Chapter 378: Auction Feast
Grove 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago held a grim significance.
It was the place where the family of the Celestial Dragon Saint Rosward had once been killed.
To remind the world that the Celestial Dragons were not to be defied, the surviving nobles had ordered more than a thousand slaves belonging to the Rosward family buried beneath a massive memorial. A tombstone was erected above them, and every resident entering the area was required to bow before it.
Even in death, the Celestial Dragons demanded submission.
The monument itself had been carved from Sea Stone.
Workers surrounded it at all hours, cleaning the stone, polishing its inscriptions, replacing flowers, and maintaining every detail. None dared raise their heads. They repeated the same monotonous tasks with the rigid caution of people who knew a single mistake might cost them their lives.
At one corner of the memorial, bright red stained the flowers.
Blood.
A woman knelt before the tombstone, covering her eyes as though overwhelmed with grief.
Beneath her knees lay the source of the blood.
A corpse.
The body had already gone cold.
The grieving woman was Rosward Palace, the current head of the Rosward family.
The Celestial Dragons placed enormous importance on bloodline, allowing status to pass only among those born into their own class. Rosward Palace had originally come from another Celestial Dragon family, but after the death of her husband and the other members of Saint Rosward's household, she inherited his position.
She slowly lowered her hands.
"You."
A nearby stonemason froze.
Rosward Palace pointed at him with her fan.
"Come here."
The man immediately stopped polishing the monument and hurried over. Once close enough, he dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead against the ground.
"Lady Rosward Palace, what are your orders?"
"What is your name?"
Her voice was almost gentle.
"Did you carve these inscriptions?"
"Yes, my lady."
"They're quite beautiful."
The stonemason swallowed.
"Thank you for your praise. It is the greatest honor I could receive."
He kept his head lowered.
Rosward Palace studied him with mild interest.
"It's rare for someone among such filthy people to speak so pleasantly."
She slipped the edge of her fan beneath his chin.
"I permit you to look at me."
The stonemason reluctantly raised his head.
Despite the fear tightening his face, his features were striking.
Rosward Palace's eyes brightened.
"Oh."
Her lips curved with childish delight.
"I've decided."
The stonemason stiffened.
"You'll become my next husband."
She smiled.
"You'll be the tenth since Saint Rosward died."
"What a lovely number."
The man stared at her in disbelief.
"My lady..."
His voice trembled.
"I already have a wife."
Rosward Palace tapped the fan against his cheek.
"That's fine."
The man hesitated.
"I'll have her killed."
His face went white.
"I don't like other people owning my toys."
The stonemason immediately began kowtowing.
"Please!"
"I beg you!"
"Let my wife and me go!"
"Someone like me isn't worthy of becoming your husband!"
Rosward Palace's expression flattened.
She raised one foot.
A bright red heel emerged beneath her white clothing. A sharp metal point extended from its base.
Before the stonemason could react, she stepped down on his hand.
Crunch.
"AAAH!"
The spike punched through his palm and crushed bone beneath it.
Rosward Palace looked disappointed.
"That's your scream?"
She tilted her head.
"I thought it might sound different."
"How boring."
She pressed down a little harder before finally lifting her foot.
Blood poured from the ruined hand.
A fragment of white bone showed through the wound.
Rosward Palace sighed.
"With your hand like that, can you even continue carving?"
She thought for a moment.
"Never mind."
"That'll be my husband's problem once you join him."
The stonemason clutched his hand, trembling.
Rosward Palace continued casually,
"I'll send your wife down too."
"Since you're attractive, she should at least be presentable."
She smiled.
"Perhaps my son will appreciate the gift."
Something snapped inside the stonemason.
With a hoarse roar, he pushed himself up with his remaining hand and reached for the carving knife at his waist.
He never got the chance.
The black-clad guards around Rosward Palace seized him before he could move.
His body was pinned in place.
Rosward Palace drew an ornate pistol.
Bang!
The bullet pierced his chest and struck the stone carving behind him.
A piece of the inscription shattered.
The stonemason sagged lifelessly in the guards' hands.
Rosward Palace looked at his face one last time.
"Preserve his face as a souvenir."
The guards remained silent.
"And bury his wife with him."
She turned away.
"As for their child, kill it."
Rosward Palace sighed theatrically.
"I doubt my dear Shalria would want to care for someone else's child in heaven."
The lead bodyguard bowed.
"Yes, my lady."
No one nearby protested.
No one even dared react.
They had already watched another worker die earlier simply because the flowers arranged around the tombstone had not been bright enough.
His blood had been used to stain them red.
Everyone understood the rule.
Speak up, and you died next.
Rosward Palace looked around with dissatisfaction.
"None of these people seem worthy of being buried here."
She sighed.
"My son and daughter must be terribly lonely."
Her mood suddenly improved.
"Let's visit the auction house."
"Perhaps I can buy them something interesting."
With that, she walked away under the terrified gazes of everyone present.
...
"Next item!"
Barrette's voice echoed across the auction hall.
"A young woman!"
An eighteen or nineteen-year-old woman was led onto the stage.
She wore simple auction clothing and kept her head lowered while the audience examined her.
Barrette spread his arms.
"I doubt I need to explain much."
"She can work as a servant, a personal attendant, or whatever role the buyer prefers."
