Chapter 306: I Don't Want to Give the Money, But I Do Want the Goods

At the same time.

Sanji, clad in his pitch-black battle suit, was sent flying backward from the dust cloud on the display platform, smashing through several walls before finally coming to a halt, buried beneath rubble!

"No way?!"

"Even Sanji has been..."

Miss Kalifa's face was filled with shock and terror.

After more than three months of training in Alabasta, Sanji's strength had undoubtedly surpassed that of Lucci before he left Xiang Gaowen's group.

His combat power approached that of a Marine Vice Admiral.

Even within the Xiang Gaowen Pirates, only those three monsters could so easily kick Sanji away.

This indirectly indicated that the attacker was at least on the same level as Keluo and Ah Jin.

"Who is it?!"

Van Auger also turned to look at the distant display platform, faintly sensing the dangerous aura emanating from there.

A few breaths later, the dust settled.

A tall man wearing a pink feathered stole and bearing a sinister smile gradually appeared, one hand gripping the hair of the Mink woman, the other holding the remote control for the explosive collars.

"Heh heh heh heh heh heh—!"

A suppressed, twisted laughter echoed through the auction hall.

Doflamingo's body trembled from laughing so hard.

Yet everyone present could feel his suppressed, raging fury.

"I thought whoever dared to cause trouble on my turf would be some formidable figure, but it turns out to be just a few naive big shots wanting to become superheroes."

"Truly excessively ridiculous!"

"Brat."

Doflamingo turned his head to look at Nami, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery:

"If releasing the cages could liberate slaves, there wouldn't be so many slaves in this world, and my business naturally couldn't continue."

"The chains on your bodies can be removed, but the chains in your hearts cannot!"

"Well."

"There's no point in telling you these things."

"Now that you've smashed up my venue and caused me losses of several billion Berries, what will you use to repay me?!"

"Hm?!"

Just as he was speaking.

Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, seeing Sanji in the distance, his feet engulfed in flames, charging at him once again.

"Let go of that Young Lady!"

Sanji launched a heavy kick from above toward Doflamingo, but suddenly halted mid-air, less than two meters away from Doflamingo!

Just as Sanji felt puzzled, he sensed a sharp pain in his leg.

Looking down, he discovered numerous white threads, sharp as blades, cutting into his flesh!

And in the air around him, there were even more threads!

"This guy is a Devil Fruit user!"

"The air is filled with threads created by this guy!"

Sanji hastily shouted to stop Van Auger and the others from rushing to support him, then immediately tried to break free, only to find these omnipresent threads had already tightly wrapped around him, with many of them even coated in Armament Haki!

This guy is far more dangerous than I imagined; he might even be stronger than Captain Ah Jin!

Doflamingo raised an eyebrow slightly.

The sharpness of these threads was no inferior to famous blades, yet striking Sanji, they could barely cut through his battle suit.

Such durability was not at a level normal humans should possess.

Moreover, Doflamingo had now recognized the origin of the battle suit Sanji was wearing!

"Is this the battle suit of Germa 66? Does that mean you are a member of the Vinsmoke royal family?!"

Doflamingo immediately became somewhat interested:

"Interesting, now I don't want to kill you."

"Don't mention those people from that family to me!"

Sanji flew into a rage, exerting tremendous force with his body; instantly, countless patches of skin were torn open by Doflamingo's threads, blood gushing forth, yet he still found it impossible to break free.

Like prey caught in a spider's web.

Seeing this, Doflamingo shifted his attention to the others, a cruel smile curling his lips:

"But you lot can only go and die!"

He raised his hand and made a gripping motion in mid-air.

Immediately, the ground beneath everyone began to surge upward, turning pure white, as countless threads danced like spiritual snakes.

Within a few breaths, Nami and Miss Kalifa were both bound.

Only Van Auger managed to leap back violently, barely escaping Doflamingo's attack range.

"A Devil Fruit user? A Logia type?!"

"No!"

"It's a Paramecia type, one capable of affecting the environment; this is the Awakening the Captain spoke of!"

"This guy... is too dangerous!"

Van Auger raised his hand, loaded two Seastone bullets into the chamber, then aimed at Doflamingo and pulled the trigger!

Bang!

