Chapter 98 - 98: Slavery, freedom...(2)

…

After putting a distance between the auction house and him, Edam directly opened up a spatial gate to his warship.

He had put a spatial mark on it long before, and fortunately, the warship was still relatively close to his position, enabling a spatial travel without so much spatial-disturbances.

They left the place without any traces…

...

*The next day, Sabaody, Marine headquarters.*

The World went into an uproar the next day.

News about a female Celestial dragon being harassed and possibly r***d surged out of nowhere.

After investigation, it is said that the Celestial dragon and the manager of the auction house were both found in a slave cage with slave collars on their necks!

The Celestial dragon was found muttering and sometimes shouting some weird words like 'It's the devil, it's the devil!' with a very absent mind and dull eyes as if she had gone through Hell.

She spoke about having been harassed by a demon.

As for the testimonies of the various persons, there was that they could only recall some blurred pieces of memories after they lost consciousness. One showing princess Tessia screaming at someone or something like that but nothing truly clear.

And her words were also too incoherent to take it into account but as she was a Celestial dragon, no one said anything about it.

Whenever she would see the manager, she would scream at him about how he had put the slave's collar on her.

What's more, she still had some hand-prints on her mouth as if someone had voluntarily held her mouth! With the fact that the manager was found on top of her….

All of that further sunk the manager in a deeper shit… 

But… that wasn't the end of this matter…

Princess Tessia's head blew up!

The key wasn't found in time resulting in the death of the princess...

As a result, in his grief his majesty saint Charlie went into a furious state and ordered the execution of all his 'useless' staff members as well as the slave hunters! While the manager disappeared without a trace at all, never to be heard off again.

Even though some people found the matter to be fishy no one dared to side with the manager, after all, the Celestial dragon was extremely furious, didn't listen to reasons, and remained stubborn about executions, who knew if he would add them to this multi-execution on a whim...

However the outside world wasn't aware that the world government had other thoughts about this matter and took the matter very seriously, after all, this matter concerns a Celestial dragon, and most of all, the enemy was a Conqueror's Haki user without a doubt.

No one knew when someone suggested 'what if it was the God-slayer of three years ago?' And after verification, some clues seemed to collide indeed.

This suggestion was taken very seriously by the government because it would mean that this criminal had reappeared and was an enemy of the world.

The Admiral Kizaru was sent this time along with a fleet of dozens of warships to ensure their protection till they returned to Mariejoie.

With the news that an Admiral was present for protection, Sabaody Archipelago went into a calm but excited mood. The pirates from the other groves were especially calm at that time.

…

…

…

Meanwhile…

Edam was currently walking on an immense plain as he quickly arrived at the intended place.

Lifting his head, he saw long stairs leading up to a huge plain-like root with what seems to be a Bar.

The name of the bar, Shakky's rip-off Bar!

Meanwhile in the said Bar.

An old man was drinking his good drink as he stopped for an instant with surprise written on his face.

"Well, we have a surprising visit today…"

"Hum? Who?"

"It's the little monkey boy from four years ago who came with Garp for the three lost girls…"

"Oh and?"

"Well, he made a lot of progress in four years… it's a bit unbelievable… 

"..."

…

…

...

Outside...

Rumble! A dark and terrifying pressure came about seemingly to crush him on the ground. 

Sensing this, Edam's lips couldn't help but draw out a faint smile, but he didn't stop for a single instant at all.

The same pressure from three years ago didn't seem to have any effect on him at all.

His eyes lit up with cold light as a tyrannical blood-red aura burst out of him and pushed out this dark aura off him and he just walked up the stairs.

There were some things that Edam understood after all those years using Conqueror's Haki which was, every people's Haki differed from each other.

Just like how Rayleigh's Haki was 'dark', his own Haki was tyrannically bestial.

He reached the door of the Bar and pushed it as he entered it.

The place didn't change at all, everything has stayed the same as four years ago.

"Hello!" Edam greeted as he looked at the female bartender and the same old man sitting at the same place.

"You know how to greet people, young man." Rayleigh sipped on his drink and said.

"Well you too, Ray-san…" Edam smiled and greeted Shakky too before he took a seat at the bar.

"You grew up boy, not bad at all…" Rayleigh turned at him and sized him up and down.

"Ah, don't look at me like that, I'm straight okay?" Edam chuckled and joked.

"Hahaha, my wife is in front of you okay?" Rayleigh laughed a bit and said making Shakky laugh too.

"Oh…" Edam laughed.

