Holy Land, Mariejois.
"What?! The Vigor-Vigor Fruit?!"
"Damn it, it must be that fiend Doflamingo!"
"We cannot allow the Vigor-Vigor Fruit to fall into the hands of those lawless pirates!"
"The price is irrelevant; we must get our hands on that fruit!"
"Understood. I will contact the Marines immediately and have them provide support."
"I have only one demand: the Vigor-Vigor Fruit absolutely cannot be allowed to fall into enemy hands! We will not tolerate the rise of another 'Undying King'!!!"
After receiving the news, the Gorosei's enraged voices echoed out of the opulent palace. The Gorosei had clearly lost their composure upon hearing about the Vigor-Vigor Fruit. The situation on the seas was already complicated enough; if another pirate on the level of Whitebeard were to appear, who knew what the consequences would be?
A few minutes later, at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"What? The Vigor-Vigor Fruit?! How is that possible?!"
"Understood, I know how important this is. I will dispatch an Admiral at once!"
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku was furious and shocked after speaking with the Gorosei. He immediately lost his cool and made an emergency call to a Marine stronghold in the New World.
After Tesoro's speech ended, the entire auction hall was dead silent. The silence was so deep that even Tesoro started to feel awkward, a bead of cold sweat forming on his brow.
After a long time, someone finally broke the silence.
"I... I bid... 100 million Berries."
The bid came from a timid-sounding young man wearing a crown, sitting in the second row on the left of the first floor. His soft voice made it clear he lacked confidence. This, however, made Tesoro and Doflamingo secretly sigh in relief.
But in the next moment, the young man's words seemed to have set off an explosion.
"I bid 150 million Berries!"
"I bid 200 million Berries!"
"The Vigor-Vigor Fruit is mine! 300 million Berries!"
"I'm going to be the Pirate King, of course the Vigor-Vigor Fruit is mine! 500 million Berries!"
The entire hall was ignited. Almost everyone who felt confident in their wealth started bidding furiously, their faces red. The price skyrocketed with each bid, making money feel like nothing more than paper.
"The Beasts Pirates bid 800 million Berries! Anyone who dares to bid against me better think about the consequences!" Jack shouted, waving his arm threateningly.
"Red Hair Pirates, 900 million Berries!"
Ben Beckman completely ignored Jack and placed his bid, infuriating Jack.
"You scoundrels! This dangerous item must be handed over to the World Government for safekeeping!" the middle-aged man in the white suit roared, his face flushed.
"Our Totto Land bids 1.2 billion Berries!"
Perospero, completely unfazed by the World Government, placed his bid on behalf of the Big Mom Pirates, angering the agent so much that he almost started fighting Perospero.
Boom!
Suddenly, just as the price soared past 1.5 billion Berries, the golden gate to the hall exploded. The shattered pieces of gold shot out like shrapnel, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Ahhh!"
"My arm!"
"What's going on?!"
"No! Help me!"
The sudden rain of golden shrapnel hit the people standing near the gate. Several people died instantly, and dozens were injured. The sounds of pain and panic immediately replaced the clamor of the auction.
"What happened?!"
"Damn it! Are we under attack?!"
"Who would dare to attack this place?!"
"Did Tesoro do this on purpose?"
The sudden assault plunged the entire hall into chaos. Aeridar, Doflamingo, Jack, and the others all stood up.
"Damn it! What's going on?!" Tesoro was also shocked. Why hadn't his subordinates on the outside informed him?
After all, there were hundreds of elite subordinates stationed outside the auction house for security. Furthermore, Tesoro's three main subordinates—Baccarat, the temporary person in charge of Gran Tesoro, Dice, who was responsible for outer security, and Tanaka, who was the master of escape—were all outside. Even if they couldn't win a fight, surely they could have run away and alerted him?
Before Tesoro could even come to a conclusion, a figure appeared in the dust and began to walk into the auction hall, his footsteps clear and deliberate.
"Hahahaha! While it's not the fruit I was hoping for, it will do as a substitute just fine." As the smoke cleared, a tall, thin old man in a red jacket appeared in the hall. He looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties, with completely white hair, a red jacket, purple pants, and a high-collared scarlet cape. Pinned to his chest was a large blue rose, and in his hand, he held a dark blue, slender umbrella with a bat-shaped handle. Both his appearance and his aura gave people a sinister feeling, like a mythical vampire, sending shivers down their spines.
"Gulp..."
"N-no way..."
"I'd recognize him anywhere!"
"W-why? Why is he here?! The Aloof Red!"
Upon seeing the arrival of the old man, the previously chaotic hall fell into a deathly silence.
The man who had arrived was indeed the legendary pirate known by a series of titles like "The Aloof Red," "Red the Aloof," and "Red Count"—Patrick Redfield, a man said to have once rivaled Roger and Whitebeard all on his own!
"A man who detests alliances and lives by the creed of solitude. To see a legendary figure like this today... this trip was worth it," Ben Beckman said, his eyes narrowing, his expression one of extreme caution.
"Red the Alood..." Aeridar frowned deeply.
"Redfield-sama!" The middle-aged man with the purple-red hair stood up from the corner of the second-floor VIP section and jumped down in front of Redfield. He was clearly the one who had summoned the legendary pirate.
"Fuffuffuffuffu~ So it was a tip-off from someone in the Crimson Family. To think they would summon him... how troublesome," Doflamingo said with a sinister laugh, his tongue flicking out as he gave the purple-red-haired man a deep, meaningful look. His fingers twitched, and threads invisible to the naked eye appeared between them.
On the other side, the World Government agent, Jack the Drought, and the two Big Mom Pirates, though silent, all had wary expressions. This was a top-tier pirate on the same level as a Yonko.
"To attract the attention of a man like Patrick Redfield is truly an honor for me! Gran Tesoro is truly blessed by your presence!" Tesoro said, trying to force a smile despite his apprehension. "It seems you've also come for the Vigor-Vigor Fruit, Redfield-sama. Perhaps..."
But before Tesoro could finish, Redfield cut him off directly.
"Give me the Vigor-Vigor Fruit!"
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