One Piece: Starting with Breathing Techniques

Chapter 165 Unexpected Gains

Jonathan casually took off his conspicuous navy uniform, changed into casual clothes, and turned to look at Drake not far away.

"Let's go explore Jaya Island together."

"Yes, ma'am."

The immense pressure and sense of responsibility that came with being a vice admiral left Jonathan feeling somewhat suffocated. Whenever he had free time, he would set aside his status and wander around Jaya Island as he pleased.

Only in this way can he feel that the string in his heart will not be so taut as to break.

*

*

*

"Damn it, you lowly Qinghai people, let me go!"

A child with fluffy blond hair, long earlobes, a thin build, and tattered clothes was being tied up by several gleeful pirates and thrown into a large sack.

"Boss, I didn't expect there really are Sky Island people!"

A greasy, slovenly pirate laughed loudly, his eyes filled with longing for the wealth that was about to be his.

Just now, they witnessed the boy fall from the sky while they were at the port of Jaya Island.

Just before landing, the other person was holding something in their hand, seemingly some kind of shellfish, and that terrifying downward force was neutralized.

But the boy also fell into the sea and lost consciousness.

Fortunately, their pirate crew reacted quickly and managed to pull him out and catch him!

But there are no tall buildings around, and considering the legends of the Golden Bell and the Sky Island that have been circulating around Jaya Island, there can only be one explanation—

This boy comes from the Sky Island!

He is also very likely a Sky Islander!

Although a careful examination revealed that the boy did not have the wings of the legendary Sky Island people, his hair and skin color were clearly not those of the surrounding residents.

"He's from the Sky Island!"

On Jaya Island, where the slave trade is rampant, an unprecedented Sky Islander would surely fetch an extremely high price at auction!

The group excitedly transported the sack containing the boy to the largest auction house on Jaya Island.

If Kiro were here, he would recognize at a glance that this boy with blond hair and extremely long earlobes is none other than Enel, whom he has been searching for!

However, for some reason, Enel is here now, and he has not eaten the famous Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

He struggled desperately, but he was still just a child, how could he possibly resist the power of several adult pirates?

As the group grew impatient, one of them finally couldn't stand Enel's noise any longer and punched him unconscious.

"Lieutenant General Jonathan, where do we go next?"

Jonathan, who had already changed into civilian clothes, waved his hand impatiently, "Don't call me Lieutenant General Jonathan anymore, just call me Jonathan."

They boarded an ordinary boat that looked no different from any other vessel and landed at the pier on Jaya Island.

The two, dressed casually, did not attract much attention. After all, they were on the Grand Line, where countless civilians and pirates passed through every day.

After a moment's hesitation, Jonathan's eyes lit up with excitement. "—How about we go check out the slave auction house?"

Despite being a "righteous" naval vice admiral, he was not actually averse to slaves; in fact, he secretly took in quite a few beautiful female slaves.

These are some of the ways he relieves the immense pressure that a vice admiral faces.

After all, it's perfectly acceptable for someone who has climbed to one of the highest positions of power in the world to have a few personal quirks.

The two arrived at the auction house, where Jonathan handed over a dark gold membership card. Immediately, someone led them to a VIP room at the front.

"Welcome to the Gaya Auction House, distinguished guests!"

The waiter brought over two cocktails, speaking respectfully, "The monthly slave auction is about to take place. If either of you is interested, please feel free to call me, and I can place your bids on your behalf!"

After saying this, he nodded respectfully, then turned and left the room, waiting outside the door.

Jonathan smiled and closed the list of slaves in his hand.

Major Drake, somewhat surprised, asked, "Aren't you going to check which slaves are here today?"

"No—" Jonathan's lips curled into a smile, "I prefer the surprises that the unknown brings."

"Who knows, maybe a mermaid will even appear tonight?"

The two men set aside their identities as naval officers and chatted casually, mostly about the navy's shady businesses.

Their wealth didn't come from just their meager salaries; it also came from extortion and bribery, such as levying a pittance on merchant ships or collecting protection money from pirate crews that passed by.

Just as the two were getting into a lively conversation and preparing to discuss opening a branch—

"Snapped!"

A figure in a tuxedo appeared on the stage of the huge auction house.

"Distinguished guests, please allow me to introduce myself!"

"I am the auctioneer for today's auction!"

He bowed deeply to the packed audience. "Today is the exciting monthly slave clearance auction!"

"I can guarantee that today you will have countless exciting slaves to choose from!"

"Finally, there will be a mysterious, top-tier slave whose identity will definitely cause a huge stir on the high seas!"

"Who will ultimately win—" the host chuckled, "that depends on whose wallet is the fullest today!"

"Now, let's begin!"

As the words fell, countless iron cages containing slaves were brought onto the stage one by one, and the host began to introduce them one by one.

Some are delicate and lovely beauties, some are strong and muscular men, and most are ordinary pirates who are only good for manual labor.

As he watched the slaves being brought onto the stage, Jonathan's brow furrowed even more.

"Why is the quality of today's batch so poor?"

Looking at this batch of poor-quality slaves, his long-held expectations were dashed, and his expression became impatient.

Drake, standing to the side, didn't seem to care at all, and even took the time to take pictures of a few beautiful female slaves.

As batches of slaves came to power, Jonathan's patience gradually wore thin, and he eventually became increasingly impatient.

"Not even a single rare race?"

He sighed deeply, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to achieve his goal today.

Ignoring the host's enthusiastic boasting on stage, Jonathan called in the waiter outside the door.

"Tell me, was that last mysterious slave of today male or female?"

Under Jonathan's last glimmer of hope, the waiter shook his head. "Sir, it seems to be a man."

#!

'

Jonathan shook his head, grabbed his coat, and led Drake toward the door.

"Damn it! I'm having such bad luck today!"

Just as the two were about to leave the auction house, the host's enthusiastic voice reached their ears.

"—That's right! The final slave of the day—"

"He's a true-blue Sky Islander!"

The two of them froze in place.