138 Celestial Dragons

Walking into the naval base and entering the highest-ranking officer's residence, Xuanye clicked his tongue in admiration as he paced around the spacious office, teasing, "This is quite luxurious. Your position as a Vice Admiral makes you look far more impressive than me."

"Find somewhere to sit yourself down; I don't have the time to stroll around with you." Grumbling, Onigumo sat down at his desk, clearly buried under a mountain of unfinished paperwork.

"Why on earth did Sengoku send you to tail me this time?" Xuanye casually picked a seat, leisurely lifting the teacup on the desk and taking a small sip.

Without uttering a word, Onigumo kept his head down, entirely engrossed in his documents.

"Tch! What's with the attitude just because you're a Vice Admiral with actual authority? Look at you acting all high and mighty!" Crossing his legs, Xuanye suddenly felt a wave of boredom.

"Bang!" Unable to hold back any longer, Onigumo slammed his red-rimmed eyes shut as he heavily pounded his fist on the desk, his voice filled with extreme fury, "Who do you think's fault this is?"

"Why are you overreacting so much?" Xuanye jerked his head back, a flicker of guilt unexpectedly washing over him.

"Overreacting? All of this is thanks to you, you bastard! This mission was supposed to be yours from the start, and now it's all dumped on me, yet you're still standing here talking nonsense?"

Gnashings of teeth echoed in the room as a thick aura of bitter resentment threatened to suffocate Xuanye right then and there.

"Relax, relax. You just keep on working slowly! I'm going outside to take a look around." Standing up, Xuanye gave a casual wave.

"Go to hell!" Onigumo cursed aloud. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat this guy in a fight, he would have taught him a lesson a long time ago.

Watching Xuanye's carefree retreating figure, Onigumo collapsed back into his chair and let out a heavy sigh of resignation.

"Someone come in!"

"Yes, sir! What are your orders?" A marine entered from outside the door.

"Send two marines to follow that guy around." Onigumo felt utterly exhausted, especially in his heart.

"You mean Vice Admiral Skybird?"

"Obviously." Onigumo glared at him.

"Yes, sir!" Saluting sharply, the marine turned and instantly vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, in the Sabaody Archipelago, Xuanye walked ahead leisurely with his hands clasped behind his head, followed closely by two marines.

Because their naval warship was still undergoing resin coating, it would likely be another half-day before they could set off for Fish-Man Island.

Stopping in his tracks, Xuanye turned around and asked, "Where are the fun places on this island?"

"Yes, sir!" The two marines stood at attention, clearly somewhat nervous.

"Don't be so tense. Just think of this as an outing; you don't need to treat me like a Vice Admiral." Xuanye shook his head with a smile.

"Reporting to the Vice Admiral, if you're looking for entertainment here, the area spanning from Grove 30 to 49 is the only place," one of the marines saluted and replied.

"Oh!" Xuanye uttered softly. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he asked, "I heard there's an auction house around here?"

"This... this..." Showing troubled expressions, the two marines shrunk back hesitantly.

Seeing their reaction, Xuanye made up his mind, "Let's head over there then!"

Xuanye hadn't forgotten that Donquixote Doflamingo supposedly had business interests right here. He figured he might as well drop by and collect a little interest first.

Helpless, the two marines had no choice but to take the lead and march forward.

"Vice Admiral Skybird, the auction house is located in the Lawless Zone. It's quite dangerous."

"Oh? I'm just going out for a stroll. Dangerous? Then we'll just destroy it!" With an utterly nonchalant expression, Xuanye's words made the two marines shiver. As expected of Vice Admiral Skybird—he was truly a monster, a crazy bastard who could actually press Admiral Akainu into a defensive struggle.

Tens of minutes later, Xuanye and the two marines stood before the largest auction house on the Sabaody Archipelago.

Grand and ostentatious—it had to be said, this auction house was remarkably massive. At the entrance, people of all shapes and backgrounds bustled back and forth.

Today, however, a multitude of those criminals turned their gazes toward the trio. Marines were an extremely rare sight in this district, and crossing paths with them carelessly could easily get someone killed.

Yet today, three marines had actually appeared in this territory, catching these villains completely by surprise.

