Chapter 389 - The Contest of Three Foolhardy Captains

"There's one more thing," Shakky added, glancing at the Straw Hats, "besides the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, there are others you shouldn't mess with while on the Sabaody Archipelago."

"You'd best not even think about trying to capture a Fish-Man or a Mermaid to sell in the slave market," Franky nodded in agreement, his expression serious. "Doing that would put you at odds with another very dangerous person."

Shakky laughed softly, "But knowing you lot, you'd never stoop to something like that. That's why Franky didn't bother to mention it earlier."

Nami, who always had an ear out for anything involving money, perked up at the mention of the slave market. While she would never engage in something as despicable as human trafficking, she couldn't help but be curious about the price tag on such transactions. "So, Fish-Men and Mermaids, do they fetch a high price? Who would you even anger if you tried capturing them? Fish-Man Island?"

After all, the next destination on their journey to the New World was the home of the Fish-Men. It would be terrible to offend them before even getting there.

Shakky chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "Well, Fish-Men are valuable, sure. But Mermaids? Oh, Mermaids in the underground market have a sky-high price. Especially young ones—a young Mermaid girl can easily go for one billion Belli. But the problem isn't really Fish-Man Island. It's the backing behind them."

Nami was about to ask more about who could have the kind of power that would scare off the rogue traders at Sabaody, but Franky interjected, his voice turning grave. "It's the guy known as an 'Ancient Weapon,' the biggest player in the underworld, the world's largest arms dealer, the Marine defector—Wood."

Franky's expression turned somewhat complicated as he spoke. Wood was an old acquaintance of his—not only that, he was someone who had saved Franky's life and the first person to recognize and support Franky's ideas about weapons.

But even as a fellow weapons specialist, Franky couldn't condone Wood's decision to sell his weapons all over the world. To Franky, weapons were meant to protect what was important. Meanwhile, Wood had used them to profit from chaos, and that turned Franky's admiration for Wood into a kind of resentment.

"So, it's Wood who's protecting the Fish-Men and Mermaids, huh?" Luffy, Nami, and the others showed expressions of mild surprise. They had no idea that the dangerous figure Shakky had mentioned would turn out to be someone they knew: Wood.

Back in Alabasta, Luffy and his crew had learned that Wood was indeed a big shot in the world and incredibly powerful to boot.

But anyone who knew him personally would tell you—Wood's demeanor and personality were nothing like those of an underworld kingpin. In fact, he seemed no less ridiculous than Luffy himself.

"Wait, Luffy, are you saying you know Wood too?" Franky looked bewildered. He never imagined that this world could be so small—Luffy and his crew also had a connection to Wood.

Since Franky had joined the Straw Hats during the Water 7 arc, he hadn't known about Luffy's previous adventures, like their Alabasta experience where they first met Wood.

"Yeah, we met him in Alabasta. He's pretty weird," Luffy said, grinning.

At this point, the only Straw Hats who hadn't met Wood were Chopper and Brook, who had joined during Thriller Bark. Thanks to Usopp's "lectures," Chopper had pinned a "super-dangerous" label on Wood, while Brook, searching his memories from fifty years ago, found no reference to Wood whatsoever and assumed that Wood wasn't much of a big deal back then.

Because Fisher Tiger hadn't died, the Sun Pirates had remained intact, and Hachi and Camie were currently vacationing on Dark Abyss Island. Thus, the scenario where Camie was captured and put up for auction on Sabaody didn't play out.

However, like Franky eventually joining the Straw Hats, the force of fate ensured that the Straw Hats still managed to get into trouble on Sabaody.

The trouble happened at the Human Auctioning House because Dark King Rayleigh had sold himself. Luffy and the others had to go there to retrieve Rayleigh, the man who was supposed to coat their ship for their journey to the New World.

Who would have thought that, while Celestial Dragons typically had an eye only for beautiful slaves, this time one of them, Saint Charlos, would suddenly decide he wanted this old geezer?

Even if Charlos had bought Rayleigh, it was obvious that Rayleigh wouldn't allow himself to be taken to the Holy Land, Mariejois. The Celestial Dragons' money would essentially be wasted.

But the turning point came when Luffy spotted Rayleigh onstage, about to be bought, and decided on the spot to start bidding.

Competing with Luffy were two other notorious rookies: the Supernovas with the highest bounty on Sabaody, Eustass Kid, and Trafalgar Law, whose bounty ranked fifth.

Unlike Luffy, who was simply trying to help a friend, Kid and Law recognized the old man on the stage as the legendary Dark King Rayleigh.

"Five hundred thousand Belli for the vice-captain of the Pirate King? A steal," Kid thought, grinning as he raised his hand. He didn't think Rayleigh would join his crew, but spending a little to earn favor from a legend seemed worth it.

"Ten million Belli!" Saint Charlos immediately shouted, his face twisted in anger. These commoners dared to challenge his authority as a World Noble?

