The Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago.
This is the mandatory path to the New World.
It is also the most prosperous, dreamlike, yet filthiest place on this sea.
Sunlight filters through the massive Yarukiman Mangroves, casting dappled shadows.
Brilliant colorful bubbles rise from the ground, drifting toward the sky.
And on the streets of Grove 1.
The once bustling and noisy crowd now looked like ducks being choked by their necks.
A deathly silence!
All the pedestrians were kneeling on both sides of the road, not daring to lift their heads even once.
They even deliberately lowered their breathing, for fear of disturbing the figure slowly moving forward in the middle of the road.
That was a 'God' of this World.
A descendant of the Creators.
The Celestial Dragons!
Slurp...
Charlos Saint was riding on the back of a burly man covered in scars.
In his hand, he held a cane encrusted with diamonds.
Inside that iconic bubble helmet, his bloated, fat face was filled with impatience.
He sniffed the snot that perennially hung from his nose.
He looked at the crowd kneeling all over the ground with a face full of disgust.
"So boring..."
"These commoners make me sick just looking at them."
Charlos Saint grumbled, raising his cane and striking it hard against the head of the burly slave beneath him.
Bang!
Blood immediately began to flow.
But the burly man didn't even dare to let out a whimper.
He remained on all fours, maintaining a steady crawling posture.
Because he knew.
That if there was even a slight wobble,
what awaited him was the dark barrel of a gun.
"Hey, you."
Charlos Saint turned his head to look at the CP0 official following beside him like a lapdog.
"Isn't there anything new today?"
"My Saintship's first wife was broken a few days ago."
"And that giant slave couldn't take a beating either; he died after just three shots."
"What bad luck!"
Cold sweat poured down the forehead of the official in the black suit.
Who the hell's fault is that?
With the way you play, even Kaido would lose a layer of skin, wouldn't he?
But his face was still plastered with a fawning smile.
His waist was bent like a cooked shrimp.
"Um... Lord Charlos Saint."
"I heard that the Human Auction House received a batch of decent new stock today."
"There are Longarm Tribe members from the New World, and singers who are good at music and dance..."
"Tch!"
Before he could finish, Charlos Saint curled his lip in disdain.
"Boring."
"They're all just ordinary mortals."
"These commoners have no interest other than screaming in pain."
Charlos Saint waved his cane.
A nearly perverse cruelty and emptiness flickered in his eyes.
"Isn't there something..."
"A bit more special?"
"Like someone who won't die no matter how much they're beaten?"
"Or something that looks really strange?"
The official in the black suit wiped his sweat.
He groaned inwardly.
The tastes of these Celestial Dragons are getting more and more demanding.
Won't die no matter how much they're beaten?
Do you think that's a Logia user?
Just then.
Charlos Saint seemed to suddenly remember something.
His dead-fish eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh, right!"
"I heard my father bought some Fishman who can blow bubbles."
"It seems quite interesting."
"Let's go!"
"To the Auction House!"
"If that bastard Disco can't produce something that satisfies my Saintship,"
"I'll turn him into a slave too!"
...Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 1.
Human Auction House.
This is one of the most profitable businesses under Donquixote Doflamingo.
In the magnificent hall.
It was currently filled with wealthy people, nobles from all over the World, and pirates disguised as gentlemen.
But in the very center of the first row,
those few sofas covered with gold-threaded cushions remained empty.
No one dared to sit there.
No one dared to even approach.
Those were the seats reserved for the 'Gods'.
Backstage.
Disco, the manager of the Auction House, was holding a den den mushi and roaring, drenched in sweat.
"What?!"
"No more new stock?!"
"What the hell are you useless trash doing?!"
"That jinx Charlos Saint is about to arrive!"
"If he's not satisfied, we're all finished!"
Disco was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
He paced back and forth in the room.
He knew that bloated Celestial Dragon all too well.
He was a lunatic who killed purely based on his whims without any reason!
Just then.
A subordinate in charge of receiving goods walked over hesitantly.
In his hands, he held a black, somewhat worn-looking box.
"Um... Manager."
"A strange man in a black robe just delivered something."
"He said he wanted us to auction it for him."
"He also said... this thing will definitely satisfy the Celestial Dragons."
Disco stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the box suspiciously.
"What is it?"
"Another Devil Fruit?"
"Or some rare exotic beast?"
"Neither..."
The subordinate swallowed hard.
The expression on his face was a bit strange, even carrying a hint of inexplicable fear.
"It's a... videotape."
"A videotape?!"
Disco almost jumped up to slap the subordinate.
"Do you have water in your brain?!"
"What's the point of selling a crappy videotape?!"
"Do you want Charlos Saint to watch a movie?!"
"Doesn't he have enough slaves at home to watch?!"
"No, no!"
The subordinate shook his head quickly.
His voice was extremely low, as if he were afraid of disturbing something unclean.
"The man in the black robe said..."
"This was dug up from some ancient ruins."
"It's called... a Cursed Wraith Container."
"As long as this videotape is played,"
"a female ghost will crawl out from inside!"
"A female ghost?!"
Disco was stunned.
As a well-traveled slave trader,
he had seen giants, Fishmen, and even the Three-Eye Tribe.
But this 'ghost'... it really was the first time he'd ever heard of such a thing!
"Is that for real?"
Disco leaned closer to the box.
He felt a wave of icy chill hit his face.
On that black box,
a strange white ring symbol was printed.
Below it was a line of blood-red warning text:
[DANGER: SCP-198]
Although he didn't understand what it meant,
the hair-raising feeling it gave him certainly didn't seem fake.
"The man also provided a matching projector."
The subordinate pointed to a strange machine nearby that looked like a den den mushi.
"He said... this thing is called 'Sadako'."
"It's a vengeful spirit with an immortal body that can travel through space at will."
"If it can be tamed..."
"we could have an absolutely loyal and unkillable ghost slave!"
Hearing the word 'unkillable',
Disco's eyes instantly lit up!
It was like a hungry wolf seeing fresh meat!
Isn't this exactly what Charlos Saint wants most?!
An immortal body!
A rare breed!
This is practically a toy tailor-made for that pervert!
"Good! Excellent!"
Disco snatched the box.
A greedy and ecstatic smile appeared on his face.
"Whether it's true or not,"
"as long as we can fool that idiot Celestial Dragon,"
"not only will we survive,"
"but we'll also make a fortune!"
"Quick!"
"Wrap it up for me!"
"Use the most expensive gold box!"
"This is today's grand finale auction item—"
"The Cursed Spirit... from Hell!"