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[Start of the chapter]
Inside the auction hall, the moment Ronan stepped into the venue, he immediately noticed the huge area that was a full third of the seats sitting empty.
"The auction's about to start and there are this many empty seats?"
Ronan had no idea that, just before he came in, all the pirates who'd been sitting there had already slipped out through another door.
Right now, he simply sighed to himself that even a Devil Fruit apparently wasn't enough to attract people.
He sat down right in that large vacant section.
Some nobles and rich merchants around them clearly wanted to come up and greet him. After all, Ronan's status as a prince was right there in front of them. For them, being able to build a relationship with a prince was extremely important.
But the cold gazes Beth and Alicia swept around them were enough.
Everyone there understood clearly that these were the bodyguards who'd defeated Golden Lion. Without knowing Ronan's personality, they didn't dare rashly approach him.
If Ronan's disposition turned out to be anything like that of the Celestial Dragons, then showing up in front of him might mean nothing but collapsing at his bodyguards' feet.
With that thought, the nobles and rich merchants all felt their hearts tighten. No one dared to step forward.
Ronan, of course, had no idea these people were overthinking so much. Right now, he just wanted the auction to start quickly.
He was very curious to see what kind of Devil Fruit this would be, to actually trigger a quest on his panel.
The auction officially began.
Right from the start, a group of slaves walked onto the stage:
burly fish-man warriors; beautiful dancing girls, shivering as they wore collars; and even people from the Sky Islands, that strange race with small, pure white wings on their backs. The atmosphere in the auction house was instantly pushed to a climax.
The auctioneer's highly provocative patter riled up the nobles and merchants, sending them into a frenzy of bidding.
Seated in his place, Ronan calmly watched everything unfold.
The education and values of his previous life made him instinctively repulsed by the naked human trafficking unfolding before his eyes.
However, he also understood very clearly that this was the reality of this world. Strength reigned supreme, privilege ran rampant, and the Celestial Dragons and the World Government tacitly allowed, even encouraged, this system in order to maintain their twisted rule.
"I'm not a savior, and I can't change the deep-rooted darkness of this world."
Ronan was no saint and had never intended to challenge the rules of this world. At least for now, he had no such ability.
Blindly challenging it would just be a stupid way to get himself killed.
"This is… disgusting."
Beside him, Teresa and the others were just as disgusted by the slave auction on stage.
But they also knew that the few of them alone couldn't change anything. Besides, their goal this time was that final Devil Fruit. This was not the moment to create extra trouble.
Ronan leaned back slightly, shifting into a more comfortable position. He stopped paying attention to the slaves on stage and simply hoped that finale Devil Fruit would come out quickly.
Time flowed by amidst the noise and bidding.
When the last "treasure" of the auction—a mermaid girl—was sold at an astronomical price, the auction neared its conclusion.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next is the final item of today's auction—the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit!"
The auctioneer spread his arms wide, his voice carrying through the entire venue via loudspeaker.
As soon as he finished speaking, a servant stepped onto the stage carrying a tray, which was draped with a red cloth.
All eyes were immediately drawn to it.
A Devil Fruit—no matter when or where—was always a treasure enough to cause an uproar.
The auctioneer took a deep breath, then dramatically reached out and whipped away the red cloth!
A strangely shaped golden-yellow fruit came into view under the lights.
Beneath the illumination, it looked like a piece of art carved from solid gold!
"Everyone!" The auctioneer's voice trembled with excitement. "This is the final item of today's auction—the Paramecia-type, Gold-Gold Fruit!"
The four characters "Gold-Gold Fruit" seemed to possess some kind of magic, instantly detonating the entire venue!
The auctioneer then gave a detailed description of the Gold-Gold Fruit's powers to everyone present.
"It can control gold?! And the user's body can turn into gold too?!"
"The only pity is that it can't turn ordinary objects into gold!"
"Are you an idiot? If you have this, it's like having a body of solid gold! The defensive power would be insane."
Whispers spread rapidly through the crowd.
The eyes of the nobles and merchants burned with greed.
The powerful rebel leaders and Underworld bosses, meanwhile, saw the immense potential of its combat strength!
In stark contrast to the feverish excitement around him, Ronan froze the instant he heard the name "Gold-Gold Fruit"!
"The Gold-Gold Fruit?! Isn't that… from the movie 'Gold City,' the power of that 'Golden Emperor' Gild Tesoro?!"
Memories from his previous life surged into his mind.
This Fruit… had actually appeared here?! At this point in time?!
The sheer shock left him momentarily dazed.
And in those few seconds of Ronan's stunned silence, the bidding on stage shot up like a runaway horse!
"Two hundred ten million!"
A North Blue tycoon was the first to call out.
"Two hundred thirty million!"
A man who looked like some mafia godfather raised the price.
"Two hundred fifty million!"
In a corner, the leader of some New World rebel group spoke in a deep voice. They had long hungered for Devil Fruits that could directly boost their strength.
"Two hundred eighty million!"
"Three hundred million!"
The price skyrocketed as if riding a rocket, breaking through the three-hundred-million-Berry mark in the blink of an eye!
And there was no sign of the competition cooling off. Those few leaders from the New World clearly had no intention of backing down!
Ronan snapped out of his memories in an instant.
Hearing the price already soar to three hundred million, his heart sank sharply!
The total funds he'd brought were from the combined bounties for capturing the Kudris Pirates and several other pirates earlier—around four hundred thirty million Berries.
At this rate, never mind four hundred thirty million… even five hundred million might not be enough!
He couldn't wait any longer!
"Four hundred million."
Ronan's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall heard it with crystal clarity.
For a moment, the entire auction hall fell into dead silence.
Every gaze swung toward the second prince of the Lulusia Kingdom, Ronan, faces full of shock!
He… he'd actually joined the bidding?
And he'd raised it by a full hundred million in one go?! From three hundred million straight to four hundred million?!
This wasn't bidding anymore.
This was a declaration of ownership—using an overwhelming price to crush the competition and proclaim his absolute determination to claim it.
(End of Chapter)
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