One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 49

It's Kuina and Robin.

Seeing the mess in the alley and the dejected Ace and Sabo, who still bore the marks of the fight, Kuina's brows immediately furrowed.

"What happened?" Kuina's voice carried a hint of displeasure. "How did it get like this?"

Robin's gaze swept across the scene, and she keenly sensed that something was wrong. She asked softly, "Where are Ace, Sabo, and Luffy?"

Ace and Sabo froze simultaneously, raising their heads with expressions of guilt and embarrassment.

Sabo opened his mouth and managed to utter a few words with difficulty:

"Luffy...he's been kidnapped by some thugs..."

On the other side, Luffy was dragged and pulled by the scarred youth and his companions to a dilapidated outpost on the edge of the junkyard—a shack made of scrap metal and planks.

"Let me go! You bad guys!" Luffy struggled desperately the whole way, waving his rubber arms wildly in an attempt to attack.

One of the thugs impatiently slapped him: "Behave yourself, you brat!"

Luffy's head lolled to the side from the blow, but he immediately straightened his neck and roared, "Gum-Gum—Pistol!"

His arm suddenly stretched out, and his fist landed softly on the scarred youth's chest.

The scarred youth looked down at his chest, then at Luffy's harmless fist, and scoffed, "Heh, a rubber man? That's quite something. But with that little strength? Trying to tickle me?"

With a casual slap, he sent Luffy's rubber arm flying back.

Luffy wasn't satisfied and tried "Gum-Gum - Rocket Launcher," "Gum-Gum - Whip," and so on...

Without exception, the blows were either easily deflected or barely scratched the target, instead causing the thugs to burst into laughter due to the comical nature of the actions.

"This kid... is a power user?"

The scarred-faced youth stroked his chin, watching Luffy still futilely trying various "rubber" techniques, a greedy glint in his eyes, "Although his combat power is pitifully weak, this rubber body... is quite rare."

A thug with a pointed face leaned over and whispered, "Boss, those rich guys would definitely love these weird and wonderful ability users! Capture them as slaves or circus monsters, they'll fetch a fortune! Much better than extorting 500,000 from those two kids!"

The scarred young man's eyes lit up: "That makes sense!"

He immediately changed his mind, ignoring Luffy's harmless attack, and ordered his subordinates, "Go! Contact the 'Black Snake' people! Tell them we have a rare rubber brat here, and ask if they'll take him!"

"Yes, boss!"

Not long after, a well-dressed middle-aged man with eyes as cold as a venomous snake arrived at the shack. He carefully examined Luffy, who was still shouting "Ace, Sabo, come save me!", especially his rubbery body, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, he's a rare Devil Fruit user. Although he's a bit weak, he's certainly sensational enough."

The man known as "Black Snake" said in a hoarse voice, "One price, one million Berries."

The scarred young man was overjoyed and hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Deal! Deal!"

Pay in one hand and deliver in one hand.

Luffy was sold to human traffickers just like that.

Black Snake's henchmen put heavy seastone shackles on Luffy and then threw him into a closed carriage.

The carriage bumped and jolted as it left the scrap yard, heading towards an unknown destination.

Inside the carriage, Luffy, wearing Seastone shackles, sat slumped like a dehydrated salted fish, utterly listless.

The two human traffickers escorting him looked at him and sneered, "Kid, don't waste your energy! With these shackles on, a power user is no different from a piece of trash! Just come with us obediently, and you might suffer less!"

Luffy suddenly raised his head, his body weak, but his eyes still shone brightly, filled with an inexplicable confidence:

"I'm not afraid of you at all!"

He grinned broadly, his tone resolute:

"Ace and Sabo will definitely come to save me!"

The two human traffickers were amused by his carefree optimism.

"Save you? Hahaha! Kid, do you know where we're taking you? That's..."

"Shut up!" another, slightly more cautious, trafficker interrupted his companion. "Why waste your breath on a kid!"

Luffy, however, seemed not to hear their conversation and began to daydream on his own:

"When Ace and Sabo arrive, we'll blast you all away!"

"Then let's go eat barbecue!"

"This time, we must make Sabo pay!"

Seeing his completely clueless expression and absolute trust in his partner, the two human traffickers looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Is this kid just carefree or stupid?

Chapter 53 Night Raid on the Golden Salon

Meanwhile, a fight had just ended.

"What?! It's been sold?!"

