"Damn it... Fish-Man Island is Pops' territory, and you dare to capture mermaids to sell!!"
"Doflamingo!!"
Ace's furious roar echoed through the venue.
"Calm down, Captain Ace!!"
...
"Let go, Teach."
Griffin propped his chin on his hand, smiling faintly. "An ignorant fool. Kill him."
Griffin had always maintained his bottom line as a human.
He would never slaughter civilians without reason, and slave ships were absolutely forbidden within the territory of his base.
He didn't consider himself a good person, but if he had no principles at all, what difference was there between him and a tool driven by power? Sooner or later, he would lose himself under the Golden Tree.
You say this is Dressrosa, not his territory?
It's different now. In front of me, it's not allowed.
This is a provocation against me!
...
Ace was also waiting for Griffin to make his stance clear; otherwise, how could Teach, who wasn't using Armament Haki, hold him back?
Whoosh!!
Blazing flames lit up the venue, drawing gasps from the crowd.
...
"Wait!!"
Doflamingo raised his hand and shouted, afraid that if he spoke too slowly, this brute would come after him.
"I rescued her from a slave ship! I didn't capture her!!"
"And I had her treated!"
"I know full well Rear Admiral Griffin's hatred for slave traders. How could I dare to sell people right in front of you?!"
"It's a gift!! I intended to give the first auction item to you as a gift!!"
"Someone! Bring it over quickly!!"
...
...
"Huh?"
Ace, who had charged halfway, landed and looked back at Griffin.
Even Kaido watched with interest, curious to see how he would respond.
...
As long as Griffin remained silent, the venue stayed quiet.
Doflamingo nervously swallowed. Heaven knew he wasn't acting on a whim—he genuinely intended to publicly curry favor with Griffin.
He had only wanted to explain the rarity of the mermaid and the difficulty of obtaining her first, but Ace hadn't given him the chance.
After a moment...
"Don't do unnecessary things. You can't afford to play this game."
...
"I understand..."
Doflamingo let out a long sigh of relief and waved for someone to bring forward a treasure chest.
Inside the chest was a deep red Devil Fruit.
"Animal Type: Bear-Bear Fruit, Brown Bear Model—a meeting gift for Governor Kaido!"
The Brown Bear Model was a relatively powerful Zoan-type. In terms of value, this Devil Fruit was slightly higher than the market price of 500 million for a mermaid.
Doflamingo had balanced the scales fairly well.
...
Jack took the treasure chest and snorted. "Just as that guy said, always doing unnecessary things."
"That's how the weak are, Jack."
Kaido leaned back in his seat, as relaxed as if he were in his own palace. "They exhaust themselves trying to please their superiors, seeking a sliver of security."
"Hah... Ever since Doflamingo stayed here, his spirit has diminished compared to before. Too weak."
Jack remembered something and let out a low laugh from behind his mask. "He must have been scared by Brother Kari, shown the gap between himself and a true powerhouse."
Kari had spent over half a year in Wano Country and held great admiration for this man whom even his elder brother King respected. He often sought his advice on combat techniques and felt he had gained much from it.
Thinking of this, Jack's gaze toward Griffin grew even more malicious.
This bastard…
If it had been a one-on-one fight back then, this guy would never have been a match for Brother Kari!
Too despicable!
…
"Don't look at him."
Kaido spoke in a low voice, "Jack, his eyes are peculiar. You must not look directly into them."
…
Jack recalled the sensation at the time.
After meeting that gaze, his mind went completely blank, leaving only the impulse to charge forward recklessly.
Despicable bastard… did he interfere with my consciousness?!
Always resorting to underhanded tricks!
"I understand, Boss Kaido."
…
If Griffin knew what Jack was thinking…
He had indeed done many similar things, but at that time, he had definitely not used Sharingan genjutsu on Jack!
Did this guy's brain even need genjutsu?
Didn't he just charge forward with a mere beckon?
—
—
—
"Now then… let us officially begin the auction for the first item."
"An unregistered famous sword—Crimson Gold Flowing Fire!"
