The two poor souls who picked the worst possible fight had bounties of 21 million and 15 million Berries, respectively.
Honestly, in the Four Seas, they were still considered pirates with a decent amount of strength.
They didn't disappoint Kizaru. After fierce interrogation, they divulged a lot of useful intelligence, saving the Marines a great deal of trouble.
"The Swimsuit Pirates were wiped out?"
This unexpected news made Kizaru's eyebrows rise.
"Yes, Vice Admiral."
The Marine Commander in charge of the interrogation, a master of questioning techniques, reported gravely: "The Swimsuit Pirates arrived at Hot Nest Peninsula last night and met with the underground arms dealer's people at a tavern. These two happened to witness it."
"It was supposed to be a preliminary meeting to finalize the deal, with the actual exchange scheduled for noon today. But apparently, they couldn't agree on the price—and the Swimsuit Pirates' attitude rubbed the arms dealers the wrong way. A fight broke out… and they were wiped out completely."
"And right around that time, Rear Admiral Buma arrived with her fleet at the peninsula. It's highly likely the arms dealers stumbled upon them while chasing down the remnants of the Swimsuit Pirates."
"So that ties everything together…"
Nao's eyes flickered as he looked at the Commander. And after that? Are you saying they really have no clue what happened next?"
"No, these two were also frozen into snow sculptures at the time. They only thawed out this morning after the sun came up. They're lucky enough not to have been casually eliminated."
The Commander shook his head. "However, they did provide one useful piece of information: in the past, it wasn't uncommon for pirate crews, whose deals fell through, to be wiped out by this arms dealer's organization."
"And the very next day, those crews' treasures would show up for sale in underground exchanges across Hot Nest Peninsula. So they suspect these hidden underground exchanges are tightly connected to the arms dealers."
"Underground exchanges?"
Kizaru's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "No wonder the trading spots in this town seemed so shabby; I felt something was off… How many are there in total?"
"These two only knew about three of them," the Commander hesitated. "Perhaps there may be others—more exclusive underground exchanges—they simply aren't qualified to access."
"Then we'll start by investigating these three."
Kizaru narrowed his eyes and decisively gave the order: "They may not know anything, but the brokers and regulars at those markets certainly do. Split into three teams—raid all three underground exchanges and shut them down!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
A thunderous response from the Marines immediately echoed.
Kizaru had brought over a thousand Marine soldiers, so splitting into three teams was quite easy.
Kizaru would lead one team, Rear Admiral Gumiiru another. The last team should have been led by a Commodore, the Executive Officer of the ship.
But Kizaru handed it over to Nao. And every Marine, including the Commodore, had no objections, as if it were simply the natural order of things.
The rule of strength speaks volumes everywhere, and even more so in the marines.
With the reputation Nao had built in the G-2 Branch over the past two months, many Marines already regarded him as an elite on the level of Rear Admiral Gumiiru.
Approximately half an hour later.
The three teams, having acted separately, reconvened at the street corner. Kizaru and Gumiiru both looked a bit grim.
The underground exchanges they had busted weren't completely empty-handed; they had at least confiscated some illegal firearms and weapons, and casually apprehended a few bounty criminals who hadn't managed to escape.
However, they couldn't find any intelligence related to Buma's Marine battleship, nor could they ascertain if there were any more secret underground exchanges on the island.
Fortunately, at that moment, Nao's team brought back useful news.
"The Cliff-top Auction House?"
Kizaru looked towards the towering cliff a dozen kilometers away, his eyes showing surprise. "The most secretive underground exchange on this Hot Nest Peninsula is actually up there?"
"Yes, Vice Admiral."
Nao wiped the still-wet blood from his Wind Blade. "The people in the regular exchanges seemed completely unaware of that auction house. I had to put in a lot of effort to extract this information from an old broker who had a strange look on his face…"
"Searching for underground entrances all this time, only for the target to be in the place closest to the sun?"
The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. Kizaru narrowed his eyes, silently gazing at the cliff for a long time before speaking languidly:
"Let's go. I'm truly curious now about the true identity of this mysterious underground arms dealer…"
Inside the cliff wall, within a narrow passage.
A crude, iron-frame-like elevator was rapidly ascending.
There were several figures in the elevator, varying in height, build, and weight, but all wore pale golden masks resembling the desert.
"Hey, Burt, is this the auction house where they say you can find anything?"
In a corner, a plump man complained in a low voice to his tall, thin companion beside him:
"There are too many rules, aren't there? Do we really have to wear masks? I'm almost suffocating…"
"It's your first time. You'll get used to it, Fitz."
The tall, thin man also lowered his voice. "The people who come here aren't just the bigshots of Alabasta's underworld. There are also important figures from other countries in the nearby seas. Masks not only protect their privacy but also protect people like us, who barely qualify to mix in…"
"That's true. But speaking of which, this place is really well-hidden."
The plump man said, "If you hadn't brought me here, I probably wouldn't have found it in months in this Hot Nest area…"
Clang!
As they spoke, the elevator suddenly stopped. The rock wall in front opened up, revealing a warm, orange light.
Guided by a cloaked figure, this group of guests wearing golden masks passed through a corridor and entered the auction house, which was hollowed out at the top of the cliff.
The auction house seats were arranged in a fan shape. The overall space wasn't very large, only about three hundred square meters, but it was luxuriously decorated, like a desert palace.
"It seems unusually crowded today."
Burt, the tall, thin man, scanned his surroundings and found that most of the two hundred seats were already occupied. On his previous visits, there had been at most seventy or eighty people.
"As expected, everyone's here for that mysterious main event item, huh?"
He licked his lips, his eyes somewhat expectant. "They've been so secretive about what it is; I guess we'll finally find out soon…"
Though many people were present, the entire hall remained remarkably quiet.
Under the dim lighting, everyone wore pale golden masks, obscuring their specific appearances.
Some, like Burt, subtly observed the others around them, while some seemed to be regulars, lying back in soft chairs, closing their eyes to rest, quietly waiting.
In the silence.
A white-haired old man wearing a black top hat ascended the auction stage, and at that moment, the curtain behind him slowly drew open to both sides.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the ninth auction hosted by our Windsor family this year."
It wasn't until everyone's gaze was focused on him that the white-haired old man spoke in a low voice: "Many of you present are familiar faces, so I won't waste time with long opening remarks."
"In short, as always, we have prepared many rare and highly anticipated items for you: slaves, Devil Fruits, specialized firearms—we have it all…"
"And finally, a mysterious main event item awaits you all!"
"Now, I declare the auction officially open!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin