[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Recap:

"Get number 17 ready!"

The workers entered the cell and stopped in front of Camie, who was still in the (h/c-ette)'s grasp.

She curled up more into the latter's body, as if to hide, but that definitely didn't work as they forcefully tore her away and brought her to wherever they needed her to be.

Waiting for their figures to be out of sight, (Y/n) spoke up.

"So, what is your plan, Ray-san?

On with Chapter 3:

3RD PERSON POV

Celestial Dragon Princess Sharlia took a step ladder from the backstage while everyone else was distracted by the notorious Straw Hat crew. She placed the step ladder beside Camie's fish tank and went onto the highest step before pointing a gun at the mermaid.

"Unforgivable. Now that it has come to this, I will just kill the mermaid they came to save!" Princess Sharlia said to herself but loud enough to catch everyone else's attention. Camie immediately turned her back towards her as if to hide from the gun.

"Ah! The 500 million berry!" Disco exclaimed in worry, "Please... Please wait, Princess Sharlia! We haven't received the pay for the item yet! Please! Wait! Princess Sharlia! Princess Sharlia!"

Princess Sharlia then turned towards Disco and pointed the gun at him. "Be quiet, you inferior human!" she said before pulling the trigger and shooting him. She turned back to Camie and pointed the gun at her again, "Now, fish, I shall finish you off for good this time!"

"Damn it! Camie-chan!" Sanji exclaimed and was on the brink of panic as well as the other crew members.

Camie covered her face to brace for the incoming impact.

"Stop trying to resist!" Princess Sharlia scolded. The Straw Hats prepared themselves to attack her and to protect their friend. But before they could, the noble suddenly went limp and fell backwards off the ladder and onto the stage.

She...fainted..?

"Princess Sharlia!" a bodyguard exclaimed.

In the midst of the confusion, the stage wall was ripped open by large hands to unveil two figures. One was a tall old man with long white hair and white beard, and a woman with (h/l) (h/c) hair carrying a long staff in her hand.

"Have a look at that, Giant-kun, (Y/n)-chan. Seems like the auction is over. Seeing how I've stolen some money, I guess I'll be returning to the gambling hall." Rayleigh admitted as he stopped to look around the building.

"What a foul man you are..." The giant said, "You came here just so you could steal money?"

"So that's why you used your haki just now." (Y/n) was sweating nervously as she was looking around the auction house that was filled with unconscious bodies.

"I wanted to steal from whoever bought me as well." he laughed at the giant's statement and disregarded (Y/n)'s nervous mutter. "Well, that's impossible now..." he took out his flask from his coat and unscrewed the cap. He was about to drink from it before realizing, "Oh, right, it was empty." he said before screwing the cap back on and placing it back into his pocket.

"First, I've gotta get some more sake. Although, come to think about it... I'm pretty old, so who would want a slave like me?" he laughed again.

"I can't believe I got saved by an old man like him." (Y/n) said, mostly to herself and the giant, but Rayleigh managed to hear it pretty well. "What?"

"What's with that old man and the giant? I-Isn't that the Witch Doctor?!"

"Weren't they auction items? How did they get out of their cages?"

"Their neck rings are gone! How did they get them off?!"

"What should we do?"

"What..? We weren't hired to catch prisoners who have escaped! There's no way we could restrain a giant and a rookie from the Worst Generation!"

"R-Rayleigh!" Hachi called out to the elder when he recognized the figure.

Pappag and Chopper were surprised and turned to look at the fishman, " "Rayleigh"? You mean, the ship-coater?!" he asked before looking back at the group of escaped prisoners, "Which one of them?"

Rayleigh looked towards the voice and saw Hachi laying on the stairs with a starfish and reindeer by his side. "Why, if it isn't Hachi! It's you, right?" he asked, "It's been awhile! What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, he got all serious, "Where'd you get that wound? Oh, you don't have to tell me." he said before surveying the area while scratching his beard.

Camie was in a fish tank that had been sliced

Walls and ceilings had been destroyed by an impact

The auction house was empty except for the pirates and unconscious and conscious bodies of the Celestial Dragons and their bodyguards

"This means... I get it. I've figured out what has happened." he said before letting out a sigh, "You've gotten yourself into quite a mess, huh, Hachi?" Rayleigh then averted his attention to a young boy wearing a familiar straw hat. "Were you the one that saved him?"

Although he didn't get a response, he proceeded with his next action. "Well then..." he then used his Conqueror's Haki again and caused the remaining conscious guards to faint. Only the pirates and their friends were awake.

While everyone was confused at what had happened, Rayleigh turned towards (Y/n). "Can you heal him for me? He's a friend of mine." he asked, referring to Hachi who was still lying uncomfortably on the steps and a wound on his body.

"That won't be so hard." (Y/n) said, "Consider it my thanks for saving us."

