"As soon as this auction item surfaced, nearly every known faction went into an uproar," Theodore continued. "They're all scrambling to track down the person who submitted it."
"Why not just take control of the auction house staff?" Weiss replied. "Why waste time tracking people down? If it made it onto the auction list, that person must have met the client, right?"
"It's not that simple," Theodore sighed. "Those CP guys already tried that. They thought they left no trace—but almost everyone found out about it anyway."
"The manager of the auction house vanished for about half an hour the day before the auction item was submitted. When he came back, that slip of paper containing a third of the technique was already there."
"But the manager didn't even see the person who gave it to him. Apparently, he was unconscious for the entire thirty minutes. When he woke up, there were two slips of paper beside him—one with the technique, and one with a threat."
"The thing is, the manager couldn't even understand what was written on the technique note. He couldn't glean anything useful. So, after discussing it with the big boss behind the scenes, they decided to go ahead and list it anyway."
"Then he disappeared again. Four times in two days!"
"Talk about unlucky," Weiss muttered, growing curious. "Wait, how do you even know all of this in such detail? Regular people shouldn't have access to this kind of info."
"???"
Theodore gave Weiss a bewildered look. That's what you're focusing on? Shouldn't a normal person be more interested in what was actually written on the paper? If the manager saw the note, he must know what it said—shouldn't you be asking that?
...
...
Why the hell are you asking how I know all this?
"Oh, it doesn't really matter," Weiss said calmly, as if he'd picked up on Theodore's confusion. "Doesn't concern me much either way. I'm not interested."
It was a perfect display of indifference.
Let the world drown in chaos—for I remain unmoved.
"Right... sure." Theodore suddenly felt deflated. Everyone else was desperate to get this information, yet Weiss acted like it was irrelevant.
"For the Carmeline family, getting intel like this is child's play," Theodore added with pride, puffing out his chest to show off his family's influence.
"Oh!"
"…"
He's completely unbothered. Doesn't this sword demon realize how terrifying it is to get real-time updates on the ocean's happenings? Why is he so calm?!
Honestly, if the auction house weren't owned by the Carmeline family, and the manager wasn't Theodore's brother, he wouldn't know any of this either.
Damn it! There were only three words on the entire technique slip. How the hell is anyone supposed to guess what it's about?
The threat note, though—that was long. Two full pages.
Most people following this don't even know that at least five parties have seen the contents of that slip.
The mysterious figure. The Carmeline family. CP. And the two different groups who kidnapped Theodore's brother.
All five are waiting for the day of the auction, watching to see who'll be desperate enough to bid for that piece of paper.
Though honestly, the most likely outcome is that nobody bids at all—it'll be a failed lot.
Seeing how unfazed Weiss looked, Theodore suddenly grinned mischievously. "I wonder if you'll stay that calm after hearing what's been spreading in the underworld lately…"
Lying flat on the deck, Weiss suddenly felt uneasy. He opened his eyes to find Theodore's smug face hovering over him. You're good-looking, so why ruin it with that expression?
"…What are you grinning at? I've got a bad feeling about this."
"I'm not grinning. You're imagining things."
"Really? That's a relief."
"But since you asked so sincerely, I'll share it with you—as a fellow crewmate." Theodore struck a dramatic tone.
"???" I didn't ask. Also, you're not my crewmate yet. Quit trying to get close. Still, Weiss was curious about what rumors were circulating.
"They say the Sword Demon has mastered the full extraction technique for Devil Fruits!"
"Oh."
"…Excuse me, what?!"
Weiss shot upright. How do they know I have that knowledge?!
Who leaked it?!
Not only does he know about Devil Fruits—he knows about Pluto. About Poseidon. About Rocks D. Xebec. About the Empty Throne above the Five Elders. About Imu!
He knows secrets of this world that no one else does!
Has his transmigrator identity been exposed?!
Theodore was immensely satisfied with Weiss's reaction. His intel had finally shaken the Sword Demon.
He'd assumed Weiss was unshakable. Turns out he just didn't care until it concerned him directly.
Got you now, Theodore thought smugly.
"But you don't need to worry too much," he added. "It's all just speculation. And given your strength, no one's dumb enough to come knocking."
Just thinking about the reason behind these rumors made Theodore want to laugh.
Back on Canopy Island, before King and the Admiral arrived, Weiss was the strongest one there. He got involved in the battle over the Devil Fruit—he nearly ended up attacking a Celestial Dragon, too.
So naturally, people believed he must have seen that slip of paper. Otherwise, why would he suddenly stop paying attention to it afterward?
At first, Theodore believed it too. But after actually meeting Weiss, he realized it was impossible.
This guy is outrageously lazy. If it doesn't involve him directly, he just doesn't care.
"Oh, so it's just speculation? Then forget it."
Honestly, Weiss thought, I had no idea about any of this. When Groo spread that paper around, Weiss was already heading to the outer islands. He ended up fighting King and Kizaru not long after.
He lay back down lazily.
Theodore stared at him. "You… you really don't know, do you?"
"Stop spouting nonsense. Of course I don't. If I did, I'd have killed you already."
Weiss rolled his eyes.
"…Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid of what?"
"…"
"Right. You're the strong one. It's the others who should be afraid of you—not the other way around."
There was a hint of bitter jealousy in Theodore's voice. If only I had that kind of strength, he thought. Then no one would dare target my family. No one would've dared to kidnap my brother or threaten the Carmeline family.
In the end, strength is everything.
But… looking at where he stood now, Theodore sighed. He was already twenty-three, a late bloomer in the world of power. Would he even reach Weiss's level before turning thirty?
If they could get that technique, the family's strength would skyrocket. But it was probably a pipe dream.
"Sea Prism Stone?" he muttered. "What the hell are we supposed to do with just those three words?"
All he could hope now… was that none of this would turn out to be meaningless.
Just then, a voice cut through the quiet of the ship.
"Sword Demon! Hand over the Devil Fruit extraction technique!"