Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

Kai remained motionless and made no sound.

He knew that any show of weakness or resistance against a twisted character like Kidd would only invite more cruel treatment.

He could only hope that the other person was just making a casual joke and hadn't really noticed his special qualities, or that... the other person had more important things to do and was too lazy to waste time on someone as insignificant as him.

Fortunately, it seems to be the latter.

Killer, who was next to Kid, seemed to whisper something to Kid (Kai's perception was interfered with by Kid's violent aura, so he could not clearly capture the specific content, but he could feel that Killer seemed to be reminding Kid not to cause any trouble).

Kidd curled his lip, seemingly finding it pointless to deal with a cowardly "blind mouse" and too lazy to waste time.

He gave Kai a final, warning and disdainful look, then led his men and continued swaggering toward the other end of the street.

Kai only breathed a sigh of relief after the Kid Pirates' violent aura had completely dissipated.

In that instant, he was even prepared to either launch a sudden attack or use the environment to escape.

Although brief, this unexpected encounter with the Kid Pirates gave Kai a more direct understanding of the danger level of these "Supernovas".

These guys are not only incredibly strong, but they're also all incredibly eccentric and lawless! In this lawless zone of the Sabaody Archipelago, the possibility of conflict with them is extremely high! He has to be extra careful!

On the Sabaody Archipelago, a land teeming with extraordinary people and events, besides Eustace Kid's ferocious destructive power leaving a deep impression on Kai, another supernova—"Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law—also entered Kai's perception range in a unique and eerie way.

Kai did not encounter Luo directly.

However, in the process of gathering intelligence and tracking targets, he repeatedly "heard" or "sensed" events related to Luo.

For example, near a black market weapons trading point, Kai sensed a brief but strange conflict.

On one side were several powerful and fierce pirates, while on the other side were only a handful of people, led by an energy field that was calm, languid, yet carried a surgical precision and cold aura.

The battle was extremely bizarre.

Kai didn't sense any intense energy clashes or physical attacks; instead, it felt more like a...silent "surgery"? He could feel that under the influence of that peculiar energy field (Law's ROOM), space seemed to be arbitrarily cut, distorted, and reassembled! The pirates' body parts (arms, legs, even heads!) seemed to have lost their original connections, being arbitrarily replaced, pieced together, or simply suspended in the air! And they themselves didn't seem to die immediately, only letting out extremely terrified screams!

Finally, when that special energy field disappeared, the pirates were scattered and in a terrible state, completely losing their fighting ability.

Luo and his companions, who also had strange auras (such as the giant polar bear?), calmly left the scene as if nothing had happened.

For example, Kai learned from an intelligence broker that a few days ago, a naval team tasked with capturing a major fugitive encountered Law and... the entire team had their minds swapped! The consciousnesses of soldiers and officers were haphazardly stuffed into each other's bodies, causing great chaos and panic, which ultimately allowed the fugitive to escape.

These events instilled in Kai a high degree of vigilance and a hint of... inexplicable curiosity about Trafalgar Law, the "Surgeon of Death."

Law's abilities are truly bizarre! The power to manipulate space at will, to cut and recombine matter (even life?!) is unheard of! Moreover, the calm, precise, and seemingly all-powerful aura that Law exudes makes Kai feel that this person... might be even more dangerous than that berserk Kid!

Kidd's danger is written all over his face, a direct destruction like a volcanic eruption.

Luo's danger lies hidden beneath his calm exterior, a terror like a precise surgical scalpel, silently dismembering everything!

Kai memorized all the information about the supernova.

Kidd, Law, Hawkins, Apoo, Drake, Bege, Urouge... plus Luffy, whose strength is unfathomable and who is now famous... each of these guys has the potential to stir up trouble in the New World! Their clashes, and their conflicts with the old-era powerhouses (the Four Emperors and the Navy), will inevitably be one of the main themes of the future seas.

In order to establish himself and even achieve his goals in this upcoming, more magnificent era, he must have a clear enough understanding and assessment of these potential future rivals (or...potential allies? Kai is not sure yet).