As she was making her way down the stage and towards where the injured lay, Rayleigh looked back at Luffy, "That straw hat of yours... It really fits a fearless man like yourself. I've wanted to meet you... Monkey D. Luffy!"

— m e a n w h i l e —

"Fufufufu..." a familiar laugh was heard over the den-den mushi Disco was using. He was covered in blood from the wound he had received from the Celestial Dragon earlier and was panting from escaping to the backstage.

"This is nothing to laugh at, is it?!" he was exasperated at his boss' behaviour, but the latter was still laughing. "This is your shop, right, Mister Doflamingo?! Where are you right now? Nobody's gonna trust this store anymore after what happened to the Rosward's family! I'm sure he's gonna run us out of business! Can't you help us?!"

Doflamingo was still laughing, showing that he was not affected by the condition of the auction house at all. "Hey, you..." he called, "Human trade is old news already, idiot! This is the age of SMILES, you see, SMILES!"

"Disco, just keep that store of yours, and don't contact me again." he laughed again.

"What?! In this terrible situation, you're just abandoning us?!" Disco cried, "T-Then what about the Witch Doctor?! Don't you still want her?!" "Be silent!" the man immediately shut up, "You're such a pain..."

"While you're sitting there, blaming me for your own misfortune... the New Age grows ever closer, Disco-kun. I'm, no... We are currently being called by the navy for a mandatory gathering." Doflamingo paused to take a sip, the clinking of the ice against the glass and a sigh could be heard through the den-den mushi.

"How does this future sound to you, Disco-kun? The Whitebeard Pirates vs the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

Disco said nothing because he was still shocked on the information he had just been told.

"And the Witch Doctor..." Disco paid extra attention when she was mentioned, "I bet she has already escaped, right?"

Once again, he kept quiet and Doflamingo chuckled.

"Don't worry about her. I know I'll see her soon."

—

"Straw Hat Luffy, may I have permission to heal your friend?"

Luffy turned his attention to the (h/c-ette) standing in front of him at the bottom of the stairs now. He stared at her, as if trying to read her mind to know her true intentions. "Yeah." he answered after being silent for a few seconds, prompting her to kneel down beside the injured fishman. She rested her staff where her neck meets the shoulder and placed both hands near Hachi's wound.

Chopper was staring at her warily, "Don't worry, Chopper-san. I'm a doctor and healer." she said. He then thought, if his friend, Hachi, trust a guy like Rayleigh, who trusts (Y/n), that means she's nice too, right?

Hesitatingly nodding his head, (Y/n) then used her powers to heal Hachi.

Pappag and Chopper were still wary of her because she was a stranger to them, but they did not find the time to worry since they had to focus on Rayleigh reaching out towards Caime's neck ring.

"Hey, jii-san! Don't do anything reckless! It's gonna explode!" Pappag shouted.

"We've already seen what it's like when a slave's collar explodes!" Chopper added.

"That was horrible! Absolutely horrible!" Brook joined in.

'Seems like they've seen it first-hand." (Y/n) thought, "Don't worry, he knows what he's doing." she told the three of them, but her words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as they seemed to be not a bit reassured.

"Is that really okay, Luffy?!" Chopper asked his captain but didn't receive a response.

"Wait! Franky is looking for the keys now, right? We should just wait until he finds them!" Usopp for once spoke up in Rayleigh's presence.

"That's right! Please stop him, Straw Hat!" Pappag begged the captain, but he too didn't receive a response.

"I don't understand what kind of power he used, but I can definitely see that he's not your average old man." Zoro spoke up.

"That's why it's just okay to leave Camie-chan to him?! What is that Franky doing?" Sanji said exasperatedly.

"Don't worry, Sanji-san." the blonde turned towards the witch who was looking down and still healing Hachi, "Rayleigh-san managed to remove our neck rings too." she looked up at him and used one of her hands to point towards her neck, "And see, our heads are still attached to our bodies just fine."

Despite her statement, the Straw Hats were not convinced because they had literally witnessed the outcome with their own eyes earlier that day.

"Stop! If we don't have the key, we can't get it off!"

With her back turned towards the scene, (Y/n) could only guess that Rayleigh was reaching out towards Camie's neck ring, and the ticking of the collar proved her guess to be right.

"It's ticking! What are we gonna do?!"

"Stop! Please stop it!"

"Camie!"

B O O M !

An explosion suddenly happened and it blew dust and some debris their way.

"Hey, what happened?" Franky was heard asking as he came out from the backstage with a ring of keys in his hand.

"I can't say it! Camie has- eh?" Pappag cut himself off when the smoke cleared from the stage to show that Camie and Rayleigh were fine.

Franky swung the keys around his finger. "What the hell? Scaring me shitless! She doesn't have a collar or chains anymore?"

Everyone who was present was shocked at the scene. 'How did Rayleigh remove the neck ring so easily.' they mostly likely thought.

Pappag snapped out of his shock state and ran (rolled) down the steps towards the stage. "Camie!" he exclaimed while crying.