"Anyway, why are you here kid? Are you here to arrest an old man? Well, I guess that my bounty is still rather attractive for my old age, hahaha…" Rayleigh was surprisingly really relaxed.

"Ah? No no, I didn't even know your bounty was still active, they should take it back and let you off though…"

"Right? They are stressing this old man…" Rayleigh skilled on his glass.

"Anyway, I just wanted to greet you two, it's been such a long time and since I was passing by so…"

"Oh, that's a relief then…"

"Hum, but your power grew up in those three to four years, this is amazing, and you're still only fifteen right?"

"I guess…" Edam smiled at him.

Shaky who was observing Edam all along opened her mouth to speak.

"Did you see what happened to that Celestial dragon?"

"Hum, of course, everyone talks about it…"

"It was that God-slayer from three years ago right?"

"Hum, that's what they say yes…" 

"It was you, isn't it?"

"... No…"

"Hum, yes it was you…" Shakky smiled and told him.

"100 million berries for my silence, what do you think?"

"Wow, do you even have a proof for that matter before accusing me?" Edam said calmly with a faint smile not shaken at all.

"...No…" Shakky squinted her eyes.

"Heh, too bad then, as for money, I'm a poor guy okay?"

"Sigh… you were so cute four years ago…" She said and returned to her business.

"Hahaha, anyway, your Conqueror's Haki too made excellent progress, impressive! It is incredibly bestial! You're becoming more and more like a true Supreme King indeed, hahaha…!" Rayleigh laughed heartily.

"Well, If I can be free of worry, it's a good thing I guess…" Edam said with a shrug of shoulders.

"And umm about that, isn't Conqueror's Haki hereditary or something?"

"Humm, I don't know if becoming a Marine is a good thing for you or not…"

"Uh...Marine or pirate... I don't care in fact. For me, they are just different ways to get stronger that's all…"

"Oh, then what do you want young man?" Rayleigh looked at him wide-eyed a bit surprised by his answer.

At his question, Edam pointed to the roof with a finger and grinned.

"The top!"

"The top? Why though?" 

Deep in his heart, Rayleigh was somewhat afraid. 

He knew a bit of the boy's background and knew that one day he could stand at the top. But letting such an unknown factor at the top could end up in something worse perhaps.

"Why? Of course because…" Edam paused and smiled before quickly adding.

"Being the strongest means that you can live in peace…!"

"Pfff hahaha, you know, that's the same as saying that you want to be the Pirate King…"

"Ah, no no, that title is for one of my brothers… I want something else, I want people to know not to piss me off, that's what I want yup…" Edam said somewhat excitedly.

"Haha, interesting..." Rayleigh said with a wry smile.

"Hum…"

...

They continued to speak leisurely before Edam decided to leave.

"Well, it was fun to see you again, Ray-san, Shakky-san, take care of you, bye!" Edam waved at them as he opened the door and left.

"See you, boy…" Rayleigh said with a smile.

…

"Sigh, I didn't live up to the Bar's name, I didn't take the money away…" Shakky sulked a bit.

"Haha, he didn't even flinch at your threat…"

"..."

"His aura strangely reminded me of my captain, that of a wild beast..."

...

Edam had already returned to the headquarters and called all his crewmates to depart from Saboady.

But when he arrived at the place, he was stunned to see an unexpected person there.

"Well, hello Uncle…" Edam lifted his hand to greet the guy in front.

"Oh, ~ isn't that our little Monkey Prince there~..." The guy slowly turned around and revealed himself to be…

The Admiral Kizaru, the light-man, the fastest man alive…!

Dressed with his usual yellow striped shirt and his oh so cool Admiral coat, he still spoke as slowly as ever despite being the fastest man alive for God's sake!

He wore his ever cynical smile on his face.

"Eh~ I didn't know you were on the island though?"

"Oh, nothing much, just some random guys here and there…"

"Ah so~... Do you want to come to Mariejoie with me?"

"...No thanks I'll pass, I still have things to do, and I'm too lazy to go there…" Edam's mouth twitched a bit and thought.

'Haha, what a joke, If I go there, I might really kill one recklessly…'

"Oh~..." Kizaru watched him quietly.

"Uncle!" A shout resounded from afar as a sumo-like guy made his entrance.

"Oh~ Sentomaru…"

"I searched for you everywhere, Uncle!" Sentomaru arrived and then looked at Edam.

"...? You are?"

"No one, I was about to go anyway, bye…" Edam gave a quick glance at him, waved, and walked away from there leaving the two alone.

He embarked on the ship and they departed from Saboady.