Chapter 39: Chaos at the Auction House

The shackles around Dragon and Doflamingo's necks had been removed, and they now stood quietly by Renji's side.

Renji had gone to the auction house manager to retrieve them early, sparing them further suffering in the cells.

"So, how do you two feel?" Renji asked casually, taking a sip of cola.

Dofflamingo avoided Renji's gaze, but his heart burned with hatred. His loathing for the world and his resentment toward Renji threatened to erupt like a raging fire, consuming everything.

He was a noble Donquixote. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

But he dared not show his dissatisfaction with Renji. He knew Renji wouldn't care about his status. Killing a former Celestial Dragon like him would be as easy as snapping his fingers.

Renji, of course, sensed Doflamingo's hatred, but he didn't care. Would an elephant concern itself with an ant? To him, Doflamingo was little more than an insect.

"These slave traders deserve to die!" Dragon said grimly.

Seeing such injustice unfold before his eyes, he had lost all patience for these scum.

"You only see the slave traders, but have you thought about who backs them? Those people are no better than the traders themselves," Renji said calmly.

Dragon's pupils contracted slightly. "You mean...?"

"There's a Marine base on this island. Do you really think they know nothing about this?" Renji swirled the cola in his glass, gazing at the sky obscured by the auction house.

Dragon life had been smooth sailing until now. Before coming here, he had no knowledge of slave auctions, let alone the collusion between the Marines and the auction house.

Hearing about these things struck him like a thunderbolt.

Time seemed to stop for Dragon as he stood there, speechless and bewildered.

He was completely stunned. Today's events were completely at odds with the justice Garp had always taught him.

"What's the big deal?" Doflamingo broke the strange atmosphere. "These things happen with the World Government's tacit support. The Marines have no choice but to turn a blind eye."

"I just saw someone unexpected. Look, that person is sitting openly in the Celestial Dragon's exclusive area. You didn't miss that, did you?"

Dragon swallowed hard. The Celestial Dragons were involved too...

"Let's go. The auction won't end for a while. I'll take you to do something big!" Renji downed the rest of his cola.

He had been planning this for a while, and now was the perfect time.

"..."

Not far from them, some nobles were already happily collecting their "spoils." These "spoils" not only gave them slaves to control but also symbolized their top-tier wealth in the auction house.

Dragon and Doflamingo followed Renji gaze. What he was referring to were these slaves.

"Just some slaves? What's so interesting about that..." Doflamingo sneered.

"Not just the slaves. Everything here belongs to me now," Renji said, making a sweeping gesture.

With his Observation Haki, he could sense that the auction house's underground warehouse was filled with gold, silver, jewelry, and priceless artifacts.

With his strength, he was practically invincible on Sabaody Archipelago. Nothing here could threaten him, so why not go all out?

Moreover, his Observation Haki could cover the entire island. If anything unexpected happened, he could leave in an instant.

"..."

On stage, the auctioneer continued his exaggerated performance, tirelessly introducing the next item up for auction.

Behind his sunglasses, his eyes were devoid of emotion, filled only with a lust for money.

This lust drove him to put on a ridiculous show, completely indifferent to the slaves' despair.

Dragon felt the flames of his anger reignite. His fists clenched, knuckles white and veins bulging. His fury toward the auctioneer and the auction house reached its peak.

Suddenly, Renji's voice rang out, echoing through the hall.

"Enough of your ridiculous performance," Renji said calmly. "Those of you who have nothing to do here can leave. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll only target the auction house. If you get caught in the crossfire, don't blame me."

His words silenced the hall, drawing shocked and angry gazes from everyone. They were furious that their enjoyment had been so abruptly interrupted.

"Sir, please sit down. We can still treat your outburst as a joke. If you continue to be unreasonable, don't blame us for being ruthless," an auction house employee said with a fake smile.

Renji slapped the man aside and turned his attention to the crowd.

"Good, good! I think I'm starting to like you," Doflamingo said, his grin stretching ear to ear. He loved immediate revenge and was eager to see how things would unfold.

The auction hall buzzed with chaos. Some were shocked, others scornful, but all were displeased with Renji's actions.

Renji remained unfazed, calmly watching the antics of these clowns.

"I'll count to three... If you don't leave, don't blame me for the consequences."

"Three."

"Hahaha, who do you think you are? I'm the king of the Rassol Kingdom. How dare you threaten me?"

"Two."

"Stop counting. We're not leaving."

"Aren't you ashamed of your actions? Do you only care about fame and money? Have you no humanity or conscience left?" Dragon couldn't hold back any longer and shouted.

His voice was filled with grief and anger, hoping to awaken their conscience.

But he was disappointed.

Most people in the auction hall didn't care about Dragon's words. How much was humanity worth? By sitting here, they had already abandoned such things.

Power and status were their only symbols.

"Hahaha, isn't this the brat who was just bought? Looks like your master didn't keep you on a tight leash. Maybe I should teach you some manners."

"A slave acting all high and mighty? I could kill you with a single spit. How dare you bark in front of me? You're asking for death."

The auction hall filled with curses. These people were deeply dissatisfied with Dragon's actions.

"How pathetic..."

Dragon closed his eyes softly. It was unclear whether he was referring to the people before him, the damned world, or the lofty World Government.

Soon, they stopped cursing.

Renji and the others appeared instantly in front of the slave traders.

The man realized Renji's intent and quickly raised his hands to block, calling out to others, "Brothers, since he doesn't know his place, let's beat him to death!"

"Attack!"

The security thugs immediately surrounded them. These were seasoned enforcers of the auction house, wielding clubs as they charged. To them, troublemakers were nothing new—they had beaten or killed at least fifty of them.

Every move they made reeked of greed for money, with no regard for human life.

To them, troublemakers were walking bags of cash. Capturing them meant they could be sold right here, with the profits lining their pockets.

Dragon sensed the greed in their eyes and felt a wave of disgust.

"Let's go," he said firmly, charging into the crowd. He felt no pity for these people, venting the anger he had bottled up over time.

...