"The security is quite tight. It's no wonder, considering all the human trafficking organizations have joined forces," Daniel Davis thought as he observed the area. For someone with access to a mirror dimension, as long as there were no countermeasures against spatial abilities, security measures were useless. After a quick survey, Daniel prepared to take action.
On Island No. 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago, the backers behind these human trafficking operations came from various forces, including pirate factions like Doflamingo's, merchant guilds, underground criminal organizations, nobles from certain countries, and even some royal families.
Among these were several royal factions, all aligned with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. The Goa Kingdom from the East Blue was among them, although, possibly due to its limited power, it did not have a directly owned auction house on Island No. 1. The Goa Kingdom was just one of the suppliers in the slave trade.
The Creek Pirates, currently claimed to be the strongest in the East Blue, were in some ways a product of the Goa Kingdom, being one of the many pirate groups they traded with.
Many member nations under the World Government harbored pirates. For the nobles of the Goa Kingdom, their main income came from slaves—not just from selling them but also because most of the work was done by slaves.
Compared to using civilians, employing slaves was cost-effective since there was no need to pay wages. The Goa Kingdom, often touted as the most beautiful nation in the East Blue, was essentially built on the bloody backs of slaves.
The policies of the Goa Kingdom made it impossible for them to lead luxurious lives solely by taxing the common people. Only through the slave trade could they afford such a lifestyle; otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to pay the annual tribute to the Celestial Dragons.
The sale of slaves supported many of the World Government's member nations. Without this, most of them would collapse.
These member nations weren't afraid of being overthrown because the World Government and the Marines were their backing. The Dressrosa Kingdom, if not for Doflamingo's unique background, wouldn't have been overthrown.
The Revolutionary Army's belief that simply toppling the Celestial Dragons would bring peace to the world was overly naive.
"Disco, you should really thank Doflamingo," Daniel muttered as he adjusted his aim from Disco to another target through his sniper scope.
Due to the presence of Haki, snipers in the pirate world, especially experts, rarely used scopes. While a modern sniper rifle hitting a target from two to three kilometers away was considered impressive, in the world of pirates, snipers could often exceed this range.
Blackbeard's crew included an exceptional sniper, Van Augur, and among the Four Emperors, the Red Hair Pirates had the most gun users. Long-nosed Usopp, who later became a highly skilled sniper, even awakened his Observation Haki during the battle with the Donquixote Family, knocking out Sugar and laying the foundation for their victory, earning the nickname "God Usopp."
Bang.
As Daniel pulled the trigger, the head of a high-ranking member of another human auction house exploded like a watermelon, spraying blood, brain matter, hair, and tissue around. Some of these landed directly into the mouths of Disco and others.
Ugh.
The next moment, Disco and the others began to vomit simultaneously. Soon, the surrounding guards quickly shielded Disco and his companions.
Just as Daniel was about to fire a second shot, a sudden golden beam shot towards him at lightning speed, hitting him with such force that it knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying backward.
"Kizaru... to think a Marine Admiral was lying in wait. Sengoku must be really angry," Daniel thought, realizing that only under extreme circumstances would Sengoku resort to such tactics. Given Kizaru's personality, he wouldn't have stayed in the area without orders from Sengoku.
The Marines typically turned a blind eye to the World Government's dark dealings. Even Garp, when he returned to the Goa Kingdom, never interacted with the kingdom's high officials.
Of course, it's also possible that Kizaru himself was among those being blackened, and being stationed here wasn't out of the question.
"So, it's you. You've really caused quite a bit of trouble," said a golden figure suddenly appearing beside the airborne Daniel—it was Admiral Kizaru.
"He's fast. I still underestimated an admiral's strength," Daniel thought as he spoke, "Who would have thought that a Marine Admiral would be protecting a slave auction house? It's truly eye-opening."
With these words, Daniel flipped in midair and landed on the ground. As he came to a stop, Kizaru also halted, standing less than five meters away. For Kizaru, this distance was as good as none.
"It seems there was indeed a trap. Good thing I'm wearing my full set of battle armor," thought Daniel, clad in a seamless black suit, including a helmet.
"Aren't I rumored to be the auction's protector? So, it's not surprising that I'm here," Kizaru said, confident in his stance. "Take off your mask. Let me see who has made Fleet Admiral Sengoku so angry."
"I'm just a pioneer trying to resist the world's darkness. Though I've miscalculated this time, even if I fall, countless others will rise. The days of the Celestial Dragons, World Government, and Marines dominating everything won't last long."
"You lapdogs of the Celestial Dragons, today, I'll take you down with me," Daniel declared as he suddenly threw several grenades at the ground.
Kizaru, startled by Daniel's sudden move, transformed into a beam of golden light, shooting into the sky. For Kizaru, as long as he could keep Daniel in his sight, there was no escape. In such a situation, Kizaru wouldn't take unnecessary risks.
Boom, boom, boom.
Several black smoke clouds rose from where Daniel stood. The grenades he had thrown weren't explosive but smoke grenades. Daniel had prepared a variety of grenades, including tear gas, stun grenades, smoke grenades, and even those that could alter time perception, all ready for use.
