"Yes!"
Under Uchiha Madara's Genjutsus, the middle-aged man responded with utmost respect, bowing low as if Lin Xuan were his true master. Then he hurried away to prepare the auction—and to summon the Celestial Dragon.
Rayleigh's eyes widened at Lin Xuan's words. "Wait—you're planning to auction off your own companion?!"
Lin Xuan grinned. "Of course. If I don't auction him, how else am I supposed to stir up chaos at the auction?"
He didn't say the rest out loud: If I don't cause a scene—and maybe kill a few Celestial Dragons—how am I going to lure a Marine Admiral here? How else am I going to rack up Prestige Points?
Rayleigh felt his heart tighten. Just as I thought—this kid really is targeting the Celestial Dragon!
But Lin Xuan ignored him. Once again, he had Madara use his Sharingan to cast Genjutsus, subduing every other slave in the dungeon—leaving only Rayleigh conscious.
Moments ago, he'd spared them just to harvest Prestige Points . Now that he'd gotten what he wanted, there was no need to let them roam free.
As for setting them free altogether? Lin Xuan hadn't even considered it.
Sure, freeing them would've been as easy as lifting a finger—but why bother? They weren't his kin or friends, and many were criminals to begin with. Besides, even if he let them out, the heavily guarded auction house would only lead them straight to their deaths.
As for Rayleigh, he had a different use. Lin Xuan needed him alive—to keep generating more Prestige Points .
Seeing Lin Xuan's casual actions, Rayleigh's unease grew stronger.
"Hey, brat," he said with a frown. "What the hell are you really trying to do?"
Lin Xuan chuckled. "Relax, old man. Didn't I just tell them to auction you off first? Don't worry, I won't ruin your plan to sell yourself. As for what I'm up to—you'll find out soon enough."
Find out your head! Rayleigh nearly cursed out loud.
To him, Lin Xuan was nothing short of a lunatic. Still, a dangerous thought crossed his mind—he needed to get out of here, fast. Otherwise, when this lunatic dragged the Celestial Dragon into chaos, he'd be swept right up in it too!
It wasn't that he was afraid of trouble. He simply enjoyed the peace of his current hidden life and didn't want to end up being hunted by the Marines again.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man—still under Genjutsus—had arrived at a luxurious palace on Sabaody Archipelago, heavily guarded by the World Government's forces.
He knelt low on the marble floor, trembling with reverence.
Before him stood three Celestial Dragons—and a dog.
And in this place, his status was clearly lower than even that of the dog.
The three were none other than Saint Rosward, his daughter Saint Shalria, and his son Saint Charlos.
Among the Celestial Dragon, male nobles carried the suffix Saint, while females were addressed with Palace to mark their supposed divinity.
After hearing the man's report, Saint Charlos's eyes gleamed with vulgar excitement.
"So, you're saying the auction house just received a batch of beautiful female slaves?"
Saint Shalria, however, tilted her head thoughtfully.
"I'm more interested in that handsome male slave you mentioned—the one with red eyes. He sounds quite intriguing. A red-eyed human pet would be amusing to keep around."
Their gazes turned toward their father, waiting for his verdict.
Saint Rosward stroked his chin and said indulgently,
"Since you're both interested, we'll all go have a look. It's been too long since I've bought an entertaining slave. This time, we'll take that Dark King Rayleigh. A former right-hand man of the Pirate King would make quite the trophy, don't you think?"
"Haha! Let's go right now, Father!" Charlos said eagerly. "But the pretty female slaves—don't you dare steal them from me!"
Saint Rosward chuckled. "Fine, fine. They're all yours."
Meanwhile, news of the "special auction" was spreading rapidly across the Sabaody Archipelago. Members of the so-called high society—wealthy merchants, corrupt nobles, and decadent officials—were all rushing toward the Human Auctioning House.
One man laughed excitedly, "This time, I'll definitely buy a few more pretty female slaves! The ones I have at home are starting to bore me."
A gentleman beside him smirked. "Oh? Perhaps we could… trade sometime?"
A richly dressed woman licked her lips. "I hope they've captured some fish-men this time. Those brutes are so strong—how thrilling!"
Another noblewoman scoffed. "Fish-men? Disgusting creatures. I prefer mermaids—so much more beautiful to look at. Shame they're so rare these days; it's been ages since one was caught."
…
Without question, the corruption of the Celestial Dragon had infected these so-called elites.
They all mimicked their masters—believing that trampling others underfoot somehow made them nobler.
Yet, despite their arrogance, they were terrified of the Celestial Dragon. They knew that no matter how rich or powerful they were, one word from those "gods" could strip them of everything.
And so, their reverence bordered on fanaticism.
Soon, the grand procession of Saint Rosward, Saint Shalria, and Saint Charlos arrived at the Human Auctioning House.
The air was heavy with anticipation.
The grand auction—one that would shake the entire Sabaody Archipelago—
was about to begin!