"The famous sword, Juexi, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. Its blade features a chaotic midareba pattern with a small gyaku-choji temper line. The scabbard is pitch black, a kurigata style without a back-ridge. It measures 87 centimeters in length, 1.5 centimeters in width, and the edge is a mere 0.9 millimeters thick!"
As Stavis reeled off the exact specifications of Juexi, he drew the precious blade from its scabbard and swung it forcefully through the air a few times. Despite his thin arms and legs, those few slashes looked quite decent.
"This is a legendary blade said to be capable of severing a gale and cutting through a storm! Its nimble yet rigid edge is utterly indestructible, making it a divine weapon dreamed of by every master swordsman!"
Following his words, a thick iron plate was carried onto the auction stage. Stavis let out a loud shout and brought Juexi down hard against the plate made of refined iron. The seemingly solid iron plate was instantly cleft in two, the cut as smooth as a mirror, drawing a collective gasp of astonishment from the distinguished guests below the stage.
Sherlock showed no expression on his face upon seeing this, though he scoffed at the showmanship in his heart.
If a Great Grade Sword could slice through iron so easily, then Roronoa Zoro wouldn't have had to fight such an incredibly grueling battle when up against Mr. 1 back in Alubarna.
(Still, because of this, those idiots with more money than brains should become extremely interested in this sword. I might as well throw some wood onto the fire.) Sherlock pushed up his glasses, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
Sure enough, the bidders below responded to this sword that could cut through iron like butter with unprecedented enthusiasm. In particular, a few young nobles who delusionally hoped to rely on this famous sword to become master swordsmen were absolutely determined to claim Juexi for themselves.
The starting price of 10 million Berries was quickly multiplied several times over, and it continued to climb—with a certain gentleman with glasses playing a monumental role in fanning the flames.
After several rounds of bidding, only two contenders remained.
"50 million Berries! Prince Bane from the Mulgore Kingdom has bid 50 million Berries! Are there any other... Alright! The gentleman with glasses has bid 80 million Berries!" Stavis's voice suddenly spiked, his fingers clutching the microphone tightening instinctively out of sheer excitement.
He hadn't been this thrilled in a long time. Watching the bidders below lose their minds as they competed frantically against one another was what brought this chief auctioneer his greatest sense of accomplishment.
"Damn it! Does this bastard have so much money that he has nowhere else to spend it? Or is he intentionally provoking me?!"
Prince Bane glared with a deathly pale face in the direction of the man who had raised the paddle. If conditions permitted, he truly wanted to order his men to hack that glasses-wearing bastard into a thousand pieces!
Just like a certain airheaded female Marine, Bane was also a famous sword fanatic.
He had loved collecting famous swords since childhood, but it was a pity that he did not possess a single collection piece worthy of showing off. Therefore, no matter what, he had to secure this famous sword, Juexi, which ranked among the 21 Great Grade Swords!
As a prince of a kingdom, Bane had money to burn, but even if he was wealthy, buying something at a price far exceeding his psychological ceiling remained an extremely infuriating matter.
"Send someone to look into that guy with glasses to see exactly what his background is. How dare he compete with me? He must really be tired of living!"
Prince Bane quietly instructed the butler sitting beside him. Then, disregarding the butler's attempts to dissuade him, he resolutely raised his paddle once more.
"100 million Berries! Prince Bane has bid 100 million Berries!"
Stavis's smile couldn't have been more radiant as he cast a gaze filled with anticipation toward Sherlock, hoping this wealthy tycoon with glasses could make the "storm" rage even more fiercely.
Unfortunately, however, the young man wearing glasses did not contest the bid again.
In the end, the famous sword, Juexi, was purchased by Prince Bane for the closing price of 100 million Berries, a sum far exceeding the initial estimate. Looking at his pained expression, he didn't possess even a shred of the excitement a winning bidder ought to have.
(100 million Berries. Heheh, I hope that idiot will be satisfied with this price.) Sherlock pushed up his glasses with a faint smile.
At that moment, the lighting on the auction stage shifted. A rhythmic piece of music echoed from behind the curtain, and along with the transformation of the venue's atmosphere, Sherlock could clearly perceive that the distinguished guests had all become visibly excited.
"It's starting, the slave auction!"
Jean chuckled, and then as if suddenly remembering something, he lowered his voice to say to a certain gentleman with glasses, "By the way, let me give you a piece of advice. If possible, try your best not to touch those Fish-Man slaves."
