"Sister, won't we be hunted down by the Navy like this?" Penny asked with some concern.
Renee replied calmly, "Don't worry. They can't find our location through any traces."
The Shadow Warriors traveled to various places through the Shadow Kingdom and returned through the Shadow Kingdom as well. It was equivalent to an alien space. Neither the Navy nor the World Government could access this space, let alone find Linglong's headquarters.
"Sister, I'm going to Sky Island next. You stay at the headquarters. Remember not to expose the location here," Renee suddenly said to Penny.
"Sky Island?" Hearing this, Penny's eyes immediately sparkled. "I want to go too."
"Can you fly?" Renee asked.
Penny thought for a moment. "No."
"Then can you teleport?" Renee asked again.
Penny thought once more. "No."
Hearing this, Renee said directly, "Then stay here."
"Okay~" Penny responded, her two cat ears drooping immediately, her face full of disappointment. However, she quickly brightened and said expectantly, "Then sister, remember to take some photos of Sky Island for me, and bring back some souvenirs!"
"Okay," Renee nodded.
She wasn't going to Sky Island to play but to assess the situation there. If necessary, she could establish a future headquarters on Sky Island. She had also heard from her master about a special product called "shells" on Sky Island and thought she could find a way to make use of them.
Although her master's order was only to develop power within the underground world and build an intelligence network, Renee had a bigger ambition.
She wanted to gather information from all over the world at any time.
This couldn't be achieved through taverns alone; it would require business operations as well.
If the shells were suitable, she would develop them into a product. Bringing the Sky Island shells down to the Blue Sea could completely evolve into an industrial chain, allowing her to earn massive profits while establishing information channels across islands everywhere.
Ordinary people didn't have so many personnel to manage such a network — but she did.
Even without relying directly on Shadow Warriors, she could simply recruit ordinary people and have a Shadow Warrior oversee them.
If everything went smoothly, she was confident that one day she could open a store selling Sky Island shells on every island — be it Zou, Fishman Island, or even on remote islands.
She even dreamt of opening a store right inside Navy Headquarters and Marijoa.
However, that goal was still far off.
For now, she had to take it step by step.
Meanwhile, at Sabaody Archipelago.
Mio had contacted Lilith, Erica, and others through Den Den Mushi and summoned the crew of the Black Crow Pirates to gather at Area 71. Areas 71 to 79 were mainly hotel districts, and they could temporarily stay there while waiting for Rayleigh to finish coating the ship.
After choosing a hotel, Erica and the others soon arrived, though Hanba had to remain in the sea because of his size.
"You should all be careful over the next few days. It's best to wear a cloak. The Navy has already discovered us and may have some plans against us," Mio warned in a serious tone.
If an Admiral appeared, carelessness could easily lead to their capture.
Mio and Lilith could manage in a confrontation, but the others were still not strong enough to stand against an Admiral alone. Even Erica could only put up a fight with his support. The gap between an Admiral and an ordinary strong fighter was like the distance between galaxies.
"I understand, sir," Erica and Lilith nodded.
Hei Yan asked curiously, "Sir, what should we do next?"
"Just do what we should do. I just want you to be careful, not to lock yourselves indoors," Mio shrugged and spread his hands. "But if you do go out, don't act alone."
Everyone nodded after hearing this.
Robin pulled out a book and smiled. "It just so happens that I can spend the next few days reading here."
Mio, holding a bottle of whiskey, thought about how to spend the next few days. It wasn't easy to come to Sabaody Archipelago; staying indoors practicing every day would be too boring.
At that moment, Hei Yan said, "My lord, I saw a promotional notice when I came here. There will be an auction tomorrow in Area 7, and several Devil Fruits will be up for auction."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Mio's eyes lit up with excitement.
"In that case, we definitely need to go out tomorrow," Mio smiled, his eyes gleaming.
If Devil Fruits were involved, there was no way he would let them slip away.
As for the high prices of Devil Fruits at auctions, Mio didn't care. Even if he couldn't afford them, that wasn't a concern. Auctions were generally backed by underground forces. Mio wouldn't rob the auction house directly — he didn't want to provoke unnecessary enemies — but as for robbing whoever bought the Devil Fruits afterward...
Hehe.
"Rest up today. We'll head to the auction tomorrow," Mio said with a grin.
Later, he returned to his room.
The next day, Mio woke up early.
Looking at Mashi sleeping soundly on him, drooling on his clothes, Mio helplessly held his forehead, patted Mashi's face, and called, "Mashi, time to get up."
"Hmm~"
Mashi's eyelids fluttered slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, looking a bit dazed.
Soon after, Mio took her to wash up.
Fifteen minutes later, Mio, now wearing a cloak, was joined by Hei Yan, Erica, and Mashi, all dressed similarly, as they made their way to the auction site.
Auctions were a common sight at Sabaody Archipelago.
As the junction between the New World and the first half of the Grand Line, the island was bustling with countless people every day. It was one of the most crowded islands in the world.
Navy officers, merchants, pirates, bounty hunters, nobles, civilians, and even Celestial Dragons could be seen here.
Given its size, many establishments like taverns, auctions, and slave shops were secretly controlled by powerful organizations. Sabaody was also an excellent hub for gathering intelligence.
Mio and his group soon arrived at their destination.
Outside a large auction house, it was clear from the grand architecture that it had backing from influential forces.
Many pirates and merchants were seen entering.
Mio adjusted his cloak slightly, glanced around, and said calmly, "Let's go inside too."
They followed the crowd into the auction house.
Not long after they entered, the noisy street outside suddenly fell silent.
A Celestial Dragon wearing a bubble hood, clad in luxurious garments, appeared, riding on the back of a sturdy pirate like he was a mere beast.
"You lowly people, why are you not kneeling before the honorable Celestial Dragon?" a CP agent beside him shouted loudly.
As the words fell...
Plop!
Pirates and civilians on both sides of the street instantly knelt, bowing their heads low.
———
Pump up the power stone if you guys want mass release