Little did they know that back at the entrance of Groves 1 to 29, the scene was currently a bloody mess, reeking of scorched flesh—the grisly remains of those blind fools who had tried to provoke Xuanye.

Even so, certain seasoned travelers of the seas paled the instant they caught sight of Xuanye’s face. Those who had witnessed the battle between Xuanye and the Golden Lion fled in a panicked scramble.

"No invitation, entry denied!" At the entrance, two guards clad in formal black suits blocked Xuanye's path, their noses turned up in supreme arrogance.

Gazing indifferently at the pair, Xuanye raised an eyebrow and asked, "Whose establishment is this?"

"What right do you have to ask!" Their expressions remained haughty. They made no move to let them pass despite knowing Xuanye and his companions were marines, deliberately trying to make things difficult.

"Puff..." Blood sprayed through the air as two flaming blades pierced directly through their chests.

"Gurgle... gurgle..." The pungent stench of blood and the sight of bodies collapsing to the ground brought an absolute silence over the entire area.

"Let's go." Expressionless, Xuanye walked straight inside.

Watching Xuanye's retreating figure vanish into the building, the few individuals who recognized his identity were filled with extreme apprehension.

"Is that one of the Navy's monsters, Skybird?"

"Turns out the rumors about him being bloodthirsty and completely insane are true."

"A few years ago, this very place was destroyed by this guy."

"And this territory belongs to JOKER..."

"Looks like a good show is about to begin. Let's all go inside!"

Daring pirates and outlaws alike stepped inside with renewed interest.

Passing through the front doors, the interior was remarkably spacious, easily capable of accommodating over a thousand people. Rows of seating surrounded a raised stage at the center—clearly the venue for the auctions.

Finding some empty seats near the back, Xuanye and the two marines sat down in plain sight.

Whether they had already arrived or were just entering, everyone cast peculiar glances toward the trio.

Meanwhile, the two marines trailing behind Xuanye felt their hearts pounding in their throats. They knew full well the surrounding crowd consisted entirely of criminals, any random one of whom might carry a bounty worth tens of millions.

Finally, after waiting a few minutes, the main doors closed, and the lights across the entire hall brightened—the auction was about to begin.

At the very front, occupying the most prominent seats, sat several extraordinary figures: the Celestial Dragons.

Perhaps because of the presence of the Celestial Dragons, or perhaps out of fear regarding Xuanye's identity, the auction house management chose not to investigate Xuanye's intrusion, simply pretending nothing had happened and maintaining a tense peace.

"Ahem... ahem..."

At the center stage, an elderly man in a black suit with piercing eyes cleared his throat into a microphone, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Welcome everyone to today's auction. As always, I believe this house will not disappoint you. Well then, without wasting your valuable time any further, let us begin the auction!"

"First up for auction is a wonderful choice for swordsmen, and certainly a worthy collectible for connoisseurs alike."

"Presenting *Melody*, one of the only fifty Rapid-Fire Blades remaining in the world. Starting bid: fifty million." Two attendants in sexy uniforms carefully carried out a pedestal bearing a rare, exquisite named blade.

"This is one of only fifty in the entire world..."

"Sixty million!" A wealthy tycoon wearing a thick gold chain immediately raised his paddle.

"Three hundred million!"

The entire hall fell silent. In the front row, a youth shaped like a pig wearing a bubble helmet looked down upon everyone with absolute disdain. His haughty, arrogant demeanor naturally inspired intense revulsion.

No one spoke a word, because not a single person dared to compete with a Celestial Dragon.

At the very back, Xuanye crossed his legs, narrowing his eyes as he observed the greatest—and most mysterious—cancer plaguing the world.

"Ahem... ahem... Congratulations to His Excellency Charlos for winning the bid for *Melody*."

"Now, for the next item: a Zoan-type Mammoth Devil Fruit. Starting bid: one hundred million berries."

"It's actually a treasure of the sea! I bid one hundred and ten million."

"One hundred and thirty million."

"Three million!" Yet another obnoxious voice rang out, plunging the hall into silence once more.

"Ahem... ahem... Congratulations to His Excellency Charlos for winning the bid for this Devil Fruit."