Chapter 63

15th of April
Sabaody

The notion of taking down three Celestial Dragons in one fell swoop was irresistible. If he could create enough chaos, if he could orchestrate the perfect moment... the fallout would be immense. Doflamingo's network would be shaken, the power dynamics would shift, and Moria could make some progression his quests - he had to kill three of them, after all. So why not now ? No, too risky, some people had seen him on the island…

Discreetly, Moria sent three Shadow Assassins to merge with the shadows of the Celestial Dragons, ensuring they would be ready to strike at his command. He continued to look around, assessing the room and its occupants.
His eyes fell upon one of the Rookies, Apoo something—weak, with only about 1,700 Dourikis. Moria dispatched a Shadow Soldier to take him out during the night, removing a potential nuisance.

Then, the auction started. Disco, the auctioneer, strutted onto the stage with his mic. Disco was a thin, eccentric man with long silver hair, a cleft chin, stubble beard, and mustache. He wore a purple coat, a pink scarf, a tall yellow hat with flower patterns around the bottom, and his trademark star-shaped glasses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!" Disco's voice rang out, filled with smug enthusiasm. "Tonight, we have a selection of the rarest and most exotic slaves for your bidding pleasure!"

Moria watched intently, his eyes flicking between Disco and the Celestial Dragons. Rosward leaned back in his seat, a look of boredom on his face. Charlos picked his nose absentmindedly, while Sharlia's lips curled into a cold smile as she surveyed the offerings.

"First up," Disco announced, "a rare fish-man, strong and resilient. Perfect for hard labor or entertainment!"

The audience murmured excitedly. A massive fish-man was dragged onto the stage, his chains clinking ominously. Moria's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. This could be the distraction he needed.

"He'll be perfect for my mines!" one noble shouted.

"I'll make him fight my other slaves for sport," a merchant chuckled darkly.

"I hope he's tender enough to eat," an old woman sneered.

Moria scowled in disgust, his contempt for these vile beings growing with every word. Fucking pathetic.

The fish-man's eyes were filled with despair while Disco continued his pitch.

"Next, we have a group of hardy pirates, captured and broken, ready for your service!"

More pirates were dragged onto the stage, their spirits crushed. Moria glanced at them, quickly assessing their potential. Weak. All of them. They were nothing but fodder, not worth his attention. He began to zone out, the constant parade of weak potential and even weaker fate making his eyes glaze over. The auction soon began with a pirate musician and winemaker as the opening item, each drawing jeers and cruel comments from the audience. Following them, a sleepy pirate captain named Lacuba was dragged onto the stage. His eyes were vacant, his spirit already broken. As the bidding began, he suddenly bit his own tongue, blood spilling from his mouth as he collapsed to the floor, dead.

"Useless scum," a noble spat, his face twisted in disgust.

The auction continued, a monotonous blur of bodies and bids. Moria's mind wandered, thinking of the battles to come, the revenge he would exact. Kaido, soon…The noise of the room faded, and he lost himself in his thoughts. His eyes snapped open when he heard the familiar, irritating babble of a Celestial Dragon. Charlos was speaking, his voice grating and petulant.

"I want to see the mermaid! Bring out the mermaid now!"

The crowd buzzed with renewed excitement. From behind the curtain, a large spherical aquarium was wheeled out. Inside was a mermaid, her expression a mixture of terror and shock.

The mermaid had vibrant green hair that flowed around her like seaweed, dark purple eyes wide with fear, and a naked body cruelly on display. A humiliating collar was bound around her neck, chaining her to the aquarium. Her pink tail, adorned with delicate light fins and a white dorsal fin, shimmered under the harsh lights. Her scales meshed seamlessly with her soft flesh. The curvature of her waist accentuated her beauty, her perky breasts and visible nipples adding to her vulnerability. She pressed her hands against the glass, her distinct face-fault apparent as her eyes bulged and her mouth opened wide in horror, her tongue visible in a zigzag pattern.

