Chapter 156: Intervention
Just as Vahn was thinking about how to teach the self-titled Saints a lesson, a loud crashing sound and a large explosion of dust and debris emanated from the back/entrance of the auction hall.
'Right on cue...' thought Vahn, pretending to divert his attention from the trio of Celestial Dragons by half-turning his body to peer back, one of the disadvantages of having many wings. He found it a little odd that very few people got up from their seats despite someone flying a giant fish into the hall, but since most of the people present were fairly affluent or criminals who illegally purchased and exploited slaves, he assumed they were used to witnessing and perpetrating violence.
"Dammit, Luffy...first you grab me by my neck, nearly breaking the damn thing, and now you send us crashing into a building. I swear, one of these days, I'm going to slice you clean in half..." complained a muscular man of average height and uncommon, almost mint-green hair. His lightly tanned body was covered in numerous scars, including a prominent, exceedingly straight line from his left shoulder to his lower right hip, and his outfit, at least at that moment, consisted of an open, red-and-white-striped shirt, a green haramaki that allowed him to keep three distinctive katanas affixed to his right hip, dark green, nearly black pants that reflected a green hue, and black leather boots.
"Hey, I got us here, didn't I...?" asked Luffy, freeing himself from beneath a pile of rubble in a sleeveless blue sailor's shirt, dark blue shorts with fur around the leg holes, banded straw sandals, and, as usual, his trademark straw hat. With the two was an odd-looking, pear-shaped man and a large flying fish that had been converted to a mount, but they were just there to get the duo to the auction house quickly.
Pulling themselves together, Luffy and Zoro looked around to take stock of the situation before simultaneously looking up at Vahn. The fact it had taken them that long to notice him despite the fact he was emitting light in a dimly lit hall was impressive in its own right.
"Whoa, who's this chicken guy? And why is he so shiny...?" asked Luffy, causing Vahn to feel like he might fall out of the air. He had telepathically messaged Nami to pretend they had no affiliation, but he didn't expect to have been forgotten by Luffy despite only a month or so passing from the young pirate's perspective.
Spotting Camie on the stage, Luffy ostensibly lost interest in Vahn, his expression changing from curiosity to resolute fury as he bolted forward, shouting, "Camie! We've come to save you...!" without any other thoughts in his mind.
"Wait, Mugiwara(Straw Hat)...!" shouted the pink-skinned, octopus-like man, leaping forward to grab and attempt to hold Luffy back. However, despite the drastic difference in size and build, Luffy continued forward without difficulty.
pawa pawa pawa