The red cloth was lifted.
The scabbard was plain and dull, but the half-inch of exposed blade differed from ordinary swords—it was a deep red crystal, within which dark red magma seemed to flow.
"Forged from ore taken from an active volcano, crafted over several years by a renowned master, it is absolutely no inferior to the current Fifty-Two Skillful Swords."
"If wielded by a suitable Great Swordsman, it has the potential to reach the level of the Great Grade Sharp Blades of Twenty-One Craftsmen!"
"The starting bid is fifty million Belly. Let the bidding begin!"
Doflamingo's voice echoed, and the crowd began to murmur.
It was rare for a famous sword to appear in a public auction—most were passed down through master-disciple lineages or privately commissioned.
Using such a treasure as the opening item showed that Doflamingo had indeed put great effort into this auction.
…
"A fine sword."
In terms of discerning swords, no one present could match Hawkeye.
He glanced at Ace and said plainly, "If you used a sword, this one would suit you quite well."
"Me?"
Ace looked at the wooden-handled dagger at his waist, a gift from the tavern owner, Miss Makino, before his departure.
"Haha, I'm not very good with swords, but…" Ace leaned closer to Griffin, propping himself against the chair back. "If Brother Griffin is willing to buy it for me, I'd be happy to accept it!"
That was just his nature—once he realized Griffin was truly a good person who cared for him, he immediately pushed his luck.
"Are we that close? Get lost."
Anyone who knew Griffin understood that he wasn't willing to spend a single Belly on others—he was notoriously stingy.
If this sword had appeared seven or eight years ago, Griffin might have been interested. Now, buying it would only serve as a decorative piece, with little real meaning.
…
Shigure raised her bidding paddle.
"Position number seven—this beautiful lady bids eighty million Belly!"
With a professional host handling the bidding announcements, Doflamingo maintained some semblance of restraint.
Hawkeye looked at Shigure, or more precisely, at her sword. "Konpira is a sword well-suited to you. That one isn't."
"Is your name Shigure…? You look somewhat familiar. Have we met before?"
When it came to his area of expertise, Hawkeye became more talkative.
Shigure's forehead twitched, and she turned her head with a strained smile. "The great World's Greatest Swordsman, of course, wouldn't remember a former opponent he defeated…"
But you remember the name Konpira perfectly well, even though it's such a mouthful!
Shigure looked at Griffin and said, "Tashigi is currently training under me, and I want to give this sword to her."
Tashigi is Smoker's subordinate... It seems Smoker hasn't been idle these past few years.
Doll has essentially inherited Vice Admiral Tsuru's connections, and Smoker has also established ties with most of the people on the list.
The time is almost ripe...
Griffin nodded. "That's good. If you don't have enough, I can lend you some—at a twenty percent interest rate."
...
"What an utterly unromantic man!"
In the end, the sword was won by Shigure for 210 million Belly. As a Reserve Admiral, she could easily afford this amount without needing to borrow.
...
...
None of the subsequent rare treasures went unsold. Among them, a massive piece of Sea Stone essence fetched a staggering price of 2.2 billion Belly.
There was no need to wonder where this thing came from.
The purity of Sea Stone determines its effectiveness in suppressing Devil Fruit users. Such a large, high-purity Sea Stone is something most organizations aren't even qualified to use.
Heh...
Kaido and the World Government completed a transaction right under everyone's noses.
...
Griffin wasn't interested in anything, and Kaido didn't place a single bid either.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the warm-up is over!"
Doflamingo took the stage once more, with the spotlight focused on the display platform.
The surface of the display table collapsed inward, and a faint glow rose from within.
A golden treasure chest opened, revealing a deep purple Devil Fruit covered in spirals, lying quietly inside like a black hole that devoured everyone's attention.
...
"The final highlight..."
"It once created a legendary Pirate Crew and plunged the world into chaos!"
"Consume it, and you will gain the power to dominate both the sky and the earth!"
"Paramecia Type: Float-Float Fruit!!"