Raiden Ei didn't waste words and directly took a box out of her backpack, handing it to the Waitress. The man in the suit was stunned by this scene and blurted out, "You... a Devil Fruit User!"
The Waitress was also surprised. It wasn't that they hadn't seen Devil Fruit Users before, but rather they understood them very well. To them, a Devil Fruit represented power, which was why Devil Fruits were so valuable.
Raiden Ei just nodded casually and said to the man in the suit, "Please hurry up."
"The man in the suit didn't dare to delay. He took the box from the Waitress, opened it, gave it a casual glance, and immediately closed it before handing it back to the Waitress. The whole process took no more than two seconds. ""Hello, Miss! I am Potter, the manager here. Please follow me; I will prepare a seat for you."""
""I am the Raiden Ei. Lead the way!"" Raiden Ei put away the box handed back by the Waitress and followed the man in the suit—Potter—into the hall. The Waitress followed behind her as well.
As they walked further in, the shouting became clearer. The inside was different from the outside; the bright hall was no less luminous than the daytime. The surrounding decor was very magnificent. Uniform tables and chairs were arranged in the vast hall, and a circle of people stood not far away, watching the auction stage in the center.
""Eight million Berries! Is there anyone else bidding?"" the auctioneer shouted loudly.
Raiden Ei and the Waitress followed Potter to a seat near the front. Her arrival attracted the attention of many people; many found her stunning, while others had ill intentions.
A young man was somewhat dazed as he looked at Raiden Ei's back. He turned to the man beside him and said, "Dad, there's a very beautiful woman over there. I want to have her."
The middle-aged man glanced at Raiden Ei's seat and slapped his son's head twice. "You brat, do you want to die? I'll teach you a lesson when we get home. I see you're still thinking about women all day long."
A burly man said to the brother beside him, "A broad just came in over there, she's very beautiful!"
His brother was a green-haired man. "If you like her, we'll just go and snatch her later!"
The burly man chuckled. "I like how straightforward you are."
An old man on the other side noticed Raiden Ei's temperament and appearance. He smiled and muttered to himself, "I'm afraid a formidable character has arrived. Someone is going to be unlucky."
Raiden Ei sat down after just a glance. With that one look, she felt there were no fewer than five people with the strength of a bounty over ten million, but none were her match. She was that confident now.
She turned her gaze back to the auction stage. The previous item had already been sold, and a new one was being auctioned. It was a crown made entirely of gold; in her eyes, it was just a piece of scrap metal.
""This is the crown worn by the last king of the fallen Bugicha Kingdom. It has a history of 80 years. Think about it—you would be wearing the same crown as a king. Wouldn't that be equal to being the king of a nation? Everyone, do you want to experience what it feels like to be a king? Then do not hesitate! The starting price is five million Berries."" The auctioneer vigorously promoted the significance of the crown.
Raiden Ei thought no one would believe such false advertising, but to her surprise, more than half of the people present were competing for it. In no time, the price rose to ten million Berries and was still increasing. She looked at the bidding crowd; they were all draped in gold and silver, so it was no wonder they were fighting for it.
Raiden Ei felt that if it was always items like this, she could go back now. Seeing Potter still there, she asked him, "Potter, is it always things like this being auctioned? Is there anything else?"
Potter didn't think there was any problem. What was wrong with these things? These were the best-selling items. Although he didn't see a problem, he still had to answer Raiden Ei: "Miss Raiden Ei, we have many items to auction tonight. There are specific regulations, so I can't tell you everything, but there is one item I can tell you about."
""It's a sword. This is the third time it's being auctioned here. The people who bought it the previous two times both died mysteriously at sea. Most people here know about the auction of this sword. That's all I can tell you.""
Raiden Ei thought for a moment and could only think that the auction house was behind it. Otherwise, how could the sword fall into their hands three times? It must be some kind of gimmick. "Then how did you get the sword back?"
Potter: "I'm not quite sure. Perhaps it's fated to be here!"
Raiden Ei didn't ask further; it was useless. Looking at him, she knew he was just an employee. She would keep watching! At least she knew there would be different items up for auction.
She took a sip of the drink the Waitress had poured; it wasn't bad. Seeing the Waitress still standing aside, and not knowing when the auction would end, she wondered how long the girl would have to stand. "You should sit and watch too. Who knows how long it will take to finish."
Seeing that Raiden Ei was so easy to talk to, the Waitress became a bit more relaxed. "Yes, Miss Raiden Ei. You don't know my name yet, do you? I'm Lucia."
Raiden Ei nodded, replied with a "good," and continued watching the auction items in front of her. As time passed, she finally saw something different.
""Is everyone still frustrated because your weapons aren't powerful enough? Are you still afraid to pursue your dreams because you lack strong military force? Then the next item will satisfy you."
""It is a Cannon. One shot can destroy a large three-masted sailing ship. With it, I believe you will be invincible on the sea. Why would you need to care about the pirates on the ocean? The starting price is ten million Berries.""
Raiden Ei wasn't interested in this either; destroying a ship was something she could do easily. However, others went wild. The price jumped from ten million to twenty million, and finally, it was bought by a burly man for twenty-eight million Berries.
""Friends, I believe everyone knows about this auction item. We are also very sorry about it. The people who bought it in the past did not become famous throughout the world with it. Now, this is its third auction here."
""It is the demon blade zanmian. It is a famous sword comparable to the 21 Great Grade Swords. It's just that there hasn't been a strong enough person to master it yet. Now, it's another trial to see if you are strong enough and if you have the courage to master it."
""Come! Challenge yourself and see if you have the mettle to stand at the peak. The starting price is twelve million Berries.""
At this moment, a sword was pushed onto the auction stage. The blade glinted with a cold light; its sharpness was evident even without testing. The crimson hilt was decorated with cloud patterns.
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