In front of the dilapidated shack at the junkyard terminal, Ace grabbed the scarred youth by the collar, his eyes blazing with fury, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Sabo's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water, and he held a steel pipe to the throat of another thug.

Kuina crossed her arms, her eyes cold. Robin stood quietly beside her, his gaze sweeping over the trembling thugs.

Just now, they found this place based on the clues, thinking they could rescue Luffy, but instead received this news.

"It's...it's the 'Black Serpent's' people..." The scarred youth stammered, his face pale with fright. "They...they saw that rubber kid was something special and bought him for...for a million Berries..."

"One million?" Sabo laughed angrily, pushing the steel pipe forward a bit. "You guys certainly know how to do business!"

"Which direction did they go?" Guina stepped forward, her voice carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"They went...towards the central street...'Black Serpent's stronghold is usually located underground in the most luxurious 'Golden Salon' there..." To save his life, the scarred youth spilled everything he knew.

“Golden Salon…” Sabo’s eyes narrowed. It was a place frequented by nobles and wealthy merchants of the Goa Kingdom, with a complex web of powerful forces behind it.

"You bastard!" Ace was furious and punched the scarred youth in the stomach. The latter immediately curled up on the ground like a boiled shrimp, groaning in pain.

"Search them for anything valuable!" Kuina coldly ordered. "Then tie them up and hang them from a tree!"

Ace and Sabo immediately took action, stripping the thugs naked (leaving only their underwear) and taking all their Beli and some odds and ends.

Then, using their own belts and the ropes they found, they hung these bruised and battered thugs, who were only wearing their underwear, upside down on a crooked tree nearby, like sausages.

"Help!"

"Put us down!"

The thugs screamed in terror and struggled futilely in the air.

Kuina didn't even glance at them, tossing the looted money bag to Robin: "Consider this Luffy's payment for selling himself. You keep it for now!"

Her gaze sharpened toward the town center, where the lights stood in stark contrast to the dilapidated state of the scrap yard.

"Let's go!" Kuina took the lead, her voice resolute. "Go to that 'Golden Salon' and get that rubber idiot out of there!"

"Yes, we must rescue Luffy!"

Ace and Sabo immediately followed, their eyes burning with anger and determination.

Robin followed silently, only occasionally glancing back with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

The four-person team, with unwavering momentum, headed towards the most prosperous yet darkest central area of ​​the Goa Kingdom.

The thugs in the tree watched their departing figures, feeling like crying but having no tears.

"Don't go! We have nothing left, can you put us down first!"

"Help! Someone, please put us down!"

The central street of the Kingdom of Goa remains brightly lit, a stark contrast to the dilapidated and chaotic periphery.

The gilded signboard of "Golden Salon" gleamed under the lights, and well-dressed waiters stood at the entrance, while men and women in smart clothes came and went.

Kuina and her three companions hid in the shadows across the street, observing the situation.

"Just barge in?" Esmo clenched his fists, his eyes fierce.

“No way.” Sabo immediately objected. He knew the rules here better than Ace. “The Golden Salon has a powerful background. Forcing our way in would cause a lot of trouble and might even alert the guards.”

Kuina frowned: "Then what should we do?"

Robin's gaze swept over an inconspicuous alleyway on the side of the salon, and he said softly, "There... is a back door there. And I've already found the entrance to the basement."

Countless invisible hands and eyes, like the most secretive scouts, had already infiltrated the salon.

"Well done, you nerd!" Kuina's eyes lit up. "Lead the way!"

The four of them moved silently, like ghosts, and made their way to the back alley.

There were two guards at the back door, dressed in black suits with bulging pouches at their waists.

“Two,” Sabo said in a low voice. “I’ll take you to the left, you take me to the right. Let’s finish this quickly.”

Guina nodded.

The two darted out like cheetahs!

"who?!"

The guard had barely cried out in alarm when Sabo's steel pipe struck him precisely on the back of the neck! The guard groaned and collapsed to the ground.

The guard on the other side was also swiftly and decisively taken down by Kuina with a chop to the neck.

Robin pushed open the unassuming wooden door, revealing a dimly lit staircase leading downwards.

A damp, chilly atmosphere hit the air, completely out of place with the opulent splendor of the salon outside.

At the end of the stairs was a heavy iron door with a large padlock on it.

"Let me do this."

Ace stepped forward and slammed his fist into the lock!

The lock shattered instantly!

The iron gate was suddenly pushed open!

The sight behind the door made the four men's pupils shrink in shock—