"A famous sword, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords: the Aoi no Michi!"
"The blade is two feet and four inches long, five inches wide, and the hamon is a full-blade aoi pattern."
"The starting bid is 10 million Berries, with a minimum increment of no less than one million Berries. The bidding begins now!"
Tesoro pointed at the katana in front of him, his voice brimming with passion. The sword had a red hilt, a bright yellow scabbard with a flower pattern, and a blood-red sun pattern on the hilt.
A Great Grade Sword was not an easy blade to obtain, so many nobles and merchants from various kingdoms who collected weapons immediately began to bid.
"11 million Berries!"
"12 million Berries!"
"You paupers! 15 million Berries!"
"Damn it, you dare to bid against me? 17 million Berries!"
"Hehe, you two fools, 20 million Berries!"
"You dare call me a fool?! You're asking for a fight! 21 million Berries!"
"Hmph, 23 million Berries!"
"..."
After several minutes of frenzied bidding, the sword was finally taken by a young man who looked like a member of a royal family for a price of 31 million Berries.
In fact, Aeridar had considered bidding himself, as collecting was a big hobby of his, but he thought better of it and held back.
The auctions over the past two days had proven to everyone in the audience that the items were genuinely rare treasures, and today's crowd was even more fanatic. However, after two days, the event was also nearing its end.
For instance, the Great Swordsman's swordsmanship secrets had been a heated three-way battle between the World Government, the Red Hair Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates, with many swordsmen foolishly jumping into the fray as well.
In the end, if Tesoro, Aeridar, and Doflamingo hadn't intervened to quell the chaos, a massive fight would have broken out.
The manuscript was finally purchased by the World Government for the astronomical price of 400 million Berries. This also made Aeridar realize that the Great Swordsman Udeno's swordsmanship secrets were likely something Doflamingo had obtained through other channels, and were probably meant to bait the World Government.
Clap! Clap!
After another item was sold, Tesoro clapped his hands, a flush of excitement coloring his face as he shouted to the entire hall, "Alright, after more than two days of bidding, 136 items have been successfully auctioned off! Now, we've finally reached our final item!"
"Stop talking and just bring it out!" a guest in the second-floor VIP section yelled impatiently.
"The best things are always saved for last, so there's no need to rush..." Tesoro wasn't angry. He smiled widely as three bunny-girl waitresses walked up, each carrying a golden tray. On one tray was a small golden box instead of a red cloth.
"Now, let's open it quietly!" Tesoro said, raising his index finger with an air of theatrical fanaticism before opening the golden box.
Inside the box lay a pear-shaped, emerald-green fruit with a swirling pattern.
"Another Devil Fruit!"
"That's the third Devil Fruit!"
"As the final item, this Devil Fruit must have a powerful ability!"
"What kind of fruit is it? A Logia-type?"
"..."
Seeing yet another Devil Fruit, the entire hall became as loud as a bustling market. However, 99% of the people here had never seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, so they had no idea what type of Devil Fruit it was or what its ability might be.
After all, the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia wasn't a common item. Besides the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and the Marines, only kingdoms with long histories, ancient families, or organizations like the Church might have access to it.
Still, some people recognized the Devil Fruit.
"That's..." Jack's eyes widened, and he froze in shock.
"Kukukuku What a bold move, perorin" Charlotte Perospero said, his tongue flicking out as his body involuntarily twitched.
"Is this a joke? He actually dared to put something like that up for auction?!" Even the usually calm Ben Beckman's face changed when he saw the Devil Fruit on the auction stage.
"That's... damn Gild Tesoro, damn Doflamingo!" the suspected World Government agent cursed under his breath, his eyes filled with fury at both Tesoro and Doflamingo.
He knew that Aeridar, given his collecting habits, would never auction off something this valuable. It had to have come from either Tesoro or Doflamingo. The highest probability was Doflamingo, who always seemed to have rare items, as Tesoro had gotten his Gold-Gold Fruit from him.
Unable to sit still, he pulled a small, exquisite white Den Den Mushi from his jacket pocket, seemingly contacting someone.
"You bastard, Doflamingo! So that's it! It was you all along!" In a corner of the second-floor VIP section, a middle-aged man with long purple-red hair gritted his teeth, glaring at Doflamingo. He then pulled out a small, purple-red Den Den Mushi from his coat pocket and started making a call.
"Fifty years ago, everyone knew the great pirate, The Undying Ramorphy Moinsvar, a man known to the world as The Undying King," Tesoro said with a smile, slowly surveying the crowd. "Do you all know why he was called 'The Undying One' or 'The Undying King'?"
"What?! What does this have to do with The Undying Moinsvar?"
"Wait, no way... He'd dare to auction off something like that?! I don't believe it!"
"That's insane. The ability of that legendary man, it can't be real."
"Hey, hey, hey! This is huge news! I've already come up with the newspaper headlines, whether it's true or not!"
Hearing Tesoro mention The Undying Moinsvar, many people in the crowd immediately realized the significance of the name.
That man was a legend, comparable to Roger in the past and Whitebeard in the present. Some of the older people in the audience had even lived through that era. The Marines had been terrorized by that legendary man; the Fleet Admiral at the time died at his hands, along with one Admiral, and another was severely injured and forced to retire.
Back then, Roger and Whitebeard were just rookies who had recently set sail. If that legendary figure hadn't mysteriously disappeared, Roger might never have become the Pirate King.
"That's right, it was all because of this fruit's ability!"
Watching the expressions on everyone's faces, Tesoro's voice became filled with the passion of a public speaker. "The Paramecia-type Vigor-Vigor Fruit, which grants its eater boundless vigor—the power of immortality! Come! The power of 'The Undying King'! Its successor might just be among you!"
"There is no starting price! There is no minimum increment! Bid now... everyone!"
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