The Human Trafficking Store.
The slaves inside had dull, lifeless expressions, huddled in the corners of their cages, avoiding the side where sunlight shone through.
Unlike the grand auctions, the Human Trafficking Store was composed of streets lined with individual cages, clustered together to form a market. This unique layout was designed specifically to make it easier for visiting nobles of Sabaody Archipelago to browse their selections.
For those from non-World Government member nations and other unfortunate souls who had fallen into slavery, this was the ultimate degradation—stripped of their humanity and reduced to mere merchandise.
Suddenly—
"Whoosh!""Crack!"
The sharp sound of bars shattering jolted the slaves from their numb stupor. They stared blankly at the broken cage door, too dazed to react.
As they stood frozen, an arrogant voice rang out.
"Fufufufu... You have two choices: join the Donquixote Family, or get captured and turned back into slaves."
For people who had spent their lives as nothing more than commodities, the choice was obvious. Given the chance to be treated as human again, who wouldn't take it?
Among them was Stella, who didn't hesitate for a second.
The next moment, the slaves surged forward, rushing toward freedom.
...
Evening, Donquixote Family Base
Now that the former slaves had been cleaned up and given fresh clothes, they finally started to look somewhat alive again.
Even so, standing before Urouge and Machvise, whose towering figures loomed over them, fear still lingered in their eyes. But at least, for now, they knew their lives weren't in immediate danger.
Machvise held a stack of documents as tall as a person, while Urouge stood beside him, his ever-present smile unwavering.
"Anyone with business experience, step forward.""Anyone with special skills, step forward."
The slaves exchanged uncertain glances before quickly arranging themselves according to the instructions.
As Machvise handed out forms, his words—completely at odds with his massive physique—carried a peculiar tone.
"Take a good look at the price list in your hands and memorize the number. That's your value—the amount the family paid to buy your freedom. Fuffuffu."
"From now on, as long as your contributions to the family equal your own price... your freedom will be yours."
"I'm Machvise, your supervisor. Fuffuffu."
Freedom!
The mere mention of the word sent waves of excitement through the crowd. But no one dared to show it too openly, afraid they might be mistaken for laughing at Machvise's odd speech pattern. Some were already holding their breath, their faces turning blue.
"It's fine! Laugh if you want! Just make sure you work hard from now on. Fuffuffu!"
"..."
"Gorogoro!"
'Hah… Looks like Seastone really has you lot interested, Five Elders. You're watching me so closely that the moment I stir things up, you come running.'
Doflamingo smirked at the thought, but he didn't let a trace of it show on his face. Instead, he picked up the Den Den Mushi connected to the World Government and spoke casually.
"Moshi moshi. Five Elders. What can I do for you?"
A voice came through the line—calm, but with an unmistakable edge to it.
"Donquixote Doflamingo. Why did you attack the Human Trafficking?"
Doflamingo chuckled.
"No, no, no. Not an attack—a counterattack."
"Disco, that lowly commoner, had the audacity to treat me—a former Celestial Dragon—as a slave. He was a fool who dared to bite the hand that feeds him. I merely cleaned up the mess for you. You should be thanking me."
"We're not talking about Disco. We're talking about the slaves, Doflamingo."
The Elder's words didn't faze Doflamingo in the slightest. If anything, he found them amusing.
He knew exactly what this was—a warning.
They didn't care about some slavers in Sabaody. What they really wanted was to remind him not to get too bold.
'Tsk. As if I'd listen.'
His smirk deepened as he spoke in a mocking tone.
"Fufufufu… No need to get so worked up, old man. Too much stress at your age might just kill you. As for the slaves… if you're running low, why not send Cipher Pol to round up some more from non-member nations? You lot are quite good at that, aren't you?"
The other end of the line went silent.
Doflamingo took the chance to push further.
"If my Celestial Dragon status is really such an issue, why don't you go ahead and announce it to the world? Come on, let's have the Marines deploy an Admiral to 'escort' my business. Oh, but let's be clear—I don't have some perverse fascination with playing with slaves. I simply enjoy doing business. And I'm sure the Marines would be happy to safeguard my trade routes."
More silence.
Doflamingo leaned back in his chair, a wide grin stretching across his face.
"Well? What do you say? We could sign an APPROVAL agreement. The Marines wouldn't need to get involved in arms deals, and you'd get a 30% cut. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
"…"
"Click."
The call was cut off.
Doflamingo chuckled to himself.
The World Government only recognized his Celestial Dragon status because of the Seastone monopoly he held over them. It was a convenient arrangement, nothing more.
No wonder his counterpart in another timeline had resorted to seizing the Heavenly Tribute as leverage.
Being a Celestial Dragon was just too useful.
It granted access to the nobility and royal families of various nations, and in some cases, it even allowed him to influence the Marine forces remotely.
Right now, in the North Blue, in Mock Town, and on Whiskey Peak, his business was already booming—and that was just from working with branch Marines.
If he could extend his reach to Marine Headquarters and the ruling elites across the world…
Even without the arms trade, he could flood the markets with Sky Island shell tech and dominate global commerce.
The potential was enormous.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Doflamingo looked down at a blonde woman with a stunning figure standing below him.
He flashed her a brilliant, sunlit smile.
He wasn't out of options.
At the very least, the future Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro, was already on his way.
Turning his gaze to the approaching Urouge, Doflamingo spoke softly.
"Urouge. The Family needs a base in Lawless Zone No. 16—just as big as the one we took from the Human Trafficking Market. You understand what needs to be done, don't you?"
Urouge bowed slightly.
"God, I understand your will."
...
Two Months LaterSabaody Archipelago, Donquixote Family Base
"Boss, here's the latest sales report for Mock Town and Sabaody."
"The first batch of high-quality Sky Island shell tech has been shipped to Jaya Island for distribution. As per your specifications, the premium-grade shells are already en route to Sabaody."
Dressed in a sharp red suit, Gild Tesoro handed over the neatly compiled financial reports.
It was remarkable—in just two months, he had evolved from a mere street thug into a proper business manager.
Doflamingo was thoroughly satisfied.
Taking the reports, he set them aside and smiled.
"Tesoro, you've done well. As a reward, Stella's debt has been erased. She's free."
For the first time, Tesoro's polished demeanor cracked—his face lit up with sheer joy.
He had calculated that, at best, it would take five years of hard labor to free Stella. Yet now, it was over just like that.
His voice trembled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Boss! Not only did you save Stella from the slave market, but you've also given her true freedom. I'll work even harder from now on!"
Doflamingo chuckled.
"Think nothing of it. Just a small matter."
Then, he added casually:
"Tesoro… would you like to officially join the Donquixote Family? Stella, too."
"I believe she'd do well handling the younger family members. What do you think?"
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg