Summary:
The human auction finally begins and only then do the Straw Hats find out that their mermaid friend is being sold in Grove 1. After meeting up there (except for Zoro, Luffy, Brook, Usopp and Robin) their original plan to extract Camie is thwarted by discovering that the World Government and the Celestial dragon are involved in the slave trade, so Nami decides to buy Camie back in the auction itself. Meanwhile, the rest of the archipelago receives word that the World Government is about to execute the captured Portgas D. Ace, a move that could spark a war with Whitebeard.
At Marine HQ, a soldier reports to Vice Admiral Garp that Silvers Rayleigh is one of the slaves to be auctioned off in the Sabaody Archipelago, causing him to burst out laughing. Garp says he will handle the situation himself and orders him and his subordinate not to mention the matter to anyone else. Although the soldier isn’t too sure about this information, Garp is certain that it is indeed Rayleigh and warns against going in on the Dark King unprepared. At the Human Auctioning House, Disco is opening an auction. The first slave is sold for 600 thousand bellies. Disco appears to be in cahoots with some bidders in the audience and raises the price. Sanji is shown the market price for another type of slave, angering him. The rest of Rosa’s Life Riders are still desperate for news regarding Cami. Usopp talks to the man who caught the giant slave and learns that a mermaid has been brought to the auction house. They inform the rest that Peterman is the kidnapper and tells them of Cami’s current location. With that, the riders head towards the auction house.
Surrounded by pirates with drawn swords, Zoro wonders where Grove 1 is. The pirate tries to attack, but is spooked by Zoro’s gaze, dropping his sword and pointing him in the right direction. Duval asks about the auction and reassures Sanji that the mermaid will be the main attraction and Camie will definitely be the last to be saved. Sanji is frustrated with their speed, but Duval claims that he has been heading to Grove 1 since the beginning, so he will be the first to arrive since he is their leader. However, Chopper arrives right before them and Sanji hits Duval. Franky arrives to see some of his crew demanding the return of Camie from the crew, but they refuse. Franky wants to break her and prepares to attack the house. However, Hatchan stops him as the Sky Dragons are inside. There is also the matter of the exploding collar that is on Camie. Chopper stops Sanji from attacking the staff while Nami decides to get Camie back into their system. They enter the house and Heat alerts Eustace Kid of their arrival, who notices that Luffy is not present. The Straw Hat Pirates glare angrily as the auction continues. Nami calculates that they should have 200 million worth of treasure on board, and Hatchan says that should be enough, but he doesn’t have the means to pay it back. Nami states that money is not a problem to get her friend back and the rest of the crew agrees.
Newspapers are distributed across the island to residents who are alarmed by the new news. X Drake informs his crew that Fire Fist Ace is about to be executed, shocking them all. He declares that there will be a war because Whitebeard would surely take revenge against the world government. The remaining Straw Hats head to the auction house while Camie is approached by the auction house staff.