"Dear distinguished guests, I'm truly sorry to have kept you waiting."
Carina, wearing a purple short dress and pink high heels, walked onto the stage, her flawless beautiful face displayed under the spotlight.
Her voice was sweet and pleasant to hear, speaking as if an ethereal lark was singing.
Carina was originally the most popular singer on the Golden Ship, so having her host the auction was really underutilizing her talents.
Tesoro had invited her several times before, but Carina had always declined with various excuses.
Because Carina was most afraid of encountering lecherous Celestial Dragons.
In that case, she would face the risk of potentially becoming a slave at any time, which wasn't what she wanted to see.
But today, somehow, Carina had inexplicably agreed.
With a fresh and refined smile on her face, she said in an ethereal voice.
"I am Carina, the host of this auction. Next, I'll be accompanying everyone through this spectacular grand auction!"
After speaking, Carina directly pressed the button on the Image Den Den Mushi on the high platform.
An image appeared on the smooth, huge wall behind her, allowing everyone to clearly see its contents.
"Let's look at the first auction item."
Carina smiled as she pointed at the huge projection.
"First, we have the most precious shipbuilding material from the Calm Belt of the Grand Line—lumber from the Treasure Tree Adam. With a total weight of 100 tons, it is a single massive log. If used to craft the keel of a large vessel, the ship's durability would likely surpass ninety-nine percent of all ships in this world! Even Marine warships and the vast majority of pirate crew ships would struggle to compare!"
Carina smiled sweetly. "Legend has it that the Oro Jackson, the ship of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, was built from lumber of the Treasure Tree Adam—an incredibly powerful battleship that accompanied him through countless battles and weathered all storms, becoming a legend! Everyone! Just imagine, if you could possess such a ship, in the treacherous weather of the New World, you would essentially have an absolutely secure fortress at sea!"
Carina's words flowed smoothly, her tone rising and falling with emphasis, enough to stir the heartstrings of every interested party!
"Lumber from the Treasure Tree Adam, total weight 100 tons, starting bid: one billion berries!"
As soon as her words fell, the auction house erupted into a wave of heated commotion.
Some pirate captains from the New World flushed with excitement, their eyes burning with desire as they stared at the projection ahead.
"Hahaha, I've finally waited for this! With the lumber from the Treasure Tree Adam, I can build an invincible battleship. Combined with my strength, I'll carve out my own territory in the New World!"
In contrast, the nobles from various kingdoms showed little interest.
Whether they were member nations or not, no country was permitted to maintain its own navy.
Thus, ships were only of concern to pirates or the Marines.
Just as numerous pirate captains were rolling up their sleeves, ready to begin bidding—
"10 billion!"
A deep, resonant voice rang out from the central booth on the second floor of the auction house.
If one listened closely, they could also hear the sound of splashing water and the playful laughter of a girl coming from behind the window.
With that calm utterance, the vast auction hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Heads turned upward, eyes straining toward the large window, trying to catch a glimpse of the person inside.
The pirate captains who had been poised to bid instantly turned ashen-faced.
10 billion!
Even for pirates who had roamed the New World for over a decade, this was an unimaginably colossal sum!
Moreover, while the lumber from the Treasure Tree Adam was indeed precious, it was far from being worth 10 billion berries.
Everyone was well aware of the rules: a starting bid of one billion berries, with each increment no less than 10 million.
They had anticipated a fierce bidding war.
When familiar pirate captains exchanged glances, they could still see the fighting spirit blazing in each other's eyes.
But now, it felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.
Hearing that familiar voice, a knowing smile instantly spread across Carina's face.
Surveying the silent hall, Carina picked up her small gavel and lightly tapped it three times on the table before her.
"10 billion Berries going once, twice, thrice! No further bids? Then this Adam Wood material now belongs to the guest in Box Zero. For those who didn't secure treasures, don't worry—we still have many diverse treasures coming up that are sure to satisfy everyone."
Carina pressed a button again, and a slender longsword image promptly appeared on the projection.
"This is the legendary Great Grade Sword Shura, said to be the personal blade of a master swordsman skilled in demonic aura two hundred years ago. Later, this master swordsman fell at the hands of the legendary swordsman Ryuma, and the Great Grade Sword was lost. After two centuries of twists and turns, it has resurfaced at our auction. The story behind it is nothing short of remarkable!"
"Without further ado, the starting bid is 500 million Berries!"
As soon as Carina finished speaking, the venue erupted into commotion once more!
"What? It's actually the legendary Great Grade Sword Shura! That's said to be a famous blade on par with the Great Grade Sword Shusui! Its resilience is such that even prying up a small hill with its tip wouldn't break it!"
"Hurry and buy it! This is a treasured sword any swordsman would dream of possessing! Unlike the cursed blades like Kitetsu, it won't turn on its master."
Not only were the guests on the first floor excited, but even from the private rooms on the second floor, figures leaned out of their windows, carefully examining the images projected on the screen.
Just as all the sword masters were preparing to place their bids, the same calm, faint voice once again came from the central private room on the second floor.
"10 billion!"
Dead silence!
The massive auction hall once again fell into a prolonged, deathly silence.
Those who were still calculating whether their wallets were deep enough were completely stunned.
"Bastard!!"
In a private room at the right corner of the second floor, a tall, imposing man with thick knuckles but slender, pale fingers had an extremely grim expression on his face.
Leaning out of the window, he stared fiercely in Caesar's direction, letting out a frustrated roar.
"This O Wazamono-grade sword, Shura, is the perfect weapon I, Gabriel, have been searching for decades! With it, I could challenge the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye! That bastard... how dare he...!"
The man was both furious and powerless.
He knew all too well that Tesoro, that snobbish man, always assigned seating based on status and influence.
The fact that the bidder was seated in the central private room was more than enough proof of his high status!
Carina was momentarily stunned but quickly suppressed the corners of her lips, which were twitching upward as if she were about to laugh.
She cleared her throat lightly and prepared to introduce the next item.
The next moment, Caesar's calm yet resolute voice came from the window.
"Enough of this. Bring all the items up for auction to me. I bid 100 billion—I want everything tonight!"
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