Two nearly overlapping gunshots erupted in succession.

The specially crafted Seastone bullets left the barrel, only to be intercepted mid-air by the strings created by Donquixote Doflamingo.

Hiss!

The rotating bullets rubbed against each other, turning bright red from the intense heat.

Van Augur's expression, however, was terrifyingly cold.

He had thought tonight was just an ordinary auction; relying on Sanji and his own strength, he should have been able to handle most pirates on this island.

He never expected to encounter a monster like the one before him!

The situation arose suddenly, leaving no time at all to seek reinforcements from Xiang Gaowen...

"This is troublesome!"

"If I leave now, Nami and the other two will have no path but death!"

"Aren't you coming over?!"

Donquixote Doflamingo let out a sinister laugh:

"Then I'll come over!"

With that, Donquixote Doflamingo leaped up, surrounded by countless swirling strings that formed giant pythons with sharp tips, roaring toward the distant Van Augur!

"Divine Execution!"

But his movement froze in the next instant!

A terrifying aura rushed over from afar, heavy like a mountain range, pressing down until one could barely breathe!

A crimson curtain of light swept across the night sky, nearly blotting out the moonlight, while a wild wind howled, shattering the auction house's glass and doors!

"This is... Conqueror's Haki!"

Donquixote Doflamingo instinctively released his own Conqueror's Haki to resist, but it lasted less than a moment before being ruthlessly crushed!

He felt as if a mountain rested on his shoulders; only by exerting all his strength did he barely avoid collapsing, yet his legs were already turning soft.

Cold sweat instantly soaked Donquixote Doflamingo's back, simply because the last man to make him feel this way was named Kaido.

Could the one who made this move be an existence comparable to Kaido?!

"Who is it?!"

"Red-Haired? Whitebeard? Or Big Mom?!"

As he spoke,

Donquixote Doflamingo's breath suddenly hitched.

He couldn't help but turn to look at the faces of Sanji, Nami, Miss Kalifa, and Van Augur, feeling that the more he looked, the more familiar they seemed.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

"If it really is that guy, this will be troublesome!"

Da!

Da!

Da!

A series of even footfalls slowly approached, and the slightly ajar door of the auction house was shoved open roughly.

Two figures stood at the entrance of the auction house, calmly observing everything inside.

After Donquixote Doflamingo clearly saw the newcomers' faces, a layer of fine cold sweat seeped onto his forehead:

"As expected, it is you. Appearing on the Sabaody Archipelago and possessing strength like a monster, the only one I can think of is you."

Donquixote Doflamingo remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he had already formed the intention to retreat, even if the cost meant losing all his assets on the Sabaody Archipelago.

After all, between life and money, anyone knows how to choose.

He placed one hand on the surrounding strings, yet the corners of his mouth gradually split into a grin as he tested the waters:

"Coming directly to my territory to cause trouble and attacking my people; this doesn't follow the rules, does it?!"

"However, if you are willing, we could cooperate!"

"With my strength in the underworld and your power, we might well become the new Emperors of the Sea!"

The more Donquixote Doflamingo spoke, the more excited he became.

His current situation was already delicate.

The Marines, the World Government, the underworld, and even Kaido of the Four Emperors were all deeply entangled with him.

While this gave him room to survive, it also made his position increasingly precarious.

Once the balance was broken, the first to be attacked by all would be Donquixote Doflamingo himself.

To some extent, his situation was very similar to that of Lord Tai Zuo, which was precisely why the two cooperated so deeply.

But similarly, if he could have a force of the Four Emperors level behind him, his position as an intermediary would become incredibly solid.

And Xiang Gaowen had already demonstrated the potential of a Four Emperor!

From a former Marine Admiral and Warlord of the Sea to a legendary pirate and the World's Greatest Swordsman,

In terms of combat power alone, Xiang Gaowen already possessed the qualification to challenge for the throne of the Four Emperors.

"The only thing you lack to become a Four Emperor is influence!"

"And that, I have!"

Xiang Gaowen simply ignored him.

It was true that he currently needed influence, but those wanting to become angel investors were far from limited to just Donquixote Doflamingo.

Stussy and Dofield were among them.