The Sabaody Archipelago is indeed a place overflowing with information and full of revelations.

Just as Kai was tracking "Iron Arm" Charon and silently gathering intelligence on the supernovas and other forces, a new and more unsettling message reached his ears through an intelligence channel he had previously established.

The "Human Auction," which has always circulated only in a small circle in the underground world, seems to be about to be held in a few days at the infamous auction house in Area 1. It will be an unprecedented, semi-public "grand" auction due to some special reasons (such as the presence of a Celestial Dragon? or the appearance of an extremely rare "item"?).

What worries Kai even more is that, according to another piece of intelligence he purchased at great expense regarding "Iron Arm" Charon, Charon seems to be very interested in this auction as well! He not only plans to sell some of the looted treasure through the auction, but he also has his eye on a special "item" at the auction (possibly a slave with special abilities, or an item related to his former boss), and is prepared to bid for it at any cost!

This means... Charon is very likely to personally appear at that auction!

This information put Kai in a dilemma.

On one hand, this might be his best chance to capture Charon! Although the auction venue was heavily guarded, it was crowded and chaotic. If he could sneak in, he might find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack when Charon was off guard!

But on the other hand... that was a human auction! A sinful place that he felt utterly disgusted and repulsed, both physically and mentally! To personally step into such a place, to share a room with human traffickers, greedy buyers, and even Celestial Dragons, to "appreciate" those lives treated as commodities... this was simply a blatant trampling on his moral bottom line and the teachings of his senior Fujitora!

To go or not to go?

Chapter 78 My eyes! Have seen too much evil!!!

Kai was once again caught in a fierce internal struggle.

Reason told him that this was a golden opportunity to seize the target, complete the mission, and obtain a huge bounty and important intelligence, one that could not be missed.

But his emotions and conscience were fiercely resisting, filling him with a sense of rejection and disgust towards that place.

Ultimately, it was the desire for power and the increasingly cold and pragmatic heart that prevailed in the face of reality.

He had to go! For the bounty, for the intelligence, for... to become stronger faster! As for his inner discomfort and moral condemnation... he could only suppress them for the time being, or... convince himself that "this is the price that must be paid to achieve a higher goal."

Now that we've decided to go, the first thing we need to figure out is how to qualify for the auction.

Auctions of that caliber are not places that ordinary people can enter at will.

Usually, an invitation is required, or proof of sufficient wealth and status is needed.

Kai began using his intelligence network and methods to find ways to gain entry.

He first tried to buy it at a high price.

But he soon discovered that admission tickets for this auction seemed to be strictly controlled, with very few available on the black market, and the prices were outrageously high, almost equivalent to half of the bounty he would have received for killing Mr. X! This made him hesitate.

Just as he was about to give up on this path and look for another way (such as trying to infiltrate), an "opportunity" unexpectedly came his way.

The underground middleman with whom he had a brief "cooperation" on Beehive Island contacted him through secret channels, saying he needed his help with a "small favor"—to deal with a mob boss who had offended a big shot in Chambord.

In return for the money, besides Bailey, there was also a... VIP invitation to an upcoming human auction! It's said that this invitation was "obtained" from that unfortunate underworld boss.

Kai agreed almost without hesitation.

Although he knew this was another dirty "dark deal," compared to spending an exorbitant price to buy it or risking infiltration, this was undoubtedly the most efficient and "cost-effective" way.

He quickly located the target gangster boss, and after confirming that the man was indeed a notorious and deserving-to-die villain, he cleanly and efficiently eliminated him. Then, from the middleman, he obtained the exquisitely crafted, even slightly bloody, invitation to the human auction.

Holding these 10 "tickets" to the Hall of Sin, Kai's feelings were extremely complicated.

He knew that when he stepped into that place, he might... never be able to claim that he had distanced himself from the darkness again.

A few days later, the human auction was held as scheduled.

