After failing to secure the Devil Fruit, Perospero left the auction hall with an ugly expression.
Ash could already guess there was more behind the bidding war.
Perospero was not reckless enough to provoke him on his own initiative, which meant Big Mom herself was likely involved.
Either the Paramecia-type Compression Fruit perfectly matched the Charlotte Family's food-themed abilities and Big Mom specifically ordered Perospero to obtain it, or this entire incident was meant as another display of hostility toward him.
Under normal circumstances, if Perospero raised the price to two or three hundred million Berries as a warning, very few people would dare continue bidding against a Yonko crew.
And even if some ignorant fool insisted on competing, Perospero could simply seize the fruit afterward by force.
Unfortunately for him, the opponent this time was Ash.
That was why the price had been pushed all the way to one billion Berries.
Perhaps that had already been Perospero's financial limit.
He could not outbid Ash, and he did not dare rob him either, so he could only leave in frustration.
Of course, that was the optimistic interpretation.
There was another possibility.
Big Mom was deliberately expressing her malice toward him.
As for the reason...
Could it be because he rejected her invitation to last year's Tea Party?
Ash quickly dismissed that idea.
Even Morgans would never dare relay his exact words to Big Mom no matter how reckless he became, so she probably had no idea he insulted her.
Then was she angry because he rejected her absurd proposal about having children?
That sounded more believable.
Or perhaps someone beside her had been stirring trouble again.
As for who...
There was hardly any need to guess.
Stussy.
The CP0 intelligence chief, Queen of the Pleasure District, clone of Miss Buckingham Stussy, and hidden ally of Vegapunk.
That woman was more than capable of fueling Big Mom's hostility.
There was also another factor.
The Dawn's route.
At their current speed, even accounting for weather conditions and ocean currents, the Dawn would reach Totto Land within three months at most.
And once Totto Land was mentioned, the biggest difference between Big Mom and the other Yonko immediately became obvious.
Among the Four Emperors, only Charlotte Linlin ruled her territory directly.
Kaido occupied Wano Country and mostly ignored the islands under his banner. As long as nobody challenged his authority and tribute was paid regularly, the people under his protection were largely left alone.
The Red Hair Pirates were even more carefree.
Shanks had no permanent headquarters at all. His crew wandered the seas constantly, holding banquets wherever they pleased.
Their territories functioned similarly. Raise the Red Hair flag and pay protection fees, that was enough.
Big Mom was entirely different.
Centered around Whole Cake Island, she controlled thirty-four surrounding islands that together formed Totto Land.
Every island existed directly under her authority.
In other words, entering Totto Land waters meant exposing yourself directly beneath Big Mom's eyes.
Trying to chart maps there was no different from spying on her territory.
Especially after Roger infiltrated Totto Land twenty-two years ago to steal a copy of the Road Poneglyph, Big Mom had tightened her defenses even further.
To her, the security of Totto Land ranked only behind sweets, Tea Parties, and expanding her family.
She valued it immensely.
After leaving the auction, Ash took Bonney around Gran Tesoro to continue shopping while casually contacting the Dawn to ask about their current route and estimated arrival time at Totto Land.
Kirk quickly responded.
According to Nami's calculations based on the existing charts, they would arrive within three months at most.
The estimate matched Ash's own judgment perfectly.
After spending the day wandering through stores and eating their fill, the two returned to the casino.
Ash soon noticed something amusing.
Bonney's luck today was unbelievably good.
Time passed quickly, and before long, August arrived.
Not long after Ash returned to Sabaody Archipelago with Bonney, he received two separate reports.
The first concerned the fake Red Hair Pirates.
Several weak and aging pirate crews affiliated with the Red Hair Pirates, including the Puddle Pirates, the Social Club Pirates, and the Bourgeois Pirates, somehow learned that the Red Hair Pirates were collecting Devil Fruits.
While the imposters were resting on Galtel Island, those crews actually sailed over to offer tribute.
The fake crew had no choice but to continue the act.
Claiming that "Red Hair" was recovering from a massive drinking session, the fake Beckman stepped forward to receive the visitors instead.
In the end, they successfully obtained two Devil Fruits from the affiliated pirate crews.
Not only that, the visiting captains left feeling unusually satisfied.
Compared to the intimidating "Red Hair," this version of Beckman actually seemed approachable and friendly.
Combined with the Devil Fruit they had previously stolen from another pirate crew, the fake Red Hair Pirates had already gathered three Devil Fruits for Ash in just one month.
Unique Mission Progress: Devil Fruit Collection [79/500]
The second report came from Onigashima in Wano Country.
Just as Ash expected, Big Mom's hostility toward him had deepened significantly.
She had actually sent an envoy to meet Kaido personally and proposed an alliance to eliminate Ash and the Dawn Pirates together.
According to the messenger, the New World already had enough Emperors of the Sea.
Since the Dawn possessed combat power comparable to a Yonko crew, they should join forces and erase the threat before it grew even larger.
Ash was not surprised by Big Mom's hostility.
But hearing that she sought Kaido's assistance nearly made him laugh out loud.
Perfect timing.
He still had unfinished business with her regarding that ridiculous Tea Party invitation from last year.
Several days later, another auction was held at Sabaody Archipelago.
Perospero appeared once again.
However, the moment he entered the venue and saw Ash smiling at him with obvious bad intentions, his body froze on the spot.
After standing there awkwardly for several seconds, Perospero forced out a stiff yet polite smile.
Then he immediately turned around and left the auction hall the same way he came in.
The guests who witnessed the scene nearly exploded with excitement.
The mere sight of Heavenly Emperor Ash had forced Charlotte Perospero, the Candy Minister of the Big Mom Pirates, to retreat voluntarily.
That alone was enough gossip to brag about for months.
Still, the crowd only realized the true problem after the auction officially began.
Ash casually purchased two Fine Grade swords, a crate of century-old liquor, a master-crafted flintlock pistol, five boxes of premium West Blue Emperor cigars, and a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
Every single item sold at absurdly low prices.
Nobody dared compete against him.
Only then did the guests finally understand.
Ash's pressure was not aimed solely at Perospero.
It affected everyone present.
Even though they all knew Ash was incredibly wealthy and would never target others over simple bidding wars, their bodies instinctively refused to raise their paddles.
Disco, the auction house manager, was on the verge of tears.
As the Dawn Pirates' influence continued growing, and with the irreconcilable hatred between him and Sali, Doflamingo had been trying hard to improve relations with Ash while simultaneously expanding his own power.
Doflamingo did not expect Ash to help him fight Sali.
As long as Ash stayed neutral, that alone would already benefit him enormously.
Because of that, the Heavenly Yaksha had deliberately sent several Devil Fruits from his private collection to the Sabaody auction house in an attempt to gain Ash's favor.
But favor was one thing.
Selling everything at bargain prices was another.
When Doflamingo checked the final auction revenue later, he would not care whether the guests had been intimidated by Ash's overwhelming reputation.
He would only see the losses.
By the time Ash left the auction house carrying his enormous haul with obvious satisfaction, Disco's soul had practically left his body.
Unique Mission Progress: Devil Fruit Collection [80/500]
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