Chapter 124

The islands are clearly divided by numbers,

and every island serves a different purpose!

For instance, Island 24, where Li Xiao is currently located, has many restaurants,

while nearby Island 22 houses a hospital!

As for Li Xiao’s destination—Island 1,

it is the site of this auction,

and the very island the Sabaody Archipelago uses exclusively for hosting auctions!

Among the many industries on the Sabaody Archipelago,

the importance of the auctions is second to none,

almost qualifying as one of the archipelago's pillar industries!

This point

is evident just from the number of the island it occupies!

And the reason for this situation

is simple to explain!

The geographical location of the Sabaody Archipelago is quite unique;

it sits in front of the Red Line in the middle of the Grand Line,

serving as the final stop of the first half of the Grand Line,

and simultaneously the mandatory transit point for reaching the second half—the New World!

Therefore,

compared to the native inhabitants of the Sabaody Archipelago,

the people who gather here daily are mostly a motley crew!

Marines, pirates, merchants, bounty hunters, and so on,

they are all here!

And among them,

the majority do not abide by any order!

Take pirates and bounty hunters,

or even the occasional Celestial Dragon!

These people all share one trait!

They either possess immense power,

or they wield terrifying authority!

In this world where the weak are prey to the strong,

such people naturally tend to disregard so-called order and morality!

Even the most ordinary-looking merchants among them

usually do not take order and morality to heart either!

Merchants are driven by profit,

especially the merchants of the Sabaody Archipelago!

As long as there is profit to be made,

they are willing to do anything!

Whether it is murder and arson,

or petty thievery,

they are all willing to do it!

As for whether these acts are good or bad,

they simply do not care!

It is precisely because of these reasons

that the auction industry of the Sabaody Archipelago was birthed,

and the human auctions, which spawned countless black-market industries,

are especially loved and frequented by countless people on the archipelago!

Here,

almost every auction is packed to the rafters!

Although Li Xiao has a permanent log pose for the Sabaody Archipelago in his possession,

the log pose’s function is limited to guiding Li Xiao to this island!

As for the specific terrain within the island,

Li Xiao remains completely ignorant!

Therefore,

Li Xiao can only use his old method,

asking for directions while groping his way toward Island 1!

However,

compared to that last time with the "all-inclusive funeral service" that handled both the killing and the burial,

Li Xiao’s experience asking for directions this time is undoubtedly much smoother;

everyone he met along the way was a law-abiding, helpful citizen!

Li Xiao walked and asked,

and after circling the Sabaody Archipelago for half a day,

he finally arrived smoothly at his destination—Island 1!

After arriving at Island 1,

the process of finding the auction house was much smoother!

After all,

the location of the auction house is indeed not hard to find;

it is situated in the central district of Island 1!

Furthermore, the auction house is circular in shape,

and occupies a large area!

Looking from afar,

one can spot that massive circular building at a glance!

It is quite the landmark building!

Most auctions held on the Sabaody Archipelago do not require an invitation,

nor do they require verification of identity or assets;

you can just walk in and take a seat!

Because Li Xiao wasted quite a bit of time on his way to Island 1,

he arrived

a bit late!

When he walked into the auction house,

he saw it was already packed,

and the rows of seats were already filled with people!

Li Xiao looked around,

scanned the area,

and finally found an empty seat in the very corner,

walking over immediately to sit down!

No sooner had Li Xiao sat down

than the curtain rose,

and the auctioneer slowly walked onto the stage.

The auction officially began!

——————

(Apologies, I went on a long trip these past two days and have been suffering from a headache. I barely managed to write one chapter on the road yesterday. I will try my best to write another one before 12 o'clock today.)

Although this auction is not exclusively a human auction,

in reality,

among the items appearing at the auction,

slaves still account for the majority!

These slaves are of a wide variety,

from men to women,

from old to young,

and even from humans to fish-men;

they truly have everything!

This is normal, actually;

come to think of it,

looking at the whole world,

the most prosperous place for human trafficking is the Sabaody Archipelago!

One could even say

that it is precisely because of the development and prosperity of the human trafficking industry on the Sabaody Archipelago

that various black-market industries continue to flourish!

The Sabaody Archipelago is like a central hub,

with a series of human trafficking industries involving the entire world derived from the demand here!

A large number of human traffickers from the four seas,

either by luring or capturing a massive number of slaves,

then transport all these slaves to the Sabaody Archipelago

to conduct trade!

Therefore,

the human trafficking industry on the Sabaody Archipelago has been able to become increasingly prosperous!

For any auction held on the Sabaody Archipelago,

the most common items for auction will always be slaves!

The nobles or truly wealthy people living on the Sabaody Archipelago

almost all keep quite a few slaves in their homes,

and most even carry one or two slaves with them when they go out!

This is a scene rarely seen anywhere else;

only the Sabaody Archipelago, where the human trafficking industry is most prosperous,

could give rise to such a unique situation!

Li Xiao has no interest in the items appearing early in the auction!

He has only one goal for this trip,

and that is the Adam Wood!

And such precious items

are usually saved for the very end as the grand finale!

Therefore,

Li Xiao is not in a hurry;

he just sits quietly in the corner,

eyes slightly closed,

silently waiting for the Adam Wood to appear!

As time passes,

the items appearing become increasingly precious,

and the prices rise higher and higher!

Stimulated by one number after another,

the atmosphere in the venue gradually becomes restless and lively,

and the appearance of every precious item

triggers bursts of exclamations!

Whenever an item is auctioned off at a high price,

many people present cannot help but shout loudly!

In this atmosphere that has gradually become somewhat fanatical,

Li Xiao, who has kept his eyes slightly closed and remained expressionless and silent the whole time,

appears rather out of place!

Fortunately,

at this moment, everyone’s attention is already drawn by the items appearing one after another,

and coupled with Li Xiao’s position in the very corner,

no one notices him!

Otherwise,

someone might actually recognize this face worth 3.5 billion Berries,

which could potentially bring some trouble!

"The next item for auction is one of the grand finales of our auction today!"

As soon as the auctioneer said this,

everyone present immediately cast their gazes toward him in unison,

their eyes filled with undisguised fervor!

The auctioneer was clearly already accustomed to such scenes,

and continued his introduction with composure:

"Long before the auction began, we released news about this item in advance. I believe many of you here came specifically for it!"

"That’s right, the next item for auction is none other than the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, one of the Logia Devil Fruits!"

While speaking,

a woman with a full figure pushed a small display stand and slowly walked up,

and on top of this small stand,

a fruit with a peculiar appearance was placed quietly;

it was none other than the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!

Under the illumination of the lights,

the patterns on the surface of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit emitted a deep and charming luster,

just like the power it contains,

powerful enough to make one feel a sense of longing!

In this instant,

inside the massive auction house,

almost everyone’s gaze was drawn to this Rumble-Rumble Fruit,

and Li Xiao was no exception!

Li Xiao, who had been motionless, slowly opened his eyes,

and turned his head to look at the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on the display stand!

He turned his head to look at the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on the display stand!