Only 18 hours remained until the auction!
All preparations were complete.
Foxy and Porche gazed at the brand-new auction house with satisfaction. All that was left was for the event to begin tomorrow.
Rayleigh returned with a sour expression, likely having lost at gambling again. The first thing he saw was Crocus, who was also lying back and reading the newspaper. What followed was a heartwarming scene of old friends reuniting.
The two of them lay back in their lounge chairs, boasting about their past adventures while sipping tea served by Nami and Vivi. Life was good.
Meanwhile, flyers for the auction, distributed by Buggy and his crew, were now circulating throughout Mangrove Groves 1 through 29.
"The Universe Auction, Rocks's treasure? And Devil Fruits? Kehahaha, how interesting!" In Grove 17, a man with spiky red hair, an eyepatch over his left eye, and a fur coat held a flyer and let out a booming laugh.
Beside him stood a silent man wearing a full-face mask, with two scythe-like weapons hanging at his waist. These two were none other than Kid and Killer of the Kid Pirates.
"Grove 18, huh? I'll have to check this out!"
A wild grin stretched across Kid's face as he spoke.
At the same time, Monkey D. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and the others were also in Grove 17, wandering down the bustling street and sampling all the local delicacies.
"Zoro! Sanji! Let's try this bubble BBQ!" Luffy shouted to his two companions from the entrance of a barbecue restaurant.
Of the Straw Hat Pirates, only Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Franky, and Brook were present. Usopp, Franky, and Brook were currently back on the Thousand Sunny, guarding the ship.
"Luffy just can't walk past a place that serves meat," Zoro said with a resigned smile, following Luffy inside.
Sanji, however, was twisting his body like a noodle, calling out to every beautiful woman who passed by.
"My lovely laaadies~"
Suddenly...
A flyer blew through the air and slapped right onto Sanji's face.
Smack!
"Huh? What's this?" Feeling his vision go dark, Sanji quickly peeled the paper off his face.
"Universe Auction?" Sanji glanced at it for a second before noticing that Luffy and Zoro had already gone into the restaurant. He quickly hurried in after them.
It was a unique barbecue spot. Above the charcoal fire was a long, flat bubble that served as the cooking surface. Luffy was already placing a huge slab of meat on it. Sanji took a seat beside them and slapped the flyer he was holding down on the table.
After a hearty meal...
Luffy finally noticed the flyer.
"The Universe Auction? Captain John's treasure? And Devil Fruits?" Luffy snatched up the paper, planted one foot on his stool, and roared with excitement.
"Zoro, Sanji, let's go check it out!" he yelled, his eyes sparkling.
"Sounds interesting enough," Zoro nodded in agreement.
Sanji had no objections, mainly because his attention was completely captivated by the beautiful proprietress. The stunning curve revealed as she bent over sent a fountain of blood gushing from his nose.
"Mademoiselle~~ Do you need any help!?"
With hearts for eyes, Sanji followed the tightly-clad, qipao-wearing woman, his body twisting in a noodle-like dance.
"Honestly, that Sanji..." Zoro muttered, completely exasperated by the sight.
It was worth noting that the bounties of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had taken a massive hit.
Straw Hat Pirates Captain, Monkey D. Luffy
Bounty: 90,000,000 Belly
Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro
Bounty: 80,000,000 Belly
Black Leg Sanji
Bounty: 58,000,000 Belly
Throughout their journey, Luffy constantly felt as if he were living in the shadow of another man. On Drum Island, he had found a scene of thriving prosperity, only to learn from Dalton that it was Ryuuto's homeland. In Alabasta, Luffy discovered a well-governed and harmonious kingdom brimming with vitality. King Cobra ruled diligently, and the citizens' faces were filled with happy smiles. When he asked, he learned that Ryuuto had been there too.
Luffy couldn't shake the feeling that his entire life had been orchestrated by someone else.
Furthermore, because they lacked a navigator, Luffy and his crew had ended up at Water 7 by a complete fluke. Since Lucci's fate was unknown and the Zou Zou no Mi was missing, a panicked Spandam had immediately withdrawn CP9 from the city. As a result, after only a minor incident, Franky had joined their crew smoothly.
The most brutal battle Luffy had fought on this entire journey was on Thriller Bark. Lacking the trials of his original journey, Luffy was far too weak and was no match for Gecko Moria. Fortunately, with Kuma's help, the crew managed to escape with their lives. It could be said that the biggest gain from Thriller Bark was getting Brook to join the crew.
And so...
The crew stumbled their way to the Sabaody Archipelago. This much smoother journey meant they had arrived far earlier than they were supposed to—a full two or three months ahead of schedule. If the Supernovas were to be ranked right now, Luffy wouldn't even be in the running.
After finishing their meal, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji began to wander toward the adjacent Grove 18.
At that moment, Ryuuto ran into an old acquaintance.
Hatchan!
After Ryuuto had defeated Arlong, Hatchan had made his way to the Sabaody Archipelago. He now ran a takoyaki stand in Grove 44, pretending to be human, and even had two employees: Camie and Pappag. He had come to Grove 18 today because he'd heard from Shakky that Rayleigh was here. He was delivering the rent money. That's right, the shop Hatchan was renting in Grove 44 belonged to Rayleigh, and Hatchan made a special trip to pay him every month.
"Hatchan!" Nami was the first to cry out in shock. She and Hatchan had both been members of the Arlong Pirates in Cocoyasi Village, so they knew each other well. Of course, for Nami, that familiarity was steeped in hatred. Seeing him here made her blood boil.
"Nami? What are you doing here?" Hatchan was just as surprised. His eyes darted around nervously, searching for a certain man. Before leaving Cocoyasi Village, he knew that Nami had set sail with Ryuuto. But seeing her now, she seemed incredibly close to Rayleigh.
Not seeing Ryuuto anywhere, Hatchan breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly pulled a large bag of Belly from his clothes and handed it to Rayleigh. "Mr. Rayleigh, here's last month's rent," he said.
"Hatchan, Nami, you two know each other?" Rayleigh asked, taking the bag without even looking at it.
"Hatchan has changed a lot. He's earning an honest living with his own skills now," Rayleigh explained gently to Nami, a wise glint in his eyes behind his glasses.
Nami studied Hatchan... It was true. There was a profound change in his demeanor.
Just then, Ryuuto walked out of the auction house.
"Ryuu—Ryuuto!" Hatchan's eyes locked onto him, and he was so terrified that he collapsed to the ground.
Ryuuto was the source of his deepest fear.