The Grand Line, First Half.
On a vast stretch of sea, a medium-sized pirate ship sailed slowly.
"Brother, I just received news that an auction is about to be held at the Sabaody Archipelago. It seems the Treasure Tree Adam will be auctioned too. Let's go join the fun."
On the gunwale, a young man gazed at the distant sea, laughing heartily.
The young man was tall, wearing a long coat and a horned helmet.
If Reno were here, he would recognize at a glance that this person was the future "World Destroyer," the user of the More-More Fruit (Moa Moa no Mi): Byrnndi World.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Not long after, the sound of coughing came from behind him.
World's smile stopped abruptly. He said anxiously, "Brother, your illness is acting up again. You'd better not talk."
The person who came was Byrnndi World's older brother, Byrnndij World (Byojack), who had been frail and sickly since childhood.
His face had a different complexion from normal people.
"It's fine. It's an old problem; don't worry about it."
"If we brothers are to head to the New World, building a ship with the Treasure Tree Adam will definitely make it tougher and sturdier, supporting us to go even further."
Treasure Tree Adam: one of the few strongest and most resilient woods in the pirate world.
Legend had it that there was once an island plagued by constant war. After the war, the entire island was shattered and broken.
Cities, streets, and people were all destroyed, but the single Treasure Tree Adam remained standing, unfallen.
In the original story, the Pirate King Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson, and Luffy's ship, the Thousand Sunny, were both built from this tree.
"Don't worry, Brother. The Treasure Tree Adam will definitely be ours. No one can take it from us."
World clenched his fist, his words full of confidence.
As long as it was something his brother wanted, he would obtain it at any cost.
Byojack nodded slightly, harboring no doubts about World's words.
He had been plagued by illness since childhood, but his younger brother possessed extraordinary talent and powerful strength. By a stroke of luck, World had even obtained an extremely powerful Devil Fruit.
Since setting sail, they had encountered countless pirate crews who wanted to kill them and steal their treasures.
But in the end, all of them died at the hands of his brother, World.
"Boys! Full speed ahead to the Sabaody Archipelago! The Treasure Tree Adam is ours!"
"Yes, Captain!!"
Sabaody Archipelago, also known as the Soap Bubble Archipelago.
It was called the "Island of Failure" and the "Island of Starting Anew."
Located in front of the Red Line in the middle of the Grand Line, the island was composed of multiple massive trees. The ground was actually their roots, which secreted a special resin that formed bubbles.
The entire archipelago consisted of 79 trees (groves). Each tree had a number, and each number corresponded to a specific area, dividing the island into zones with different functions.
For example, Groves 1 to 29 were the Lawless Zone, where all sorts of illegal trading took place.
After nearly half a month of sailing, Reno and his crew successfully arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Their destination was Grove 3, where the auction for the Treasure Tree Adam was about to take place.
Disembarking from the ship, everyone looked around curiously.
The Sabaody Archipelago was a necessary stop for those heading to the New World, so it was crowded every day.
Pirates, merchants, bandits, bounty hunters—all kinds of professions could be found here.
Fish-Men, Minks, Longarm Tribe members, and Giants, rarely seen elsewhere, were not uncommon here.
Almost every short distance, one could see a non-human race.
"It's so lively here!"
Reno walked on the street, passing various shops and seeing all kinds of people coming and going.
"This place is divided into many functional zones. The auction won't start for a few days. Cultivation isn't something to be rushed, so let's take a break for a few days."
"I'll take you guys for a good stroll around here. If you see anything you like, don't be afraid to spend money; just buy it."
Most of the gold obtained from Sky Island had been stored away by Reno.
But he had also distributed some to the crew members for their own use.
Even a small portion of that gold, when converted to Berries, was a considerable fortune, enough for them to squander for a long time.
"Really? That's great! I want to buy pretty dresses!"
"And beautiful shoes! And hair clips!"
"Oh, and strawberry cakes!"
Linlin counted on her fingers all the things she wanted.
"I want to replace my short blade with one made of better material."
Black Shadow looked at his short blade, which had a somewhat curled edge, and shook his head in disappointment.
The materials of his previous blades were too poor; they became useless after a few battles, which really held him back.
This time, he wanted to switch to one made of better material.
"I need to buy ingredients for the upcoming voyage."
Streusen had the hardest job. Linlin's appetite alone consumed a massive amount of food daily.
Not to mention feeding so many people. Sailing on the sea for so long, the cost of buying food each time was a significant expense.
Having said that, he started listing the food items needed.
"By the way, Hajrudin, if you have nothing to do later, come help me."
Streusen lowered his head, not forgetting to call for a helper.
"Sure. I don't really have anything I want to buy anyway."
Hajrudin thought carefully and realized there was indeed nothing special he wanted.
"Alright, alright. One at a time."
Reno stopped their discussion. "Ladies first. Let's go buy pretty clothes for Linlin, then go to other places."
"Thank you, Big Brother!"
The others looked at each other helplessly. Who asked for Linlin to be the favorite?
In the following days, Reno took the crew to buy everything they needed.
Food, medicine, tools, and other necessities for the upcoming voyage.
In short, they bought a lot of whatever they could think of.
They weren't short on money anyway, so there was no need to be stingy. The money spent wasn't even a drop in the bucket compared to what they had gained.
Having been in the Sabaody Archipelago for three days, Reno clearly felt that more and more people were arriving in Grove 3.
Judging by their attire, most of them were pirates.
Presumably, they also knew the value of the Treasure Tree Adam and had come for it.
On the fourth day, amidst the clamor of pirates, the auction began as scheduled.