house was nothing—he could afford the loss.
But this grudge?
It was firmly carved in stone.
Karl lowered the Den Den Mushi, smiling.
Cold sweat soaked Disco's back.
Suddenly, Karl pointed at a burly male slave in one of the cages.
"Oh? This man—Ain, isn't it him?"
"What a cunning pirate, disguising himself as a slave to hide here."
"Now you've been caught."
At that moment, Karl felt exactly like one of those corrupt cops from his previous life—
framing, slandering, planting evidence—smooth as breathing.
The burly slave froze, stunned—
Then his eyes lit up with sudden hope.
The other slaves quickly realized something as well.
This Marine…
He wasn't here to hurt them.
The dullness vanished from their eyes.
Bodies trembled.
They looked at Karl with undisguised excitement.
Karl turned coldly toward Disco.
"Keys. Now."
What choice did Disco have?
The family head had already given up this place.
A mere mid-level cadre like him couldn't defy that decision.
Grinding his teeth, he pulled out the keys from behind his back and opened the cages one by one.
He could've just had the keys taken by force.
But instead, Karl insisted on a reason.
He really is…
I'm almost moved to tears.
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