[New Fanfic Is UP!! Uma Musume: Rising From the Countryside to Legend!!]
The massive auction house fell utterly silent.
Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at the Tenryuubito who had just been sent flying by Luffy's punch.
That was a Tenryuubito—a World Noble.
Even the slightest injury to one would provoke retaliation from a Marine Admiral.
In the past few hundred years, only one man—the Demon Child, Uzumaki Naruto—had dared to defy the World Government's authority.
He had stormed Mary Geoise itself, slaughtering countless Tenryuubito.
As a result, he was given a bounty of ten billion Berries.
Rumor had it that after more than a decade of silence, he had already been assassinated by the Government's agents.
And now…
Someone else dared to strike a Tenryuubito!?
The oppressive silence lasted several dozen seconds, then—
Suddenly, the auction house erupted with panicked voices one after another.
"We're doomed! A Tenryuubito was attacked! The Admirals will be here soon!"
"Run! The Tenryuubito's pride has been trampled! We'll all be slaughtered by the Marines!"
"There could be a Buster Call coming our way...!"
"Move it! I don't want to die with that lunatic! How could he dare to hit a Tenryuubito?!"
...
Everyone at the auction—without exception—turned pale as ghosts, scrambling to escape with whatever dignity they had left.
Even the pirate captains wore uneasy expressions.
If possible, they wanted to curse Luffy out loud.
Are you insane!? How could you strike a Tenryuubito!?
You think you're Uzumaki Naruto or something!?
This was Sabaody Archipelago—practically next door to Marine Headquarters.
Reinforcements could arrive in less than an hour!
But the Straw Hat crew didn't care about any of that. After sending that bloated Tenryuubito flying, their furious eyes turned to the remaining ones.
The aged Tenryuubito, Rosward-sei, glared at Luffy and shouted to the crowd:
"No one is allowed to run! Seize this filthy wretch who dared strike a Tenryuubito, or I'll have every one of you executed!"
His daughter, Charlia, also wore a wrathful expression and shrieked arrogantly:
"A lowly commoner dared to strike a Tenryuubito!? Kill him now! No—leave him alive! I want him as my pet! I'll make him crawl around like a dog..."
The powerful bidders and warriors in the auction house froze, their eyes flickering toward the Straw Hats.
They wanted to escape.
But... if they obeyed the Tenryuubito and captured Luffy and his crew, they might gain favor with the World Nobles.
After all, these were the rulers of the world.
Just one word from them, and they could be made rich beyond imagination.
So under the Tenryuubito's orders, many pirates and warriors hesitated, then stopped fleeing—turning their dangerous gazes toward the Straw Hats.
"Damn it... I didn't expect their words to carry that much weight..." Sanji muttered, his face grim as he glanced at the surrounding enemies.
Luffy and Zoro's expressions also hardened.
They could feel that among these people, some were no pushovers.
The air grew heavier by the second.
It was like the calm before a tsunami, ready to erupt at any moment.
Just as the situation was about to explode—
A young man's impatient voice echoed from the edge of the auction hall.
"Hey, what about the next slave for auction?"
That single sentence instantly broke the building tension.
Many wealthy spectators, bounty hunters, and pirates turned in confusion toward the voice.
"Who the hell is still talking about auctions at a time like this!?"
A disgruntled pirate cursed as he looked over.
Upon seeing the golden-haired youth, his face showed a bit of confusion.
"Blond hair...? Why does he look familiar?"
He thought hard but couldn't recall.
Shrugging, he looked back toward Luffy and the others, drawing his sword with a cold sneer.
"Tenryuubito-sama, don't worry. I'll take care of this insolent fool for you right away."
But his bold declaration was met with... silence.
Puzzled, he looked at the Tenryuubito—only to freeze.
The two remaining Tenryuubito—excluding the one knocked out—had turned deathly pale behind their bubble helmets.
Their bodies trembled violently... as if they'd seen a ghost.
Trafalgar Law muttered:
"As expected of the Demon Child who invaded Mary Geoise… Just one sentence, and they're already scared stiff."
Kidd shot him a glance and said coldly:
"No shit. That guy slaughtered over a hundred Tenryuubito during that invasion."
Their conversation was quiet, but in the current silence, every word was crystal clear.
Everyone who heard them gasped sharply and turned to stare at Naruto with wide, horrified eyes.
"The Demon Child… from over ten years ago!?"
"I heard he destroyed Mary Geoise and butchered over a hundred Tenryuubito..."
"Not even the Admirals could stop him..."
"He's still alive!? Is he planning another invasion?!"
...
Amid the commotion, the elderly Tenryuubito Rosward-sei's knees gave out.
Thump!
He collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
Charlia, too, shook from head to toe in terror.
As Tenryuubito, they knew very well about the events from over a decade ago.
Over a hundred of their kind were slain during that incident.
Many of them were people they knew—some were never even found.
They were only lucky enough not to be living in the sector Naruto invaded...
Snapping out of his daze, Rosward-sei quickly shouted toward the auctioneer:
"Quick! Bring out all the slaves for auction! I've prepared them for Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"
Charlia, her voice shrill, added:
"If Uzumaki Naruto-sama isn't pleased, none of you will survive! I'll throw you all into the fighting pits!"
Then both Tenryuubito turned toward Naruto, their bodies still trembling, and forced out pitiful smiles.
"Great Lord... how does this sound?"
Everyone present was dumbstruck.
Those were Tenryuubito.
The descendants of the twenty kings who created the World Government.
The so-called "most noble" people on earth.
Usually, they roamed the world with impunity—killing at a whim, abducting beautiful women as concubines.
To them, all races across the seas were slaves: giants, fishmen... even riding them like beasts.
And yet these arrogant, prideful Tenryuubito…
Now they were kneeling, groveling with forced smiles...
Like two dogs.
The sheer absurdity and irony of it all left everyone in complete disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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