The members of the Donquixote Family made no effort to conceal their movements, even though they were carrying treasures of inestimable value.
Led by their officer Trebol, who held his golden clover-patterned staff, the group marched straight from the port toward the auction house, several large chests in hand.
Besides Trebol, the party included Dellinger — a half-fishman hybrid still in his teens — and Lao G, a bald, elderly master fighter.
These three walked at the very front of the procession, looking completely at ease and chatting casually as they went.
Pirates all around turned to look and quickly stepped aside to let them pass. Everyone recognized the crest and reputation of the Donquixote Family.
Even those who had never seen Doflamingo or his inner circle in person knew the name well.
After all, Doflamingo and his crew had risen to power in the North Blue, and to this day, the Family still wielded immense influence across those seas.
"Just one Devil Fruit and they're all falling over themselves. How pathetic… kee hee hee!"
Dellinger, wearing his distinctive white horned cap, scanned the crowd and sneered, baring his sharp teeth as he watched the fearful expressions all around.
"G!" shouted Lao G, striking a dramatic pose with obvious excitement.
"Now, now… don't be so harsh," Trebol snickered, sniffing loudly as he walked ahead.
"For people like these, making it into the Grand Line and getting this far is already the limit of what they can achieve. Their vision and strength determine their lot, and in their eyes, a Devil Fruit is the rarest treasure imaginable… We have to understand that."
He paused, his grin widening. "Besides, it's exactly because they get so excited that our business thrives. Isn't that right? Young Master expects us to use folks like these to build the Family's fame across the seas, bit by bit."
Dellinger's eyes glinted with cruel intent. "Hey… what if we just kill whoever wins the auction afterward? Then we could use the same fruit over and over again."
"Absolutely not," Trebol shook his head. "To Young Master, the Family's reputation is just as important as profit. And anyway… it's just a Zoan-type. For us, it's hardly worth keeping track of."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the group continued on their way until they disappeared from view.
Left behind, the pirates buzzed with speculation about what else might be up for sale at the auction. Judging by the number and size of the chests the Donquixote members carried, there were clearly plenty of valuables — and not just Devil Fruits.
Standing unnoticed in a corner of the square was a man dressed simply in athletic wear, his head bowed and hands stuffed deep into his pockets.
This was Oboro.
"Is that them…?"
His lips curled into a strange, twisted smile as he watched Trebol's figure recede. Cold light gleamed from the eye slits of his mask.
"So that's the most useless one among the 'House of Cards'… But that old man with him might be a problem."
He was referring to Lao G — a man renowned as a master of hand-to-hand combat, a true powerhouse of physical skill.
From his time training and interacting with Rayleigh, Oboro had developed a clear sense of where the strongest fighters in the world stood.
Right now, however, his own physical abilities were far from peak condition.
Though he could wield certain spiritual powers, in a real fight, he doubted they would give him overwhelming dominance.
Techniques like spiritual pressure, for example, simply wouldn't be strong enough to force someone like Lao G to lose consciousness or fall under his control.
Haki, Oboro knew, functioned much like the mental disciplines of Nen — it strengthened both will and spirit itself. Which meant Lao G's resistance to such abilities was likely very high.
"Let's go," Oboro murmured, turning away once he had observed enough.
Dom, his companion, followed close behind.
Now was not the time to try and seize anything…
Back at their lodgings, Oboro turned to Dom, who had been visibly nervous and unsettled the whole time.
"Well? Those two… do you think you could handle them?"
"Ah!" Dom's face filled with pure fear.
Even though Oboro had turned him into an Oni, Dom's strength was still roughly equivalent to a pirate with a bounty of around 100 million Berries.
He doubted he could even beat Dellinger, the weakest of the three they had seen.
Oboro understood perfectly. Before meeting him, Dom had been nothing more than a small-time pirate — the kind you found by the dozen all over the Grand Line.
Thrusting him into a confrontation with forces aligned with the Seven Warlords of the Sea was bound to terrify anyone.