In fact, as long as the Martial Arts Tournament was held successfully, Xiang Gaowen might not even need anyone else's help; he could turn the current Four Emperors structure into Five Emperors on his own.

Moreover, in certain aspects, Xiang Gaowen was like Xiang Keluo; he looked down on the shady business conducted by people like Donquixote Doflamingo.

Xiang Gaowen turned his head to look at Fan Fan Aoka, who immediately lowered his voice to explain:

"An elf from Britannias has appeared at this auction; perhaps it will be useful for our subsequent actions."

Xiang Gaowen nodded, glanced at the woman held in Donquixote Doflamingo's hand, then turned to look at Xiang Keluo beside him:

"Right now I don't want to pay, yet I still want the goods; do you have any good methods?!"

The corner of Xiang Keluo's mouth curled up slightly:

"Then there is only the pirate way."

"Oh?!"

"Rob!"

As the word landed, Xiang Keluo had already struck; surging air currents blew everything around them away.

He assumed his human-beast form, his body seeming intangible, passing directly through the strings created by Donquixote Doflamingo as he attacked the latter!

Before he even drew near, razor-sharp wind blades had already brushed against Donquixote Doflamingo's skin, carving out streaks of blood!

"This fellow... a Mythical Zoan?!"

Donquixote Doflamingo's pupils contracted sharply; he could already feel that threat right before his eyes!

"Damn it!"

With the threat so close, Donquixote Doflamingo cared for nothing else; he flung away the elf woman in his hand and violently retreated.

But how could his speed possibly match Xiang Keluo's?!

Hiss!

The Kamaitachi's claws left streaks of blood on Donquixote Doflamingo's body and severed the strings surrounding him.

He immediately realized a cruel fact.

Let alone Knight Xiang Gaowen; he might not even be able to defeat this deputy standing beside him!

"How much time has passed?!"

Donquixote Doflamingo suddenly realized.

From the last Martial Arts Tournament, when he first noticed the figure of Knight Xiang Gaowen, until now, counting it all up, less than two years had passed.

Not only had Xiang Gaowen himself grown, but even his subordinate, the man who had claimed first place at the Martial Arts Tournament arena back then, had already reached this level?!

"Monsters!"

After that fierce roar,

Donquixote Doflamingo hooked his fingers slightly; the strings beneath his feet churned, barely blocking Xiang Keluo's offensive, and he once again took his remote control from his bosom, saying:

"Your target is also that elf woman, isn't it?!"

"Let me remind you: she still wears an explosive collar around her neck; once it detonates, no one can save her!"

Click—!

Without a moment's hesitation, Donquixote Doflamingo pressed the master switch on the remote in his hand, then immediately retreated.

The threat of life and death was right before his eyes.

This confrontation with Xiang Gaowen was far more dangerous than his previous encounter with Kaido; one wrong step meant death!

To save his life, he could no longer care about anything else!

Crash—!

Donquixote Doflamingo smashed through a window and fled, and Xiang Keluo immediately gave chase.

Beep—!

At that same moment, a crisp explosion alert suddenly rang out; like so many death warrants, despair spread across the faces of the slaves in the cages.

"I don't want to die... I... I still have family; I was planning to find a chance to escape, I..."

One slave struggled desperately, clutching the collar with both hands, trying to tear it off, but it was all in vain.

Even more slaves had simply given up struggling, awaiting the arrival of death.

The old man who had just rejected Nami turned to look at her, a faint smile on his lips:

"Thank you."

"I..."

Seeing this, Nami pressed her lips tightly together.

Recalling the scene she had just witnessed, she felt as if something were clutching her heart; she turned to look at Xiang Gaowen:

"Captain, I..."

"I know."

Xiang Gaowen nodded, then stepped forward, lifted the dying elf woman, placed both hands on her shoulders, and spoke:

"Don't move!"

Then a wave of Conqueror's Haki, like a mountain roaring and the sea surging, swept across the entire hall, violently and primitively destroying every collar around the slaves' necks!

Clatter—!

The explosive collar around the elf woman's neck slowly fell to the ground; she raised her head to look at Xiang Gaowen, her face flushing slightly, then her legs gave way and she lost consciousness.

Xiang Gaowen reached out to support her, then turned to look at Sanji and the others:

"Are you all right?!"

(End of Chapter)