Chapter 20: Sold To The Highest Bidder – Part 2
The moment had arrived
The auction house held its breath as the showman, Mr Disco, spread his arms wide, basking in the anticipation of the audience. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Feast your eyes upon the beast who many try to capture, but few succeed!" His voice dripped with showmanship as he gripped the edge of the sheet, milking every heartbeat for suspense. "Without further ado, I think I'll let the goods do the talking!"
With dramatic flourish, he yanked the covering away. Gasps rippled through the room as the spectacle was unveiled – a massive glass tank. Inside, bound in iron shackles, floated a mermaid. Chains clung to her wrists and neck, a contrast to her delicate beauty. "Directly from Fishman Island! The Mermaid Camie!"
The crowd erupted. Some leaped from their seats in awe, their eyes wide with wonder at the rare creature before them. Others leaned forward hungrily, their gazes dripping with greed, lust, and a sickening sense of entitlement. Voices tangled together – excited murmurs, whispered bids already brewing, and the low chuckles of those reveling in the power they held over another life.
Skyler's stomach twisted at the sight. In that moment, the auction house had shown its true face – a pit of monsters. Not creatures of myth, but men and women who feasted on misery, drunk on the power to decide another's fate. To own a life and steal freedom that was never theirs to take.
Then, a single voice thundered over the roaring crowd, silencing them in an instant.
"500 MILLION BERI!"
The silence that followed was deafening. For a moment, no one moved, no one breathed – until hushed murmurs filled the room. No one could counter the bid of a World Noble. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't dare.
Skyler caught the stunned expressions of the Straw Hats, their shock so visceral that the woman dropped the bidding paddle. They knew the mermaid, that much was clear. Maybe they had hoped to buy her freedom—but against someone who claimed to be a god? That was a death sentence.
Kidd scoffed, breaking the spell of silence.
"It's like a fucked up metaphor for this screwed-up world… What a complete farce." He turned towards the exit, uninterested. "Let's get out of here."
The crew followed, but Skyler hesitated. Her gaze drifted back to the stage, to Camie, her delicate hands pounding helplessly against the glass tank. Remorse gnawed at her chest.
Maybe I could've done something.
Maybe she should've taken Kidd up on his offer – buy as many as she could and give them back their stolen freedom.
But with what money?
The numbers had risen so fast, the figures impossibly high. She didn't stand a chance against the wealth of monsters. The only thing she owned was the clothing Quincy had given her.
With a bitter taste in her mouth, she turned to follow the others when a sharp, buzzing sound cut through the tension. It grew louder, closer – then, in the blink of an eye, something crashed through the auction house doors.
Seats were sent flying, dust and rubble filled the air. Gasps and shrieks rang out as the debris settled. And from the wreckage, two figures emerged – one in a stripped open shirt, the other with a straw hat.
"Dammit! Can't you pull off a better landing than that!?" The man with the straw hat barked, shaking off the dust before turning toward the stage. His eyes locked onto the tank, widening in recognition. "CAMIE! THERE YOU ARE!"
Skyler barely had time to process before Kidd spoke beside her.
"Isn't that Straw Hat Luffy?"
Killer gave a nod.
Skyler turned to Quincy and whispered. "Who is he?"
There was hesitation before Quincy answered, still stunned, "He's got the second-highest bounty, after our captain."
Before anyone could say another word, chaos erupted.
Mr Disco shrieked at the guards to seize Luffy, but the pirate didn't spare them a glance – his attention was locked on the mermaid. The octopus-man that was with the group, rushed to grab his arm, trying to stop him. There was urgency in his voice, trying to minimize whatever damage Luffy could possibly cause.
But the crowd's reaction was instant and cruel the second they saw the octopus.
"It's a fishman!" Someone spat in repulsion.
"Disgusting creature!" Another sneered.
The auction house was filled with snarls of contempt, voices dripping with hatred at the mere sight of such a 'monster'. Bidding paddles, coins, whatever else they could grab, flew through the air, pelting him without hesitation.
Skyler clenched her fists. A mermaid was worth millions, but a fishman was worth scorn. And the real monsters? They were the ones holding the paddles.
