One Piece: Rising to Power as a Warlord of the Sea

"A Fishman? Didn't Princess Charloss' sister say she always wanted one as a pet? Perfect gift for her birthday!"

Charloss snorted as he eyed the fishman on the auction stage with a delighted grin, clapping his hands in excitement.

"Five hundred million!" he bellowed.

"Five hundred million?!"

The crowd was stunned. Charloss was known as the foolish son of a wealthy family, with endless funds. Even Disco, the auctioneer, was thrilled. This auction was a huge success—giants and fishmen had turned out to be hot items, making him a fortune.

"Six hundred million berries!"

Just as the crowd thought Charloss would easily win the fishman, a calm voice came from the back of the auction hall, where a young man named Natsu sat. Every head turned toward him, some faces filled with shock, others with pity.

"Is he crazy? Competing with a Celestial Dragon over a slave?"

"Yeah, this guy is done for. He has no idea what he's in for."

"Wait… he looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?"

"I think you're right. I feel like I've seen him somewhere too."

People began whispering among themselves as they glanced at Natsu, pitying this foolhardy young man who had no clue what he was inviting upon himself.

"Seven hundred million!"

"Eight hundred million berries!" Natsu responded in a steady tone, still wearing a faint smile as he countered Charloss.

"Get lost! A billion berries!"

"Fifteen billion!"

Ignoring Charloss' enraged reaction, Natsu calmly raised the bid again, quickly driving the price to an unprecedented level. Even mermaids had never fetched this high a price.

"You're dead, you lowly worm! How dare you bid against me! Soldiers, kill him!"

Charloss' face contorted with fury as he pointed a fat, trembling finger at Natsu. This filthy commoner had dared to upset him one too many times—this required severe punishment.

"Celestial Dragons—the rulers of the world! And this is all they amount to?" Natsu laughed mockingly. "Just some spoiled brats, so insecure they lose it over money. Hilarious!"

The auction hall was filled with Natsu's laughter, a bold, mocking sound that echoed across the room. The crowd stared at him in shock, mouths agape.

"Wait, I know who he is!" a random bystander suddenly exclaimed.

"He's the rising pirate captain who's made waves recently, defeated two of the Seven Warlords, and robbed the Celestial Tribute from a Marine admiral—the captain of the Smile Pirates, Monkey D. Natsu!"

"It's him? No wonder he looked familiar."

"Of course, it's him! He's insane—does he seriously want to challenge the Celestial Dragons?"

The murmuring crowd grew louder, the whispers filling the air as people recognized who they were watching. Meanwhile, the two Celestial Dragons, Charloss and Rosward, fumed in growing rage and disbelief. They trembled with fury, veins bulging on their foreheads.

"Soldiers, capture them! I want them as my slaves—forever!" Charloss commanded.

"Yes! All at once!" The armored guards immediately began to surround natsu's group, weapons at the ready.

"Hey, Natsu, can I kill them?" Enel tilted his head, his icy tone dropping the temperature around them.

As a former "god" himself, he had never felt so insulted. He barely considered this bloated fool worth the trouble—one flick of his wrist would make him vanish.

"Spare their lives—everything else, do as you wish!"

"Understood!" Enel replied. Though it was distasteful, he knew there were strategic reasons these two were still needed. That didn't mean, however, they couldn't be... 'trimmed.'

"Crack!"

Without a sound, lightning gathered above Charloss' head. As Enel casually moved his arm, a bolt of lightning struck down, lighting up the auction hall in flashes of blue and white.

"Run!"

"The Celestial Dragon has been struck down! Get out of here! The Marine Admiral will be here any moment!"

"It's all over! I just bought property here, and now it's going to be destroyed by a Buster Call! How unlucky can I be?"

Charloss lay unconscious on the ground, smoke curling from his body. His helmet, once filled with precious oxygen, lay shattered, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

"Charloss!" Rosward gasped in horror as he looked at Natsu approaching. Shaking with fear, he fumbled to pull out a pistol and fired at him.

"Bang!"

The bullet sped toward Natsu's head.

"Boring." Natsu tilted his head slightly, dodging it with ease. In an instant, he was in front of Rosward, gathering only a fraction of his strength as he punched him. Even that, however, sent Rosward flying backward, crashing into the auction hall's wall with such force that his impact left a human-shaped dent.

With one swing of his paw-like hands, Kumo swiftly downed several guards, while nearby, Noriyuki successfully freed his nephew.

"Are you alright, Nofei?" Noriyuki asked softly, gently shaking his nephew's frail frame, fearful of causing him more stress.

"Inside, all pirates surrender at once! Release the two Celestial Dragons immediately, or face the consequences!" the Marine voice commanded outside, echoing through the hall.

"The Marines? Wow, they're quick. Just like the perfect lapdogs," Kumo muttered in disdain.

"Haha, let's go! Take those two with us! They'll make great bargaining chips."

"Yes, sir!" Gin replied, grabbing the unconscious Celestial Dragons by their arms and dragging them along as he followed Natsu.

"Hey, Marines," Natsu said casually as he stepped out of the auction hall, shielding his eyes from the sun, looking like he was greeting old friends.

"Monkey D. Natsu, you are completely surrounded! Release Rosward and Charloss now, and you may still survive. Otherwise, today will be the end of the Smile Pirates," warned the Marine officer, his face stern as the soldiers tightened their circle around them.

"Marines, you're overconfident! A few thousand of you think you can capture us?"

"To catch us, you'd better bring an admiral. You're way too weak!"

"Move aside!"

Natsu's eyes widened, and he unleashed a blast of Conqueror's Haki that rippled outward, blanketing the area. The clouds above scattered as waves of pressure forced the surrounding Marines to their knees. Within moments, most collapsed unconscious, the officer barely managing to hold out a few seconds longer before he too succumbed.

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