"That's right, it's a Devil Fruit! The Zoan-type Mouse-Mouse Fruit, Model: Flying Squirrel!"
Tesoro pointed at the brown bananas on the golden tray and announced loudly, "Starting bid is 100 million Berries, with a minimum increment of 10 million. The bidding begins now!"
"Damn, the first item is a Devil Fruit."
"A Zoan-type Devil Fruit? I heard the Beasts Pirates have been collecting them."
"I'm more excited about the finale item."
"There are 137 items in total, so it seems Tesoro is determined to establish a foothold in the New World."
The crowd erupted in excitement, seeing that the very first item up for auction was a Devil Fruit worth over 100 million Berries.
A Devil Fruit was, after all, known as a "secret treasure of the seas." While also called "the embodiment of a sea devil" with its various drawbacks, it was still a shortcut to power and a symbol of strength that countless people were willing to pay for.
At an ordinary auction, Devil Fruits were usually saved for the finale, or at least one of the last items. It was unheard of for one to be the opening item.
"110 million Berries!"
As expected, someone immediately placed a bid. It was a muscular man in a suit, sitting in the third row on the left side of the first floor.
"120 million Berries!"
Following that, a middle-aged man in a black suit from the seventh row on the right side also made a bid.
"Bidding up by only 10 million at a time? What a bunch of paupers! 150 million!"
A voice of contempt rang out from the left. A fat man wearing a large gold chain in the second row raised his hand and shouted his bid.
"200 million Berries!"
Just as the nouveau riche fat man was feeling pleased with himself, a cold voice echoed from the VIP section on the second floor. Some people looked up and saw that the bidder was a large, muscular man with golden hair tied in a ponytail and two braids.
"Hiss~ That's Jack the Drought!"
"It's someone from the Beasts Pirates!"
"A top-tier figure is here!"
Seeing him, many people gasped in surprise.
"Hmph~"
Jack let out a cold snort and casually glanced at the nouveau riche fat man, who instantly broke into a cold sweat and dared not bid again.
With Jack's bid, no one else was willing to challenge him. It wasn't that they were all afraid, but some didn't want to offend the Beasts Pirates for a simple Devil Fruit, and others just weren't interested in that specific one.
"Oh? Since no one else is bidding, I'll make it official!"
Tesoro didn't mind. For this auction, making money was only one aspect; the real goal was to build a reputation. And with 200 million Berries coming in, it was a profitable start.
Thud!
Tesoro picked up a small hammer and tapped it, then announced loudly, "Congratulations to the guest on the second floor. This Zoan-type Devil Fruit is now yours."
A bunny-girl waiter quickly removed the Devil Fruit, and someone noted down Jack's number so he could pay and claim his item after the auction was over.
"Alright, up next is the second item."
Tesoro gestured to the side, where another waiter in a white suit walked up carrying a golden tray covered with a red cloth.
"A 1,200-year-old blood ginseng!" Tesoro pulled off the red cloth to reveal a crimson ginseng on the golden tray, about the size of a baby's arm. Its blood-red veins were clearly visible, and the liquid inside seemed to flow like blood.
A blood ginseng was, to put it simply, a mutated, high-quality form of a regular ginseng, created by being soaked in blood. The conditions for its formation were extremely strict. Ordinary human blood was useless and would only contaminate the ginseng. To truly form a blood ginseng, it required being soaked in large amounts of blood from an extremely powerful life form, as well as absorbing enough sunlight and moonlight. Even then, it was only a possibility.
However, once a blood ginseng was formed, it became one of the rarest medicinal ingredients. It had a wide range of effects, including nourishing blood and vitality, strengthening the body, extending lifespan, and healing old wounds. It was one of the most miraculous life-saving medicines.
This 1,200-year-old blood ginseng, in particular, could likely save someone from even the most severe injuries, as long as they weren't already dead.
To put it simply, if Shiki the Golden Lion had had this thousand-year-old ginseng back then, his doctor would have dared to remove the ship's helm from his head. A skilled doctor who could fully utilize the ginseng's medicinal properties and create a powerful restorative medicine could even allow Whitebeard to temporarily regain his peak strength without any negative side effects.
"A thousand-year-old blood ginseng!!!"
"Is a blood ginseng this big for real?"
"I'm taking this home for sure!"
"My God, I can even see the liquid flowing! This is a true miracle medicine!"
The appearance of the thousand-year-old blood ginseng instantly ignited the whole hall. This was a great life-saving treasure, especially for fearful royalty, nobles, and merchants, who went nearly mad over it. Even many pirates were deeply tempted, as possessing this thousand-year-old blood ginseng was like having an extra life.
"That's right, you all know the effects of a blood ginseng!"
Tesoro smiled with satisfaction, pointing at the blood ginseng on the golden tray. "The last thousand-year-old blood ginseng appeared eighty years ago! This one, a 1,200-year-old blood ginseng, has a starting bid of... 100 million Berries! And the minimum increment is 30 million Berries!"
"I'm taking this thousand-year-old blood ginseng!"
Suddenly, a loud shout came from the VIP section on the second floor. Jack stood up from his seat, his presence radiating an imposing Haki as he glared at everyone in the hall.
"What are you saying? I don't seem to understand a lick of it, perorin~"
A bizarre man with a hat full of lollipops, a lean physique, and a long, pointed nose stood up, his long tongue hanging out as he held a candy-shaped hand. Beside him, another man with dark orange hair and a three-bladed hairstyle also stood. He wore a black cape over his shirtless torso, black gloves, and black pants.
"What's wrong?"
Jack narrowed his eyes at the two men. "Charlotte Perospero, Charlotte Oven, are you trying to stop me?"
"Whoa, whoa~ Are you kidding me?! Is this brute trying to start a fight here?!"
"Oh my God~ It's Big Mom Pirates' Minister of Candy and Minister of Browned Food!"
"All the big shots are here today! These are some rarely-seen figures!"
"Will tomorrow's front-page news be about the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates going to war?!"
Seeing the sudden confrontation between the two Yonko crewmates, the people in the auction hall became flustered, and some of the more timid ones were ready to run.
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