Oh, the irony.
The thought curdled in her mind – until a gunshot rang out. The world seemed to freeze.
Skyler checked the crew first, making sure they were alright, before looking ahead. Smoke curled from the barrel of a gun, clutched in the hand of the World Noble who had entered last.
A starfish she hadn't noticed before scuttled toward the fallen fishman. "H-Hachi?" His voice trembled.
Luffy, still as a statue, locked his eyes on the motionless body of the fishman.
Meanwhile, Charloss hopped from side to side, giggling like a madman. "I shot it! I took down the fishman!" His laughter rang through the room, delusional and sick. "I caught a fishman, Father! I get an octopus for free!"
A collective sigh of relief rippled through the crowd.
Skyler felt the bile rise in her throat. Relief? There was nothing to celebrate. It wasn't a spectacle but the crowd was treating it like one.
Luffy's stance shifted. His body was taut with rage, his fists trembling. Skyler could see it: he wasn't just ready for a fight – he was ready to take down the World Noble.
But before he could take another step, Hachi's hand shot out, grabbing Luffy's arm. She saw the fishman whisper something, his words low but urgent. This was a heavy moment – Luffy knelt down to calm Hachi, But Charloss kept jumping and cheering.
"I'm sorry! I am so sorry!" Hachi cried out, his voice reaching the corners of the auction house.
"You lousy fish," Charloss shouted over him, "still blabbering on even though I shot you!" He aimed his gun at Hachi again. "You annoy me!"
As soon as he aimed the gun at Hachi, Luffy stepped in front, protecting the fishman. There was visible hesitation from Charloss, probably because of the audacity of Luffy to face him.
A smile crawled on Skyler's lips – the kid had guts, that was for sure. Despite the faint smile, she could taste the tension in the air. She hadn't even noticed that she had reached out to grab Kidd's coat, trying to give herself some closure, some form of comfort.
"What's with that look, commoner!?" Charloss spat the words like venom at Luffy.
But Luffy ignored it. He just strode forward, his intentions clear as day. His gaze never wavered from the World Noble.
"Stop, Straw! You'll get in huge trouble!" The starfish cried out, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. "Please stop!"
He didn't stop, he just kept going up the stairs.
"Is he serious?" Kidd muttered, disbelief clouding his tone.
Skyler remembered Killer's warning: if anything happened to a World Noble, an admiral would come and destroy everything. The palpable stress in the room told her that it wasn't just a vague threat.
And Luffy was making sure that the admiral would come rushing down to the island.
Charloss fired two shots.
One shot grazed past Luffy's face; the other he dodged entirely.
He was close enough to the World Noble now.
He reached back and, with a shout, punched through the bubble around the World Noble's head, hitting him square in the face. The sheer force of the hit sent the man flying up the remaining stairs and through a few rows of chairs.
Everything stilled again, the crowd completely silent in a moment of shock. Charloss lay unconscious on the ground.
A furious voice erupted from the stunned silence. "How dare you – a commoner – lay a hand on my son!?" One of the World Nobles, the man who had entered first, stepped forward, his face twisted with rage. Without hesitation, he raised his weapon and fired at Luffy.
Panic spread like wildfire. The crowd surged toward the exits, desperate to escape the conflict – or worse, the World Noble's wrath.
Luffy stood his ground, unmoving.
A blond man in a black suit, a member of the Straw Hats, lunged forward, his foot striking with precision. He kicked off the World Noble's weapon from his grasp. Guards rushed in, but the Straw Hats tore through them at every turn.
"Here, take this." Killer's voice was low, caution in his tone as he offered her something. He was holding a pair of thick leather gauntlets, their knuckles and forearms reinforced with a gleaming metal.
"This isn't ominous at all, Killer." Skyler tried to joke but the tension was palpable. She glanced at Kidd – he was completely tense, a statue watching it all unfold.
Killer leaned closer. "Now's not the time for jokes, Skyler. Things will get ugly, so stay on your toes." With that he stepped back to stand next to his captain.
