Chapter 349: Chapter 349: It Is Better to Be a Species Than to Have No Slaves!
Chapter 349: It Is Better to Be a Species Than to Have No Slaves!
Doflamingo’s final words struck like thunder in the hall, silencing the already shaken crowd.
Everyone stared in stunned confusion.
What the hell just happened?
The auction house had followed Doflamingo’s lead, even manipulated bids to match his pace... yet now, he was still dissatisfied?
"Those last bids were rigged by you lot to inflate the price," Doflamingo said coolly, his voice dripping with contempt. "So I’ll bid again—properly this time."
He raised his hand mockingly.
"Starting over. No reserve price. My bid: 10,000 Berries—for the entire batch."
Gasps erupted around the room.
The nobles were speechless. Was Doflamingo mocking the auction outright? Or was this the moment he planned to tear it all down?
"He’s provoking the auction house!"
"Would he really dare to start a fight here?"
"There are World Nobles present!"
"But he’s backed by the Dragon Hunter Pirates... and he’s a lunatic himself. A madman with madmen behind him... That’s a recipe for disaster."
The whispers turned into murmurs of panic.
Many nobles began to sweat nervously. If Doflamingo caused a scene here, they could be caught in the crossfire. And with the Donquixote Family silently surrounding the hall’s exits, escape was no longer an option.
Anyone who tried to leave now... might not make it out alive.
"Auctioneer," Doflamingo snapped, cutting through the tension like a blade. "What’s the matter? Forgot how to run an auction?"
"Or are you implying I can’t afford the merchandise?"
The auctioneer stood frozen, swallowing hard.
From the sidelines, Ryuunosuke watched calmly, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.
Doflamingo was doing exactly what he needed him to do—no script, no rehearsal. Just pure, unrestrained arrogance.
It was beautiful.
"Any other bids?" the auctioneer asked, voice trembling.
The silence was deafening.
Everyone knew this was no longer about money.
It had become a showdown between the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the World Government—an ideological war disguised as an auction.
No noble dared insert themselves into that kind of battle. They valued their heads too much.
And so, one by one, they lowered their eyes.
No one raised the price.
The auctioneer’s face turned pale, while the auction house owner looked like he’d swallowed a cactus. But neither dared to confront Doflamingo.
"There’s... nothing we can do," muttered Joseph, Charlos’s right-hand man. "But perhaps... this isn’t a total loss."
He leaned toward the fuming Celestial Dragon.
"Didn’t the Dragon Hunter Pirates claim to be liberators? Well, now Doflamingo just bought slaves. Let’s expose him—make it public."
Charlos’s expression lit up with malicious glee.
"Yes..." he sneered. "Yes! Let’s call Morgans. Broadcast this whole thing—show the world that the so-called ’righteous’ Dragon Hunters are nothing more than hypocrites!"
Joseph nodded quickly, racing to carry out the order. It was the only counterattack they had left.
---
Back in the hall, the auctioneer forced a smile.
"Mr. Doflamingo," he announced, "you’ve officially purchased the entire final lot. In fact, you’re the only buyer at tonight’s event! What a historic moment!"
"Would you honor us by coming to the stage for a commemorative photo?"
"Sure," Doflamingo said nonchalantly, strutting toward the auction table with all the flair of a showman. Behind him, rows of chained slaves were dragged into view.
Their eyes were hollow. Many were bruised. Some had clearly been starved, others whipped or broken. A few didn’t even flinch as the lights shone on them—shells of who they once were.
Their pain was a silent scream.
The auctioneer stepped up with a practiced smile.
"Congratulations on the successful conclusion of this event—"
"Hold on," Doflamingo interrupted, lifting a finger. "Since I’m up here... might as well say a few words, right?"
The auctioneer beamed. Perfect. The more he spoke, the better the material for Morgans’ broadcast.
"By all means!" he said, handing over the amplifier Den Den Mushi.
Doflamingo took it and turned to face the crowd.
And then... his voice echoed across the world.
"First of all," he said, "thanks to this auction house... for gathering so many slaves in one place."
A few chuckles came from the crowd.
"Secondly..." Doflamingo paused. "I’m setting all of them free."
"They’re no longer slaves."
The laughter died.
"Each of you can return home... or come to Dressrosa and live as a free citizen. We’ll provide shelter, food, jobs, and protection."
The auctioneer’s smile shattered.
His eyes widened in horror.
Doflamingo was endorsing the Dragon Hunter Pirates—on a global broadcast.
"And one more thing."
Before anyone could react, a thin silk thread gleamed in the light—and in a single instant, the auctioneer’s head was severed.
The man’s body collapsed forward onto the table.
Gasps. Screams. Nobles backed away in terror.
"There’s no need for someone like that to keep breathing."
Doflamingo stepped forward, voice steady.
"On behalf of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, I declare this the beginning of a new era."
"From this moment on, we are launching a global anti-slavery movement."
"Any kingdom, any organization, any faction caught trafficking in slaves—will be eliminated."
"Kings, princes, generals, ministers... All of them—regardless of rank—are still just people."
"And every person has the right to live as a human being."
The hall fell into stunned silence.
Even the Celestial Dragons watching from above were frozen.
That last line... that was Ryuunosuke’s touch.
Doflamingo didn’t even understand it fully when he first read it.
But now, standing in front of those broken men and women... it hit home.
It doesn’t matter who you are. The existence of slavery is the greatest stain on humanity.
And the Dragon Hunter Pirates would erase it.
---
"That’s about it," Ryuunosuke said quietly, stepping forward. His face was calm, his presence overwhelming.
At his word, a ball of fire shot into the sky—signaling the beginning.
"The Whitebeard Pirates support this movement!"
A familiar voice boomed across the hall.
Ace.
He appeared in a burst of flames, his powerful aura sweeping through the auction like a storm. The fire lit up the ceiling and knocked back nobles cowering in the box seats.
Flames roared as the First Division of the Dragon Hunter Pirates sprang into action.
Guards were disarmed. The auction staff were knocked out. Celestial Dragon bodyguards were cut down before they could draw their weapons.
The takeover was swift.
Brutal.
Efficient.
Outside, chaos erupted as news of similar strikes across the world spread like wildfire.
Slave ships were burning.
Entire kingdoms with underground slave markets were falling.
Even independent bounty hunters began raiding known slave routes—some out of justice, others to ride the wave of public support behind the Dragon Hunters.
And whether or not the Dragon Hunter Pirates were directly involved, everything was now being attributed to them.
They had become a symbol.
On the auction stage, Ryuunosuke removed his hood.
"Let’s begin." His words were calm—but absolute.
A system prompt rang out in his mind:
Ding! Host has founded ’No Slavery Day’ in the One Piece world. Recognition rate among global citizens: 32%. Reputation value +100,000.
And so, a new era had begun.
One in which every man, woman, and child could hope to live without chains.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Want to know what happens next? You don’t have to wait....Chapters ahead are already live on Patreon 👉 /FanficLord03
And don’t forget: every +500 power stones = 4 bonus Chapters for everyone!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9