The audience laughed knowingly.
Barrette smiled along with them.
"The starting price is five hundred thousand Berries!"
Hands immediately rose.
"Six hundred thousand!"
"Eight hundred!"
"One million!"
The bidding continued until the woman was sold for one and a half million Berries.
Far above the opening price.
Barrette smiled in satisfaction.
An excited audience spent more money.
More money meant a larger commission for him.
He was already preparing to introduce the next lot when the atmosphere suddenly changed.
Silence spread from the entrance.
Several people wearing white garments and round bubble helmets had appeared.
Celestial Dragons.
Nobles and royalty who had moments ago been sitting proudly in their seats immediately lowered their heads.
Rosward Palace entered at a leisurely pace.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Her heels struck the wooden floor.
Each step seemed to silence another part of the hall.
She made her way toward the front, where the best seats had been permanently reserved for Celestial Dragons.
Once seated, she waved her hand.
"Continue."
Barrette bowed deeply.
"Yes, my lady."
He turned toward the stage.
"Then we shall proceed!"
The next prisoner was brought forward.
"A powerful adult male, excellent for labor, security, or any number of demanding tasks!"
Rosward Palace took one look at the coarse, muscular man and frowned.
"Ugly."
Barrette stiffened.
"Are there no interesting goods?"
She waved dismissively.
"Stop bringing out trash."
"It hurts my eyes."
"Yes, my lady."
Barrette bowed repeatedly while panicking internally.
How was he supposed to know what Rosward Palace would consider interesting?
He quickly decided to move the more valuable merchandise forward.
Before he could give the order, an auction employee rushed over and whispered into his ear.
Barrette's eyes widened.
Then a smile slowly appeared.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
His confidence returned instantly.
"The next item is truly exceptional."
The hall quieted.
"I guarantee that every person here will remember this one."
He raised one hand.
"Bring him out!"
Several staff members escorted a bare-chested man onto the stage.
His head hung low.
Heavy shackles bound both his wrists and ankles.
But those shackles were not ordinary iron.
They were Sea Stone.
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd.
Sea Stone was rare and expensive.
Using it to restrain someone meant only one thing.
A Devil Fruit user.
Then someone noticed the tattoo across the prisoner's back.
The emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The whispers died.
Barrette raised his voice.
"Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The prisoner lifted his head slightly.
"Fire Fist Ace!"
The hall exploded into uproar.
Barrette continued,
"Current bounty, five hundred and fifty million Berries!"
He spread his arms.
"So naturally, we'll begin at five hundred and fifty million!"
For several seconds, nobody bid.
People stared at Ace in disbelief.
A Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Being auctioned as a slave.
Who would dare buy him?
Purchasing Ace was practically the same as declaring oneself an enemy of Whitebeard.
And Whitebeard was someone even the Marines treated with extreme caution.
Barrette himself had nearly refused to host the auction.
But the order had come directly from Doflamingo.
He did not have the courage to disobey.
Finally, a voice called out.
"Five hundred and fifty-one million!"
Barrette immediately recognized the bidder.
A planted buyer.
One of the auction house's own people.
A moment later, another voice followed.
"Five hundred and fifty-two million!"
Another shill.
Barrette's smile stiffened.
The two planted bidders continued slowly raising the amount, but nobody else joined them.
At this rate, the entire spectacle would become embarrassing.
Then heavy footsteps came from the entrance.
The enormous figure who entered had to lower his head slightly to pass beneath the doorway.
Several people recognized him immediately.
"Jack!"
Someone's voice trembled.
"Jack the Drought!"
Panic spread through the audience.
One of Kaido's Three Calamities.
A pirate with a bounty exceeding one billion Berries.
Several guests instinctively wanted to flee.
None dared.
A Celestial Dragon was sitting in the front row.
Running from the room could attract her attention, and that possibility was almost as frightening as Jack himself.
So they remained seated, silently hoping Jack would behave.
Or that, if he did not, a Marine Admiral would arrive before everything collapsed into violence.
Jack glanced at the stage.
"What?"
"It already started?"
He scratched one ear and dropped heavily into a seat.
The auction continued.
"Five hundred and fifty-eight million!"
One of the shills called out nervously.
Jack raised his hand.
"Six hundred million."
Silence.
Then Jack grumbled loudly,
"I still don't understand what Captain Kaido is thinking."
His expression darkened.
"Why are we paying?"
"We could just take him."
Everyone nearby immediately became even quieter.
The two auction-house shills exchanged frightened looks.
Neither wanted to bid against Jack.
Unfortunately, they had been ordered to keep the auction moving.
Their families and lives depended on obedience.
After a long hesitation, one finally forced himself to speak.
"Six hundred and ten million Berries!"
It sounded less like a bid and more like a plea for survival.
In a shadowed corner of the auction hall, five figures watched everything unfold.
Few people paid any attention to the empty-looking section.
Marshall D. Teach sat among his crew, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"Zehahaha..."
His eyes gleamed as he watched Jack, Ace, Rosward Palace, and the terrified crowd.
"It's getting interesting."
Teach leaned back.
"I can already smell the war coming."
His grin widened.
"Handing Captain Ace over wasn't a waste after all."
"This should move my plan along nicely."
....
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