"Twenty million Belli!" Luffy shouted immediately. Thanks to the gold they had sold from Skypiea, they still had plenty of funds.

And as far as Luffy was concerned, Rayleigh was Franky's friend. That made him their friend too. No amount of money was too much to save a friend. Even Nami, who loved money, knew this.

"Luffy, you can't just keep doubling the price! We aren't made of money, and it's provoking everyone else!" Nami yelled, smacking Luffy on the head, leaving a massive bump. She took over the bidding herself.

Most people bid slowly, raising by small increments to avoid overpaying. Nami had no problem spending money to save a friend, but she refused to waste it.

"It's okay, Nami," Luffy grinned. "I just saw that guy in the bubble helmet do it. If we double it every time, it scares the others off, and they won't bid anymore. Look, it's gotten a lot quieter already. We've still got plenty of money, and we need to save Franky's friend."

Twenty million Belli was already a hefty sum for many pirate crews, and Kid and Law were starting to hesitate. Was it really worth spending that much just for Rayleigh's favor?

But then, hearing Luffy's comment, Kid couldn't just sit back. They were all Supernovas, after all—and all captains, too. Even though they hadn't reached the New World yet, the competition had clearly begun.

"Forty million Belli! Straw Hat, you think you're the only one with money? That old man is mine!" Kid shouted, his disdain for Luffy evident.

Kid had never gotten along with Luffy. Their bounties were similar, with Kid's being slightly higher. But ever since arriving on the archipelago, Kid kept hearing the rumor that Luffy was the leader among the Supernovas.

The reason was simple: Luffy had taken down two Warlords of the Sea—Crocodile and Gecko Moria—as well as Rob Lucci, the most powerful agent of CP9.

In contrast, Kid's bounty came from his brutal actions, not from defeating powerful foes like Luffy had. The enemies Kid faced in the South Blue weren't nearly as significant as Luffy's adversaries, so it wasn't surprising that people considered Luffy superior.

Kid had killed anyone spreading these rumors whenever he could, and Luffy's comment had certainly sounded like a challenge to him.

"Boring. Bepo, let's go," Law said, waving his hand dismissively. He was clearly more level-headed than Kid. He had no interest in a meaningless competition, but then Kid sneered.

"What? Giving up already, Trafalgar?"

Law paused, gripping his long sword. "You must be Trafalgar Law, Captain of the Heart Pirates, right? Fifth-ranked bounty? Are you giving up because you know you can't win?" Kid mocked.

"A bounty doesn't mean anything," Law replied coldly. "And you think winning a bidding war makes you superior, Kid?"

Kid leaned back in his seat, smirking arrogantly. "All I know is that a crew's wealth is part of its strength. Right now, the Kid Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates are just stronger than your Heart Pirates."

Kid's mocking expression infuriated Law. Either because Luffy's antics had lowered everyone's intelligence, or because Luffy's stupidity was simply that contagious, Law found himself getting swept up in the auction, eventually calling out "Fifty million Belli!"

Kid laughed even harder, his arrogance growing. Things were getting interesting now. He would prove once and for all that he was number one among this generation of Supernovas.

Hearing the new high bid of Fifty million Belli, Nami was dumbfounded. In her mind, there was no way this old man was worth that kind of money.

"Their doctor, Chopper, is worth fifty Belli," Nami thought incredulously. "That means they could buy one milion Choppers for the same price as one old man."

Why spend all that on an old guy when you could buy Chopper instead? Chopper came with medical skills, fighting prowess, and could even keep you warm on cold nights. What could an old drunk like Rayleigh do?

The auctioneer was equally confused, eyeing Rayleigh with suspicion. Could there be something special about him? But no matter how he looked, Rayleigh seemed like nothing more than a drunken old man.

The old man stood on the platform, shackled around the neck, wrists, and ankles, yet he remained utterly calm. He even pulled out a bottle of alcohol from somewhere and drank it straight from the bottle before lying down and dozing off, as if completely indifferent to his fate.

"Fifty million Belli! The young man in the hat bids Fifty million! Anyone else care to bid higher? He may just look like an ordinary old man, but with three Supernova crews fighting over him, maybe he's hiding some big secret, or maybe he's someone really important!"

The auctioneer didn't understand why the price had soared so high, but he knew how to fan the flames, skillfully playing on everyone's curiosity. He had watched the price climb from mere hundreds of thousands of Belli to Fifty million and was already thinking about how much commission he would get.

Little did he know, the tall tales he spun were true. The so-called "old drunk" was indeed the former vice-captain of the Pirate King, the legendary Dark King Rayleigh—a big name, for sure. And since he had been to Laugh Tale, he truly did know some incredible secrets.

"Sixty million Belli!" Kid's taunt had Luffy completely forgetting Nami's advice. He shouted out his new bid with excitement.

They were all Supernovas, all captains, and thanks to Kid's provocations, this auction had turned into a clash of the three pirate crews. There was no way Luffy was backing down now.