Sabaody Archipelago V

(A/N: Last one...)

While Akane and Ban were observing the soldiers, Shinobu had already left the Rip-off bar, leaving Lafitte behind to recuperate from her shopping spree.

As she had told Ban and Akane, she was on her way to Grove 1 where one of the biggest auction houses in the whole of Sabaody Archipelago was situated. The rumours about the slave trade being legalized in these parts had reached Shinobu's ears as soon as she had roamed across the archipelago, but once she had seen the Celestial dragons, only then did Shinobu realise how messed up slavery was in this world. It reminded her of little Kanao back home.

Even now Kanao had difficulties in showing her emotions, showing any semblance to a will of her own. It was truly saddening. To see that even more people here were subjected to the same fate as little Kanao, it just rubbed her the wrong way.

Arriving in front of the auction house, deftly indicated with a major sign with t he word 'Human' on the front.

'Let's see if there is another way in...'

Shinobu had only glanced once at the main entrance, immediately looking for the side entrance. Walking around the building, she soon spotted the door that was heavily guarded by the aution house staff. They looked strong, but outwards appearances could be deceiving. Look at her, she is small and slim, not even looking all that dangerous. That is if she wasn't making a move.

"Ara, Ara~ Does one of the two gentlemen here know where I can find the leaflets of the aution house? Surely you would know. You are the staff. It would be strange if you didn't know. If you know, you can get one for me, can't you? It would be odd if you couldn't, as this place knows how to treat their customers, right?."

Speaking in circles, Shinobu continued to ramble on with her usual smile on her face, making the guards confused.

"I'll go get one. Keep an eye on her while I am gone."

One of the guards went inside, leaving Shinobu alone with the other guard.

The guard acted a bit shy around Shinobu, scratching his head nervously as well as blushing when she looked him in the eye.

Taking full advantage of this, Shinobu edged closer, whispering softly in his ear.

"I have a little free time, why don't we get inside to drink something~"

The guard blushed an even deeper color red, stammering as he led Shinobu inside. In his eyes was a hungry look as a fire seemed to flow in between his legs. The lustful gaze was accompanied by a odd chuckle.

The guard quickly walked to one of the empty rooms with Shinobu, leading her inside and closing the door.

Not even a minute later, Shinobu walked out as she wiped her hands on a tissue. She seemed completely refreshed, something akin to blood drops sticking to her chin and neck.

"Now, where to go~, Let's see~, The dungeons it is."

In her hands, Shinobu carried a bunch of keys, while in her other hand was a map of the building. She wouldn't be getting lost anytime soon.

Walking leisurely through the building as if it was her own home, Shinobu dealt with any guard coming towards her.

"Breath of the Insect: Butterfly dance: Caprice"

Butterflies seemed to appear in the air, flying towards the guards and landing on their bodies. When the butterflies disappeared, slashing marks would appear on their body.

With only a single swipe of her sword, her opponents would freeze as if paralyzed. Red cracks would spread on the skin as a painful whimper escaped from their mouths. Within seconds they would burst out in puddles of blood. No bones or organs could be found in the puddle, as steam rose from it and it slowly faded away in a few seconds.

"There is no mercy for people like you~ I wonder how effective it is on demons?~"

With that thought in mind, Shinobu arrived in the dungeon. As there wasn't going to be an aution till the day after tomorrow, there weren't that many slaves inside. There were a few, with amongst them two fishman and a single mink. There was even a merfolk, kept safely chained to one of the walls. On their necks were collars, though they weren't shackled to anything. They clearly had a different purpose.

"My~ Who would like to leave here? Any takers?"

The prisoners looked at Shinobu in hope, as she twirled the keys in her hands.

"Then you will owe me once I get you out~"

Not waiting to hear a reply, Shinobu opened the cages, handing the many keys to the prisoners.

The whole ordeal was quickly finished, as all the former slaves looked around for a way out. The Fishmen carried the blue tailed merfolk on their back, while the male panther Mink flexed his muscles in preparation of a possible fight.

"Now let's hurry up. I don't have all day~"

Shinobu said as she moved back towards the way she came from. The slaves followed closely after her, not knowing where she was taking them.

Every time they encountered guards, they (the guards) were quickly taken care of with a single cloud of purple dust or a single cut from Shinobu's sword.

The end result was always the same. The guards would end up dead or severely poisoned. The most gruesome one was when one of the guards skin began to peel off on its own, as the muscles strained so hard that they began to tear. At the end, they could even see the bones underneath.

The former slaves looked at Shinobu in horror, keeping a little more distance from her. Only the merfolk and the mink seemed unperturbed by the actions. The merfolk even had little stars in her eyes in wonder, looking at Shinobu with admiration and yearning.

Once they left the auction house, more than half of the guards were down, with no one to impede their way out. Once outside, the passerby looked in shock at the scene of freed slaves, running away from this misfortune they found themselves in.

No doubt the marines had been contacted and would arrive soon. When that happened, no one wanted to be dragged into the whole thing. The former slaves scattered as well, leaving Shinobu behind without a word of gratitude. Only the two fishmen, merfolk and mink stayed behind.

"AraAra, it seems you know how to be thankful~ My, how wonderful. Why don't we leave this place and find somewhere to relax. I have an offer for you if you want."

They all nodded at Shinobu's words and followed after her like little duckletts.

Shinobu smiled widely at the possible new additions to the crew, wondering if Akane would like it.

They were a little short on crew mates and this would bolster their numbers a little. Even if they were weak now, once they joined the crew, she could enhance their bodies with a few experiments. Don't even mention the haki training.

This whole thing had been worthwhile, if they wanted to join that is. Even if they didn't she would make sure she reaped at least a few benefits.