After leaving Bonney, Vir made his way toward Grove 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago.
That was where the mermaid girl, Camie, was to be sold.
By his estimation, the auction was about to start soon.
The Straw Hats should have arrived by now as well.
He could also sense that old Rayleigh was inside.
And the old man was happily chatting with a young slave woman.
Well—mostly it was him doing the talking.
After all, who would be in the mood for a chat right before being sold?
Rayleigh had also sensed someone spying on him at that moment.
He frowned and scanned his surroundings, but didn’t pay it much mind.
If any real big shot was here, the island wouldn’t be this quiet.
Seeing this, Vir also withdrew his Observation Haki.
Even someone like Momousagi could sense it—let alone Rayleigh.
Observation Haki might be a convenient tool, but it could backfire at times.
Better to use it with caution.
No need to leave it active constantly.
It carried a bit too much of a provocative air.
Seeing Rayleigh looking so at ease, Vir nodded to himself.
‘Not bad—that too was a way of living life, wasn’t it?’
‘You could even call that enjoying life.’
‘Sorry, old Ray. Don’t blame me.’
‘They’re the ones forcing my hand.’
‘I have no choice.’
Vir silently offered a deep, solemn apology to Rayleigh in his heart.
But then another thought crossed his mind.
Would just his presence and the incident with the Celestial Dragons really warrant two admirals showing up?
Maybe he needed to… turn up the heat a little more.
Give old Ray a real surprise…
As Vir pondered this, his earlier apology was already forgotten.
At that moment, inside the auction house—
The auction had just begun.
But this time, the situation was different.
Among the Straw Hats already present were Nami, Robin, Chopper…
And a starfish.
They were the first ones to get there.
The intel on Camie being here had also been dug up by Robin.
She could sprout ears all over the place to gather information.
Though it was exhausting, thankfully it worked.
Nami had already notified the others.
But since Camie had a slave collar on, they couldn’t just charge in.
If they tried to take her by force—
Camie could be killed instantly.
As a pirate captain on stage bit through his own tongue to commit suicide, the audience remained unfazed.
The host looked annoyed as they dragged the body away.
Next up—was Camie.
A giant fish tank was rolled onto the stage, and inside it was a panicked Camie, wearing a collar.
She stared at the sea of greedy eyes below with pure terror.
But that fear turned into joy the moment she saw Robin and the others.
She slapped the glass wall of the tank hard, a huge smile blooming on her face.
‘They came to rescue me!’
‘I’m saved!’
Camie thought, hope surging.
But Nami and the others paled at her reaction.
A quiet mermaid vs. an energetic, lively one—which would fetch a higher price?
The answer was obvious.
As expected—
The nobles in the audience all had stars in their eyes.
Even the three pig-faced Celestial Dragons in their special seating area were showing interest.
“Papa! Papa! I want that one~ Baby wants a fishy~!”
Soon enough, the idiotic son’s screeching echoed through the hall.
Snot bubbles inflated with every breath, followed by loud, wet snorts as he slurped them back up.
Yet his father—a man in pretentious sunglasses—didn’t seem the least bit disgusted.
“Of course! Buy! Daddy will buy it for you!” he cooed indulgently.
The son giggled in delight, wiping snot across his face.
Meanwhile, Nami and the others remained unaware that the Celestial Dragons had already set their sights on Camie.
They clutched their 500 million Berry—hoping it would be enough to secure her freedom.
200 million stolen from Moria.
300 million from their savings.
Their trip to Skypiea had netted them a whopping 1 billion Berry—but Franky blew 600 million of it…
600 million…
Well, in the end, things worked out.
“Robin, Nami… Do you really think we can save Camie? What if we don’t have enough money?” Chopper asked nervously.
Nami reassured him, “500 million is a lot. Normally, that’s enough to buy several mermaids.”
“I know it sounds bad to put it that way, but… it should be fine.”
Chopper nodded, somewhat relieved.
He really did like Camie.
But Robin, frowning, voiced a concern. “As long as the Celestial Dragons don’t make a move, we should be okay.”
“Otherwise… Camie might end up dismembered in their collection.”
Chopper shivered in fear the moment he heard that.
He stared at the three Celestial Dragons, scared.
And his thoughts turned to Vir.
If Big Bro was here, this wouldn’t even be an issue…
Nami quickly covered Robin’s mouth.
“What are you saying?! Don’t jinx it!”
But the little starfish wasn’t as optimistic as Nami and the others.
Staring at the happy Celestial Dragons, he was getting a very bad feeling.
“If the Celestial Dragons want something, it’s game over.”
That made Chopper even more confused.
“What are Celestial Dragons anyway? They sound terrifying!”
“They are. If a Celestial Dragon gets hurt, a Marine Admiral will show up within the hour!” the starfish explained. “At that point, every pirate on the island is screwed.”
Hearing that, Chopper instantly thought of Aokiji, and the guy who nearly killed his Big Bro.
Would those kinds of people show up?
If they did, and Vir wasn’t here…
Wouldn’t they all be done for?
He instinctively burrowed deeper into Robin’s arms, his tiny body trembling.
Watching the three pig-faced nobles not far off, fear welled up in his eyes.
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared. If we’re in danger, your big brother will come.” Robin said softly, stroking Chopper’s head.
That comforted him a lot.
Soon, the auction resumed.
The auctioneer raised his gavel—
And Nami immediately raised her paddle.
“300 million!”
The bid shocked everyone present.
They all turned their eyes toward her.
A mermaid like that wasn’t worth this much, was she?
The sudden spotlight made them uncomfortable.
But that discomfort didn’t last long—
Because another voice followed immediately.
“500 million!”
The idiotic Celestial Dragon son waved his paddle, giggling like a fool.
But no one dared laugh at him.
Everyone’s expression turned pale.
Even nobles who were planning to compete gave up instantly.
No one wanted to mess with the Celestial Dragons.
Because those who did… died miserable deaths.
But the host on stage was delighted.
500 million!
For a single mermaid!
Huge profit!
Just as he was about to slam the gavel—
Another voice suddenly rang out.
“520 million.”
Silence.
Then—panic.
Holy hell.
Someone actually dared outbid a Celestial Dragon?!
Are they suicidal?!
Everyone’s eyes locked onto Robin.
Even Law and Kid, watching from the corner, were shocked.
So was Vir, disguised and sitting quietly in the crowd.
Damn.
She’d grown guts while he was away.
How were they going to clean up this mess now?
Even Luffy couldn’t fix this if he showed up.
Thinking that, Vir turned his eyes to a figure sitting just ahead of him.
A stunningly beautiful woman.
So close, he could reach out and touch her.
That woman—was Momousagi.
—–
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