A few days had passed, and Hui had fully recovered his mental strength.
On this day, the sun blazed overhead, and the sky was a pristine blue.
It was a beautiful day!
The Sabaody Archipelago remained as lively as ever, bustling with crowds and thriving with its usual prosperity.
The auction house was a particularly fascinating place, an exceptionally wealthy place.
…
In District 13, an auction was currently underway.
Thousands of people sat around, listening to the auctioneer describe the treasures in his possession. Some murmured amongst themselves, while others sat in silence, paying attention to their own little things.
At this moment, the auction had reached its final and most exciting segment, the climax of the event.
It was time to auction off the most valuable item.
"Next up, we have a Devil Fruit!"
As soon as the auctioneer's voice fell, the entire auction hall erupted with excitement.
A Devil Fruit! now that was something special!
In this world, Devil Fruits were known as the treasures of the sea, each with a market price of at least 100 million berries.
It was said that Devil Fruits were the incarnations of the sea's devils. Any living being, or even non-living beings, that consumed one would gain unique abilities.
But as a price, the consumer would be cursed by the sea, becoming a land-bound hammer, unable to swim.
Up until the time of Hui's previous life, the most expensive fruit he had known of was the Ope Ope no Mi, which granted the ability to perform miraculous surgeries, cure untreatable illnesses, circumvent physical disabilities and was valued at 5 billion berries.
Though today's Devil Fruit wasn't expected to be something as astonishing, it still caught everyone's attention.
The only question now was: What type of Devil Fruit was it, and what abilities did it grant?
"This is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit," the auctioneer announced. "Its exact abilities are unknown. Even the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia has no record of it."
The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was a book that catalogued various known Devil Fruits and their often terrifying abilities.
"A completely unknown fruit? Interesting!"
"Tsk, tsk… Buying that is basically a gamble."
"Whatever. It's a Devil Fruit. Let's secure it first and figure out the rest later."
Many people in the auction hall showed strong interest in the fruit, eager to bid and claim it for themselves.
However, there was one person who wasn't the least bit interested.
He was a man encased in a resin bubble, with curly, upward-styled black hair, a fat face, thick lips, and a perpetually runny nose. His attire was the distinct, ostentatious garb of a Celestial Dragon.
Such a look, such attire…there was no mistaking it.
He was a Celestial Dragon, and his name was Saint Mosankro.
As a World Noble, a descendant of the 20 kings who established the World Government 800 years ago, the so-called Descendants of the Creators, he held himself above all others.
To ordinary people, Devil Fruits were treasures of the sea. But to a Celestial Dragon like Mosankro, they were beneath his notice.
Especially Mosankro, whose only interest lay in women. To him, a Devil Fruit wasn't worth as much as a single woman.
The only reason he was at this auction was to see if there were any women he fancied.
So, naturally, he had no interest in the Devil Fruit.
But that didn't stop him from casually bidding on it out of sheer boredom.
As soon as the Celestial Dragon made a bid, everyone else who had been interested in the Devil Fruit immediately backed off.
While Devil Fruits were rare and valuable, no one was foolish enough to risk provoking a Celestial Dragon over an unknown fruit.
In an instant, no one else dared to raise the price.
Fortunately for the auctioneer, Mosankro's offer wasn't too low. Although the auctioneer was somewhat disappointed that the price hadn't skyrocketed, at least it wasn't a total loss.
In the end, the Devil Fruit was claimed by Saint Mosankro.
With the successful auction of the Devil Fruit, the event was drawing to a close.
Normally, after the final item had been auctioned off, the event would end.
However, today there was a special guest, Saint Mosankro, and it just so happened that there was one more item that he would likely take an interest in.
So, after some quick discussions, the organizers decided to replace the final highlight of the auction with that particular item.
"Next up for auction is a beautiful mermaid from the depths of the sea!"
As the auctioneer's voice rose and fell with theatrical flair, a massive fish tank was slowly carried onto the stage by several men.
"A mermaid? That's the final item? really?"
"Heh, can't you tell? It's just to please that guy."
"Ah… I see now..."
The crowd sighed in disappointment but didn't dare say much more.
Even though many of them were lawless pirates with little regard for rules, these were Celestial Dragons they were dealing with. Who in their right mind would dare offend a Celestial Dragon?
No one wanted to face an Admiral from the Marines, arriving with a fleet in tow!
The Merfolk were one of the unique races in the One Piece world. Female mermaids were renowned for their beauty across the seas, so much so that even Pirate Empress Boa Hancock admitted she couldn't compare.