Each of the Seven Warlords was a titan of the oceans. The fact that the World Government had formally "employed" them to help balance the power of the Four Emperors was proof enough of their immense value and deep-rooted power.
Their authority and fear had been built up over years, step by step.
"Relax… I have ways to make you far stronger than you are now," Oboro said, putting an arm around Dom's shoulder and speaking in a mysterious, knowing tone.
Dom was not the most steadfast or determined man, but right now, he was the only useful subordinate Oboro had — and one he knew would never betray him.
True, the system's rules meant he could only apply one card of a given type to a single target at a time.
But by stacking skill cards and experience-enhancement cards, he could push Dom through another major transformation.
Though, looking at Dom's current performance, he hardly deserved to waste top-tier items on him.
A selection of mid-rank skill cards — whether for Blood Demon Arts or breathing techniques — would be more than enough.
…
In the blink of an eye, the day of the auction arrived.
It was worth noting that, on this day, every auction house and even many ordinary shops throughout the lawless district held grand celebrations, putting rare treasures on display that were rarely seen at other times.
This trend had been set in motion entirely by Doflamingo; every merchant wanted a piece of the profits brought in by the massive crowds.
Still, the center of attention was undoubtedly Doflamingo's own auction house.
Oboro and Dom arrived early to ensure they got seats.
Inside, the atmosphere was loud, boisterous, and charged with excitement.
Almost everyone present was a pirate, with only a small handful looking like members of the underworld or other criminal organizations.
The festivities were scheduled to last several days, with different flagship items being auctioned each day.
The reason today's turnout was so huge was simple: the Celestial Dragons were not in attendance.
If they had come, the hall would have been cleared immediately — or more likely, the vast majority of people would have left on their own rather than risk drawing their attention or causing trouble.
This establishment's main business was the slave trade, though they had expanded into many other areas.
The Celestial Dragons were only due to arrive tomorrow, for the second session, which was dedicated entirely to selling human chattel.
For today's auction, they had no interest at all. To them, Devil Fruits were mere trash; their treasure vaults held as many as they could ever want.
Brilliant, dazzling lights focused on the stage, where the auctioneer — a flamboyant, eccentric man named Disco — stood shouting enthusiastically into a microphone, working hard to hype up the crowd.
Disco was technically a member of the Donquixote Family, though he had been cast out by "Joker" Doflamingo himself after the chaos caused by Luffy and his crew at Sabaody Archipelago, and had since lived as a drifter.
"Welcome, welcome, all you bold new powers of the sea, to our humble establishment!"
Disco wore star-shaped sunglasses, a tall yellow hat, and had flowing silver hair.
Though clearly advanced in years, his voice boomed with surprising power. He seemed to genuinely enjoy his work.
From the floor came shouts, jeers, and demands to get on with it; most pirates lacked the patience for long speeches. Disco took the hint, kept his opening remarks brief, and stepped aside.
With that, the auction officially began.
Oboro leaned back in his chair, eyes half-closed, looking as if he might have fallen asleep.
It was only when Disco let out a particularly ear-splitting cry that he finally opened them.
A Zoan-type Devil Fruit!
An attractive female assistant wheeled a cart onto the stage and opened a small, ornate chest sitting on top. Inside lay a fruit of strange, distinct shape.
The moment it was revealed, Oboro noticed a change ripple through the room: hundreds of people seemed to stop breathing at once.
Greedy, burning eyes locked onto that single object, and the entire crowd suddenly became far more alert and animated.
"Starting price: 100,000,000 Berries! Minimum bid increment: 10,000,000 Berries! Let the bidding begin!"
Disco stepped to the center of the stage, gavel raised, and lowered the microphone.
"150,000,000!"
The first bid rang out instantly from the audience, spoken with absolute certainty of winning.
"180,000,000!"
"200,000,000!"
Shouts rose one after another, as different factions and powerful figures fought fiercely for the prize.
This level of competition exceeded Oboro's expectations.
It seems… there are plenty of incredibly wealthy people sailing these seas, he thought to himself.
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