Chapter 24 - Clash at the Auction House
Dust filled the air as chaos erupted in the auction hall, Nobles from various nations huddled in corners like terrified birds, panic etched across their faces, From the smoke, a man with spiky and light blue hair emerged atop the auction stage.
Monkey D. Ash narrowed his eyes, recognizing the man instantly, Gladius, one of the executives of the Donquixote Pirates, A loyal subordinate of Donquixote Doflamingo, Gladius possessed the powers of the Pamu Pamu no Mi—(Rupture-Rupture Fruit), A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, This fruit grants him the ability to make his own body or any inorganic object he touches swell up and then rupture, essentially causing an explosion.
It seemed i was right, this auction house is one of Doflamingo's many enterprises, As one of the underworld Emperor, Doflamingo trafficked in arms and slaves, his influence stretching across the seas, even supplying weapons to Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
how dare you disrespect a god!
A voice full of arrogance boomed overhead, Ash's expression twitched, That voice, it could only be one person, Sure enough, Enel descended slowly from above, lightning flashing behind him, with Drowsy-eyes, Enel regarded Gladius with contempt.
He might not have been Ash's opponent yet, but a weakling like Gladius was clearly beneath him.
"You bastard! What kind of monster are you?!" Gladius's heart sank, He had expected an easy patrol, not a confrontation with such an unpredictable powerhouse in the Grand Line, Why wasn't this man in the New World?
Gladius gritted his teeth and tried diplomacy,
I'm Gladius, an executive of the Donquixote Pirates, under Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! If you're heading to the New World, it's unwise to make enemies with us, He was gambling on Doflamingo's reputation.
Enel bit into an apple, completely unimpressed, "Warlords of the Sea?" he echoed, then scoffed "So what?"
He muttered to himself "Just one of those Warlords and yet he dares speak to a god?"
With a snap of his fingers, Enel raised his arm, A bolt of lightning crackled from his hand.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rocked the auction hall, Gladius was blown back like a ragdoll, crashing through the walls as the structure crumbled in smoke and rubble.
Lying in the debris, Gladius cursed his luck, Earlier this day, Gladius had intercepted Enel and his companion, Gin, His men, noticing Enel's long ears and strange attire, couldn't help but mock him Big-Eared Freak!
That single insult had sealed their fate, Enel furious that anyone would speak to a god like that, obliterated them with divine judgment, Only Gladius had survived, barely and now he faced the consequences.
Back in the shattered auction hall, everyone run out of the auction and only, Ash stood calmly with his pet Tuan Tuan, surveying the destruction, Sitting in the VIP box was another Donquixote executive: The strong-bodied brute with a high-pitched voice, Pica.
Gladius launched a last-ditch attack, With a twist of his mechanical gauntlet, rock spheres burst toward Enel, expanding mid-air before erupting in a fiery blast, The force engulfed Enel in a plume of smoke.
"Did I get him?" Gladius muttered hopefully.
A second later, a thunderous laugh echoed,
Yahahaha! 30 Million Volts, Thunderbird!
Enel clapped the drum on his back, A phoenix-shaped lightning bird erupted, racing toward Gladius.
But before it could hit, Pica vanished from his seat and then reappeared as a little giant, He shielded Gladius with his body and haki as the Thunderbird collided with him, triggering another explosion, Shards of rock rained across the hall.
Pica's stone form towered above them, eyes locked on both Enel and Ash.
"Another haki user" Enel noted, more serious now, His time with Ash had taught him one thing, raw Devil Fruit power wasn't everything, Real monsters had mastered Haki and Pica's Haki, unlike Gladius, was a real threat.
Pica's shrill voice echoed as he tried to recruit Enel, You should join the Donquixote Family.
Ugh, Please Stop! That voice is torture! Ash grimaced.
Veins bulged on Pica's forehead, He used his devil fruit power to merge with the Island and in the blink of an eye become a colossal Giant around 500 meters.
Ordinary Punch!
In the blink of an eye, Ash vanished, then reappeared between the giants legs facing the giant's (???), With calm eyes, he drew back his right fist, Time slowed, Then he struck.
BOOM!!
A hurricane of force blasted out, The impact shattered the stone Giant into fragments, rubble flying like cannonballs, The burst caused the shockwaves around the island.
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To be continued…