While Franky was sulking about having finally found the keys for the mermaid, Rayleigh finally noticed his presence. "Oh, you found them? Quite impressive..." he complimented. "But it's fine, please carry this young girl out of here."

It was then that Franky realized that the man in front of him, that had caused the scene, was one he did not recognize. "What the hell? What's with this situation?! Who are you?"

Usopp got out from hiding behind a seat, "What? What'd he do? That old guy just did something mysterious again!" he said although having seen less than half of what happened. He swallowed a lump down his throat, "Just who is that old man?"

Luffy, with his eyes still on the stage, explained what he had seen with his own eyes.

"He removed the collar with his hand?!"

Franky ended up throwing the keys to the slaves who were left behind by their buyers, and they cheered because now they don't have to serve anyone.

"If that old man was the one who beat all these soldiers, then he must have used some sort of magic of some type of sorcery, right?" Usopp theorized, "He's got to have some Devil Fruit powers!" At the moment, Rayleigh came down from the stage and walked towards the Straw Hat crew, "He said something about your straw hat, too... How do you know that guy, Luffy?"

"I really don't know him!" Luffy almost shouted.

"That was probably his Haki..." Hachi said from his position on the stairs, this time less strained since (Y/n) had healed him and moved him into a more comfortable position. "Though, I don't really understand it myself..."

"Sorry, you guys. You were just here to watch, right?" Rayleigh said to the other two pirate captains, "Judging from how you handled the situation earlier, you aren't exactly pushovers, right?"

Kid decided to speak up first, "Who'd have thought we'd run into such a big shot here? "Dark King", Silvers Rayleigh. No doubt about it. What's the legendary man doing here?"

"I prefer to be called the old coater, Ray-san, around here. Please don't call me by that name. I'm an old man now. I'd like to live peacefully." he finally reached where (Y/n) and Hachi were. "How is he, doctor?"

(Y/n) picked up her staff and stood up from her position. "I've stopped the bleeding and closed the wound. He just needs some rest and he'll be fine."

Rayleigh smiled and said, "Thank you." before kneeling beside his friend, "You're not gonna die, right, Hachi? I always told you that you shouldn't walk around these islands."

"Sorry..."

(Y/n) took this opportunity to finally return to where her crew was. She walked past the Straw Hats and stopped at the row where Law, Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo were sitting. Three of them were happy to see her fine, but the Captain held an unimpressed look on his face.

"I-I'm sorry..." (Y/n) sweatdropped as she apologized for her carelessness.

Giving a sigh, Law held out his hand to her. She raised an eyebrow before placing her hand in his and getting pulled into his arms.

"Be careful next time, idiot." he muttered into her ear and she laughed, "I'm back, Captain."

"Criminals inside! Please release the Rosward family! An admiral will be here shortly! I'd imagine that it would be safer for you to just surrender. You don't know what will happen otherwise, rookies!"

Pulling away from the hug, she closed her eyes and used her magic to sense the souls that were present outside. "There are a lot of them, probably at least a hundred." she said. "So they're not just dragging us into this, but they're totally treating us as if we were his accomplices too.." Law said.

"I see that Straw Hat Luffy is every bit as crazy as the rumours said. Not to complain, but I'm not gonna stick around to clash with an Admiral." Kid said.

"Yes, I can't use that power from before anymore, so I'm counting on you." Rayleigh agreed with Kid's statement. "It would be really troublesome if the navy found out who I am."

Walking away from his group and towards the exit, Kid said, "I have no intention of getting saved by some old man. But the longer we stay, the more soldiers will come. I'll be going on ahead. As an extra favour, I'll save you guys."

For some reason, Law and Luffy were provoked by Kid's words as they frowned and furrowed their eyebrows. Probably due to their pride...

"I'll take care of the cleaning outside, so just relax!"

Law stood up from his seat and took his sword from Bepo.

"Law? What are you gonna do?" (Y/n) asked when he walked past her. He stopped in his tracks and turned slightly to glance back at his crew, "Protect you guys." he said before following Kid and Luffy to the entrance of the Auction House.

On the way there, she could hear Luffy shouting at and with Kid about handling the marines with Law's occasional remarks.

"...Sigh..." she sighed at the captains' actions. She was about to follow behind him for possible backup when she was called by her name, "(L/n) (Y/n), right?" She turned around to see a tall slender woman with shoulder-length black hair and familiar wide blue eyes.

"Yeah, what of it?" (Y/n) asked.

"Do you remember me?" the woman was smirking.

"Of course I do." (Y/n) smirked as well, "How can I forget about you, Nico Robin?"

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Follow my instagram for anime shiz! : _.mizu.izu._

Join our discord! The link is (somewhere) in my message board and my bio. It's a place where fanfic writers and readers come to chill!

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it, apologies for the mistakes and please do point them out. Please vote if you enjoyed it, it encourages me to publish more.

※ will update when free/not lazy/bored/when I have ideas ※