"Fish-Men? Why is that?" Sherlock glanced at the information regarding the several Fish-Man slaves on the auction catalog and asked in confusion, "Could it invite trouble?"
"Exactly." Jean nodded. "I heard from a friend of mine that anyone who buys a Fish-Man slave will be targeted by the 'Fish-Man Alliance'. Those fellows haven't hated humans for just a day or two. If you cross them, it will absolutely become a very troublesome matter."
"I see." Sherlock silently committed the Fish-Man Alliance to memory, intending to gather information about them later.
The slave auction commenced.
Sherlock quickly discovered that the so-called slave auction was actually no different from an ordinary auction, save for the fact that inanimate merchandise had been replaced by individuals bound by collars, their expressions either furious, terrified, or entirely numb.
He quietly observed the slave trade before him without participating in the bidding. The lenses reflecting the white light masked his eyes, making it impossible to discern his true expression at this moment.
(Humans really are the creatures closest to devils. For the sake of profit, humans can persecute anything that can be persecuted, even their own kind.)
Sherlock was no saint; he had never even considered himself a particularly good person. However, looking at those slaves chained up and sold off like merchandise, a certain gentleman with glasses found it very difficult to remain entirely indifferent.
Vaguely, it was as if a voice was speaking to him, telling him that something was wrong with this world, that he needed to do something, that he needed to change something.
Yet Sherlock also knew very well in his heart that he could do nothing, and change nothing.
The World Government, the Celestial Dragons, the descendants of the Twenty Kings, Sarsalian, the Revolutionary Army, the Will of D, the Natural Enemy of the Gods, the Void Century...
Inadvertently, a wild tangle of countless messy thoughts drifted through Sherlock's mind. By the time he snapped out of his daze, the auction had actually already drawn close to its conclusion.
"You really didn't buy a single slave." Jean looked at Sherlock in astonishment, having personally successfully bid on several very excellent slaves just now.
"But it doesn't matter, the auction here is held once a month. If you want to buy, you can always return next ti— Oh? Sherlock, look quickly! The grand finale slave is finally taking the stage!"
Hearing the voice, Sherlock looked over and saw that all the lights in the entire venue had completely dimmed. When they flared up again, every spotlight converged upon a single spot on the auction stage. At the same time, a Visual Den Den Mushi projected the true appearance of this slave onto the screen.
This was a young girl who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. She wasn't particularly tall, but her appearance was stunningly beautiful. A cascade of deep blue hair reached all the way down to her waist, her porcelain skin appeared somewhat pale, and a pair of large, pitch-black eyes gazed anxiously below the stage like a frightened fawn, making one instinctively want to shield her behind their back.
The girl's figure wasn't voluptuous, yet it could still be considered gracefully elegant. Paired with her uniquely styled clothing and her ethereal, otherworldly temperament, she possessed a distinctly captivating charm.
Compared to an exquisite beauty of this caliber, the female slaves and dancers who had appeared previously were nothing more than a bunch of vulgar and ordinary women!
(The style of the clothing on her body is so strange. Is she a resident of some unknown small island?) Sherlock thought to himself.
It had to be said that the focus of a certain gentleman with glasses was always quite different from that of ordinary people...
Moreover, strange as it was, after this blue-haired girl took the stage, a certain gentleman with glasses felt an unnamable, peculiar sensation. This sensation was extremely faint, yet it truly and undeniably existed, leaving Sherlock greatly perplexed.
"This lady is the final auction item of this auction."
The auctioneer Stavis revealed a confident smile. "Presubmably, everyone present must be extremely curious as to why such a delicate little beauty could become the grand finale item of this auction."
"That is because she is by no means an attractive but useless vase, but a Devil Fruit user who ate a Devil Fruit and possesses devilish power!"
Uproar—
The audience erupted into a clamor. Aside from a few individuals who had received word long ago, the rest of the crowd had not expected that a Devil Fruit user would actually be captured and reduced to a slave.
(Just what kind of Devil Fruit did she eat?) The distinguished guests collectively wondered in their hearts.
After all, in the impressions of ordinary people, Devil Fruit users were supposed to be a bunch of incredibly formidable entities possessing unnatural superpowers who were highly dangerous to cross. How could one end up in such a miserable state?
"Her fruit ability does not possess any powerful destructive force; otherwise, she wouldn't have been captured so easily."
Stavis naturally knew what was running through everyone's minds, so he didn't beat around the bush and smiled. "However, this ability is of the support type—extremely interesting, and highly practical."
"Now, let us ask this little beauty to demonstrate it for everyone."
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