"Goodbye, Admiral Kizaru," Daniel thought as he dropped another ten grenades and disappeared, using Apparition.
Initially, Daniel had considered using Apparition to leave upon encountering Kizaru, but seeing that Kizaru didn't immediately attack, he dismissed the idea.
Though Luffy dared to face the Admirals with weak strength, Daniel, while perhaps not possessing Luffy's courage, was willing to confront Kizaru alone, especially with his full vibranium armor.
"Hmm." Seeing the black smoke, Kizaru frowned but didn't rush in, remaining cautious and watching the surroundings.
Boom, boom, boom.
Moments later, a series of explosions shook the area, dispersing the black smoke. Kizaru focused his senses on the dissipating smoke, but Daniel was nowhere to be seen.
"Vanished... a spatial ability? This just got tricky." Daniel's last words about taking him down didn't convince Kizaru. If it were true, there would be at least some blood or other evidence left behind.
From the start, Kizaru had used his Observation Haki and eyes to keep track of his surroundings, but he hadn't spotted Daniel anywhere. The only explanation was a spatial ability.
Realizing this, Kizaru's expression grew troubled. Among all the abilities, spatial ones were the most troublesome; if the user wanted to leave, there was no stopping them.
Having been humiliated, Kizaru was already displeased at being stationed around a slave auction house, and now he was also outmaneuvered. This worsened his mood.
However, despite his frustration, Kizaru had to accept the reality of his failure. After this incident, setting another ambush would be even more challenging.
With a resigned sigh, Kizaru pulled out a Den Den Mushi to call Sengoku.
"It seems you've made a discovery. Did you catch the target?" Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi. The decision to have Kizaru set up an ambush around the human trafficking area was one Sengoku had made out of necessity. The World Government's Five Elders were demanding answers, and within the Marines, the leaflet incident had caused unrest. Meanwhile, neither the Marines nor the World Government had any intel on the target.
Under these circumstances, the only viable option was to focus on the slave auctions, as Daniel's actions seemed to target the slave trade specifically.
Of course, Sengoku hadn't participated in rebuilding the auction house on Island No. 1, despite the leaflets labeling him as a mastermind. He wouldn't involve himself in the slave trade.
With the decision to ambush made, Kizaru, the fastest among the Admirals, was the best choice to prevent the target from escaping. Sending Akainu might have resulted in a charred corpse, while Aokiji had refused outright. Even Sengoku, as Fleet Admiral, couldn't force an Admiral. Kizaru had only agreed to go after Sengoku promised him substantial overtime pay.
"The target did appear, but he escaped."
"With your strength, you let him escape? Was he very strong?"
Kizaru's words startled Sengoku. He was well aware of the power of the Admirals, and if the target had this level of strength, it wasn't good news for the Marines.
"I haven't gauged his strength; we didn't engage. He seems to have spatial abilities."
"What did you say? Tell me everything," Sengoku shouted, alarmed. Compared to a spatial ability user, Sengoku would rather face a fighter as strong as an Admiral. For the Marines and the World Government, with determination, even a pirate of the Yonko's level could be defeated.
But a spatial ability
user, especially one hidden in the shadows, posed a far greater threat than the Yonko's crews.
"That's the situation," Kizaru explained, recounting the events.
"It seems he does have spatial abilities. That would explain how he's been able to act so swiftly in various places." Daniel's actions had already been flagged in the Marines' intelligence files. Analysts had speculated that Daniel either had a formidable hidden force to distribute leaflets so widely or had spatial abilities. Both scenarios were bad news for the Marines and the World Government—a hidden powerful force or an elusive spatial ability user were significant threats.
Due to Daniel's activities, the World Government and Marines were mobilizing, analyzing every possible clue.
Never underestimate the World Government's capabilities. Look at the case of Gol D. Roger. Even after his death, the World Government deduced that Roger had descendants through various clues. If not for Portgas D. Rouge's exceptional willpower, allowing her to carry Ace for 22 months, Ace might never have survived. And even then, Garp's intervention was crucial in saving Ace; eventually, Ace's true identity was exposed.
Unlike Roger, Daniel wasn't originally from this world and had spatial abilities and advanced technology, which had helped him evade detection by the World Government's CP agents.
"Return for now," Sengoku finally said after a moment of silence.
"Wait, it seems he's acted again," Kizaru replied, hanging up and transforming into a golden light, heading towards the temporary auction house.
The temporary auction house was in chaos, with continuous explosions causing significant casualties among the attendees.
"Admiral Kizaru, don't think that your presence here means we won't take action. We hereby declare that anyone who continues to engage in human trafficking, regardless of the race involved, will be our sworn enemy. We will spare no effort to make them pay dearly; this is just the beginning."
An unfamiliar voice echoed over the Sabaody Archipelago, coinciding with Kizaru's arrival. The evidence was overwhelming, and Kizaru's face darkened upon hearing it.
"You dare ambush me? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
On a deserted island closest to Marineford, Daniel muttered to himself as he opened a palm-sized mystic door and placed prepared explosives on the side of a marine warship docked at Marineford's port.
The mystic door had many uses; while Doctor Strange used it to steal books, Daniel used it to plant timed bombs.
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