Chapter 81: Encounter with the Red Count

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is an entrance fee of one hundred thousand berries per person to enter the auction house."

The guard at the entrance of the auction house stopped Li Yuan and his companions.

Li Yuan paid the guard, stepping inside. He was here to observe, not to cause trouble, and a small fee was nothing to him.

"That's so expensive!" 

Before Li Yuan could say anything, Yadina exclaimed in shock.

She recalled that she had bought so many delicious things for less than a thousand berries before, and now they were being charged three hundred thousand just for the entrance fee—what a rip-off!

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item up for auction is a dazzling night pearl, a treasured item favored by many women, sourced from Fish-Man Island. The starting price is three hundred thousand berries!" 

The auctioneer declared loudly, holding up the night pearl.

The pearl shimmered even in daylight, radiating a breathtaking beauty that captivated women's attention.

"It's so beautiful!" 

Yadina was enchanted, having never seen such a stunning item before.

"Since you find it beautiful, let's buy it."

"Three million!"

Seeing this, Li Yuan immediately raised the bid from three hundred thousand to three million, causing others to hesitate and back down.

"Congratulations to this gentleman for winning the night pearl at three million!" 

With no one else raising their bid, the auctioneer brought down the hammer, confirming the sale.

"Three million? That's too expensive!" 

Yadina said, a bit pained.

"It's nothing; if it can bring a smile to your face, three hundred million would be worth it." 

Li Yuan handed the night pearl to Yadina and managed to utter a sweet line.

"You just know how to flatter me!" 

Although Yadina knew Li Yuan's words were exaggerated, she still felt happy; perhaps this was the effect of love.

"Next up for auction is a batch of female slaves—ten beautiful women, all clean and exquisite. The opening bid is one million!" 

The auctioneer announced the next item.

"What?! They're actually auctioning off slaves?" 

Yadina's earlier joy plummeted as she witnessed this.

She had thought that the slave ship incident was the darkest part of this world, but now, such a dark practice was openly displayed!

"Can we..." 

Yadina looked at Li Yuan, wanting to rescue the ten girls on the auction block.

"Wow, what beauties! I'll bid six million!" 

"Six million is a joke! I'll bid eight million!" 

"Eight and a half million!"

"..." 

Before Yadina could finish her thought, others began bidding furiously. These exquisite female slaves were among the most sought-after.

Many nobles favored such slaves, which drove the price sky-high.

"This is unacceptable!"

"Even if you save them, they are just a small fraction of the total. There are hundreds more beneath the stage, and there are at least a thousand female slaves on this island. Are you going to save them all one by one?"

"Yadina, I brought you here not just for fun, but to help you see the true nature of this world."

"This is the darkness of the world. Darkness exists everywhere; it's impossible for you to purify it all."

"You can only adapt to the darkness and not let yourself fall into it. That's all there is to it."

Li Yuan rejected Yadina's plea outright.

Even if he had the ability, he wouldn't act. He was a pirate, not a Marine, and wouldn't risk himself for something that didn't benefit him.

"Karu, take Yadina back to the ship."

Seeing Yadina look despondent, Li Yuan instructed.

"Yes, Master Brother!" 

Karu replied.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the other side of the auction house.

The person Li Yuan was staring at noticed his gaze and turned to look back at him.

With long white hair cascading down, two braids draping in front of his chest, dressed in a red suit with an upright collar, he wore a blue rosette on his left chest and held a bat-shaped umbrella like a cane.

"The Solitary Red, or the Red Count, Barolick Leidfield!!"

Once Li Yuan recognized him, he confirmed the identity of the man.

In the original story, he was a legendary lone wolf, a figure who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the entire Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates.

He was also the one who had obtained the Mythical Zoan-type Vampire Devil Fruit, restoring his youth from an old age.

"Interesting!" 

Leidfield instinctively used his mind-reading ability upon seeing Li Yuan, wanting to discern who he was, but to his surprise, his ability failed.

This was the first time his mind-reading had not worked on someone, and Leidfield was curious why that was.

"I sense a powerful aura from you. Are you interested in a spar?" 

Li Yuan approached Leidfield, locking his gaze onto him.

Leidfield appeared youthful, and although Li Yuan didn't know why he was here, he wanted to find out how strong Leidfield was now and if he could match him.

"You're strong; I'm very interested." 

Leidfield was pleased at the prospect of training with a strong opponent, so he readily accepted Li Yuan's proposal.

"Good, let's go. This place is too small for us to unleash our full power."

With that, Li Yuan left the auction house and headed to the outskirts of Cuilin Island.

This area was undeveloped land on the island, deserted and uninhabited, ensuring they wouldn't be disturbed.

Once they arrived, Li Yuan dropped his disguise, revealing his true appearance.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Li Yuan, a cadre of the Rocks Pirates."

Li Yuan gripped the Seven Star Sword tightly, his gaze sharp as he looked at Leidfield.

"So you are Li Yuan! I've seen reports about you before. I am Barolick Leidfield; it's a pleasure to spar with you!" 

Leidfield said politely, holding his bat umbrella sword with a gentlemanly demeanor.

"Buzz!!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Leidfield suddenly unleashed a violent surge of purple-red Conqueror's Haki, sweeping through the area like a raging tornado.

"Buzz!!!!"

At the same time, Li Yuan erupted with his own red and green Conqueror's Haki, which carried his powerful sword intent.

As Li Yuan's Conqueror's Haki spread, the ground seemed as if it had been slashed by countless swords, leaving behind deep scars everywhere.

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