Her fingers twitched at her side. The air felt thick, pressing down on her lungs. The gauntlets felt heavier in her hands now, like they carried the weight of something else beside the metal that clad them.
Her chest tightened and her eyes welled up with tears that burned like acid.
Her breath was faster, shallower, and she curled her fingers against her palms. The cold metal of the gauntlets bit against the bandages wrapped around her hands. The pressure stung. The skin was still raw, the wounds still healing. Her nails hadn't even grown back yet, but she dug down anyway, chasing the pain.
The sound of the crowd blurred into the distance as her mind brought her back there.
Back to the tavern, to the vivid sight of the knife digging into the belly of the Marine soldier. The memory of the warm blood splashing on her burned her skin. The images of the scattered body parts as the soldier fell to the ground, lifeless.
And the smell…
God, the smell…
She sucked in a breath, but it felt like she was trying to breathe through a straw.
She shouldn't be here.
She wasn't ready for this.
A gentle voice cut through the static in her head. "Skyler." A weak sob escaped her as a hand settled on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped up and she saw Quincy next to her, eyes kindly staring back. "You're here," she spoke quietly. "Breathe."
Her hands were still trembling. The panic hadn't fully left – but she felt like she wasn't drowning anymore. Quincy's hand brushed toward her back, rubbing comforting circles of warmth. "We'll get through this. We've got your back, okay?"
Skyler swallowed hard and gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. She was still shaking, but under Quincy's gaze, she felt herself calming down – just enough.
But then, as if the universe wanted to contradict her, a crushing weight settled in her chest. Cold shivers ran down her spine, her vision darkening at the edges. She shook her head violently, forcing herself to stay upright. From the corner of her eye, she saw Quincy go rigid, face turning pale as she slowly turned toward the stage.
Skyler followed her gaze.
An old man stood calmly in front of Camie, unfazed. Behind them, a massive figure ripped through the stage panels, splintering wood and tearing apart the dreaded words: Human Auction. A sharp rhythmic ticking filled the air, each click a warning that set Skyler's nerves alight.
Then – movement.
A flick of his wrist, too fast for her to process, and then an explosion.
The shackles binding Camie detonated behind them, sending a concussive force rippling through the air.
Skyler's mouth dropped open.
What – how?
The sheer absurdity of this world hit her. Did the laws of physics even apply here?
Kidd let out a short chuckle, more intrigued than surprised. "Didn't expect to see a big-shot here…" His voice carried both uncertainty and excitement. His lips curled slightly. "'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh… No doubt about it. What's a legend like him doing in a place like this?"
Rayleigh started up the stairs, his steps unhurried, voice smooth and controlled. "On these islands," he spoke, eyes locking onto Kidd, "I'm Ray, the coating craftsman. Don't go calling me that other name. I'm an old soldier now. I just want to live in peace and quiet."
Skyler shifted, watching Kidd out of the corner of her eye. There was a distinct twitch in his fingers, an almost imperceptible shift in his stance. Unlike her – who felt rattled to her core – he seemed excited.
He thrived in this.
The weight of whatever had crashed over her moments ago still lingered, but Kidd stood there, nearly vibrating with anticipation.
She barely noticed Heat approach Kidd until he spoke. "They have the place completely surrounded, Boss."
Skyler knew who 'they' were. And as if to confirm her worst fears, a metallic voice blared from outside, amplified through a speaker.
"Release the Roswald family at once! An admiral will be arriving shortly! I recommend immediate surrender!"
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
A/N:
There is quite a bit that was removed from the episode. Given that with the anime, you can get multiple points of view and different information, this is written from the perspective of Skyler. There would be a lot that she wouldn't be able to hear, or miss in those moments where it's more focused on her and whatever turmoil or conversation is happening.
So it may seem that is a bit more 'rushed' compared to the flow of the anime. This is also to avoid having a full one to one copy and interpretation of what is happening in the anime. I'd want to avoid that as it would make things a lot slower and not contribute to character development or introspection.
These will be difficult to write since I have to always put into perspective what is happening on the show compared to where the Kidd Pirates are standing but I will be doing the best I can.
I appreciate the support and thank you for your continuous support.