Chapter 84

Originally, it was part of his plan to kill one or two Celestial Dragons to make a name for himself.

Now that they had arrived, the question was—would the Celestial Dragons actually come to the Sabaody Archipelago?

If not, then he had no way to initiate anything.

So, he, Nami, and the others went out to scout the situation.

The Sabaody Archipelago was divided into multiple zones. What Kairos remembered most clearly were zones 1 through 29—the lawless zones. These areas were essentially off the grid. Illegal activities like auctions and human trafficking flourished there. Simply put, no one cared what happened in those districts.

If the Celestial Dragons were coming,

there was an 80% chance they'd head straight into the lawless zones. They usually visited to buy exotic slaves, collect rare items, or make off-the-books purchases from trafficking dens.

Kairos put away the boat,

landed nearby, asked around, and bought a detailed map of the Sabaody Archipelago.

Following the routes on the map, they headed straight for the lawless zones.

Whether the Celestial Dragons had arrived or not,

a single look would be enough to tell.

Lawless Zone — Auction House

Kairos and his group arrived.

This place welcomed everyone.

But if you came without strength or status? You might not leave with your bones intact.

People who entered without power could easily end up on stage as tomorrow's auction items.

This wasn't a rumor.

Even the shopkeeper who sold Kairos the map had noticed their clean appearance and warned them to stay away from the illegal zones.

"Too dangerous," he had said.

The shopkeeper turned out to be quite the talker.

A few words turned into a flood of local gossip—all well-intentioned advice.

Shopkeepers in Sabaody had seen a lot over time. They knew how things worked.

For example:

As soon as they arrived, the guards at the auction house noticed Nami and the others—especially their appearance—and got ideas.

They tried to lure Kairos away with a lie, probably to capture the women and sell them as high-value slaves.

After all, beautiful and well-proportioned female slaves fetched exorbitant prices.

But these people clearly mistook Kairos for a fool.

So he calmly drew a few blades and placed them directly at their chests.

When they were staring death in the face,

only then did they realize—they had provoked the wrong man.

Strangely enough, this provocation didn't even stir up the auction house.

They just let Kairos and his group walk in like nothing happened.

It was clear this kind of incident happened often.

The staff must have learned to recognize when someone was out of their league.

Some employees might court death,

but the organization itself knew better than to make enemies carelessly.

Inside the population auction house,

Kairos looked around.

Two-thirds of the seats were already filled.

Most people were probably just here for the spectacle—if something caught their eye, they might bid.

Of course, highest bidder wins.

Kairos wasn't focused on the crowd.

His gaze swept forward—until it landed on the front row.

"Looks like we got lucky,"

Kairos smiled.

Three figures were seated at the front, wearing the telltale clear, round resin bubbles over their heads.

These were the Celestial Dragons.

They wore those bubbles because they saw themselves as superior to commoners, needing to breathe "pure air".

In this era, no one dared to impersonate a Celestial Dragon.

The punishment for pretending was beyond imagination.

"Kairos… are you really going to make a move on the Celestial Dragons?"

Robin asked cautiously.

"Killing even one is considered a crime of the highest order. It could trigger a Buster Call…"

To Robin, the Buster Call was a nightmare.

It reminded her of Ohara—her destroyed homeland.

Because of a Buster Call, she'd lost everything, was branded a criminal, and had been on the run ever since.

Kairos looked calm.

"Don't worry. The Buster Call is only terrifying to the average person.

To the strong… it's a joke."

His tone was dismissive.

Ten warships?

Each carrying maybe a thousand naval soldiers?

"At the level I'm at now," Kairos continued, "that's just throwing ants at a lion."

"Even elite soldiers are useless without real powerhouses like vice admirals or admirals."

Two admirals might stand a chance against a true emperor-level fighter.

But unless both were at peak strength, even then, a powerful emperor could stand their ground—or win.

Whitebeard's performance during the war at Marineford proved it.

Yes, he had grown old.

Yes, he had medical issues that weakened him.

But at his peak?

He could've taken them all on.

Kairos didn't believe the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) caused Whitebeard's injuries.

If that were true, then other fruits like the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, Rust-Rust Fruit, or even Heat-Heat Fruit would injure their users too.

No.

Whitebeard had only grown weak because he'd grown old—and because he lacked early access to proper medical care.

Back at the auction.

A new item was brought out—

and a wave of gasps swept through the room.

Kairos's gaze sharpened.

"A Devil Fruit?"

The auction house was actually selling a Devil Fruit?

He went silent for a moment.

Was this normal now?

It reminded him of how five of the Four Emperors seemed to be showing up everywhere these days.

Still, the auctioning of Devil Fruits made perfect sense here.

And once the auction was over—Kairos planned to claim it for himself.

"Illegal business means illegal profits," he smirked inwardly.

"I'm just confiscating goods in the name of justice. What's the problem?"

Bidding began.

It quickly soared past 300 million beli—and showed no signs of stopping.

After all, Devil Fruits were incredibly rare. Their price often far exceeded any "market value."

Then—

"One billion beli,"

declared a fat, arrogant Celestial Dragon—Saint Charlos.

Yes, the same Saint Charlos that Luffy had once punched in the face.

Whether it was fate or coincidence, this was the family Kairos had run into.

Once he bid, the room went silent.

No one would dare compete against a Celestial Dragon.

To outbid them was suicidal.

Just like that, Saint Charlos won the fruit.

Then—another item was wheeled onto the stage.

Another Devil Fruit.

Kairos raised an eyebrow.

"These guys really came prepared."

Clearly, this auction was no small operation.

Two Devil Fruits on sale already?

Saint Charlos again raised his hand.

"One billion beli!"

Without competition, the superhuman-type Devil Fruit was his too.

The next auction item was brought out.

A third Devil Fruit.

Kairos narrowed his eyes.

"So that's their game…"

The auction house had saved up Devil Fruits for an opportunity just like this.

When ordinary people were the audience, the price might rise to 500 million at most.

But with the Celestial Dragons in the room?

"These rich fools don't care about the cost."

Each time, Saint Charlos just opened with one billion beli.

For the auctioneers, it was free money.

"One billion beli!"

came the call again, and once more Saint Charlos claimed the prize.

Kairos sat back, eyes gleaming.

"Today's my lucky day."

All three Devil Fruits?

As far as he was concerned, they already belonged to him.

He looked forward to seeing if a fourth Devil Fruit would appear…

but that seemed to be the end of their stockpile.

The rest of the auction returned to the usual human trafficking routine.

"Time to act."

Kairos stood, his voice cold.

"Let's give this world a little shock."

And with that, he began descending the steps.