"Fufufufufu~ You're pointing a gun at me. What a terrible personality."
Doflamingo laughed carelessly. "Aeridar, I just wanted to let our ally know what you're capable of. My trust in your power is unwavering, fufufufufu~"
"Hmph~ Don't give me that, you bastard!" Aeridar rolled his eyes and cursed at him.
After Aeridar's outburst and Tesoro's surrender, the matter was put to rest. After all, Aeridar couldn't actually kill him there, and even Doflamingo, who had heavily invested in Tesoro, wouldn't agree to it.
Tesoro used his Gold-Gold Fruit ability to repair the damaged floor and wall. Baccarat went out to have the unconscious staff carried away and replaced them with a new batch. Doflamingo's partially destroyed sofa was also replaced with a new, larger one.
The three of them sat on the sofa together, creating a slightly awkward scene. Aeridar sat on the left, Tesoro in the middle, and Doflamingo on the right. As they sat, one would notice that the shortest was Aeridar, who was under two meters tall. Tesoro was about 2.5 to 2.6 meters, maybe even 2.7 meters. Doflamingo was the tallest, at over three meters. It was a bit awkward. But thankfully, in this world, what mattered was power, not height.
Oliver, Betilla, and the others, along with Mr. Tanaka, were at a circular table below, eating and drinking.
"The auction starts tomorrow. I believe there's something that will interest you," Tesoro said with a smile, handing Aeridar three golden booklets with Japanese text.
"Oh really... an auction item list."
Aeridar took the documents and began to browse through them. This auction was a joint effort between Tesoro and Doflamingo. Tesoro provided the venue and some of the auction items, while Doflamingo used his connections to provide the rest.
Of course, without Aeridar's permission, Tesoro wouldn't have dared to hold the auction in the New World. If Aeridar had insisted on not agreeing, Doflamingo wouldn't have risked offending him for Tesoro's sake, as Tesoro didn't have the strength to oppose Aeridar.
"That's right. There are a total of 137 items up for auction, including Devil Fruits, famous swords, famous wines, rare medicines, luxury goods, treasure maps, and even the swordsmanship secrets of a Great Swordsman. All are extremely rare treasures, and the cheapest item is worth at least one million Berries," Tesoro said proudly.
"One of the 21 Great Grade Swords—Aoi no Michi!" (Path of the Hollyhock)
"Wine buried deep underground for 350 years!"
"A 1,200-year-old blood ginseng! You guys really went all out!"
"There's even a famous painting from the master Disga from 800 years ago, titled 'War'!"
"The swordsmanship secrets of the Great Swordsman Udeno, also known as the 'Guardian Slayer,' from 300 years ago! You actually managed to get his swordsmanship secrets?! Aren't you afraid of the World Government coming for you, or did you get it from them?"
Flipping through the auction list, Aeridar was surprised. He was especially shocked when he saw Udeno's swordsmanship secrets, and he looked up at Tesoro and Doflamingo.
The Great Swordsman Udeno was once a loyal dog of the World Government and their sword against the world. He had even served as a Marine Admiral and had the record of destroying several countries. He was feared by many great pirates and non-affiliated countries at the time.
"Fufufufufu~ These things pretty much emptied out my coffers!" Doflamingo said with a wicked laugh, not answering Aeridar's question.
"Aeridar-san, everything I've collected is also in here," Tesoro said, grinning as if he was pleased with Aeridar's surprise.
"Hmph~ The treasures in my vault would blind you both," Aeridar scoffed childishly, then turned his head back to the item list.
Of course, Aeridar's treasury was originally the royal treasury of the Dasco royal family. He had later added many of his own collections and items obtained through other channels. There were truly a lot of treasures there.
"Wait, this is... your grand finale item?!"
Flipping to the last page, Aeridar's eyes suddenly widened, and his face was full of shock.
"Fufufufu~ You saw it, huh?" Doflamingo said with a wicked grin, sticking out his tongue. "You can't attract those monsters without some truly good stuff. If it weren't for the three of us stationed here, I wouldn't have dared to bring it out."
"The Paramecia-type Vigor-Vigor Fruit!!!"
Aeridar looked at Doflamingo and Tesoro as if they were idiots. "You actually dared to bring something like this out?"
The Vigor-Vigor Fruit was an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit. It allowed its user to be full of vigor, meaning their cells would be full of vitality, allowing for an extended lifespan and rapid recovery from injuries, similar to Wolverine.
Fifty years ago, there was a great pirate who was a Vigor-Vigor Fruit user. At that time, Whitebeard and Roger were just starting out as rookies. The Vigor-Vigor Fruit had been developed to its peak by him. Every one of his cells was filled with powerful vitality. If he was cut, the wound would completely heal within a single breath. His stamina would always be at its peak, and his mind would always be full of energy. He was practically a perpetual motion machine.
Even when he was over ninety years old, his appearance, strength, and mental state remained as they were in his youth. The Vigor-Vigor Fruit might not grant "eternal life," nor could it guarantee that the user would live forever, but living for one or two hundred years would be no problem.
At the very least, as long as the user was alive, their body would always remain in its prime until they died.
The great pirate from back then caused great destruction to the Marines and the World Government, but his death, or rather his disappearance, was a mystery.
Some people even suspected he hadn't died. If he were still alive today, he would still be a force to be reckoned with, and Whitebeard might not even have been considered the strongest. But seeing the fruit's appearance today was proof that he was definitely dead.
Normally, if someone obtained such a powerful fruit, they would either eat it themselves or give it to a subordinate. At the very least, they would keep it in their collection.
Selling it for money was not only the stupidest thing to do but also a suicidal one. Too many people wanted this fruit. Even the World Government and the Marines would go to great lengths to get it to prevent another person who was as difficult to deal with as, or even more so than, Whitebeard from appearing.
"That's why I only exposed some of the items on the auction list but not the grand finale," Doflamingo said with a sinister smile. "The purpose is to attract people's curiosity while keeping things under control."
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