Chapter 14: They Come in Droves
In just half a month, the news that a Devil Fruit would be auctioned in Mad Hatter Town had spread throughout most of the West Blue.
Suddenly, pirates who longed for power came in droves.
Especially the captains of the pirate crews who were already prepared to enter the Grand Line were determined to get it.
What did a Devil Fruit mean?
Only the experienced pirates who were about to break into a new world could deeply understand it.
On the other hand, the Marine branches of the West Blue also heard the news.
However, the troop allocation was an inevitable weakness of the Marine branches, so even if they knew about it, it was difficult for them to do anything.
After all, this was the West Blue, not the Grand Line.
Not to mention the importance and urgency, the area of the West Blue was much larger than that of the Grand Line.
Consequently, this meant that the Marine branches of the West Blue needed to disperse most of their troops in different places to protect the safety of the citizens within their jurisdiction.
If they had to gather the dispersed troops, although instant communication would not be a problem, the efficiency would not be fast enough.
The most complicated problem still came from the constant threat of pirates.
Unlike the Marines, who needed to establish themselves in one place to maintain law and order, pirates, although not clustered, had the freedom to roam different places.
When they saw an opportunity to make money, they clung to it like locusts to a crop.
When the Marines arrived, they would flee without looking back and head to another place where there were profits.
In this situation, an imprudent allocation of troops would only give these pirates the opportunity to do as they pleased.
Therefore, compared to the threat of a single pirate crew, the number of pirates in the Four Seas was the problem that most bothered the Marine branches. This was different from the pirates of the Grand Line.
Of course, due to factors such as different customs and cultures, the number of Marine troops in the different jurisdictions of the West Blue varied.
Excluding some corrupt members of the Marines, in some jurisdictions with enough troops, the Marines would organize the excess troops into a mobile force. Their main task was to pursue fleeing pirates.
These Marine troops, who were not restricted by a jurisdiction, often terrorized pirates.
But, although they were effective, they did not solve the root of the problem.
In a lawless place like Mad Hatter Town, what could these troops do to make a difference?
It was as if a police officer with a pistol entered a hideout of ten thugs.
Due to the deterrence of the weapon, the ten thugs would voluntarily give up their numerical advantage and submit.
But if a police officer with a pistol entered a hideout of a hundred thugs, the result would be obvious.
To break this situation, Marine Headquarters would have to send a force capable of changing the balance.
However, the uproar caused by a simple Devil Fruit was not enough to justify such a big move by Marine Headquarters.
Although the Marine branch of the West Blue could not launch a powerful attack on Mad Hatter Town, their spies were watching it closely.
Not being able to act did not mean doing nothing.
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Mad Hatter Island, Mad Hatter Town, Mad Hatter Auction House.
As its name suggests, the auction house building was shaped like a giant top hat lying on the ground.
The first and second floors of the auction house were like the brim of the hat. They occupied the largest area and were the main place of the auction.
To increase capacity, the auction house was designed similarly to a conventional opera house.
Therefore, the second floor could actually be considered part of the first.
The upper floors became smaller as they went up.
The room on the top floor of the auction house, of course, belonged to the owner of the auction house.
As the highest point of the auction house, the room was luxuriously decorated, with touches of nouveau riche everywhere.
The wall of the room that faced the center of the street was a floor-to-ceiling laminated glass window. In front of the window, there was a set of dark red European-style lounge furniture.
The Devil Fruit that would be auctioned in ten days was on the table, on a soft cloth to show its value.
In the main armchair, a strong, middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a red suit was sitting, smoking a cigar.
This man was Luches Ralph, the owner of the auction house.
"With just one move, we can make those wolves and tigers go crazy. That is the charm of the Devil Fruit."
Ralph leaned back in the armchair. His eyes were cold and black, as if he had lost his humanity. It was difficult to see any normal emotion in them.
In front of him, a man scoffed: "It's worth the great effort I made to bring the Devil Fruit from the Grand Line. A simple change of location can make its value multiply several times. How many such good deals are there in this world?"
Ralph lowered his eyelids and, through the smoke he exhaled, looked at the man's smug face, but said nothing to correct his mistake.
In this world, there were many good deals.
The fact that the value of a Devil Fruit multiplied was due more to marketing than to the deal itself.
Ralph used his finger to extinguish the red and burning tip of the cigar and said indifferently: "The starting price is 100 million, and the final price should be 1 billion or more."
"That much?"
The man was surprised. Obviously, he trusted Ralph's judgment.
Ralph looked at the Devil Fruit on the table and said: "The leaders of the underworld of the West Blue are not interested in this Devil Fruit, but the five great criminal gangs are determined to get it. Therefore, the only one who can buy the fruit will be one of them. Do you know what that means?"
Without waiting for the man's answer, Ralph continued:
"It means that if the bidding is normal, the figure will continue to rise until they reach their limit, of course, as long as no one uses tricks in secret. As for the pirates who come in droves, they are just here to make up the numbers and give money."
Hearing Ralph's words, the man suddenly became interested.
"So, who do you think is most likely to get the fruit of the five great criminal gangs?"
"Capone Bege."
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Saul's gun shop.
After half a month, Maud's wounds were basically healed. With the rich meat diet he had had, there wasn't a trace of thinness on his face.
Compared to his pale and gaunt complexion from when he woke up, he was now rosy and radiant.
Maud, who had recovered well, took off his bandages and looked at himself in the mirror on purpose.
The illness he had had disappeared. In its place, he had a face full of blood. And he had gotten rid of the disadvantage of the bandages covering his eyebrows.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Maud realized that... "Am I that handsome?"
At the same time, he finally found his second prey: his neighbor.