The Merfolk were also the fastest swimmers in the world of One Piece, and they treated fish as their companions, possessing the ability to communicate with ordinary sea creatures.
On the auction stage stood a beautiful female mermaid.
"A mermaid! I'll take her!" Saint Mosankro, the lecherous Celestial Dragon, had long been obsessed with mermaids. His eyes lit up with excitement as he shouted his bid.
"300 million! I'm offering 300 million berries!"
Starting off with 300 million berries! Although Mosankro had never cared about money, this bid clearly showed how determined he was to own the mermaid.
The auction hall fell into silence once again.
"Time's up, sold!"
The auctioneer declared loudly, finalizing the deal on the last item.
It was clear he was overjoyed. After all, with 300 million berries, the auction house had made a massive profit this time.
"Well then, this concludes our auction for today! Thank you all for participating, and we'll see you next time!"
With the final transaction complete, the auctioneer announced the end of the event with satisfaction.
However, before the crowd could begin to leave, a voice echoed through the hall.
"This auction isn't over yet."
The voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the room to hear. The crowd turned their heads and saw an elegant young man slowly stepping onto the auction stage.
He was a man of what could only be described as breathtaking beauty, the kind of face that made people stare in awe.
Many in the crowd felt a strange sense of familiarity when they looked at him.
"What's going on?"
"Who is this guy? Is there another item up for auction?"
"No idea, but he doesn't seem like he works here."
The crowd buzzed with speculation, but no one moved to leave. Instead, they watched with growing curiosity.
After all, humans in every world seemed to share one common trait, they loved a good spectacle.
"Who are you?"
The auctioneer, stunned by the man's sudden appearance, quickly gathered himself and shouted the question.
"Who I am doesn't matter," the young man replied calmly. It was, of course, Hui. As he spoke, he flicked his hand slightly, freezing the auctioneer in place.
"A Celestial Dragon... must be worth a lot."
A charming smile spread across Hui's face as he looked down at the crowd.
"Now then, for the final item on our auction ... Saint Mosankro, the Celestial Dragon!"
The moment Hui finished speaking, and while the crowd was still frozen in shock, Mosankro suddenly appeared beside him on stage.
But Mosankro seemed to be asleep, completely motionless.
WhaoAAAH!!
In an instant, the entire auction hall erupted in chaos.
The people stared at the stage as if they were witnessing the most unbelievable sight in the world. Their eyes bulged wide, as though they might pop right out of their sockets.
"He's... he's auctioning off a Celestial Dragon?! Is this guy insane?!"
"This is it! We're doomed! Quick, we need to get off the Sabaody Archipelago and head to the New World!"
"This is beyond bad, this is catastrophic!"
The auction hall plunged into turmoil, with people scrambling to escape this impending disaster.
Auctioning off a Celestial Dragon was nothing short of slapping the World Government and Marines in the face, and not just a slap, but a full-on beatdown.
It was easy to imagine that the Marines would soon surround this place.
"Release Lord Celestial Dragon!"
Mosankro's bodyguards finally snapped out of their shock and rushed to surround the auction stage. One of them seemed to vanish into thin air as he charged forward, attempting to rescue the Celestial Dragon.
His speed was simply astonishing, showcasing his mastery of powerful martial arts.
BANG! CRASH!!!
But the man was sent flying even faster than he had moved. His body slammed into row after row of chairs before embedding deep into the wall.
"Th-this guy... he's too strong!"
With just one move, everyone in the room realized that the man who had kidnapped the Celestial Dragon and was auctioning him off possessed terrifying power.
None of them had even seen how he struck.
"I don't like being interrupted," Hui said with a playful smile. "If anyone tries to interfere again... I'll stab this guy."
As he spoke, he slowly drew a blade.
And then...
SLASH!!
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the auction hall as Mosankro woke from the pain, his voice filled with agony.
"Tch, tch, tch, noisy."
Hui flicked his fingers, and Mosankro could no longer speak. All he could do was let out muffled, pathetic groans, like a mute struggling to cry out.
"Bastard!"
"This is it. we're dead for sure!"
"Whoever this guy is, we're doomed!"
Those who hadn't yet managed to flee the auction hall were now pale with terror, their faces drained of all color.
"This place feels a bit cramped," Hui said calmly, glancing around. "Let's move this to the main square and hold an auction that the whole world will witness."
With that, he smiled and prepared to take the chaos to an even grander stage.
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