Chapter 76: Auction!

The two boatmen were so horrified that they looked at each other and scrambled away, shouting loudly about seeing a ghost. It was clear they were utterly terrified.

"Hey! Asa, are they blind? Why couldn't they see us even when they walked right past us?" Jessica asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

"This is my Devil Fruit ability," Asa stated matter-of-factly, straightening his coat before stepping off the boat with her.

"But didn't you eat the Thunder Fruit? How can you turn invisible?" Jessica asked with a puzzled expression. "You can only eat one fruit. Does that mean you're some kind of special case? Did you eat the Invisibility Fruit too?"

"Hahahaha! Little girl, you're too naive. There are many Devil Fruits in the sea with similar effects. The Thunder Fruit allows me to control electromagnetic forces, distort light, and achieve invisibility!" Asa explained happily.

Since the World Government was already aware of this ability, revealing it didn't mean exposing any hidden strength.

Then, he teased her, "Do you even know what electromagnetic force is, you scumbag?"

Jessica instantly fumed. "I don't know, and I don't care! It doesn't sound like a good thing anyway!"

For a girl, the ability to turn invisible was inherently suspicious. Who knew if Asa had ever used it to spy on her while she was showering?

"Ahem! By the way, I still have two Devil Fruits with me. Do you want one? If you do, you'll have to join my pirate crew," Asa said persuasively, taking out the Castle-Castle Fruit.

The Door-Door Fruit flickered before her eyes.

The Castle-Castle Fruit would be useful for storage, but the Door-Door Fruit had little use to Asa, so he planned to give it to a loyal crewmate sooner or later.

"No way!" Jessica rejected the offer instantly, shaking her head scornfully. "There are countless top-quality ingredients in the sea. If I eat a Devil Fruit, I'll be cursed by the sea and end up like you—a landlubber!"

"This..." Asa was speechless. She wasn't exactly wrong.

Now it was his turn to get angry. "What do you even know, little girl?! Once my electromagnetic powers are fully developed, I'll be able to form a protective field around my body. Not only will I survive in water, but even in a vacuum!"

"When that time comes, I'll be free to roam anywhere—land, sea, or sky!"

"Tch!" Jessica turned her head away, ignoring him.

Everyone had their own ambitions. Since she didn't want to eat a Devil Fruit, Asa wouldn't force her. After all, if the entire crew had Devil Fruit abilities, no one would be able to save them if they fell into the sea.

"Alright, you haven't forgotten our bet, have you? It's in effect now—you can't escape my grasp no matter what, hahaha!"

"In your dreams! I'm definitely going to win!"

Asa and Jessica disappeared once again as they officially entered Santa Bobola, the City of the Queen of Spring!

This island was famous on the Grand Line, drawing countless visitors. As a result, information flowed frequently.

If Asa entered openly, he would definitely be noticed by the island's underground forces, bounty hunters, and the local Marine branch.

He wasn't afraid of being discovered, but he was still in the middle of a gamble with Jessica.

Jessica hadn't officially joined his crew yet and still technically belonged to the Marines. If he killed Marines in front of her, it would destroy all the hard-earned trust he had built with her.

She also knew many of his secrets, and unless absolutely necessary, Asa wouldn't let her go.

"Where are we going?" Jessica asked, wrapping a red scarf around her neck.

"Wait," Asa said as he activated his Observation Haki, forming a mental network that instantly covered the island. He sensed that an auction was taking place just a few kilometers away.

These kinds of events were always full of corruption and sin, attracting nobles, underground syndicates, Marines, and pirates alike.

Asa and Jessica casually strolled into the auction hall, completely unnoticed. Only those with highly trained Observation Haki seemed slightly puzzled, as if sensing something strange in the air.

This was purely a matter of spiritual perception. Unless one's Haki was exceptionally refined, detecting Asa and Jessica in their invisible state was impossible.

Quickly weaving through the crowd and passing the first-floor lobby, Asa and Jessica headed directly to a private box on the second floor.

For Jessica, the experience of walking so close to others while remaining unseen was novel. Her wide eyes curiously took in everything as they passed through the crowded auction house.

Reaching the second floor, Asa casually pushed open the door of a box in the corner. These luxurious boxes were reserved for the wealthy. Without a net worth of at least hundreds of millions, entry was impossible. Since many were vacant, there was little chance of someone barging in, aside from the waitstaff.

Meanwhile, in the hall below—

"Rear Admiral Kanser, I didn't expect to see you here. What are you looking to buy today?" asked a bald, stocky, middle-aged Marine in a Justice cloak, laughing heartily.

The man he addressed—Rear Admiral Kanser—wore blue sunglasses and had a cigar clenched between his teeth. He looked young but carried himself with the presence of a seasoned officer.

"I'm planning to buy a couple of slaves for housework. I heard there'll be some rare mermaid slaves this time," Kanser said casually. "What about you, Vice Admiral Gumir?"

"I saw a mermaid at Vice Admiral John Giant's place last time. I still can't forget it. This time, I plan to get one for myself," Vice Admiral Gumir said outright.

"Hahahaha! Well, it all depends on who brings the bigger wallet!"

In the auction hall, two high-ranking Marine officers openly discussed the illegal slave trade, completely unfazed. They sounded more like pirates than the actual pirates in attendance.

Asa discreetly amplified their voices using radio waves, letting their conversation echo in Jessica's ears.

She turned pale, her entire body trembling in shock.

To Jessica, the Marines represented justice—just like the bold kanji for "Justice" emblazoned on their backs. Their mission was to protect innocent civilians at sea.

But here they were, casually discussing human trafficking? They didn't even bother to hide it.

And she knew these men. Their records at Marine Headquarters painted them as heroes who fought against pirates.

"How… how could this happen?" Jessica muttered in disbelief, all color draining from her face.

Asa sighed. "Justice and evil aren't always as clear-cut as you think. As long as someone wears the mask of righteousness, they can hide a rotten heart underneath."

"To be fair, these two vice admirals and rear admirals are just a minority. The Marines still have those who uphold real justice—like Garp, Zephyr, and even the most radical, Akainu!"

"Even though Akainu has a terrible reputation and prioritizes 'justice' over his own men, he still pursues absolute justice. Even if that justice is so extreme that many in the Marines don't fully agree with him."

"Yeah… the Marines are huge. There will always be a few bad apples, but that doesn't mean all Marines are corrupt!" Jessica said, as if clinging to a lifeline. Slowly, she regained her composure.

(End Of Chapter)

Gimme Powerstones :)))

Also, check out my Patreon at [Patreon.com/GGFanfiction]