Under different circumstances, Moria might have found Camie's beauty captivating. Her fear, the raw terror in her eyes, could have been intriguing to him. He might have wanted her for himself, a trophy of power and allure. But here, surrounded by these despicable nobles, any potential fascination was drowned in his disgust. Moria scowled, his contempt for the nobles deepening. These so-called elites, thinking themselves superior, reveled in cruelty without ever risking their own skins. They hid behind their status and exploited the helpless, all while avoiding any real danger or challenge. It was their cowardice, more than their immorality, that fueled his disdain.

Charlos's eyes lit up with sadistic glee. "I want her," he declared, his voice filled with a grotesque sense of entitlement.

"Right away, sir," Disco replied smoothly, not missing a beat. "The bidding starts at 500,000 Berries."

Charlos immediately raised his hand. "Ten million Berries!"

The room fell silent. No one dared to go against a Celestial Dragon. Moria watched as fear and submission washed over the crowd. They were all complicit in this charade of power. Rosward nodded approvingly, while Sharlia's cruel smile widened. Camie, inside her glass prison, trembled, her eyes darting around in desperate panic. The sight of her naked and vulnerable, her scales shimmering where they meshed with her flesh, only fueled Moria's disgust and rage. These nobles were pathetic, hiding behind their status and exploiting the helpless.

Charlos continued to leer at Camie, his anticipation growing by the second. "Mine," he muttered, almost drooling.

Suddenly, the room fell silent as another voice cut through the air. "Twelve million Berries," came the casual bid, stunning everyone present. Emerging from behind the curtains, a man walked onto the stage with a calm, almost nonchalant demeanor. The crowd gasped in surprise and confusion. This wasn't another client; it was one of the slaves who had somehow freed himself and was now bidding as if he were a legitimate participant in the auction.

Disco, his showmanship momentarily disrupted, stormed towards the interloper with a mix of confusion and anger. "Who do you think you are?" he demanded, his hand raised to slap to death the grey-haired man who had dared to interrupt the proceedings.

Moria nearly choked on his own breath. What the fuck? he thought.

[Silvers Rayleigh]
Class : Old Monster
Job : Proud Husband of Dracule Shaky

Dourikis : 26,845
Potential : SSS
Fate : SS

Rayleigh had a tall, muscular frame that belied his age, with long, unkempt grey hair flowing down to his shoulders and a matching beard. His sharp eyes, a striking contrast to his weathered face, gleamed with intelligence and an unmistakable air of danger. He wore the ragged remnants of slave attire, yet his bearing and demeanor made it clear he was no ordinary slave.

Charlos, momentarily thrown off by the unexpected competition, regained his composure. "Who dares to challenge me?" he spat, his face turning red with anger, like a spoiled child denied his favorite toy.

Rayleigh's smile widened slightly. "I believe my bid stands at twelve million Berries," he said, ignoring Charlos's outburst.

In a fit of childish rage, Charlos drew his gun and fired at Rayleigh. The bullets hit him and... fell harmlessly to the ground. The room went silent, eyes widening in shock.

Charlos's face twisted in confusion and fury. "Whaaaaat..." he sputtered, firing again and again until his gun was empty, stamping his feet like a petulant child.

"Guards! Arrest him!" Charlos screeched, his voice cracking with frustration, tears of rage threatening to spill from his eyes.

The guards moved to surround Rayleigh, but he remained calm. With a mere thought, he unleashed his Royal Haki. An invisible wave of power radiated from him, sweeping through the room. Most of the crowd collapsed instantly, unconscious. Only a few guards, some CP members, and the stronger individuals remained standing, albeit visibly shaken. Panic ensued as the CP members hurriedly called for an admiral.

Moria shrugged, watching the chaos unfold. Things were already going shitty. Amidst the turmoil, his assassins lunged from the shadows of the rookie and swiftly killed him, adding to the mayhem.