Kai changed into a relatively decent but still understated black suit (which he had prepared specifically to better blend into the environment), his face still covered with a mask (both to conceal his identity and to block out the nauseating smell), and he held the seemingly ordinary but actually sharp "Tranquility" cane-knife in his hand. With the help of the bloodstained invitation, he successfully passed through the layers of fierce guards outside the auction venue and entered that... dark hall that he deeply resisted.

As soon as I stepped into the venue, an even stronger and more suffocating mixture of smells hit me!

It has a luxurious flavor that blends the best cigars with expensive perfumes;

It has the enticing aroma of various delicacies from land and sea and aged wines;

But what's more pungent and offensive is the stench of money, a foul odor woven from the intertwining of human greed, arrogance, lust, and other negative emotions!

And... hidden beneath all this glitz and clamor, those lives displayed backstage as "commodities" or about to be pushed onto the stage... fear, despair, numbness, and silent lamentations!

Kai's stomach churned, and he almost vomited on the spot! He forcibly suppressed his physical discomfort, tried to maintain his composure, and at the same time, raised his Observation Haki to the limit, vigilantly sensing his surroundings.

The level of luxury inside the venue exceeded his expectations.

A huge crystal chandelier, floors covered with expensive carpets, velvet-covered chairs... everywhere exudes the arrogance of money and power.

The audience was filled with all sorts of people, dressed smartly and chatting animatedly, but Kai could sense from them a kind of... disregard for life and a pleasure in toying with it.

Especially in the front row, protected by special barriers, the arrogant, godlike aura of the Celestial Dragons, who looked down on all things as ants, filled Kai with a deep-seated disgust and... murderous intent! But he knew he absolutely could not reveal any hostility here, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

He forced himself to ignore the nauseating smells and emotions, and began to move silently around the venue, searching for his target—"Iron Arm" Charon—and... any other clues that might be related to his mission.

His "mind's eye" is like the most sophisticated scanner, filtering out useless information and carefully capturing every suspicious aura and energy fluctuation.

He knew that danger lurked everywhere in this dark temple filled with sin and conspiracy.

He must remain vigilant at all times in order to achieve his goals while ensuring his own safety.

He had already... stepped into the heart of this darkness.

Kai suppressed the turmoil of unease surging within him and moved like a ghost through the luxurious yet sinful hall of the human auction.

His senses were highly focused as he carefully searched for Charon's aura, while also vigilantly watching for any potential threats in his surroundings.

The auction is underway.

On stage, the auctioneer used highly inflammatory language to introduce each life as a "commodity".

Below the stage, the well-dressed buyers watched as if they were watching a circus performance, some commenting with great interest, some raising their paddles indifferently, and some secretly competing for their favorite "prey".

Kai could clearly perceive all of this.

Every time the gavel falls, it drastically alters the fate of a life; every bid embodies naked greed and indifference to the suffering of others.

This scene, in which human dignity and freedom were utterly trampled underfoot, filled him with a chilling and infuriating feeling that ran deep in his bones.

But he forced himself to suppress these emotions and focus on his goals.

Just as the auction was halfway through and the atmosphere was gradually reaching its climax, an extremely peculiar and extremely nauseating odor, like sewage, suddenly entered Kai's perception range!

This aura was filled with an indescribable, extreme, and even morbid arrogance! It was as if its master was not human, but some kind of... "deity" that transcended all things! It was oblivious to everyone around it, unrestrained, and wherever it passed, even the air seemed to distort because of its suffocating "nobility"!

Celestial Dragons!

Kai's heart skipped a beat! He immediately recognized the source of the aura! Although he had only sensed it from afar before, he was absolutely certain that this unique, nauseating aura of privilege was genuine!

Moreover, this time, it was at close range! And... not just one!

He sensed that at the entrance to the auction hall, a wave of commotion and flattery was spreading rapidly like a plague! The once noisy hall instantly became unusually oppressive and... eerily silent!

He could clearly sense that almost all the guests and staff bowed their heads and bent over the instant that aura appeared, with many even kneeling on the ground! Their postures were filled with humility and fear, their emotions were filled with flattery, ingratiation, and a deep-seated, extreme fear of offending the "gods"!