Rayleigh's eyes scanned the room and settled on Moria. Recognition flickered in his gaze.

"Uh? What are you doing here, kid?" Rayleigh asked, his tone almost casual despite the surrounding chaos.

Moria stepped forward, a smirk playing on his lips. "Just watching the show, old man. It seems like you've got things well in hand."

Rayleigh chuckled softly, the sound incongruous with the tension in the room. He turned his gaze back to Moria and spoke with a calm authority. "Take the mermaid, kid. She's called Camie. Apparently, you can teleport or something. Treat her well—or else I won't be happy. I'll come get her back on Thriller Bark, she's a friend."

Moria didn't need the Dark King to repeat himself. With a swift, decisive motion, he moved past the few remaining conscious guards. In a blur of speed and shadows, he reached the aquarium, broke it open with ease, and gently placed the terrified mermaid over his shoulder.

As he prepared to make his escape, the roof of the Auction House exploded in a controlled display of light, causing everyone to shield their eyes. The shadows swirled around Moria, enveloping him just as the blinding figure of Admiral Kizaru entered his Haki range.

15th of April 1522
East Blue

The inferno that had once been Clockwork Island's Trump Castle raged around her, flames licking at the crumbling walls and casting monstrous shadows across the shattered landscape. Honey Queen, now a figure of fallen grandeur, lay on her knees amidst the wreckage. Pain and disbelief twisted her features. How? How had the green-haired swordsman managed to cut her? Her Logia-type powers should have made her invincible, her body composed of untouchable honey. Yet here she was, wounded and vulnerable.

Her long, wavy blonde hair, now matted with sweat and blood, framed her face in disheveled twin tails. Dark brown eyes, wide with a mix of pain and shock, darted around the chaos. Her revealing yellow clothes were torn and burnt, barely clinging to her lithe, curvaceous form. Her red high heels were lost in the chaos, and the fishnet stocking on her right leg was shredded, exposing smooth, caramel-toned skin marred by cuts and bruises.

Nearby, the lifeless body of her captain lay crumpled, his once-imposing presence reduced to a tragic relic of a failed defense. Honey Queen's gaze lingered on him, her mind reeling with the enormity of their defeat. Just beyond his still form, two figures stood untouched by the carnage, their demeanor cold and impassive.

The first was a green-haired swordsman clad in the traditional garb of Wano. His three swords, still sheathed, hinted at the lethal prowess that had brought her to her knees. The other was a tall, lethal-looking black man, his skin gleaming with a metallic sheen. She had seen him transform, his body morphing into an unyielding weapon of destruction.

Their conversation drifted over to her, and despite her pain, Honey Queen strained to listen. "This was hardly a challenge," the swordsman remarked, his tone laced with disappointment.

"Bege said we had to take this place for Moria," the other replied, his voice deep and resonant. "But it was... underwhelming."

The swordsman, Zoro, glanced down at her, his expression unreadable. The other, whom she had heard called Daz, did the same. "She's still alive," Zoro noted, his voice a low rumble.

Honey Queen grunted, trying to rise but failing. The two men exchanged a look. Zoro's eyes narrowed, and Daz seemed to understand without words. "What do we do with her?" Zoro's grunt seemed to ask.

Daz shrugged, his gaze assessing her. "She's a Logia. She can grow. Look at Miss Valentine—she became a fine warrior after some... training with Selena. At worst, she'll make a pet for the witch. Let's take her."

The finality in Daz's voice sent a shiver down Honey Queen's spine.

"And why the hell isn't Moria here yet?" Zoro grumbled, irritation lacing his words.

Daz Bones shrugged, his expression impassive. "Apparently, he had a dance lesson."

Zoro snorted in disbelief. "A dance lesson? The guy's a stereotypical vampire—of course he already knows how to waltz and tango and all that crap. Why the fuck would he need to learn even more?"